Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Cowboys add 4 coaches

New Dallas Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy is going about the business of assembling his staff. He added four more coaches Monday: Maurice Linguist, holdover Doug Nussmeier, Scott McCurley and Jeff Blasko. Linguist will serve as the secondary coach, replacing Kris Richard, who was the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Jason Garrett. Nussmeier was the tight ends coach with the Cowboys last season but he will coach quarterbacks under McCarthy, replacing Jon Kitna. Nussmeier is one of just two coaches from Garrett’s staff being retained by McCarthy, joining offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. McCurley and Blasko are back with McCarthy after working on his staff in Green Bay. McCurley will work with the linebackers, though his role has not yet been fully defined. Blasko will serve as the assistant offensive line coach. Other staff members include defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and special teams coach John Fassel. McCarthy is expected to complete his staff by the end of the week.

Jaguars fire DeFilippo

The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo after one season. Coach Doug Marrone made the decision Monday, the day his assistants returned from a brief break after the regular-season finale. It’s the second time in 13 months that DeFilippo has been let go. Minnesota fired him in December 2018 after less than one season on the job. He landed in Jacksonville and was reunited with quarterback Nick Foles. “Flip” was Foles’ quarterback coach in Philadelphia in 2017, the season when the Eagles won the Super Bowl. Foles was the MVP of the title game. The Jaguars (6-10) ranked 20th in the league in total offense and 26th in scoring. They had a 1,000-yard rusher (Leonard Fournette) and a 1,000-yard receiver (DJ Chark) for the first time since 2004. But the offense rarely looked smooth, and Fournette openly criticized the play-calling at times.

Deal made for Chung

A cocaine possession charge against New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung will be dropped with the understanding that he will undergo periodic drug testing and perform 40 hours of community service, a prosecutor said Monday. A grand jury in New Hampshire indicted Chung in August. Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois had said members of the Meredith (N.H.) Police Department were called to Chung’s home in June and obtained evidence leading to the felony drug charge. Chung pleaded not guilty. Livernois said there are several factors that led the state to agree to drop the charge, including that Chung has no criminal record; that he cooperated with police at his home; that the amount of drugs in question was small; and that Chung underwent a substance abuse evaluation that indicated he did not need treatment.

Lions hire DC

The Detroit Lions hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin on Monday as defensive coordinator. Undlin spent the past five years with the Eagles, but he got his start in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Patriots in 2004, the same year Detroit Coach Matt Patricia entered the league as a coaching assistant in New England. He initially will not call plays for the Lions, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Undlin, 48, replaces Paul Pasqualoni as defensive coordinator, though Patricia ran much of the defense this season. The unit finished 31st in total defense, allowing the most yards (400.4 per game) since the franchise’s winless season of 2008. The Lions also were 26th in points allowed (26.4 ppg) and were last against the pass (284.4 ypg).

Sun Devils extend Edwards

Arizona State has extended the contract of football Coach Herm Edwards two years through the 2024 season. The contract announced Monday must be approved by the Arizona board of regents. Terms of the deal are expected to be announced before the board meeting. Edwards returned to coaching in 2018 to lead the Sun Devils after eight years as an ESPN analyst. He became an immediate fan favorite in Tempe with his engaging personality and community engagement. On the field, Edwards led Arizona State to within a game of the Pac-12 South title during his first season even though the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the division. Arizona State went on to finish 7-6 and earned a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. The Sun Devils went 8-5 in 2019 and beat Florida State in the Sun Bowl.

BASKETBALL

Cavs rookie out for year

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie swingman Dylan Windler will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury he suffered during the preseason. The Cavs said Monday that Windler, the No. 26 overall pick in last year’s draft, is still dealing with symptoms from a stress reaction in his lower left leg. Windler was making progress and nearing a return to the Cavs until a recent setback, and the team said he will now undergo surgery. The team said Windler will have the operation on Jan. 21. After surgery, Cleveland will have a better timeline for when he may come back. The 6-8 Windler averaged 21.3 points and 10.8 rebounds as a senior at Belmont. The Cavs were enamored with his shooting ability after he made 43% of his three-pointers last season.

BASEBALL

Tigers agree with Nova

The Detroit Tigers agreed to terms Monday on a $1.5 million, oneyear deal with Ivan Nova, keeping the right-hander in the American League Central after he spent last season with the Chicago White Sox. Nova, who turned 33 on Sunday, went 11-12 with a 4.72 ERA last season, making a career-high 34 starts. He is 89-76 with a 4.32 ERA in 10 big league seasons with the White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees. Detroit’s deal with Nova includes $500,000 in performance bonuses. Nova went 16-4 with the Yankees in 2011, but he has not had an ERA under 4.00 since 2013.

Wood, Dodgers reunite

The Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Alex Wood agreed to a $4 million, one-year deal late Sunday night, a person familiar with the agreement said. “We back,” Wood tweeted on Sunday, his 29th birthday. Wood returns to Los Angeles after spending last season with the Cincinnati Reds. He was part of a deal in which the Dodgers sent Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Reds last offseason. Wood’s time in Cincinnati was plagued by injury. His back flared up in spring training and then he began last season on the injured list. The left-hander was activated in July and made just seven starts before his season ended early in September. He was 1-3 with a 5.80 ERA. Wood’s best year in Los Angeles was 2017 when he was a National League All-Star and had a 16-3 record with a 2.72 ERA.

TENNIS

Qualifying begins despite air

Smoke haze and poor air quality caused by wildfires temporarily suspended practice sessions for the Australian Open at Melbourne Park today, but qualifying began later in the morning. Tennis Australia said onsite conditions were improving and were being constantly monitored. Organizers said further decisions on match scheduling would be made using onsite data and in close consultation with its medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology, and scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency in Victoria state. Melbourne started the day with hazardous air pollution as smoke from wildfires in Victoria’s east and in southern New South Wales state drifted through. The central business district, close to where Melbourne Park is located, recorded overnight hazardous levels of fine particles in the air and the EPA categorized the air quality as “very poor.” Firefighters in the region spent the night being called out to fire alarms triggered by the smoke haze.