Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. ó Jim Mora threw his hands above his head. He punched the air. He made sharp, slicing motions with his hands for emphasis.
He talked of running at 5:30 a.m., wearing a headlamp, up his favorite mountain outside Seattle. No switchbacks, straight up. Like most of his coaching career.
“I’ll be there Friday morning, if anyone wants to join me,” Mora said, a smile flashing across the 47-year-old’s boyish face.
No, this is definitely not Mike Holmgren.
The Seahawks officially transitioned away from a grandfatherly guru of quarterbacks ó who never ran on the practice field, let alone up mountains before dawn ó to a defensive mind with seemingly endless energy when they introduced Mora as their seventh coach.
The team announced this move 11 months ago, after Holmgren decided 2008 would be his 10th and last leading Seattle.
Robert Prince was hired as the Seahawks’ new wide receivers coach, and Mora is retaining a dozen members of Holmgren’s staff.BEARS
LAKE FOREST, Ill. ó Head coach Lovie Smith will take over defensive play-calling responsibilities from defensive coordinator Bob Babich next season as part of a shakeup of the team’s coaching staff.
“I’m excited about taking a more hands-on approach to helping our defense get back to where it was,” Smith said Tuesday.
Babich, who came under heavy criticism last year, will retain the defensive coordinator title but will take on the responsibilities of coaching linebackers.
The Bears have agreed to hire defensive backs coach Jon Hoke, who spent the last seven seasons in a similar post with the Houston Texans.
BRONCOS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. ó Josh McDaniels went right to work figuring out how to fix the dreadful Denver defense that was Mike Shanahan’s undoing.
His first order of business: luring former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan to the cause. Nolan agreed late Tuesday to become the Broncos’ fourth defensive coordinator in four years.
CHARGERS
SAN DIEGO ó Chargers coach Norv Turner got rid of four assistants two days after San Diego was eliminated from the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Secondary coach Bill Bradley and tight ends coach Clancy Barone were fired. The team said offensive line coach Jack Henry and assistant secondary and quality control coach Kevin Ross will not have their contracts renewed when they expire in February.
CHIEFS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Scott Pioli, who helped build and lead a dynasty in New England, is now in charge of a Kansas City franchise which hasn’t won a playoff game in 14 years.
The 43-year-old Pioli will be introduced today as Chiefs general manager, replacing Carl Peterson.
The fate of coach Herm Edwards and his staff was not immediately known.
GIANTS
LEBANON, Pa. ó Plaxico Burress is in court again.
A civil trial is scheduled to begin today in Pennsylvania to determine how much the New York Giants wide receiver will have to pay in damages over a car he leased that ended up being impounded by New York City police.
New York police said Tuesday that they impounded the car in August 2005 in connection with a shooting in the Bronx. Arrests were made, but the records were sealed and police gave no other details about the incident.
Court papers in Pennsylvania say a Lebanon County car dealer allowed Burress to borrow a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche worth more than $36,000 in exchange for Burress agreeing to sign autographs at promotional events.
JETS
NEW YORK ó Two weeks into their coaching search, the New York Jets appear content being patient while searching for a successor to the fired Eric Mangini.
The team has interviewed seven confirmed candidates. No follow-up interviews had been scheduled for this week, although it’s believed Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will meet with Jets officials in the next few days.
Spagnuolo, Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer are widely believed to be at the top of New York’s list, although the team had not yet decided on finalists for the job.
LIONS
ALLEN PARK, Mich. ó Miami Dolphins assistant head coach Todd Bowles interviewed with the Lions as a potential replacement for the fired Rod Marinelli.
“0-16 is a challenge,” Bowles said. “Everyone (in Detroit) wants to win. That alone has similarities to Miami and makes it attractive to me.
“I know the blueprint of turning a team around.”
Bowles was on Butch Davis’ staff in Cleveland when the Browns brought the resurrected franchise to the playoffs in 2002.
TEXANS
HOUSTON ó The Houston Texans promoted Frank Bush to defensive coordinator. He replaces Richard Smith, who was fired along with two other defensive assistants.
PRO BOWL
Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams was picked to go to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Walter Jones of Seattle. He joins Rayfield Wright as the only other tackle in Cowboys history to make the squad five or more times.
Tampa Bay’s Ronde Barber and Davin Joseph were also added to the NFC squad, replacing Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson and Dallas guard Leonard Davis.
Broncos center Casey Wiegmann, who is pondering retirement, has been added to the AFC roster, earning his first trip in his 13th NFL season.RETIREES
SAN FRANCISCO ó A federal judge has upheld a jury award of $28.1 million to retired football players who sued the NFL Players’ Association for allegedly failing to properly market their images.