NFL Notebook: Man in Harrison case is convicted of misdemeanor

■ Colts: A man who says he was shot by Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison was convicted of a misdemeanor yesterday for lying to Philadelphia police about the shooting.

A municipal court judge acquitted Dwight Dixon of two related misdemeanors after tossing out two of three statements he gave police, who had evicted Dixon's attorney from his hospital room after the shooting.

Dixon, 32, initially told police his name was Malik Turner and that he was shot by two strangers who robbed him in West Philadelphia, several officers testified. Dixon had been shot in the hand and apparently struck in the head with a gun in the April 28 incident.

Police took him from the hospital to a police station, where they interviewed him twice more. Dixon eventually told a homicide detective his real name and said he was shot at the North Philadelphia location, Detective Omar Jenkins testified.

Police soon found his pickup truck riddled with shell casings and bullet holes.

Dixon's lawyers said he lied to police because he feared Harrison. They noted that a bystander struck by a bullet at the scene was put in protective custody for two weeks.

■ Rams: Coach Steve Spagnuolo hired two more assistants yesterday.

Bruce Warwick is now the assistant to the head coach/football operations. Andre Curtis joins the defensive staff.

Warwick has 18 years experience in professional and college football. He worked for the Green Bay Packers as assistant to the general manager/director of football administration from 2000-2005.

The Packers won three straight NFC Central titles and earned four playoff berths during that span.

Curtis was the defensive quality control coach with the New York Giants from 2006-2008, the past two seasons under Spagnuolo.

■ 49ers: Jimmy Raye is the eighth candidate to interview with San Francisco as its search for an offensive coordinator stretches into its fifth week.

Raye, 62, most recently was the New York Jets' running-backs coach, but has been an NFL assistant for 32 years, including a stint on the 49ers' staff in 1977. He has been an offensive coordinator seven times for six franchises, including 2004-05 with the Oakland Raiders.

Raye got an interview one day after quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson of Baltimore got his second interview for the job that's been vacant since coach Mike Singletary fired Mike Martz on Dec. 30.

■ Jets: Veteran assistant Bob Sutton will remain on the defensive staff for New York, Coach Rex Ryan said yesterday while announcing several moves.

Henry Ellard, a former Rams wide receiver who coached the receivers in St. Louis the past eight seasons, will coach the same position with the Jets. Anthony Lynn was hired to coach running backs, and Dennis Thurman and Doug Plank will work with defensive backs.

Sutton will be entering his 10th season with the Jets. Sutton, a former head coach and assistant at Army, originally joined the franchise as linebackers coach before being promoted to the team's defensive coordinator in 2006.

■ Bills: Bob Sanders, a recently fired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, has joined Buffalo as its defensive-line coach.

Sanders, hired yesterday, fills the role vacated by Bill Kollar, who left Buffalo earlier this month to become the Houston Texans' defensive line coach. Sanders spent four seasons at Green Bay, including the past three as defensive coordinator.

He was dismissed on Jan. 5 along with most of the Packers defensive staff, who took the blame for a unit that consistently blew fourth-quarter leads.

Sanders broke into the NFL in 2001 with Miami, where he spent four seasons as the Dolphins' linebackers coach.

■ Texans: Tight end Owen Daniels is headed to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Daniels, a third-year pro, was selected yesterday as a replacement for San Diego's Antonio Gates. He joins teammates Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, two other 2006 Draft picks who were both chosen as starters for the AFC.

Daniels, 6-3 and 246 pounds, was second among AFC tight ends with 862 yards receiving. He and Johnson were the most prolific tight end-wide receiver combination in the NFL with 185 catches for 2,437 yards.

The three Pro Bowl selections are the most in the seven-year history of the Texans. The game is Feb. 8 in Hawaii.