HARTFORD, Conn. – Kalana Greene scored 15 points to help top-ranked Connecticut rout No. 9 West Virginia 60-32 on Tuesday night for its 72nd straight win and 16th Big East tournament championship.

Greene made her first seven shots and grabbed 12 rebounds to earn most outstanding player honors for the tournament.

The Huskies have won five of the last six conference tournament titles and enter the NCAAs unbeaten for the fifth time in school history. UConn went on to win the national championship in 1995, 2002, and 2009. In 1996-97 they lost to Tennessee in the regional final. In all 11 teams have gone through the regular season unbeaten with five of them winning the national title.

UConn (33-0) stands six wins short of becoming the first team to go through consecutive seasons unbeaten. The Huskies surpassed their own NCAA record for consecutive wins on Monday night.

The Huskies, who have won both the regular season and conference tournament title the last three years and 14 times in school history, held West Virginia to the lowest total in a Big East championship game.

With All-Americans Maya Moore and Tina Charles having off-games, Greene and Tiffany Hayes carried the offense. Hayes finished with 15 points. Charles had 12 and Moore 10, but they combined to make just three of their first 22 shots.

UConn improved to 14-0 against top-10 opponents, winning by an average of 26.3 points.

The Huskies have now won the last 22 meetings with West Virginia, including an 80-47 rout at the XL Center on Feb. 2. In that game the Mountaineers played tough for 25 minutes before succumbing to the Huskies.

On Tuesday night, it looked like UConn would once again blow past West Virginia.

The Huskies, who have won every game during its record streak by double figures, used a 20-4 early run in the first half to turn a one-point lead into a 27-10 advantage with 6:42 left. The Mountaineers wouldn’t wilt, using their tenacious defense which allowed only 51.5 points coming into the game, to stick around.

West Virginia answered with a 18-6 spurt of its own spanning the half to close to 33-28 on Natalie Burton’s free throw with 15:32 left in the game. Liz Repella had eight points during the burst, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key that hit the front rim, bounced straight up and then in that made it 33-27 UConn. She finished with 10 points to lead West Virginia (28-5).

The Huskies then went on one of their typical runs. UConn scored 27 of the next 29 points to end any hopes of the upset.

The Huskies held West Virginia without a point for nearly the final 11 minutes until a meaningless layup with 28 seconds left.

Greene had six points during the spurt, and also a nifty pass to Moore for a layup off an offensive rebound that made it 49-30 with 8:51 left. Charles, who had missed seven of her first eight shots hit three foul line jumpers and a layup during the burst.

Caroline Doty was in her customary place in the starting lineup after suffering a scary head and neck injury during the Huskies’ NCAA-record 71st straight victory Monday night. The sophomore guard was inadvertently elbowed in the head by Notre Dame’s Ashley Barlow with 50 seconds left in Monday night’s game.

Doty didn’t show any outward signs of the injury, but was ineffective in her 16 minutes, scoring just one point.

West Virginia was making only its second trip to the championship game.

LOS ANGELES – Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager.

Now that arrangement is over, with the team announcing his departure in an e-mailed statement. Assistant general manager Neil Olshey will take over Dunleavy’s job.

“The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure,” the statement said. “The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.”

The Clippers were 12th in the Western Conference standings with a 25-38 record going into Tuesday night’s game at Orlando.

Dunleavy stepped down as head coach on Feb. 4, and was replaced by assistant Kim Hughes.

At the time, Dunleavy said, “I thought, ‘It’s time for me to give somebody else a shot, you’re burnt out on this.’”

Olshey had been serving as assistant GM since before the 2008-09 season. Previously, he was director of player development, assistant coach and director of player personnel.

The team said he played an important role in several transactions, including deals that brought Marcus Camby, Rasual Butler, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Drew Gooden to the Clippers. Olshey also was part of the planning for the team’s last four NBA drafts, including obtaining Blake Griffin as the No. 1 overall pick last season.

Griffin has missed this season because of injury.

The move comes with the Clippers having significant salary cap space in hopes of luring a top free agent this summer.

In 6 1/2 seasons as coach, Dunleavy was 215-325, and Los Angeles made the playoffs just once in his first six seasons, getting within one game of the Western Conference finals in 2006. The Clippers haven’t been back to the playoffs since, winning just 42 games in the past two seasons.

