Chiefs name Pederson offensive coordinator, Sutton to be DC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andy Reid is wasting about as much time putting together his first coaching staff in Kansas City as he did in finding his new job.

The Chiefs coach announced Friday that former Eagles coach Doug Peterson would be his offensive coordinator and longtime Jets assistant Bob Sutton the defensive coordinator, along with the majority of the staff Reid hopes will turn around a 2-14 franchise.

The moves come one week after Reid was hired by the Chiefs to replace the fired Romeo Crennel, and less than two weeks after he was dismissed following 14 seasons with the Eagles.

Reid announced that Matt Nagy will coach the Chiefs' quarterbacks after two seasons as the Eagles' offensive quality control coach. Eric Bieniemy will work with running backs, Tom Melvin the tight ends, and David Culley will be an assistant head coach and work with wide receivers.

Reid has not announced an offensive line coach. Tommy Brasher will work with the defensive line, but Reid has not announced coaches for linebackers, defensive backs or special teams.

"I'm pleased we were able to get all of these coaches on board," Reid said. "I have relationships with each of them, and I know their past experiences, work ethics and coaching styles. These are high-character coaches, and each one brings something different to the table."

Pederson spent 12 seasons playing quarterback in the NFL, most of them with Green Bay. But he started the first part of the 1999 season for Philadelphia, when Reid has just been hired. He then helped tutor Donovan McNabb, the Eagles' second overall pick in the draft.

Pederson retired in 2004 and began his coaching career, spending two years as Reid's quality control coach and the past two seasons working with the Eagles' quarterbacks.

"Doug has been around the game a long time, and he has great vision," Reid said. "As a former player in this league, he sees the game from a different perspective, and that will be a great benefit for our players. He has a knack for developing talent."

Pederson will inherit an offense that was among the NFL's worst last season with quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Pederson and Reid both said they'll examine the QB options already on the roster, but they'll also consider free agency, the trade market and using their No. 1 pick in the draft on upgrading the position.

"It's something I've studied the last few days, ever since Coach Reid and I talked about coming in," Pederson said on a conference call with reporters.

"It's a very talented group. It could be an explosive group," he said. "There's some weapons there on offense. Very similar to the circumstances we had this past year in Philadelphia."

Sutton will take over a defense that fared only slightly better than the Chiefs' offense.

A longtime college coach, Sutton spent nine seasons as the coach of Army before spending the past 13 seasons with the Jets. He was their linebackers coach from 2000-05, defensive coordinator for three years and senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for two years. He spent the past season as Rex Ryan's assistant head coach.

"Bob is a creative coach that is going to give our defense a variety of looks and packages," Reid said. "He has a lot of experience and is well respected across the league."

Bieniemy has spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Colorado. Melvin, Culley and Brasher all spent time with Reid in Philadelphia.

Reid also announced that Barry Rubin would serve as the Chiefs' head strength coach and Travis Crittenden would be his assistant. Reid's son, Britt Reid, and Corey Matthaei will be in charge of quality control, and Mike Frazier will be their statistical analysis coordinator.

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Peek at the Week: Home QBs under pressure to get it done

Green Bay at San Francisco, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: 49ers by 3?

The story: So Aaron Rodgers plays in the Bay Area for the first time since the 49ers snubbed him in the 2005 NFL Draft, and what are we talking about? Uh-huh, San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick. He's the quarterback making his first playoff start, and the heat is on. Because if he doesn't win here ... if he doesn't at least push the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game ... there's one head coach under fire.

And that's Jim Harbaugh.

He's the guy who changed from Alex Smith to Kaepernick in midseason because ... well, because Smith suffered a concussion. He was 20-6-1 under Harbaugh. He was the league's most accurate passer. He was third in passer rating. Yet Harbaugh was eager to play his draft pick and make him the starter, mostly because he believes he can do more with Kaepernick than he can with Smith.

