Bears dump GM, retain Smith

The Chicago Bears won four division titles and reached the Super Bowl while Jerry Angelo was general manager. They also crumbled in a big way this season.

Now, Angelo's out. Coach Lovie Smith, however, will remain.

Angelo was fired Tuesday following a team collapse marked by injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte and a drug scandal involving Sam Hurd.

Angelo had been on the job 11 years, but the Bears called for change after an 8-8 season. A questionable draft record and an inability to fill big holes, particularly on offense, led to his ouster.

"I think Jerry achieved a lot as general manager," Bears president Ted Phillips said. "He's a wonderful man, high character. I've enjoyed every day working with him. He's put his life's blood into the Bears."

Phillips also said Smith would keep his job, adding, "The one restriction that will be placed on any candidate is Lovie Smith's our head coach for 2012."

Angelo's dismissal comes after a wild season in which the Bears at one point seemed a lock to make the playoffs. A five-game losing streak spoiled a 7-3 start, keeping Chicago out of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

The Bears also confirmed that offensive coordinator Mike Martz and quarterbacks coach Shane Day won't be back. Martz had an expiring contract, and there had been plenty of speculation he would be gone after two seasons.

Angelo was signed through the 2013 season. The next GM will inherit a team that could use help on the offensive and defensive lines, at wide receiver and in the secondary. Forte's rookie contract is up. Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs would like a new one, even though he has two years left on his six-year deal.

Still, the Bears believe they can make a run next season. Angelo won't be the one overseeing it, though.

"I have tremendous respect for him and am sorry to see him go," Smith said in a statement. "But I also will embrace the opportunity that comes with change. As I said yesterday, we have an excellent core in place. I look forward to working with a new general manager to bring a championship to Chicago."

■ CHARGERS -- Team president Dean Spanos decided to keep coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith, despite the team missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

Spanos made his decision two days after the Chargers finished 8-8 by beating Oakland to keep the Raiders out of the playoffs.

"Bottom line, I believe these two men give us the best chance to get back to the playoffs," Spanos said in a statement. "A.J. Smith is the best man to improve our roster, and Norv Turner is the best man to lead that roster on the field."

Turner is 49-31 in five years in San Diego but only 3-3 in the playoffs. He is 107-113-1 in three stints as a head coach, including with Washington and Oakland. Both of those teams fired him.

San Diego started the season 4-1 but was undone by a six-game losing streak in the middle. One more win would have earned the Chargers the AFC West title.

■ EAGLES -- Coach Andy Reid will return for his 14th season in Philadelphia, although team chairman Jeffrey Lurie left open the possibility for changes on the coaching staff.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since training camp, Lurie expressed his displeasure with the team's 8-8 record and explained why he chose to retain Reid after weeks of serious deliberation.

"This was, without question, the most disappointing season since I've owned the team," Lurie said. "It's completely unacceptable."

The Eagles were strong favorites to reach the Super Bowl after winning the NFC East title last year and adding several accomplished players in the offseason. But they started 1-4 and were 4-8 before closing out the year with four consecutive wins against nonplayoff teams.

Lurie called the poor start "dismal" and "unfathomable," and also described some of the losses as "ludicrous" and "terrible." The Eagles blew fourth-quarter leads five times.

Reid is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. He's led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles, five NFC title games and one Super Bowl loss in 13 seasons. Lurie said he considered Reid's track record, both long term and short term, and his intangibles when deciding to keep him.

■ DOLPHINS -- Former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher interviewed for Miami's coaching job, arriving in Davie, Fla., via owner Stephen Ross' helicopter. He flew off several hours later.

Fisher is believed to be the Dolphins' top choice, and Ross is willing to pay big money, but competition from other NFL teams might be fierce.

The Buccaneers and Rams fired their coaches Monday, increasing to five the number of coaching vacancies. The Rams' vice president and chief operating officer, Kevin Demoff, happens to be the son of Fisher's agent, Marvin Demoff.

Fisher appears to be the highest-profile candidate available. He coached the Titans franchise for 17 years and led Tennessee to the 2000 Super Bowl. He stepped down a year ago as the league's longest-tenured coach, saying he needed a break, and sat out the 2011 season.

■ VIKINGS -- Rick Spielman was elevated to general manager, the first move in what will be a critical offseason toward reviving a team that matched the worst record in franchise history.

Spielman was promoted from his previous role as vice president of player personnel, which he held since his hire in May 2006. In their announcement, the Vikings said Spielman will oversee "all football-related activities," though it wasn't immediately clear whether he'll have ultimate power to hire and fire head coaches.

■ SAINTS -- Rookie running back Mark Ingram and linebacker Will Herring were placed on injured reserve, ending their seasons.

Ingram, who won the 2009 Heisman Trophy at Alabama, missed New Orleans' last four games because of a sprained toe on his left foot. Coach Sean Payton said the injury got worse during practice last week.

Ingram carried 122 times for 474 yards and five touchdowns this season. His longest run was a 35-yard touchdown against the New York Giants on Nov. 28.

Herring hobbled off the field favoring his right knee against Carolina on Sunday, and Payton said the linebacker has a sprained medial collateral ligament.

■ RAVENS -- Place-kicker Shayne Graham was cut and replaced on the roster by rookie center-guard Justin Boren, a former Ohio State player promoted from the practice squad.

Graham became expendable once regular kicker Billy Cundiff returned from a left calf injury and made a 42-yard field goal Sunday during a 24-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

■ JETS -- The NFL is looking into an obscene gesture New York linebacker Bart Scott made toward a photographer in the team's locker room.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the league is reviewing the incident, which occurred as the players cleared out their lockers at the team's facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday after failing to make the playoffs. Scott, who could be fined, gathered items from his locker, walked past reporters and turned, stuck out his middle finger and used an expletive while telling a photographer to get the camera out of his face.

In separate interviews on ESPN Radio in New York, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan said it was "unacceptable" behavior. "I don't know exactly how," Ryan added, "but that situation will definitely be addressed."

■ SUPER BOWL -- TV spots for the Super Bowl are still the hottest ticket in advertising.

NBC has sold all the commercial airtime for the Feb. 5 game at Indianapolis and even has a waiting list of advertisers. The average cost for a 30-second spot this year was $3.5 million, with some time slots costing as much as $4 million.