Last month, Dunleavy said, “I wanted to stay with this organization, see things through, one way or the other. I would have rather done it as a successful coach, but on the other hand, I can see ahead. It was going to be a tough struggle all the way through.”

DETROIT — Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey will miss at least a second game after collapsing in Cleveland.

Detroit president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says Stuckey won’t play Wednesday night against Utah and there is no timetable for his return, which will be determined by doctors.

Stuckey was out of the lineup against Houston on Sunday, two days after he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher during a game against the Cavs. An oxygen mask was put on his face and he was taken to a hospital for tests and an overnight stay.

Stuckey missed two games last season after experiencing dizziness during a game.

The third-year pro from Seattle is averaging 17 points, five assists and four rebounds for the rebuilding Pistons.

LOS ANGELES — Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager.

Now that arrangement is over, with the team announcing his departure in an e-mailed statement. Assistant general manager Neil Olshey will take over Dunleavy’s job.

“The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure,” the statement said. “The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.”

The Clippers were 12th in the Western Conference standings with a 25-38 record going into Tuesday night’s game at Orlando.

Dunleavy stepped down as head coach on Feb. 4, and was replaced by assistant Kim Hughes.

At the time, Dunleavy said, “I thought, ‘It’s time for me to give somebody else a shot, you’re burnt out on this.”‘

Olshey had been serving as assistant GM since before the 2008-09 season. Previously, he was director of player development, assistant coach and director of player personnel.

The team said he played an important role in several transactions, including deals that brought Marcus Camby, Rasual Butler, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Drew Gooden to the Clippers. Olshey also was part of the planning for the team’s last four NBA drafts, including obtaining Blake Griffin as the No. 1 overall pick last season.

Griffin has missed this season because of injury.

The move comes with the Clippers having significant salary cap space in hopes of luring a top free agent this summer.

In 6 ½ seasons as coach, Dunleavy was 215-325, and Los Angeles made the playoffs just once in his first six seasons, getting within one game of the Western Conference finals in 2006. The Clippers haven’t been back to the playoffs since, winning just 42 games in the past two seasons.

Last month, Dunleavy said, “I wanted to stay with this organization, see things through, one way or the other. I would have rather done it as a successful coach, but on the other hand, I can see ahead. It was going to be a tough struggle all the way through.”

The Los Angeles Clippers and Mike Dunleavy have officially “severed ties,” according to a statement released by the team Tuesday evening. In six and a half seasons at the helm, Dunleavy guided the Clippers to just one winning season. Neil Olshey, who served under Dunleavy as an assistant general manager, will assume Dunleavy’s duties.

Dunleavy joined the franchise as head coach in 2003-04, a role he served until stepping aside in February to focus solely on his front office duties. That move was short-lived.

“The organization has determined that the goal of building a winning team is best served by making this decision at this time,” the statement read. “The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure. The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.”

Like Dunleavy, Olshey is in his seventh season with the Clippers, originally joining the organization in 2003-04 as the director of player development. He served as assistant coach in 2004-05 before being promoted to the role of director of player personnel from 2005-08. Prior to last season, he was named the assistant general manager.

According to the team’s press release, “Olshey has played an important role in the completion of several significant team transactions, including the deals which brought Marcus Camby, Craig Smith, Rasual Butler, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, and Drew Gooden to the Clippers, among others. He also played a integral part in administering all preparation for the Clippers’ last four NBA Drafts, which produced Al Thornton, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Blake Griffin.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — This one looked more like an audition than a real NBA game. And that should be no surprise.

It’s tough to win when most of the roster has one foot out the door.

Like several teams in the league, the Los Angeles Clippers have spent the season clearing salary cap space for this summer, filling their roster with players in the last year of their contract.

Four of their five starters Tuesday will be free agents this summer. Only two of the 12 players active for Tuesday’s lopsided loss to the Magic have contracts for next season.

“It’s the nature of the business. I understand it, but I don’t know if it’s healthy to have that many free agents at once,” said interim coach Kim Hughes, who is unlikely to return next season. “I don’t think it’s a positive situation to be in. There are too many dynamics involved.”