Kaepernick is 5-2 as a starter and 3-0 at home. He can run. He can throw. And he can make plays Smith cannot. But he can make mistakes, too, and beware, San Francisco. It was mistakes that cost the 49ers a chance to go to last year's Super Bowl. Kaepernick commits them (see St. Louis), and Smith does not.

Granted, Kaepernick makes big plays, too, but the 49ers' identity seems to have changed since he took over. Where once they were about defense and Frank Gore, now they're about defense and Kaepernick -- and that's a risk when the guy has no playoff experience.

Rodgers does, of course, and has won a Super Bowl. If there's a key to this game it's not Kaepernick but the 49ers' pass rush. If it can get to Rodgers -- and a lot of people have -- it can fluster and frazzle him and force him into the mistakes and mediocre play that sabotaged him and the Packers in last year's playoff loss to New York. If it cannot, it's over. Rodgers will shred San Francisco.

I saw it happen with Tom Brady in the second half of the 49ers' defeat of New England last month, and I saw it happen the following week when Russell Wilson and the Seahawks torched these guys. The common thread: In both games, Justin Smith was missing. He was out the second half of the New England game, and he sat out the loss to Seattle. Smith is back, but the question is: How effective can he be?

San Francisco is hoping he can do something, anything, to spring loose Aldon Smith. After 19? sacks with Justin at his side, he had none without him. Rodgers has no rushing attack and his pass protection isn't all that great. But if he has the time he has receivers galore -- and, sorry, but if this comes down to a game of tennis, give me Rodgers over Kaepernick -- in straight sets.

The back story: Since the start of the 2010 season the Packers are 14-5 on the road. Their winning percentage during that time is second only to New England (12-4).

Baltimore at Denver, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview

The line: Broncos by 9?

The story: This is the second time in a month these two have met, with Denver dropping the hammer 34-17 in Baltimore on Dec. 16. That's not exactly encouraging, and neither is this: It was Peyton Manning's ninth straight defeat of the Ravens, a streak that extends all the way back to 2002.

So Manning has Baltimore's number, he's home and his team is on an 11-game winning binge -- including a lopsided defeat of the Ravens. Question: Is there any reason to play this game?

Well, yeah. First, Baltimore has a more complete defense this time around. Safety Bernard Pollard and linebacker Dannell Ellerbee -- two of the team's leading tacklers -- are back. So is linebacker Ray Lewis, and, OK, so he's not the same. He gives the Ravens something in the huddle and on the field it could have used last month -- and that's leadership. Marshal Yanda is back on a revamped offensive line, too, and just in time: Denver's pass rush is relentless and frazzled Joe Flacco last month.

Then there's this: It will be cold, with temperatures expected to be no higher than 20. I don't know how that affects either side, but I know it has Manning wearing a glove. Manning is 9-10 in the playoffs and seven times has bowed out after only one postseason game, so that should give Baltimore hope. So should Flacco's play last weekend, when he set a franchise record for playoff passer rating.

But let's be honest, people. The oddsmakers made this line high for a reason: Denver is a more complete team. In fact, the Broncos are the most complete team out there. Their defense is sound. Their offense is sound. They have a kicker with a strong and accurate leg. And they have Manning. Still, the Ravens kept them close last month until a Flacco interception at the end of the first half clinched the victory, and if you're Baltimore you convince yourself that won't happen again.

And maybe it won't. Flacco hasn't had a turnover his past three games and has gone 92 straight passes without an interception. He must play an error-free game for Baltimore to have a chance. Otherwise we're looking at deja vu all over again.

The back story: Baltimore set a franchise record with 72 plays of 20 or more yards, third best in the NFL. Denver was second (74).

Seattle at Atlanta, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Falcons by 2?

The story: Nobody is under more pressure this weekend than Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Granted, they're the NFC's No. 1 seed and are home, where Ryan seldom loses, but tell me where we've heard this before. Oh, yeah, two years ago when they had the exact same record (13-3), clinched home-field advantage and took on a wild-card entrant in the divisional round.

It was Green Bay, and it was a disaster. Ryan stunk, and so did his teammates. But they were worse a year later when they failed to produce one point of offense against the Giants.

