Offensive line coach Campen leaves Packers to join Browns

After 15 seasons as an assistant coach and five as a player for the Green Bay Packers, James Campen has joined another team.

Campen will become associate head coach / offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, a source confirmed to PackersNews.com on Sunday night.

ESPN was first to report Campen's move to Cleveland.

In his new role, Campen will work directly under new Browns coach Freddie Kitchens. He was originally hired as an assistant offensive line coach / quality control coach under Mike Sherman in 2004. When Mike McCarthy was hired in 2006, Campen was promoted to offensive line coach. He held that role until last year, when he continued coaching the offensive line but was also promoted to rungame coordinator for the offense.

The move signals new Packers coach Matt LaFleur wanted to go in a different direction at offensive line. Campen was under contract with the Packers, so they had to grant him permission to leave for Cleveland. His departure creates a big opening on LaFleur's staff, but it's likely he wanted to hire someone he was familiar with for the job.

Campen started his playing career with the New Orleans Saints in 1987, and joined the Packers in 1989. He was Brett Favre's first center, starting 13 games in 1992.

Thomas adds another first: Sarah Thomas became the first woman to work an NFL playoff game as an onfield official.

Thomas was the down judge in the divisional round game between New England and the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s a first, according to the league’s Twitter account.

Thomas was hired in 2015 and was already the league’s first female fulltime official.

Terri Valenti was the replay official in Saturday’s playoff game between the Chiefs and Colts, also a first.

Former Dolphins star dies: Former Miami Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and member of the only NFL team to achieve a perfect season, died at age 71.

His death Saturday was confirmed by the Dolphins, who had no further details.

Kuechenberg joined the Dolphins as a free agent in 1970, coach Don Shula’s first season, and played for them until 1983. He started every game for the team that went 17-0 in 1972, and started 16 games for the team that repeated as Super Bowl champions in 1973.

Kuechenberg was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the Dolphins’ Honor Roll.

“I was sorry to learn of the passing of Bob Kuechenberg, who was not only one of the best players I ever coached but one of the toughest as well,” Shula said in a statement. “He was one of the key performers on our championship teams.”

Shula said Kuechenberg played with a broken arm in the 1974 Super Bowl and still dominated Hall of Fame defensive tackle Alan Page as Miami beat Minnesota, 24-7. That game was 45 years ago Sunday.

Rams were determined: Marcus Peters was in Amari Cooper’s face from the Cowboys’ opening drive until the postgame handshakes, where the Los Angeles Rams cornerback gave one last shove to the Dallas receiver.

Peters didn’t win all of his matchups with Cooper. In fact, his unnecessary roughness penalty from his first scrap with Cooper led directly to Dallas’ first touchdown in the clubs’ divisional playoff game Saturday night.

But for better or worse, Peters also exemplified his team’s determination not to be pushed around by anyone – and sometimes, they’ll even start the fights.

With their 30-22 victory over the Cowboys, the Rams (14-3) are headed to the NFC championship game with an incendiary attitude and renewed proof of their toughness on both sides of the ball.

“Our sense of focus and the sense of urgency have gone up tremendously,” guard Rodger Saffold said.