Raiders fire head coach Allen after 0-4 start
The Oakland Raiders fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday night four games into his third season.
The decision was announced soon after the Raiders (0-4) returned from London, where they lost their 10th straight game dating to last season, 34-14 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The firing was first reported by Fox Sports.
Allen was the first head coach hired by Oakland after the death of longtime owner Al Davis. His 8-28 record is the worst for the franchise since before Davis arrived in 1963. His contract was set to run through next season.
An announcement on the interim coach will come today, with offensive line coach Tony Sparano and offensive coordinator Greg Olson the most likely options.
Allen is the third coach fired during the season by Oakland since Davis arrived. Mike Shanahan was fired after four games in 1989 and Lane Kiffin was let go four games into the 2008 season.
Allen had more losses by at least 20 points (nine) than wins. It was performances like those that owner Mark Davis said he no longer wanted to see in Allen’s third season and ultimately led to his downfall.
Allen was a former defensive coordinator in Denver who was expected to modernize a defense that ran what were considered outdated schemes under Al Davis’ watch.
Autopsy shows Chiefs LB Belcher had CTE damage
An autopsy performed a year after Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his baby’s mother and himself found the 25-year-old sustained the same kind of brain damage that has turned up in other NFL players.
Belcher fatally shot 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins on Dec. 1, 2012, in the couple’s Kansas City home before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself in front of the team’s general manager and head coach.
Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, sued the team, claiming the Chiefs failed to care for her son after he was subjected to repetitive head trauma.
The autopsy found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease found in athletes and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries. Attorneys for Shepherd and other plaintiffs suing the team released the findings.
Bills bench QB Manuel; Orton to start against Lions
The Buffalo Bills have benched starting quarterback EJ Manuel.
Coach Doug Marrone announced that Kyle Orton will start Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
Manuel, the Bills’ first-round pick in 2013, had a season-low quarterback rating of 59.4 and threw an interception that was returned for a momentum-changing touchdown Sunday during the Bills’ 23-17 loss to Houston.
Around the league
Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended four games without pay for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. … The sprained left ankle for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is not serious, and the Vikings are hopeful he’ll play against Green Bay. … The Jaguars don’t expect to have receiver Cecil Shorts III available Sunday against Pittsburgh after tweaking a muscle near his left hamstring in a loss at San Diego.