Eagles Say Goodbye to Mr Chip

The Philadelphia Eagles fired Chip Kelly with one game left in his third season, dumping the coach after missing the playoffs in consecutive years.

Kelly was released Tuesday night just before the end of a disappointing season that began with Super Bowl expectations. The Eagles are 6-9 after going 10-6 in each of Kelly’s first two seasons. They were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Washington at home on Saturday night.

Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie issued a one-sentence statement to the media, saying he appreciates Kelly’s contributions and wishes him success going forward.

Lurie told fans in an email that he decided to make a change after “evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team.”

The Eagles also fired Ed Marynowitz, who was vice president of player personnel.

Kelly made several bold moves that backfired after assuming full control of personnel decisions last off season. Since March 2014, he released three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, traded two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, didn’t re-sign 2014 Pro Bowl wideout Jeremy Maclin, cut two-time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis and traded quarterback Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round draft pick for Sam Bradford.

He also gave big money in free agency to running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell. Murray has been a bust and Maxwell has underperformed.

Kelly replaced Andy Reid and led the Eagles to an NFC East title in 2013 after they were 4-12 a year earlier. The Eagles lost at home to New Orleans in the playoffs and missed the postseason in 2014 after starting 9-3.

They were 7-12 in Kelly’s last 19 games.

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will coach the team in the season finale at the New York Giants on Sunday.

Lurie told fans President Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations, will assist him in the search for a new coach.

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Cardinals Clinch First NFC Title

USA Today

The Arizona Cardinals are NFC West champions. Now, they have more to accomplish.

David Johnson ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns, Carson Palmer threw a TD pass and the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 40-17 on Sunday night to clinch their first division title since 2009.

The Cardinals (12-2) will earn a first-round bye with a victory over Green Bay next week. They still have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed if they win out and Carolina (14-0) loses its last two games.

Afterward, coach Bruce Arians wore a hat that said: “NFC West Champions”

“I have a closet full of them, but this is a good one,” he said. “Still, I want one with a lot more written on it.”

The Eagles (6-8) would win the NFC East title if they beat Washington (7-7) at home on Saturday and the Giants (6-8) on the road on Jan. 3.

But they’re not even close to Arizona’s level.

The Cardinals outclassed Philadelphia in every way on their way to their eighth straight victory.

“If we don’t take care of business on Saturday, there’s no need to talk about the second game,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said.

Johnson, a rookie filling in for injured backs Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, had a pair of 1-yard TD runs and a 47-yarder.

“I’m just trying to learn, get better and help the team win,” Johnson said.

Palmer gave Cardinals fans a brief scare when he came out for one play after injuring his right index finger on a throw. But he returned to toss a 16-yard TD pass to John Brown and finished 20 of 32 for 274 yards.

“It’s very gratifying to come into this environment against a team that’s hot,” Palmer said. “It’s a blast to be part of this group. We’re coached hard and we play hard.”

Deone Bucannon returned Sam Bradford’s interception 39 yards for a touchdown to give Arizona a 37-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, sending fans to the exits.

Bradford threw for 361 yards and two TDs, including a 78-yard score to Jordan Matthews.

“Everybody is frustrated,” Bradford said. “Good news is we have to have a short memory. The next two games are important.”

Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Bradford’s pass late in the fourth quarter and limped off the field. There was no immediate word on his injury.

The Eagles had fumbles end consecutive drives in the third quarter. Bradford lost the ball on a sack by Markus Golden at Arizona’s 44 and Ryan Mathews turned it over at midfield.

Johnson broke several tackles on his long run to give the Cardinals a 17-10 lead in the second quarter. He appeared stopped for a short gain, but came out of a pile and sprinted down the right sideline while fighting off defenders.

The Eagles were driving for the tying score, but went for fourth-and-1 at the Cardinals 8 and Mathews was stopped for no gain. DeMarco Murray is 14 for 14 on third and fourth downs of 2 yards or less, but he didn’t get a carry until the third quarter.

“We had a 230-pound back in there and we thought we can pound it for a yard,” Kelly said.

