Right from the start, a horse trained by one not-so-over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result: a huge upset and the end of any hopes for a Triple Crown attempt at the Belmont Stakes.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The more Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan watched his team play, the more he realized one thing:
“We needed a rebuild from the ground up,” Khan said.
So the Jaguars fired coach Mike Mularkey on Thursday after just one season, the worst in franchise history. The move came 10 days after Khan fired general manager Gene Smith.
Khan also introduced new GM David Caldwell on Thursday, and by parting ways with Mularkey, gave him a clean slate heading into 2013.
“I bring a track record of success,” Caldwell said. “I’ve never endured a sustainable losing team.”
But maybe the biggest nugget came when Caldwell said New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is not in the team’s plans.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where he will be a Jacksonville Jaguar,” Caldwell said.
Mularkey, who went 2-14 this season, is the eighth head coach fired since the end of the regular season.
Coaching roundup
Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden interviewed for the vacant head coaching job with Arizona. Gruden is the younger brother of former Oakland and Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden. … Lovie Smith interviewed with Philadelphia. Smith is the seventh candidate to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and president Don Smolenski. … Cleveland had a second interview with former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt about their vacancy.
Around the league
Pittsburgh cut rookie running back Chris Rainey following his arrest on a battery charge in Florida. Gainesville (Fla.) police officers charged Rainey with a single count of misdemeanor simple battery following an incident with his girlfriend. …
David Akers will be San Francisco’s starting kicker for the 49ers’ playoff game Saturday against Green Bay. The 49ers signed Billy Cundiff on Jan. 1 to compete with Akers. Cundiff will remain on the roster. …
Mike Pettine was hired as Buffalo’s new defensive coordinator and Nathaniel Hackett will run the offense for new coach Doug Marrone. .. The Colts signed back running back Alvester Alexander and offensive tackle Lee Ziemb to futures contracts. Both spent time on the Colts’ practice squad. Indianapolis also signed linebacker Jake Killeen, who spent the past three seasons with the Tri-Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League.
