Pat Shurmur welcomed by Cleveland Browns - Associated Press
TOM WITHERS
(01-14) 08:03 PST Berea, Ohio (AP) -- Pat Shurmur has been introduced as Cleveland's coach, the fifth in 13 years for the perpetually bad Browns. Shurmur was hired by Browns president Mike Holmgren...

Browns, Broncos hire coaches to rebuild - Associated Press
(01-14) 02:49 PST , (AP) -- The Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos got their rebuilding under way. The Oakland Raiders still haven't found their man. Pat Shurmur, who quickly turned rookie...

Familiar guest: Cowher drops by Steelers practice - Associated Press
ALAN ROBINSON
(01-13) 23:47 PST Pittsburgh (AP) -- Bill Cowher returned to the Steelers' sideline for the first time since resigning as their coach four years ago. Cowher, attending in his role as a CBS analyst...

Broncos hire former Panthers coach John Fox - Associated Press
ARNIE STAPLETON
(01-13) 19:47 PST Englewood, Colo. (AP) -- John Fox turned around a floundering franchise before. The Denver Broncos are counting on him to do it again. Fox was picked over four other candidates to...

Kraft: Jets' talkative style not the Patriot way - Associated Press
HOWARD ULMAN
(01-13) 17:54 PST FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Don't expect to hear the New England Patriots use an expletive to describe an opponent. That's not his team's style, owner Robert Kraft said. "I don't want...

L.T. sees chance to redeem himself in New England - Associated Press
DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
(01-13) 17:36 PST Florham Park, N.J. (AP) -- LaDainian Tomlinson stared out at the field from behind his dark visor, unable to help his team from his seat on the bench. It was the AFC championship...

At least Rex comes by his chutzpah honestly - Associated Press
JIM LITKE
(01-13) 16:50 PST , (AP) -- Lots of people would like to tell Rex Ryan and the Jets to shut up. Not his daddy. The patriarch of the trash-talking coaching clan says there are worse things than...

Cromartie to Jets: Put me in, coach - Associated Press
The Associated Press
(01-13) 15:55 PST (AP) -- Antonio Cromartie to New York Jets: Put me in, coach. Anywhere. Mike Westhoff did and the cornerback came through with a game-turning kick return. Cromartie often works on...

Jets CB Coleman injures knee; WR-KR Smith limited - Associated Press
DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
(01-13) 15:51 PST Florham Park, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Jets are hoping they aren't down a defensive back against the New England Patriots. Backup cornerback Drew Coleman, the team's nickel back and...

Ravens-Steelers rivalry is as close as it gets - Associated Press
ALAN ROBINSON
(01-13) 15:45 PST Pittsburgh (AP) -- The players who arrive from other teams notice it immediately. There's something different about a Ravens-Steelers game. The hitting seems louder, almost as if the...

Formal talks between NFL owners, players slow - Associated Press
HOWARD FENDRICH
(01-13) 15:02 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The NFL and its players' union acknowledged Thursday they have not held a large-group negotiating session since November _ and there are no formal meetings...

It won't be cold in Foxborough, Pittsburgh - Associated Press
BARRY WILNER
(01-13) 14:32 PST (AP) -- Forget the cold. It's going to be smokin' hot in the AFC playoffs this weekend. No one is trying to shove aside the action in the NFC, but the verbal activity heading into...

Raiders have only coaching vacancy left in NFL - Associated Press
JOSH DUBOW
(01-13) 14:27 PST Alameda, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Raiders have the only head coaching vacancy left in the NFL. With Denver's hiring of John Fox on Thursday, six of the seven head coaching...

RB Starks adds wrinkle as Falcons prep for Packers - Associated Press
CHRIS JENKINS
(01-13) 13:39 PST Green Bay, Wis. (AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons were just as surprised as most of the fans sitting at home. Until this week, they'd never heard of Green Bay Packers running back James...