After forcing Arizona’s first punt, the Eagles quickly drove 53 yards to tie it at 10 in the second quarter. Mathews started the drive with a 20-yard run on the first play and Bradford connected with Zach Ertz over the middle for a 22-yard TD pass.

The Cardinals easily moved the ball on their opening drive and Johnson ran in from the 1 for a 7-0 lead. Palmer would’ve had a 78-yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage but Brown dropped a deep throw in stride.

Bradford went down for one play and Mark Sanchez came in for a handoff. Fans stood up, yelled and motioned for Bradford to get up while he was laying on the field. The Eagles lost two games by a total of 90-31 when Sanchez started two games last month.

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Romo Injured as Panthers Beat Dallas

Tony Romo might be out for the season with the same injury that sidelined him for seven games.

Cam Newton got a big boost from a defense that returned two of Romo’s three interceptions for touchdowns, and the Panthers ran their NFL-best winning streak to 15 regular-season games with a 33-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.

Romo injured the same left collarbone that sidelined him for all seven games of a losing streak that damaged the playoff hopes for the defending NFC East champion Cowboys (3-8).

Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted two straight passes by Romo, returning the first 32 yards for a touchdown. Safety Kurt Coleman picked off Romo’s second pass of the game and took it back 36 yards for the score to help the Panthers become the 16th NFL team to start a season 11-0.

Before getting hurt, Romo didn’t look anything like the only quarterback to beat multiple teams with records of 9-0 or better. He ended up losing for the first time in four starts this season. He had previously beaten Indianapolis at 9-0 in his fourth career start in 2006 and New Orleans at 13-0 three years later.

Newton did his part as well, getting Carolina’s only offensive touchdown on a four-yard run for a 30-6 lead moments before Romo’s injury. He had 183 yards passing with several key third-down conversions and another 45 yards rushing.

On the second play of Dallas’ possession after Newton’s score, Romo was hit by a blitzing Thomas Davis and went down on his left shoulder. It was eerily similar to the injury he sustained in Week 2 against Philadelphia.

The Carolina Panthers remain undefeated after a 33-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, who once again lost Tony Romo to an injury

Romo went on injured reserve with a designation to return after the first injury, and the Cowboys couldn’t win without him. They were already well on their way to a loss this time a week after Romo ended the seven-game skid in his return. He was 11 of 21 with 106 yards and a 27.2 passer rating.

Carolina led 13-3 when Kuechly and the NFL’s leading defense for takeaways put the Panthers firmly in control.

The league’s top tackler since joining the NFL in 2012, Kuechly dropped into coverage and easily stepped in front of a pass intended for Terrance Williams before churning up the left sideline and pushing Romo away as he crossed the goal line.

On the next play, Kuechly made a nifty over-the-head catch on a ball thrown to Jason Witten. The linebacker looked a little winded on the return, eventually settling for a 17-yarder that led to the third of Graham Gano’s four field goals to put the Panthers up 23-3 at halftime.

It was the fourth time Romo has thrown multiple pick-sixes in a game, and the first since a 34-18 home loss in 2012 against a Chicago defense that was among the league’s best in forcing turnovers. Romo actually won his first of those, against Buffalo in 2007.

No such chance this time, because Newton kept the Carolina offense moving when Romo wasn’t throwing interceptions. Newton had three 24-yard completions on third down, and led the Panthers into end zone after Dallas’ Byron Jones was penalized for leaping on top of his linemen when Gano made a 48-yard field goal.

Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy had a quiet game against his former team, finishing without any tackles. He missed the last 15 games last year with Carolina because of his domestic violence case. Hardy signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and served a four-game suspension to start this season.

#Thanksgiving 

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NFL Agrees Concussion Settlement

The National Football League and former players who say it hid the dangers of concussion have reached a $765m (£490m) settlement, a judge says.

The NFL would pay the sum to fund concussion-related compensation, medical exams and research.

Federal Judge Anita Brody in Philadelphia announced the deal after months of court-ordered mediation.

More than 4,500 former players had sued the league, alleging it concealed the risks of long-term brain damage.

The class action accused the NFL of hiding research that had shown the harmful effects of concussions, while glorifying and promoting violent play.