Hughes was speaking before the game began, knowing he already had benched high-priced guard Baron Davis, who missed the morning practice with what officially was described as “a stomach virus.”

Davis, the team’s highest paid player ($12 million), didn’t enter the game until midway in the first quarter.

“I understand it, but I don’t know if it’s healthy to have that many free agents at once. … It creates a scenario where people are looking for stats more than the productivity to win games.”
- Clippers interim
head coach Kim Hughes “It creates a scenario where people are looking for stats more than the productivity to win games,” Hughes said. “It makes things a little tougher.”

The Clippers announced during the game that Mike Dunleavy, the man responsible for assembling the roster, had been relieved of his duties as general manager. He had left the coaching part of his job earlier this season and was replaced by Hughes.

After Davis, the Clippers have only All-Star center Chris Kaman ($11 million), injured guard Eric Gordan ($3 million) and rookie Blake Griffin ($5.3 million), who hasn’t played this season, under contract beyond April.

Forward Travis Outlaw, forward Drew Gooden, and guard Steve Blake — all obtained in trades this season — and Rasual Butler were the free-agent-to-be starters Tuesday night.

None expressed any confidence about being back next season. Gooden played for the Magic earlier in his career, and has expressed a strong interest in returning to play in Orlando.

“I would love to come back and play in Orlando. I wanted to come back last summer,” Gooden said. “But we’ll just have to see what happens. This is a business, and nothing is guaranteed.”

The Magic considered signing Gooden last summer, but they opted for free agent Brandon Bass of Dallas instead. Gooden then signed a one-year contract with Dallas, which sent him last month to Washington, which traded him to the Clippers.

The Magic actually will have interest in signing Blake this summer as they search for another point guard to play behind starter Jameer Nelson. The Magic have used both journeymen Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson in the role this season, but both are in the final year of their contracts and already slowing down. Blake, 30, has shown an ability to play effectively as either a starter or reserve in his career.

The Magic, well over the salary cap, will have only a salary cap exception to offer once the free agency period begins July 1.

“I have a lot of respect for the Magic and their coach (Stan Van Gundy),” Blake said. “But I’m not going to worry about that until this summer. I take pride in being able to give a team what it needs in any role.”

The Clippers lost their fourth consecutive game Tuesday, and all of them were blowouts. On Tuesday, the game was over before halftime. During the game, the Magic were joking both on the court and on the sideline, showing none of the intensity they had when they beat the Lakers on Sunday.

Outlaw likely will be their most sought-after free agent this summer, and he shrugged when asked about the chances of his returning. He talked about finishing the season strong, but it didn’t show during the game.

“I just want to finish the season, and maybe show a little more ball handling skills,” he said. “This has helped me out. Everyone knows I can score. This is about showing some other aspects of my game.”

Michael Vick said Tuesday that the Philadelphia Eagles have exercised their 2010 option on him, meaning the quarterback will receive a $1.5 million roster bonus sometime this week.

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported Sunday that the Eagles were expected to pick up the option.

That doesn’t necessarily guarantee Vick will return to the Eagles for another season, but a team source has maintained to La Canfora that Philadelphia expects Vick, starter Donovan McNabb and backup Kevin Kolb all to be in training camp this summer. Sources from two teams who would be in the market for a quarterback said last month that they don’t expect Vick to be dealt until the preseason, but NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi reported that the Eagles plan on keeping the quarterback and even might increase his role in the offense.

“The Eagles picking up the roster bonus, it’s a blessing for me, a blessing for my family,” Vick said Tuesday. “As far as I know, I’m a Philadelphia Eagle, and I will carry out the role I’ve been playing. We’ll see what happens. The entire organization knows I want to be a starter.”

Vick spoke in Baltimore, where he was honored as one of 32 NFL players to receive the Ed Block Courage Award. Outside the banquet hall where the ceremony was held, dozens of protesters expressed dismay over Vick’s nomination.

The award is presented to players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Each NFL team selects its own recipient, and Vick was picked as the Eagles’ winner by a unanimous vote of his teammates.

Once a star quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick was convicted in 2007 for his role in a dogfighting ring and served 18 months in federal prison.

