Lewis out for Super Bowl
The Philadelphia Eagles’ thin receiving corps has lost another key member, and whether its star makes it back for the Super Bowl is still uncertain.
Tight end Chad Lewis, who caught two touchdown passes in Philadelphia’s 27-10 victory over Atlanta in the NFC championship game Sunday, will miss the Super Bowl with a foot injury.
Meanwhile, All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens’ status is uncertain. Owens has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Dec. 19. Eagles’ coach Andy Reid said Monday that Owens has made “great progress,” and will try to run on the ankle this week.
Lewis, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, will have surgery on Wednesday. He was hurt on his second TD grab, a 2-yard catch that sealed the win.
“He was crushed,” Reid said. “You sure don’t like to see that happen to a veteran player that waited his whole career to get to this thing. He’ll survive through it. He’ll be down there supporting us, doing everything he can from the sideline.”
Second-year pro L.J. Smith will take Lewis’ spot in the starting lineup against New England in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6.
Mike Bartrum, also the long snapper, is the only other tight end on the roster. Reid said the team will try to add another tight end this week. Lewis backed up Bartrum as the long snapper.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened,” McNabb said. “We’re going to go out and try to win it for Chad.”
A return by Owens would easily offset the injury to Lewis. Owens caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 TDs in his first year with the Eagles.
Championship ratings soar
The AFC and NFC championship game broadcasts had their highest combined overnight TV ratings in eight years.
Fox’s broadcast of Philadelphia’s 27-10 victory over Atlanta drew an overnight rating of 28.6 with a 48 share, a 14 percent jump from last year’s NFC title game between the Eagles and Carolina and the game’s highest rating since 1997.
New England’s 41-27 win against Pittsburgh drew a 27.0 rating with a 38 share for CBS, up 2 percent from the AFC title game a year ago between the Patriots and Indianapolis and the highest for the game since 1999.
The two broadcasts combined for a 55.6 rating, the highest overall draw since 1997 when Green Bay defeated Carolina and the Patriots beat Jacksonville.
Buccaneers hire Hackett
Less than a week after resigning as New York Jets offensive coordinator, Paul Hackett was hired as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The move reunites Hackett with Jon Gruden, who spent one season as an assistant under his former mentor when Hackett was the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.
Around the league
Defensive back Antwan Harris, who made two key postseason plays in New England’s drive to its 2002 Super Bowl title, was waived by the Patriots. … The St. Louis Rams hired Kurt Schottenheimer as secondary coach. Kurt is the younger brother of Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer. … New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington will have surgery to repair an injured rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The date of the procedure was not announced. … Jim Bates was hired as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.