Many former players with neurological conditions believe their problems stem from knocks to the head.

Helmet-to-helmet impacts are common in American football as strong, heavy and fast-moving players collide on the field of play.

Studies have linked repeated concussions with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease with symptoms including memory loss and mood swings.

As part of the settlement, the NFL will neither admit liability nor that the players' injuries were caused by football and will likely not have to disclose internal files that could show what it knew about concussion-linked brain problems and when.

"This agreement lets us help those who need it most and continue our work to make the game safer for current and future players," NFL Executive Vice-President Jeffrey Pash said in statement.

"We thought it was critical to get more help to players and families who deserve it rather than spend many years and millions of dollars on litigation."

The deal is still subject to Judge Brody's approval, as well as that of the retired players who brought the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs in the case include at least 10 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the family of linebacker Junior Seau, who took his own life last year, and former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling, who filed the first lawsuit in 2011 but later killed himself.

The settlement comes immediately before the start of the new season for the league.

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Tigers Take Phillies in Detroit

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Miguel Cabrera figured he'd try to play after missing four games because of a hip problem.

In his first plate appearance back, he homered -- a feat so impressive teammate Max Scherzer found it downright amusing.

"I laugh every day," Scherzer said. "It can be a pitcher throwing his `out' pitch in the right location, and he'll hit it for a home run. It just doesn't surprise you, anything he does. He's obviously the best."

Cabrera's first-inning homer was the start of an early offensive outburst, and the Detroit Tigers went on to a 10-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. Scherzer allowed only one hit in six innings to become baseball's first 15-game winner.

The Phillies lost their seventh in a row.

"That wasn't much fun," Philadelphia's Chase Utley said. "They came out with hot bats and we came out facing one of the best pitchers in baseball."

Scherzer (15-1) threw only 75 pitches -- he was one of several stars pulled early after the game got out of hand. Detroit scored five runs in the first and three in the second off Raul Valdes (1-1), who started because Cliff Lee was out with a stiff neck.

Cabrera's solo homer in the first was his 32nd of the year, and he later added two more RBIs to increase his season total to 99. Matt Tuiasosopo hit a three-run homer in the first.

The Tigers remain three games ahead of second-place Cleveland in the AL Central. The Phillies, meanwhile, are now 10 back of NL East-leading Atlanta.

Detroit outhit Philadelphia 15-2.

Valdes had been used exclusively as a reliever this year, and his first start since June 27, 2012, did not go well. He actually retired his first two batters before Cabrera -- back after missing some time while his left hip recovered -- went deep to put Detroit ahead 1-0.

"I'm feeling OK, so I was thinking, try to go out there and try to go and play," Cabrera said. "I don't want to do too much today -- wanted to make something happen. I tried to make sure I made contact with the ball."

Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta followed with consecutive singles -- Peralta's hit brought home another run -- and Tuiasosopo hit his seventh homer of the year, to the bushes beyond the wall in center field.

Cabrera added an RBI single in the second, and Martinez's two-run single made it 8-0.

Cabrera came out of the game in the fifth, and he wasn't the only one who didn't stick around for the full nine innings. Fielder and Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were among the players pulled early.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he took Cabrera out as a precaution as the slugger works his way back from his injury. Scherzer was also allowed a bit of extra rest because of the big lead.

"It gives me a chance to regroup," said Scherzer, who celebrated his 29th birthday Saturday. "It was a 10-0 game, and there really wasn't much more to accomplish in the game tonight."

The only baserunner Scherzer allowed was Darin Ruf, whose second-inning double was nearly caught by Austin Jackson in center. Scherzer struck out seven, and the Detroit All-Star again got plenty of run support. Detroit has backed Scherzer with an MLB-best average of 7.64 runs.

"That's why I love being in Detroit," Scherzer said. "If you go out and pitch well, you have a good chance to win the ballgame. Obviously, I was able to pitch effectively tonight, and obviously, these guys came out chomping at the bit."

Cabrera hit an RBI groundout in the fourth. Valdes was finally pulled after allowing nine runs and 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three.

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