Now they're home again, only this time against the team nobody wants to face -- the white-hot Seattle Seahawks, winners of six straight and eight of their past nine -- and tell me people in Atlanta aren't waiting to exhale. It's not just that the Seahawks are winning; it's that they're burying opponents, winning their past six by a combined score of 217-74.

Seattle's hope on defense is to reduce this to a one-dimensional game, forcing Ryan to win through the air. He has decorated receivers like Julio Jones and Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, but Seattle has a big, physical and fast secondary that will be difficult to solve. These aren't the Green Bay Packers of 2010; they're better, with Richard Sherman regarded as the next best cornerback to Darrelle Revis.

On offense, the Seahawks operate everything off running back Marshawn Lynch -- having him hammer the middle of the defense while working an effective passing attack off play-action fakes. Lynch has missed two days of practice this week, but should play. Seattle is turning more and more of its offense over to quarterback Russell Wilson, and the results speak for themselves: The guy has become a giant killer, with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions his past eight starts.

Oh, yeah, and four rushing TDs.

The feeling is that Ryan and the Falcons are about to disappoint again, but I would be careful. First, the Seahawks were down 14-0 a week ago and might've lost had they faced a quarterback on two legs. Second, this is their second cross-country trip in a week, and we all know about their troubles on the road. They broke through last week for their first road playoff win since 1983, and that's terrific. Only we're asking them to do it twice in eight days? On the East Coast, no less? And where Ryan and the Falcons are comfortable?

Stay tuned.

The back story: Ryan has 33 games with a passer rating of 100 or better. The Falcons are 32-1 in those contests.

Houston at New England, Sunday 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview

The line: Patriots by 9?

J.J. Watt, a playoff stud, must come up big again for the underdog Texans. (Getty Images) The story: If there's anything close to a dead-bolt cinch this weekend, you're looking at it. The Texans were here last month and were destroyed. Tom Brady is home where, since moving into Gillette Stadium, the Patriots are 9-2 in the playoffs and 4-1 in the divisional round. Houston's offense can't find the end zone. New England's offense can't stay out of it. Houston is 1-3 against the Patriots and hasn't won in Foxborough.

I think you get the idea. There's no reason to believe Houston pulls the upset, except ...

Except that the New York Jets went through the same thing two years ago. They were blown out at Gillette Stadium, then returned as a 9?-point underdog for the playoffs. They had a solid rushing attack. Their defense was aggressive and could get to the quarterback. And their quarterback was someone nobody trusted.

Sound familiar?

It should. That's the Houston Texans, and I suggest Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips study those 2011 videotapes because the Jets attacked New England the way Houston must -- with defense. They mixed coverages. They disguised blitzes. They did what they could to frazzle Brady, and it worked. He was outplayed by Mark Sanchez.

Houston will have linebacker Brooks Reed and a healthy Johnathan Joseph for this game, but the Texans need more. They need a new plan, and I suggest Phillips shake up his defense now. Otherwise, Houston gets torched.

The back story: In two starts at home vs. Houston, Brady has six touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 118.8 passer rating

1. Denver QB Peyton Manning: He's 9-2 in his career vs. Baltimore, with nine straight victories -- including one last month.

2. New England TE Aaron Hernandez: In Week 14 vs. Houston he had eight catches and two TDs.

3. Green Bay LB Clay Matthews: In seven career playoff games, he has 6? sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

4. San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick: He's 3-0 at home, with a passer rating of 100 or better in each of his three starts.

5. Seattle QB Russell Wilson: In his past four games, including the playoffs, he has seven TD passes, one interception and a passer rating of 116.9. He also has four touchdowns rushing.

1. Green Bay PK Mason Crosby vs. San Francisco PK David Akers: These two teams better hope their game doesn't come down to a last-second field goal because neither has a reliable kicker. Crosby is 11 of 21 on field goals of 40 or more yards, and Akers is 9 for 19. At least Akers has an excuse. He's hurt.

