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Chargers hire Rams DC Brandon Staley as head coach

The 37-year-old Staley's name is prominent in NFL circles this month as the league's less successful teams plot their next head coaching hire. (AP Photo/Doug Murray, File)COSTA MESA, Calif. – Brandon Staley won't have to move that far for his first head coaching opportunity. Staley agreed to become the Los Angeles Chargers' coach on Sunday night after one season as the defensive coordinator for the crosstown Rams. “It’s not just that Brandon possesses a tremendous football mind that makes him the ideal head coach to lead our team forward,” general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement. He is the third assistant under Rams coach Sean McVay to get an NFL head coaching job, joining Green Bay's Matt LaFleur and Cincinnati's Zac Taylor.

Mr. Smith goes to Washington, takes another team to playoffs

Washington Football Team's Alex Smith plays during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Philadelphia. Alex Smith is the biggest reason Washington became the first team in the Super Bowl era to start 2-7 and make the playoffs. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)If the Alex Smith story becomes a movie, Alex Smith doesn't want to see it. “When Alex Smith plays quarterback, they’re a heck of a football team,” Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said. "They’re an extremely well-coached team, a ton of talent on that defensive front, but Alex Smith is really the key to everything.”How is that possible?

Burrow, Bengals hit road vs Browns on NFL's 100th birthday

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) reacts after running for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Cincinnati. Outside, Burrow got lessons on Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Boomer Esiason, Bernie Kosar, The Ickey Shuffle and Dawg Pound. “In my eyes I played terrible through 3 1/2 quarters and then played up to my standards in the last drive and almost won the game,” Burrow said. RUN OVERThe Bengals significantly overhauled the NFL’s worst run defense of last season — 149 yards allowed per game —- and had a tough start against the Chargers, who ran for 155. Bengals coach Zac Taylor expects Bullock, who fully practiced on Tuesday, to handle kicking duties against the Browns.

Joe Cool: Burrow confident in adapting to Bengals offense

CINCINNATI Back in pads for the first time since he won a national championship at LSU, Joe Burrow got a baptism in NFL red-zone defense. The new Bengals quarterback fumbled a snap a steady rain contributed and had trouble completing passes in tight quarters. Asked if he's nervous in adapting to the NFL, Burrow responded:Absolutely not," he said. Burrow got to run the offense in short-field situations for the first time with the scheduled season opener less than a month away. It wasn't what you'd like to see on a red-zone day, but it was the first one, Burrow said.