Mark Cuban sues UFL, says $5 million loan unpaid - Associated Press
(01-13) 13:11 PST DALLAS, (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has filed a lawsuit against the United Football League claiming the league has failed to repay $5 million he loaned it last year...

GM assesses another Redskins drama-filled season - Associated Press
JOSEPH WHITE
(01-13) 11:59 PST Ashburn, Va. (AP) -- Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen never says much, unless he's talking about the franchise's history or his work with alumni players. So, here's a...

Browns near deal with Rams assistant Pat Shurmur - Associated Press
TOM WITHERS
(01-13) 08:28 PST CLEVELAND, (AP) -- The Cleveland Browns could have a new coach in hours. The team is in talks with St. Louis offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to succeed Eric Mangini and become its...

Browns' search stalls - Associated Press
TOM WITHERS
(01-12) 19:59 PST CLEVELAND, (AP) -- The Browns' coaching search has either stalled or stopped. Team president Mike Holmgren did not interview any candidates on Wednesday, the 10th day of Cleveland's...

Carroll takes moment to answer phone - Associated Press
(01-12) 16:49 PST Renton, Wash. (AP) -- That was probably one surprised caller when Pete Carroll's voice ended up on the other end of the line. During the middle of Carroll's weekly news conference...

More games means more injuries for NFL players - Associated Press
TIM DAHLBERG
(01-12) 16:30 PST , (AP) -- Listen to the players and their labor dispute with the NFL comes down to something no rational union in a thriving industry would accept: Work longer and get paid less...

Carroll says Seahawks want Hasselbeck back - Associated Press
TIM BOOTH
(01-12) 16:25 PST Renton, Wash. (AP) -- Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday the Seahawks would like to bring quarterback Matt Hasselbeck back for the 2011 season. Asked directly about...

Seattle's 'Beast Mode' finally shows its teeth - Associated Press
TIM BOOTH
(01-12) 16:15 PST Renton, Wash. (AP) -- Marshawn Lynch's epic 67-yard touchdown run that clinched Seattle's 41-36 upset victory over New Orleans in the first round of the NFC playoffs probably should...

Brady shrugs off criticism from Jets' Cromartie - Associated Press
HOWARD ULMAN
(01-12) 16:05 PST FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Tom Brady just wants to talk about football. The New York Jets won't let him. Day after noisy day, the mouths to the south keep moving. The quarterback...

LA group leader says he sees an NFL return soon - Associated Press
DAVE CAMPBELL
(01-12) 16:00 PST MINNEAPOLIS, (AP) -- The front man for one of two Los Angeles-area groups trying to bring the NFL back to the nation's second-largest market believes the city will soon get a team...

Vikings: We'll pay for a third of roofless stadium - Associated Press
PATRICK CONDON and DAVE CAMPBELL
(01-12) 15:35 PST Eden Prairie, Minn. (AP) -- Though Minnesota state lawmakers appear likely to insist that a roof be part of any public deal for a new Vikings stadium, the team is sticking with its...

A Pick Six of NFL playoff upsets - Associated Press
RICHARD ROSENBLATT
(01-12) 14:54 PST , (AP) -- Marshawn Lynch's astounding touchdown run did more than shake the earth around Qwest Field in Seattle. His 67-yard, tackle-shredding jaunt not only sealed the Seahawks...

Jets' Sanchez says sore shoulder has improved - Associated Press
DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
(01-12) 14:21 PST Florham Park, N.J. (AP) -- Mark Sanchez says his right shoulder is feeling the best it has in "three, four weeks," and is a full participant in practice for the New York Jets for the...

'Business as usual' for underclassmen in NFL draft - Associated Press
HOWARD FENDRICH
(01-12) 14:03 PST , (AP) -- As college football underclassmen from Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck _ staying in school _ to LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson _ leaving for the pros _ weigh whether to...

More road wins in NFL playoffs? Why not? - Associated Press
BARRY WILNER
(01-12) 13:58 PST (AP) -- The road hardly was daunting in the wild-card round, and it might be just as kind when the NFL playoffs reach the final eight. Even teams that rarely lose at home during the...