NFL

AP Pro Football WriterEagles back in familiar role as playoff underdogsBy ROB MAADDIPHILADELPHIA (AP) The Philadelphia Eagles are back in a familiar role with a different disguise.The defending Super Bowl champions traded in the dog masks for ski masks, but they're still playoff underdogs for the second straight...

AP Pro Football WriterDarnold the big-time selling point for Jets in coach searchBy DENNIS WASZAK Jr.NEW YORK (AP) The sales pitch from the Jets to prospective head coaching candidates begins with Sam Darnold.Everything else is a distant second.Sure, being in the New York/New Jersey area is an obvious...

AP Pro Football WriterBroncos kick off coaching search with Chuck PaganoBy ARNIE STAPLETONENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) John Elway's search for his fourth coach in six seasons began with former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, a native of Boulder, Colorado, on Wednesday.Elway fired Vance Joseph after he went 11-21 in...

Newspaper: Atlanta Falcons owner, 3rd wife getting divorceATLANTA (AP) A newspaper reports that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and his third wife are getting divorced.The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quotes an unidentified representative for Blank as saying he and Angela Macuga Blank are getting an amicable divorce.According to a biography...

AP Pro Football WriterPlayers hate to see coaches fired, but at least they're paidBy ARNIE STAPLETONDENVER (AP) Every year, while a dozen NFL head coaches are preparing their teams for the playoffs, nearly as many coaches are called into their general manager's office and told they're fired for...

AP Pro Football WriterPlayers hate to see coaches fired, but at least they're paidBy ARNIE STAPLETONDENVER (AP) Every year, while a dozen NFL head coaches are preparing their teams for the playoffs, nearly as many coaches are called into their general manager's office and told they're fired for...

AP Pro Football WriterEagles OC Mike Groh has familiarity with Bears DC Vic FangioBy ROB MAADDIPHILADELPHIA (AP) Mike Groh's transition from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles has been bumpy.His familiarity with Vic Fangio's defense could give the team a slight edge against the...

AP Sports WriterNext Bengals coach inherits roster ready for big changeBy JOE KAYCINCINNATI (AP) Bengals owner Mike Brown must decide whether to bring in another newcomer to coach his team, or return to his pattern of trusting someone he already knows well.Whoever gets the job will inherit a...

AP Pro Football WriterMaccagnan sticking around, so it's on GM to turn Jets aroundBy DENNIS WASZAK Jr.NEW YORK (AP) It wasn't long after Todd Bowles was fired as the Jets' head coach that frustrated fans started asking the inevitable question:What about Mike Maccagnan?The general manager was hired a...

AP Sports WriterMcDermott: Bills' trajectory pointing up despite 6-10 finishBy JOHN WAWROWORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Bills coach Sean McDermott overlooked Buffalo's losing record in making the case the team's trajectory is pointing up.''Nobody wants to be 6-10,'' McDermott said Monday, a day after the Bills closed the season...

AP Pro Football WriterBroncos fire Vance Joseph after 11-21 mark over 2 yearsBy ARNIE STAPLETONENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) John Elway is looking for his fourth head coach in six seasons after firing Vance Joseph for presiding over the Denver Broncos' worst two-year stretch since the late 1960s.Elway acknowledged being...

AP Sports WriterTexans have history of success in wild-card gameBy KRISTIE RIEKENHOUSTON (AP) Wild-card games have been a good place for the Houston Texans.The Texans return to the playoffs Saturday for the third time in four years when they host the Indianapolis Colts in a wild-card game. The...