ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bills cleared the way for their next head coach, informing their entire coaching staff to start looking elsewhere for jobs.
Interim head coach Perry Fewell was among those relieved of his duties Monday, though the Bills said he is still a candidate and will be interviewed. Fewell is on a growing list of candidates likely to include former NFL head coaches Brian Billick, Marty Schottenheimer — who hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of returning to coaching — and Bill Cowher.
The Bills (6-10) closed their 50th season by missing the playoffs for a 10th straight year, capping a decade in which they enjoyed only one winning season — a 9-7 finish in 2004.
Fewell, the team’s defensive coordinator, finished with a 3-4 record after replacing Dick Jauron.
Other potential candidates include Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, and Schottenheimer’s son, Brian, the Jets’ offensive coordinator.
Fiancee: Henry jumped from truck.
Chris Henry’s fiancee said he jumped out of the back of her truck instead of falling and that she wasn’t driving fast on the day the Bengals wide receiver was fatally injured.
Loleini Tonga told ESPN she thinks Henry thought he would land safely and may have been scared because he saw someone calling the police. She said he didn’t jump with the intention of harming himself.
The two had argued Dec. 16 at the home owned by Tonga’s parents in Charlotte, N.C. She didn’t say what the argument was about.
Henry died the next day from massive head injuries. Police called the argument a domestic dispute and are investigating the traffic accident, but no charges have been filed.
Patriots withhold Welker’s MRI results
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Patriots receiver Wes Welker underwent an MRI on his left knee — injured after making his NFL-best 123rd reception Sunday against the Texans — but the team did not announce the results. ESPN reported Welker’s initial diagnosis was torn ligaments.
Before the game ended, Welker called his parents in Oklahoma City.
“He’s trying to come to grips with it,” said his mother, Shelley Welker. “It’s just hard. You have all these plans and aspirations, and it’s just hard anytime that happens.”
Footnotes.
Dolphins rookie quarterback Pat White was out of the hospital and back at the team’s training complex after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision briefly left him motionless during Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
• Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was fired in the wake of an 8-8 season that ended with losses in eight of the final 11 games.
• Packers cornerback Charles Woodson has a shoulder strain and should be back on the field Sunday when the Packers face the Cardinals in Arizona for the second time in a week — this time with the playoffs on the line.
• The Bengals placed defensive tackle Pat Sims on injured reserve with a broken forearm, suffered during a 37-0 loss to the Jets on Sunday night, and replaced him on the roster by signing cornerback Keiwan Ratliff.
The Associated Press
