Here’s a Thursday afternoon roundup of the NFL head coaching rumor mill: Arizona Cardinals : The Cardinals are one of three teams interested in former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid. The Cardinals were scheduled to meet with Reid on Thursday, however, ESPN reports that Reid is ” on the verge ” of being hired by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cardinals have requested permission to interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator from 2007-08. The Cardinals have had extensive talks with defensive coordinator Ray Horton about their head coaching vacancy and are planning on meeting with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy over the weekend. Buffalo Bills : CEO Russ Brandon is leading the search for a new coach and interviewed former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt on Tuesday and spent Wednesday with Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton. The Bills are also planning interviews with Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who will be available to meet with NFL teams following Thursday night’s Fiesta Bowl, and have requested permission to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. According to Howard Simon of Buffalo radio station WGR, former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith will interview with the Bills this weekend. The Bills have also been linked to Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone. Chicago Bears : GM Phil Emery has been busy lining up candidates for the head coaching vacancy. Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis have ties to Emery and will interview for the position. A failure to develop the offense was a main reason cited for Lovie Smith’s dismissal, so it comes as no surprise that current offensive coordinators are on the Bears’ radar screen. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements were mentioned in previous days. On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was added to the list. Cleveland Browns : The Browns No. 1 choice is reportedly Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who will interview with the team, possibly as early as Friday. The Browns’ search committee – owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner – are in Phoenix, the site of Thursday night’s Fiesta Bowl, and while they were in town, they interviewed former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt on Wednesday after interviewing Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton on Tuesday night. Other candidates for the Browns’ opening include Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone and Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien. Kansas City Chiefs : As noted above, the Chiefs appear to be on the verge of landing former Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who interviewed with team on Wednesday. That meeting went so long – nine hours , according to the Kansas City Star – that Reid had to delay his scheduled visit to the west coast to meet with both the Cardinals and San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs have already talked with Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who signed a two-year extension to remain with the Falcons, and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong. Though the KC Star reports that current GM Scott Pioli sat in on the interview with Reid, CEO Clark Hunt is leading the search and has not committed to keeping Pioli with the franchise. If Reid is hired, the coach could push for the addition of Tom Heckert as GM. Heckert spent the last three seasons as GM of the Browns before he was fired earlier this week and spent nearly a decade in the Eagles’ personnel department where he worked closely with Reid.
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Oregon’s Chip Kelly being pursued by the Bills, Browns and Eagles (Shutdown Corner)
NFL teams fight all season long to sew up home-field advantage in the playoffs. This year, the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos earned the No. 1 see…
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Graphic: Which NFL playoff seeds succeed?
Rick Reilly rings in the new year with some answers to frequently asked questions.
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Rick Reilly: Frequently Asked Questions
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning tied yet another NFL record Thursday, this one held by Tom Brady, when he won his sixth career Offensive Player of the Month award.
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Manning wins 6th Offensive Player of Month award (The Associated Press)
With Andy Reid no longer in the picture, the Arizona Cardinals have received permission to interview Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley for their head coaching job, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
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Arizona Cardinals get permission to interview Todd Haley – report
The two MVP and Comeback Player of the Year candidates were named players of the month in their respective conferences.
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Peterson, Manning among Players of the Month (Pro Football Weekly)
COMMENTARY | The announcement by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis that he is retiring at the end of this season couldn’t have been more perfectly timed, as the Ravens stagger into a Sunday playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Ray Lewis’ Retirement Announcement a Stroke of Genius (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy will interview with the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, according to a source.
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Mike McCoy, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, to interview with three teams
Recently fired Chicago Bears Lovie Smith is expected interview with the Buffalo Bills soon, according to multiple reports.
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Report: Bills interested in Lovie Smith (The SportsXchange)
By Rich Kurtzman (Credit, Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) The playoffs have arrived, and good fortune has found the Broncos. Denver, winner of 11 straight games, pushed themselves into a first round bye, but losses at the end of the season by Houston and New England helped get the Broncos the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Now the orange and blue get to host at least one game and have this week to both prepare and rest. The Broncos don’t know their opponents yet – they’ll face the lowest seed remaining of this weekend’s Wildcard games – but that isn’t stopping them from getting healthy. Starting right guard and captain Chris Kuper has been working to get back to the football field since the preseason, when he fractured his right forearm. He healed from that injury, only to hurt his ankle against the Bengals and then suffer from migraines as well. But Kuper was upgraded last week to questionable, and even played on extra points and the field goal. It means he could be able to play in the Divisional round, which would help protect Peyton Manning from pass-rushing defenders. Also on the offensive line, right tackle Orlando Franklin seemed to hurt his shoulder when he fell after the Ronnie Hillman fumble last week, and left tackle Ryan Clady has an unspecified injury. Franklin was able to go back into the game last Sunday and Clady is also expected to play on the 12th. Trindon Holliday, the kick returner that went a perfect 16-0 this season after starting with the Texans and finishing with the Broncos, should be able to go as well following the bye. Holliday couldn’t play against the Chiefs because of a hurt ankle, but the rest will do him well to get back out there and fly down the sidelines again. Cornerback Tracy Porter is still trying to get healthy, but a concussion two weeks ago may have him on the sidelines for the rest of the postseason after seizure-like symptoms plagued him earlier in the season. Running back Knowshon Moreno, who stepped in valiantly for an injured Willis McGahee, has bruised ribs that have been hampering his breathing as of late. And speaking of McGahee, he’s getting closer to returning to the team, and could possibly play in the Super Bowl if Denver can get that far. Safeties Mike Adams (knee) and Jim Leonhard (thigh) are a bit banged up, as are receivers Brandon Stokley (quadrecep) and Matt Willis (knee), and some downtime will give them a bit of speed back. Also listed last week on the Denver injury report were fullback Chris Gronkowski (hamstring) and special teams player Danny Trevathan (groin). When it’s all said and done, the Broncos will have 12 days off between their last regular season game and their first playoff contest, which will benefit the team in having the healthiest group of players possible. Of course, there’s a thin line between not enough and too much rest, and there’s no doubt Denver will be active on the practice fields looking to stay mentally sharp as well. For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Broncos news, see CBS Sports Denver . Rich Kurtzman is a Denver native, Colorado State University alumnus, sports nerd, athletics enthusiast, and competition junkie. Currently writing for a multitude of websites while working on books, one on the history of the Denver Broncos and Mile High Stadium. Find more of Rich’s Denver Broncos pieces on Examiner.com .
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Injured Denver Broncos Use Bye Week To Rest, Heal