2. New England's offensive line vs. Houston DE J.J. Watt and LB Brooks Reed: Watt and Reed have combined for nine sacks in three playoff games -- 4? each -- and Watt was this close to getting Tom Brady the last time these two met, with Watt hitting him five times.

3. Atlanta's secondary vs. Seattle QB Russell Wilson in the red zone: Wilson was the league's third-rated quarterback in this department, with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions inside the 20. Only Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers were better.

4. San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick vs. Green Bay DB Sam Shields: Kaepernick should be wary of all of the Packers' defensive backs -- Shields, Casey Hayward, Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, you name it -- but Shields has four interceptions in six playoff games, which means I would start by looking for him.

5. Atlanta vs. pressure: We all know the Falcons are desperate to win a playoff game, but if it's close you have to like their chances. Since 2008 Atlanta is 12-6 in games decided by a field goal or less.

1. Since the NFL moved to the 12-team format in 1990, No. 1 seeds in the NFC are 18-4 in the divisional round of the playoffs, with all four losses coming in the past five years. No. 1 seeds in the AFC are 13-9.

2. Denver and New England each have 13-3 home records in the playoffs, which ties for best in the NFL.

3. Baltimore's 7-5 road record in the playoffs is the best winning percentage in the NFL, while Green Bay's 10-12 postseason record makes the Packers second.

4. With 100 yards, Houston's Arian Foster would join Terrell Davis (7), John Riggins (6) and Thurman Thomas (4) as the only players in league history to rush for 100 yards in four straight playoff games.

5. With a defeat of Houston, New England's Brady becomes the winningest quarterback in NFL playoff history. He is tied with Joe Montana with 16 wins.

0: Tony Gonzalez playoff victories
3: Straight playoff games where Houston has held opponents to 300 or fewer yards in offense
8: Number of first-round byes for San Francisco and New England since 1990, tying them with Pittsburgh for most in the NFL
15: Tramon Williams interceptions since 2010
16: Baltimore turnovers this season, a franchise low
17: Playoff wins for Bill Belichick, tying him with Joe Gibbs for third most in league history. Only Tom Landry (20) and Don Shula (19) have more
29: Career playoff touchdown passes by Peyton Manning
29-2: Green Bay's record when Aaron Rodgers starts and produces a passer rating of 115 or better
30-17: Green Bay's playoff record, best in the NFL
38: Career touchdown passes in the playoffs by Tom Brady
55: Atlanta penalties, a single-season NFL low
82-17: New England's record at Gillette Stadium, including the playoffs
110.8: Knowshon Moreno's average yards from scrimmage in past six starts

• Denver: Partly cloudy, high of 20
• San Francisco: Partly cloudy, high of 52
• Atlanta: Dome
• Foxborough, Mass.: Mostly cloudy, high of 54

• I'll be in Denver to shop my Tim Tebow jersey.
• Gregg Doyel will be in San Francisco to shop his Alex Smith jersey.
• Pete Prisco will be in Atlanta to convince Matt Ryan he can win a playoff game.
• Mike Freeman will be in Foxborough to convince the Houston Texans to go home.

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Bengals OC Jay Gruden to interview with Eagles Monday

Jay Gruden has been the offensive coordinator for the Bengals for the past two seasons. (US Presswire)

PHILADELPHIA -- One of the Gruden brothers will interview with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Just not the people's choice.

The Eagles are scheduled to meet with Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden on Monday, continuing their slow search to replace Andy Reid.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and president Don Smolenski already have interviewed seven candidates since firing Reid on Dec. 31, and have permission to speak to two other coordinators.

Gruden, the younger brother of Jon Gruden, just finished his second season in Cincinnati. He previously served as an offensive assistant on his brother's staff in Tampa Bay from 2002-08. He also coached several years in the AFL, winning the Arena Bowl title twice.

Jon Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, has been on top of the fans' wish list long before Reid was fired. He led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in 2002, beating the Eagles in the NFC championship along the way.

