NFL notebook: Oakland hires offensive coordinator
BY Associated Press
Sunday, January 20, 2013
1/20/13 at 6:11 AM
The Oakland Raiders chose a coordinator to get their offense back to a power-running scheme suited to star back Darren McFadden.
The Raiders hired former Jacksonville quarterbacks coach Greg Olson as their new offensive coordinator on Saturday to revive a unit that had its worst production on the ground since 2005.
Coach Dennis Allen interviewed a number of candidates, including Norv Turner and Marc Trestman, before settling on Olson to replace the fired Greg Knapp. The shift in philosophies from last season's offense is a clear acknowledgment that McFadden was not suited to a zone running scheme.
Colts new coach eager to reunite with Luck: Pep Hamilton already knows what he wants to do with the Indianapolis Colts offense.
He'll build around Andrew Luck, take advantage of all that young talent in Indy and do everything he can to keep Luck out of harm's way. He can't wait to get going.
Just minutes after the Colts made Hamilton's hiring official Saturday, the former Stanford offensive coordinator got on a conference call with reporters and started outlining the plans he has for a team that went from 2-14 to 11-5 in less than 12 months.
"It will be a variation of it," Hamilton said when asked about bringing the West Coast offense to Indy. "Short passing game, high completion rate. But I enjoy watching our guys coming off the ball and trying to knock the opponent back. I'm a big believer in the power-running game, I believe that opens it up for your passing game. I want to be flexible schematically in that we find ways to get the ball into playmakers' hands."
This is no rebuilding project now.
In 2012, Luck set NFL rookie records for attempts and yards passing, fell just short of breaking the NFL's rookie marks for completions and TD passes, tied the league's single-season record for most winning drives in the fourth quarter (seven) and produced a league-high nine wins in one-possession games.
Bills hire Morris to coach offensive line: The Buffalo Bills have hired Pat Morris to be their offensive line coach. He became one of the final additions to Doug Marrone's staff.
Morris has 15 years of NFL experience - the most on Marrone's newly assembled staff. He spent the 2011 season coaching the same position with Tampa Bay, and he has also been an assistant in Minnesota, Detroit and San Francisco.
Morris-coached lines have played a role in helping three teams lead the NFL in rushing: the 49ers in both 1998 and '99, and the Vikings in 2007.
Marrone, the former Syracuse coach, replaced Chan Gailey, who was fired after three straight losing seasons.
As always, Manning finds the target: Turns out, Peyton Manning can hit his targets off the field, as well.
To get over last week's season-ending loss, Manning hooked up with an old buddy from Tennessee, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, and the two have been crisscrossing the country on a hunting trip.
"He told me he killed, in one day, a duck in Colorado and a deer in Mississippi," Manning's dad, Archie, told The Associated Press.
Anything for Peyton to take his mind off Denver's 38-35 loss to Baltimore last Saturday.
"He's trying to get it out of his system," said Archie Manning, who played quarterback for his hometown Saints from 1971 through 1982. "I don't know when that happens or how. But when he reflects on it, he's already said it, it was really a special year."
Wild-card round
Jan. 5
Houston 19, Cincinnati 13
Green Bay 24, Minnesota 10
Jan. 6
Baltimore 24, Indianapolis 9
Seattle 24, Washington 14
Divisional round
Jan. 12
Baltimore 38, Denver 35, 2OT
San Francisco 45, Green Bay 31
Jan. 13
Atlanta 30, Seattle 28
New England 41, Houston 28
Conference Championships
Sunday
NFC: San Francisco at Atlanta, 2 p.m. (KOKI-5/23, KYAL-97.1)
AFC: Baltimore at New England, 5:30 p.m. (KOTV-6, KYAL-1550)
Super Bowl
Feb. 3
At New Orleans
AFC champ vs. NFC champ, 5 p.m. (KOTV-6, KYAL-97.1)