“I’m very humbled to be here,” Vick said before the award ceremony. “I’m blessed to be voted by my peers, to be here, and this is an opportunity that I will take advantage of and cherish forever.”

It was the first award that Vick received since being reinstated by the NFL in September 2009.

“It shows I’m making strides,” he said. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Police cars sat at every driveway of the parking lot, and security inside the building was heavier than usual at the 32nd annual event. Many of the protesters outside carried signs, one of which said, “No Award For Dog Killers.”

Erin Marcus, of Open The Cages Alliance, said, “I don’t think there has been enough time for him to show the proper remorse for what he’s done to animals.”

Many of the other Ed Block Award winners rebounded from serious injuries to excel, such as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae and Baltimore Ravens safety Dawan Landry. Vick, of course, had to bounce back from something entirely different.

“I think I do exemplify what this award stands for,” Vick insisted. “I think everybody has the right to their own opinion. But I feel like I’ve done everything that I said I would do, coming out and moving forward. My peers felt like I was doing the right thing, and that I display courage and sportsmanship and leadership. I value their opinion.”

Vick did more than just show up to collect a piece of hardware. He spent hours Monday and Tuesday speaking to kids at a community center and at the Baltimore Ravens Courage House, which houses abused children.

“It’s easy to see, when you spend a couple of days with Michael Vick, why his Philadelphia Eagles teammates picked him as the Courage Award winner,” Ed Block spokesman Paul Mittermeier said. “It’s been that impressive.”

Mittermeier said the Eagles will dedicate a Courage House in Philadelphia on Vick’s behalf next year.

Vick also has worked with The Humane Society of the United States, speaking at churches, schools and community groups about the poor judgment that he showed in being involved with dogfighting.

“Michael Vick approached us and said he wanted to be part of the solution instead of the problem,” Michael Markarian, executive vice president and CEO of the Humane Society, said before the event. “We asked him if he (could) do volunteer work, go to communities all over the country and talk to at-risk youth and try to steer them away from dogfighting.”

Markarian said Vick has told his story in “about a dozen” cities.

“The Humane Society of the United States was the toughest critic of Michael Vick when these allegations first came to light,” Markarian said. “But we want to find creative solutions to try to reach kids, particularly young men, who get pitbulls for the wrong reason. They are really moved after they hear Michael Vick’s story, and it turns them away from dogfighting.”

Which, to some, explains why Vick received the Ed Block Courage Award.

The award, named after longtime Baltimore Colts trainer Ed Block, was first presented in 1978.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES – Willie Davis, a speedy center fielder who collected two World Series rings, three Gold Gloves and was a two-time All-Star during his 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died. He was 69.

“He was beloved by generations of Dodger fans and remains one of the most talented players ever to wear the Dodger uniform. Having spent time with him over the past six years, I know how proud he was to have been a Dodger. He will surely be missed and our sincere thoughts are with his children during this difficult time,” Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement.

Davis was found dead Tuesday in his Burbank home, police said, adding that they did not believe foul play was involved.

Davis’ teammates included Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Johnny Roseboro, Junior Gilliam and Maury Wills. He won his World Series rings in 1963 and 1965.

“He was the only person I’ve ever seen score on a fly ball from second base when he did it in Vero Beach. Willie running the bases was one of the best. He was exciting. He was a very proud man and a good man. He was a good ballplayer,” Dodgers coach Manny Mota said at spring training in Glendale, Ariz.

The Dodgers lost the 1966 World Series 4-0 to the Baltimore Orioles. In Game 2, in the last game of Koufax’s pitching career, Davis committed a Fall Classic-record three errors in one inning when he lost one fly ball in the sun, dropped the next one, then overthrew third base.

During the 1965 World Series, Davis stole three bases in one inning, including one where he had to crawl into second base after stumbling and falling.

Davis left the Dodgers in 1973 and went on to play for the Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and California Angels.

He retired after the 1979 season with a career .279 average and 398 stolen bases.

“Willie was always such a young man in my eyes because of how he was able to move so easily. Time gets away from you quickly. You hope you take advantage of it and you hope you appreciate every day you’re here. You just hope he’s in a better place,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

“When that guy came into the league, he put fear in everybody — outfielders, pitchers, infielders, everybody. With all the fights we had and problems we had with the Dodgers, he was always a guy you’d have a word or two with: ‘How you doing? How you hitting?’” former San Francisco Giants right fielder Felipe Alou said in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the Giants were playing the White Sox in a spring training game.

