Pat Shurmur, Tom Heckert fired by Cleveland Browns By Gregg Rosenthal Around The League editor Published: Dec. 31, 2012 at 09:03 a.m. Updated: Dec. 31, 2012 at 09:51 a.m.
Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Sunday that he hadn't spoken to his bosses in weeks. That changed Monday morning.
Fox Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer reports that Shurmur has been fired after two seasons as Browns head coach. Shurmur won nine games with 23 losses in two seasons. The Browns later announced that both Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert have been fired.
"We felt that these moves were in the best interests of the Cleveland Browns and our future," Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III said in a team release. "I enjoyed getting to know Tom and Pat over the past several months, and want to thank them, not just for their contributions to the Browns, but also the insight they were able to provide. They are both fine men and hope they have the best of success as they move forward with their careers."
In one sense, Shurmur was the victim of bad timing. Former Browns President Mike Holmgren hired him in 2011, but Holmgren got swept away when Haslam took over during the 2012 season. Shurmur never really had a chance with the new bosses.
On the other hand, Shurmur never made a strong case as a difference-making head coach. His game management skills were lacking. He's an offensive coach whose offenses lacked creativity and production. He was unable to significantly develop Colt McCoy or Brandon Weeden at the quarterback position. Shurmur's teams played hard for him and the 2012 squad was probably better than their 5-11 record indicated. But it's hard to argue with this move.
Sean Payton has 'agreed in principle' to a contract extension with New Orleans Saints By Larry Holder, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on December 28, 2012 at 6:07 PM, updated December 29, 2012 at 4:28 PM
The uncertainty concerning Sean Payton's future ceased Friday evening with a joyful conclusion for New Orleans Saints fans as their Super Bowl-winning coach agreed to a five-year contract extension.
Payton's original contract extension - announced in September 2011 - was voided by the NFL before Payton was suspended for the season by the league as part of the bounty sanctions it hit the franchise with this spring. This new contract agreement still needs to be approved by the NFL but it should squash any sense that Payton will be coaching outside of New Orleans anytime soon. There had been considerable chatter that if the team and Payton couldn't agree to terms that another franchise - possibly the Dallas Cowboys - would make a run at the Saints' coach.
"The whole city is going to enjoy this Friday night," Saints fullback Jed Collins said about Payton's extension.
Compensation for Payton's newest contract extension wasn't disclosed, but ESPN reported Payton will make more than $8 million per season making him the highest-paid head coach in the league.
Payton even briefly joined Saints Owner Tom Benson and Archbishop Gregory Aymond at Benson's courtside seats in the second half of Friday night's Hornets-Raptors game in the New Orleans Arena. The crowd gave Payton a big ovation when his image flashed on the video board later in the second half.
Chargers fire Norv Turner, A.J. Smith Written by Michael Gehlken 10 a.m., Dec. 31, 2012
There is stability atop the Chargers organization no more.
As expected Monday morning, team president Dean Spanos informed head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith they've been relieved of their duties. Turner had one year left on his contract. Smith had two.
The moves, a surprise to neither man, come a day after the team's third consecutive season without a playoff berth concluded. The franchise has seen gradual, annual decline in results and quality of personnel.
Turner was 59-43 in his six-year Chargers tenure, capped by a 24-21 Sunday win over Oakland. He had the support of his locker room to the end.
"I really think, at some point, he'll be appreciated on the outside for the six years," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "He managed the ups and downs, the holdouts we had, the roster changes, the injuries, the kicks, 17 receivers (in 2010), to win 59. Now, I'm not selling that we're satisfied. But I can find a lot worse six-year stretches in this league — a lot worse."
Stunning that Ryan didn't get swept out of New York. Though I have called for Lovie's demise for years, it is a bit suprising to see him get fired. Lions of course couldn't be happeir with chooch of a coach Schwartz.
Should be very interesting to see where all these guys end up and who else fills the new openings.
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moochman
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Kind of suprised that Reid ended up there. He does have Charles and after watching what ADP did this season a rebuid can happen pretty quickly. Its going to be fun to see what he does in KC.
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moochman
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Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone meets the press By Gregg Rosenthal Around The League editor Published: Jan. 7, 2013 at 01:07 p.m. Updated: Jan. 7, 2013 at 02:20 p.m.
Doug Marrone looks the part. It shouldn't matter, but it so often does in job interviews. And he certainly sounded like a fit for the Buffalo Bills organization in his introductory news conference as head coach. Coaching search tracker
"I feel this town," he said. "The core values here, again, are something I look for. We're going to be proud of this organization."
So what did we learn from Marrone's first news conference? A few takeaways:
1. The Bills announced the start of an analytics department last week. Despite Bill Polian's insistence that "Moneyball" won't work in the NFL, Marrone made it clear it will be an integral part of the team.
"We've used quite a bit of it in when we were in New Orleans when we were there. We want to be innovative," Marrone said. "We want to use that to be in the cutting edge and push us forward. So again, it's part of what we do. It's part of our planning; it's part of our process." Rosenthal: Eagles, Browns strike out
2. Marrone said he would look for coordinators with "thorough" NFL experience. He would not pick coordinators that strictly come from the college game, and he will not call plays offensively.
Chip Kelly will stay at Oregon, not make jump to NFL By Dan Hanzus Around the League Writer Published: Jan. 6, 2013 at 11:14 p.m. Updated: Jan. 7, 2013 at 12:28 a.m.
Chip Kelly has said "thanks, but no thanks" to the NFL. Again.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported late Sunday night that Kelly told the Philadelphia Eagles he has decided to remain the head coach at the University of Oregon, according to a team source. This comes after a weekend in which Kelly had extended talks with the Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Kelly also met with the Buffalo Bills, who since have agreed to terms with Syracuse coach Doug Marrone.
Kelly had a long meeting with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner on Friday in Arizona, and a source told Rapoport the sides were very close to a deal. Kelly then met with the Eagles on Saturday in a discussion that lasted several hours, bumping a scheduled follow-up meeting with the Browns in the process. Rapoport reported Sunday that the Browns were rebooting their search, and Kelly told the Eagles later in the day that he was staying at Oregon.
Rapoport reported Sunday that Oregon booster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight made a strong push to keep Kelly with the Ducks, according to a source with knowledge of the process. It is believed Knight's sway played a substantial role in Kelly's decision.
This is the second year Kelly has flirted with a leap to the NFL, only to decide the college ranks were a better fit. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers believed they were close to landing the coach this time last year. The Bucs quickly moved on and hired Greg Schiano. Now the Browns and Eagles must do the same, with no clear favorites for their respective jobs at this time.
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