Former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil said this week Jon Gruden would be his choice if the decision was his, but the team hasn't expressed any interest in him or former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

The Eagles are expected to interview Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. No dates have been set for either.

The Bengals reached the playoffs each of the last two years with Gruden and quarterback Andy Dalton, a second-round pick in 2011. Their offense finished 22nd in total yards and 12th in points this season, and 20th and 18th in those categories in 2011.

The 45-year-old Gruden served two stints as head coach of the Orlando Predators from 1998 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2008. In 2002 and 2003, he was the team's quarterback.

As a player, he was quarterback at Louisville for four seasons, then played six seasons with the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL.

"I've been a head coach before for a while," Gruden told reporters in Arizona after interviewing with the Cardinals on Thursday. "I know it's a different league and it's not the NFL, but I've handled people and handled organization, handled salary caps, done all the things necessary to be a head coach. I understand the game and I think it would be a good fit."

The Eagles interviewed former Chicago Bears Lovie Smith on Thursday. They previously met with Atlanta assistants Mike Nolan and Keith Armstrong and Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly met with the Eagles on Tuesday, a day after the Fighting Irish lost 42-14 to Alabama BCS national championship game. Penn State's Bill O'Brien and Oregon's Chip Kelly interviewed with Philadelphia last week, but chose to stay at their schools.

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Chudzinski takes over Browns, will guide team he once cheered

CLEVELAND --- Rob Chudzinski's roots run 44 years deep with the Cleveland Browns.

As a kid, he buckled on his orange helmet and ran around his backyard in Toledo, Ohio, pretending he was Ozzie Newsome. He sat outside in the snow and watched Cleveland games on TV through the window to make it feel like he was in the Dawg Pound.

He chomped on dog biscuits.

On Friday, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came true for Chudzinski, who was introduced as the Browns' sixth full-time coach since their return to the NFL in 1999. Although he has never been a head coach, "Chud" was selected over candidates with more experience and stronger resumes.

Chudzinski, though, stood out. He wanted it more than anyone.

"It's a dream come true, almost unbelievable in a lot of ways," Chudzinski said.

There is a segment of Browns fans as stunned as Chudzinski, whose hiring seemed to come out of nowhere.

After interviewing several high-profile candidates, including Oregon coach Chip Kelly, former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt and other top coordinators, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner picked Chudzinski, who spent the past two years as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.

Haslam said he spoke with "nine or 10 of the best coaches in the country" and insisted Chudzinski was on the team's list of candidates from the outset.

"Rob was always on our radar screen," Haslam said of his first coaching hire. "Rob has been identified as a top, bright, young guy for a long time. I feel very confident we've got the right guy."

This is Chudzinski's third stint with the Browns. He coached Cleveland's tight ends in 2004 and was the team's offensive coordinator in 2007-08. In his first season calling plays, the Browns went 10-6 and had four players make the Pro Bowl. It hasn't been nearly as good since he left

"Happy to see Chud coming back," Browns Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said in an email to the AP. "We had a good year in 2007. Very smart offensive mind. When he left, I knew he'd be a great head coach someday!"

Chudzinski's first task is to assemble his staff. He'll speak with the assistants still under contract and is confident he'll be able to bring in quality coaches to build the Browns into a consistent winner. Chudzinski would not comment on any specific candidates. There are reports he'll hire former San Diego coach Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator.

Chudzinski was the Chargers' tight ends coach under Turner.

Working on an hour's sleep after getting his dream job, Chudzinski would not comment on any players on Cleveland's current roster. He said his philosophy will be to "attack" on offense and defense and he feels the Browns have the versatility to run a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.

The 44-year-old Chudzinski interviewed for head coaching jobs last year with St. Louis, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay before returning for his second season with Carolina, where he spent two years working with quarterback Cam Newton.

When he left the Browns for the second time in 2008, Chudzinski always thought he would return to Cleveland.

"I remember the last game walking out of the stadium and looking across the field, somehow knowing I'd be back somehow, someway," he said.

