LITTLE ROCK — JAGUARS Mularkey fired
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The more Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan watched his team play, the more he realized one thing: “We needed a rebuild from the ground up.”
So the Jaguars fired Coach Mike Mularkey on Thursday after just one season, the worst in franchise history. The move came 10 days after Khan fired General Manager Gene Smith.
Khan also introduced new GM David Caldwell on Thursday, and by parting ways with Mularkey, gave him a clean slate heading into 2013.
“I’ve always been a part of a winner,” said Caldwell, who signed a five-year deal. “I’ve never been a part of a losing team.”
But maybe the biggest news of the day came when Caldwell said New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, a Jacksonville native who starred at nearly Florida, is not in the team’s plans.
“I can’t imagine a scenario in which he’ll be a Jacksonville Jaguar - even if he’s released,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell took slightly more time to decide on Mularkey.
Mularkey, who went 2-14 this season, became the eighth head coach fired since the end of the regular season. He looked like he would be one and done when Khan parted ways with Smith last week and gave Mularkey’s assistants permission to seek other jobs. Even though Khan ultimately hired Mularkey, Smith directed the coaching search last January that started and ended with the former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.
“I felt like we needed a fresh start here,” Caldwell said. “Coming in here as a first-time general manager, I’m looking for a co-builder of our team. When I talked to Shad in terms of a culture change along the football side, I felt like it was more of that. I felt like it was an atmosphere of change. I felt like that to do that, you’ve got to have a fresh start across the board.” BROWNS
Chudzinski new coach
CLEVELAND - A person familiar with the decision said the Cleveland Browns have hired Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski as their new coach.
Chudzinski will become the Browns’ sixth full-time coach since 1999, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night on the condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the hiring. The 44-year-old Chudzinski has spent the past two seasons with the Panthers. He has had two previous stints with the Browns as an assistant coach.
Chudzinski coached tight ends for Butch Davis in 2004, and then came back to the Browns in 2007 and was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator for two seasons under Romeo Crennel.
The Browns have been searching for a coach since firing Pat Shurmur on Dec. 31 after a 5-11 season.
49ERS Akers to start
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - David Akers is keeping his job as San Francisco’s starting kicker. For now, anyway.
Jim Harbaugh made the announcement after practice Thursday, two days ahead of the 49ers’ NFC divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers (12-5) at Candlestick Park.
“Suffice it to say we feel confident in David giving us the best chance to win,” Harbaugh said.
The 49ers (11-4-1) signed Billy Cundiff on Jan. 1 to compete with Akers, a 15-year veteran who has struggled this season while making only 29 of 42 field-goal attempts. Akers revealed last week he underwent double hernia surgery last February, then re-aggravated the area when he slipped on the field during practice.
BILLS Coordinators hired
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Newly hired Buffalo Bills Coach Doug Marrone wasted little time filling the top two positions on his staff.
The offensive-minded Marrone went with NFL experience in hiring Mike Pettine to be the Bills defensive coordinator Thursday. And Marrone, the former Syracuse head coach, went with familiarity in having Orange assistant Nathaniel Hackett follow him to Buffalo to run the offense.
The moves were announced three days after Marrone took over in Buffalo, replacing Chan Gailey who was fired after three consecutive losing seasons.
Pettine has 12 seasons of NFL experience, and spent the past four years at the same position with the New York Jets. Pettine was available after turning down New York’s offer to extend his contract last season.
Under Pettine, New York’s defense has not ranked lower than eighth in the NFL in yards allowed. And that includes a top ranking in 2009.
Hackett will be responsible for running Marrone’s offense, which will include play-calling duties. That’s a familiar position for Hackett, who has worked under Marrone for the past three years, including the past two as Syracuse’s offensive coordinator.
PRO BOWL Greenway added
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway has been added to the NFC Pro Bowl team as an injury replacement for DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Vikings made the announcement Thursday.
Greenway will be the first Vikings linebacker to play in consecutive Pro Bowls since Scott Studwell in 1987-88. Greenway was picked as an injury replacement last year for Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears.
Playoff glance All times Central
WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS Saturday, Jan. 5 Houston 19, Cincinnati 13 Green Bay 24, Minnesota 10 Sunday, Jan. 6 Baltimore 24, Indianapolis 9 Seattle 24, Washington 14
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS Saturday’s games Baltimore at Denver, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) Green Bay at San Francisco, 7 p.m.
(Fox) Sunday’s games Seattle at Atlanta, noon (Fox) Houston at New England, 3:30 p.m.
(CBS)
Sports, Pages 24 on 01/11/2013