Jags fire o-coordinator, bench QB Bortles
Breakout season comes to an end with injury for Broncos’ tight end
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars sacked offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Blake Bortles one day after the team’s seventh consecutive loss.
Coach Doug Marrone fired Hackett and benched Bortles on Monday, making sweeping changes to one of the league’s worst offenses.
“I felt I needed to make a change to get us an opportunity to win some games,” Marrone said. “It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. I really feel like at the end of the day we’ve got to try to get better production out of our passing game or more consistent production in our passing game.”
Marrone promoted quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich to offensive coordinator as well as backup Cody Kessler at quarterback.
FOURNETTE: The NFL has suspended Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette one game without pay for leaving the sideline, running across the field and throwing punches at Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan handed down the punishment Monday, saying “sportsmanship is the cornerstone of the game and the league will not tolerate gamerelated misconduct that conveys a lack of respect for the game itself and those involved in it.”
BRONCOS: Jeff Heuerman’s breakout season came to a premature end Monday with word that he sustained broken ribs and a bruised lung in the Denver Broncos’ 24-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Heuerman is the third tight end the Broncos have lost this season. Jake Butt (knee) was injured in a special teams practice in September and rookie Troy Fumagalli has missed all season with a sports hernia.
DITKA: Hall of Fame tight end and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka has been released from a hospital after being treated for a mild heart attack last week.
The 79-year-old Ditka coached the Bears and the New Orleans Saints, finishing with a 121-95 record in 14 years, and he led Chicago to the Super Bowl title after the 1985 season.
Ditka also played 12 seasons in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl five times. He finished with 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns.
CHARGERS: Los Angeles coach Anthony Lynn received some slightly good news Monday when it was announced that running back Melvin Gordon is week to week after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a 45-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals .
Lynn said the fourth-year running back is “highly doubtful” for this week’s key AFC showdown at Pittsburgh but that he is hopeful of returning before the end of the regular season.
RAMS: Aqib Talib had barely gotten started with the Los Angeles Rams when he went down with an ankle injury.
After two months as a supportive voice on the sideline while his new team soared without him, the veteran cornerback is rejoining the Rams as their playoff push really begins.
The Rams (10-1) designated Talib to return from injured reserve Monday when they returned to work after their bye week.
BENGALS: Andy Dalton is out for the season with a thumb injury suffered in the Bengals’ latest loss.
Dalton hurt the thumb on his passing hand when he tried to recover a fumble in the second half of a 35-20 rout by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.