Eagles get their man, hire Oregon’s Chip Kelly
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have hired Chip Kelly after he originally chose to stay at Oregon.
Kelly becomes the 21st coach in team history and replaces Andy Reid, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a 4-12 season
Kelly, who was 46-7 in four years at Oregon, interviewed with the Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills after leading the Ducks to a victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. But he opted to remain at Oregon before changing his mind.
The Eagles are known to have interviewed 11 candidates, including two meetings with Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
Bears go north of the border for a new coach
CHICAGO (AP) — One of pro football’s legacy franchises is making news.
The Chicago Bears are giving Marc Trestman his first shot as an NFL head coach. A longtime NFL assistant, Trestman spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes, winning two Canadian Football League championships.
The Bears hope he can get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler and help them reach the postseason on a consistent basis. Smith was let go after Chicago missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six years.
Manning, Peterson named top offense players
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was chosen AFC offensive player of the year and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson the NFC’s top offensive player in voting for the 101 Awards.
A nationwide panel of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who regularly cover the NFL vote on the awards, which will be handed out for the 43rd time on March 2 in Kansas City.
San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith was the NFC’s top defensive player, and Seattle’s Pete Carroll the conference coach of the year. Houston’s J.J. Watt was the AFC’s best defensive player and Chuck Pagano and Bruce Arians of Indianapolis shared the AFC coaching honor.
Armstrong comes clean, but WADA and the UCI want more information
UNDATED (AP) — The World Anti-Doping Agency and cycling’s governing body are both hoping Lance Armstrong can be as forthcoming with them as he was with Oprah Winfrey.
Armstrong confessed to Winfrey during a taped interview on Monday, that he doped while winning seven straight Tour de France titles from 1999-2005.
The Tour titles were stripped last year when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report built around the testimony of former teammates.
WADA says it wants a full confession under oath before Armstrong seeks a reduction in his lifetime ban from sports for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong reportedly hopes to return to competition in recognized triathlon events.