“I’m surprised,” Alou said. “Wow. He was a great player. He was one of those exciting players with many triples and doubles. I had friends on the Dodgers, which was unusual. He was one of them.”

Alou recalls a game at Dodger Stadium when Davis hit a hard single over first base that Alou chased down and threw to second and threw him out.

“I saw the umpire call him out and I said, ‘I finally got that guy trying to stretch a single into a double.’ The next day I saw the newspaper and it said Willie Davis had a double. I said, ‘I threw him out.’ My teammate said: ‘We tagged him out. He had passed second.’ He was that fast.”

In 1996, Davis was arrested for allegedly threatening his parents with a samurai sword and ninja-style throwing stars, saying he would burn their house down if they didn’t give him $5,000. Prosecutors eventually decided not to file charges.

His mother said it wasn’t the first time he wanted money and she had given it to him in the past. Davis had become a Buddhist more than 30 years earlier, and in the six months before the attack, had started carrying the sword and a dagger that he wore in a holster, his mother said.

The Dodgers wanted to help Davis, former Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe said in 1996, and got permission from then-owner Peter O’Malley to do everything they could.

“But if you perceive that a person has some kind of problem, you can’t give him money to enhance the problem,” Newcombe said. “The Dodgers are too smart for that. We wish it was that easy, but it doesn’t work that way. We would not give him money if we thought that he was going to use it for something other than a good use.”

“If we could define the problem, Willie would go to a doctor of our choosing,” Newcombe said. “Then we could have a medical diagnosis and a medical opinion about what his needs are. Then if that diagnosis was that he had a substance abuse problem, we’d put him in the hospital and we’d treat him for as long as he needed to be treated. The ball is in his court now. Willie’s going to have to make a decision about what he’s going to have to do with the rest of his life.”

Former Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi once said of Davis: “There was nothing more exciting than to watch Willie run out a triple. … He could have been a Hall of Famer, but he had million-dollar legs and a 10-cent head.”

Hall of Famer Willie McCovey of the Giants said Tuesday: “There was a time he kind of went off and I’m not sure what (he did). He was living a weird existence for a while. But he had straightened himself out. This is shocking. A lot of guys from my era are passing on, let’s face it.”

Mota said the trouble Davis had toward the end of his life “was kind of sad to see it happen. But he was a great man. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Willie.”

Davis was born in Mineral Springs, Ark., in 1940 and moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was still a boy. He attended Roosevelt High School where he was a world class sprinter.

He was recruited by the Dodgers and signed with them when he graduated in 1958, McCourt said. Two years later, he was in the majors. In 1961, he replaced Duke Snider in center field.

Davis still holds six team records. He is the franchise leader in hits (2,091), extra-base hits (585), at-bats (7,495), runs (1,004), triples (110) and total bases (3,094).

He set a team record in 1969 with a 31-game hitting streak. He had more than 20 stolen bases in 11 consecutive seasons.

He appeared in a few television shows, including “The Flying Nun” and “Mister Ed,” usually as himself.

___

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report from spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz.

After fathering seven children by six women in five states, you’d think Antonio Cromartie would have trouble finding a new partner.

The New York Jets not only have a crush on Cromartie, they’ll pay to help his bygones be bygones. You don’t have to be Dr. Laura to shriek the obvious question:

What are you thinking?

“We’re working with Antonio to give him the best chance to be successful,” Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said.

What they’re doing is having unprotected football sex. Unable to sign Tiger Woods, the Jets traded a third-round pick to San Diego for Cromartie. They not only got a cornerback, they got all the baggage that comes with being one tryst short of an Octo-dad.

That includes paternity-payment bills so large that Cromartie needed a $500,000 advance. All those mothers apparently couldn’t wait until his first paycheck in September to buy baby formula.

That gets to the real worry for Jets fans. If a guy is that irresponsible with his flesh-and-blood, what’s he going to be like with you?

Sure, general managers regularly invite players into their locker rooms whom they wouldn’t let within 100 yards of their daughters. But no team has consummated the kind of relationship New York has with Cromartie.