The Browns had a whirlwind courtship with Chudzinski. Haslam and Banner spent last week in Arizona, where they spoke to at least five known candidates. They got deep in talks with Kelly before backing away because of the offensive mastermind's indecision about jumping to the NFL.

The team rebooted its search and spoke with several other candidates including Whisenhunt, who was in Cleveland on Thursday for a second interview. Chudzinski met with the Browns on Wednesday at Haslam's estate on Lake Erie, where he laid out his coaching philosophies.

"Rob was very decisive," Haslam said. "'This is how I'm going to do things. I'm an offensive guy, but here's my role on defense. Here's my role on special teams. Here are the type of people I would bring in as coordinators, here are the type of coaches.' It was just very definitive."

Chudzinski received a phone call Thursday that Haslam and Banner wanted to have dinner with him in Charlotte, N.C. They had been impressed with Chudzinski's thoroughness in the first interview, but wanted to spend more time with him.

""We felt very positively that Rob was the man," Haslam said. "This organization has had a lot of change in terms of leadership, so it was exceptionally important that we get that right. An hour through dinner, we felt like that definitely this was the right guy."

Haslam said he wasn't aware of Chudzinski's Ohio background or his love for the Browns.

"It's a great story, but if Rob had been from Plano, Texas, we'd have hired him," Haslam said.

Banner has tracked Chudzinski's career for some time as he does with "the best young people in the league." It was Banner who plucked Andy Reid, a then-unknown assistant from Green Bay, and hired him as Philadelphia's head coach in 1999. Reid spent 14 seasons with the Eagles before he was recently fired.

Now that they've hired a coach, Haslam and Banner will focus on finding a new general manager to help pick players for Chudzinski, who will be involved in finding the next GM.

Chudzinski has it better than any of his five predecessors in Cleveland. He inherits a young roster with more talent than the team has had in years, and it's his job to develop a team that has lost at least 11 games in each of the past five seasons.

Chudzinski understands Cleveland's passion for football -- and its pain.

He knows the heartbreak felt by Browns fans, who are still waiting for their team to make the Super Bowl. He knows it because he's felt it, too.

The Browns have had other coaches, but never one so intensely attached to the team. Chudzinski could have stayed in Carolina and waited for another head coaching job to come along. But there's no other job that could match this one.

To Chudzinski, this was the only one.

"I wouldn't have missed this opportunity for anything in the world," he said. "To bring back the pride, the passion, the success this franchise has had in the past, I want to be part of that."

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Seahawks' Lynch returns to practice, probable for Sunday

RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has a sprained foot but is probable and expected to play Sunday against Atlanta.

Coach Pete Carroll said Lynch got work in practice Friday for the first time this week and looked fine. Asked what it would take for Lynch not to play, Carroll cracked, "Miss the flight? Doesn't show up in Atlanta?"

Lynch rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown in last week's wild-card win over Washington. He did not participate in practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Wide receiver Sidney Rice did not practice Friday with a knee injury but was listed as probable. Reserve safety Jeron Johnson was questionable with a hamstring injury and reserve cornerback Byron Maxwell is doubtful (hamstring).

Carroll said newly signed backup defensive end Patrick Chukwurah will likely be active for Sunday's game.

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NFL union OK with Skins' response to RG3 injury, won't investigate

WASHINGTON - The NFL players union does not plan a formal investigation into how the Washington Redskins medical staff handled Robert Griffin III's knee injury.

The NFL Players Association said Friday that they were satisfied with a report received from the Redskins detailing the procedures used by team physician James Andrews and other staff on the sidelines.

Griffin had reconstructive ACL surgery Wednesday after reinjuring his right knee in Sunday's playoff loss to Seattle. He also strained a ligament in the knee last month against Baltimore.

The NFLPA's informal inquiry focused on the quality of medical care Griffin received. The union does not have authority to investigate coaching decisions -- including whether Redskins coach Mike Shanahan should have left Griffin in either game after it was clear the quarterback was hurt.

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