He couldn’t take care of his families on $1.7 million a year. What makes anyone think he’s suddenly going to grow up?

“I made some wrong decisions in my first two years in the league,” Cromartie said, “and I have to take on that responsibility.”

In other words, he’s a changed man. Where have a billion women heard that before?

“It took me awhile to man up and say, ‘I gotta do what I’m supposed to do and accept responsibilities.’ “
– Antonio Cromartie I’d like to give Cromartie, now entering his fifth season, the benefit of the doubt, but sheesh — seven “wrong decisions?”

After No. 2 or 3, I might invest in a box of condoms. After No. 4 or 5, I might investigate a vasectomy. You know they’re reversible, Antonio.

After No. 6, I might ask my agent to send me to Tiger’s sex-rehab clinic. After No. 7, one word:

Eunuch.

The most impressive thing is Cromartie planted all these seeds before he hit 25. If this keeps up, Shawn Kemp is going to have to come out of retirement to defend his procreation crown.

As prodigious as Kemp was, Seattle and Cleveland never had to front him paternity money. The Jets say they just want to help young Antonio get his life in order — and in the meantime help themselves to an ex-Pro Bowl talent.

This transaction has followed the traditional choreography: Player has character issues. Old team gets fed up and dumps him. Player says he’s turned over a new condom.

“It took me awhile to man up and say, ‘I gotta do what I’m supposed to do and accept responsibilities,’ ” Cromartie said. “I can’t point the finger at anybody else.”

Nice words. The problem is Cromartie said them before last season. He proceeded to have another disappointing year and point fingers at coaches, San Diego’s defensive scheme and even the training camp food.

Then there was the Chargers’ playoff game, when he barely pointed, much less lifted a finger to stop the Jets Shonn Greene on a 53-yard touchdown run. Cromartie is much better hitting on women than running backs.

He’s a football heartthrob who’ll break your heart. If you want to collapse in the playoffs, Cromartie is just the kind of character-challenged player you build your team around.

And now he’s going to New York? If he couldn’t behave himself in San Diego, what’s he going to do in the place that gave America its first official city condom?

That was in 2007, when the New York Health Department starting giving out free condoms at bars, restaurants, gyms, community centers and coffeehouses. No word if Cromartie demanded a machine in his locker.

By coincidence, the new condom cover was chosen this week. More than 15,000 online voters selected packaging with a computer power button. Look at your computer and you’ll see why.

If only they’d waited another week, voters might have been swayed and we’d have a cover featuring Broadway Antonio trying to intercept Ivanka Trump.

It’s not that Jets owner Woody Johnson wants another 32 mouths to feed at the company picnic. The team believes Rex Ryan will be a good influence on Cromartie.

The Jets are risking more than a third-round pick, however. They’re risking team chemistry, not to mention 70,000 irate fans throwing condoms at Cromartie the first time he ducks a tackle.

If New York really wanted to help Cromartie, it would treat him like the problem child he is. He’s never taken responsibility because he’s never had to. Let him file for fiscal, as well as moral, bankruptcy. Now, instead of making him see there are consequences to actions, the Jets have only encouraged more action.

Paternity-suit problems? No problem.

Maybe Cromartie really will be responsible this time. That’s what at least six women believed, only to eventually discover the truth.

When you hop into bed with Cromartie, your problems have just begun.

The Denver Broncos beefed up their defensive line Tuesday by signing end Jarvis Green and, as reported by NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi, tackle Jamal Williams.

Terms of the deals with the unrestricted free agents weren’t disclosed. The Broncos announced Green’s signing but didn’t say anything about Williams.

Green, who spent his first eight NFL seasons in New England, packs 285 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame and is well versed in the 3-4 alignment that coach Josh McDaniels implemented in Denver last season after leaving Bill Belichick’s Patriots staff.

Last season, Green had 47 tackles in 13 games, including 12 starts. He has tallied 232 tackles and 28 sacks in 121 games since the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round out of LSU in 2002. He also has 36 tackles and five sacks in 15 playoff games.

Williams, who was released by the San Diego Chargers last week after 12 seasons, also had been scheduled to meet with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, a league source told NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora. Williams made three Pro Bowls during his time in San Diego.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.