Buffalo ‘hire’ female coach – London on track

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NEW YORK, Jan 21, (Agencies): The Buffalo Bills appointed Kathryn Smith to their special teams staff on Wednesday, becoming the first NFL side to hire a woman to a full-time coaching job. Smith’s appointment as quality control-special teams coach comes after the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter as an assistant coach during a training camp last year. Smith’s role however is a full-time position — believed to be a first for the National Football League.

“Kathryn Smith has done an outstanding job in the seven years that she has worked with our staff,” Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan said in a statement. “She certainly deserves this promotion based on her knowledge and strong commitment, just to name a couple of her outstanding qualities, and I just know she’s going to do a great job serving in the role of Quality Control-Special Teams.” Ryan said he had sounded out Cardinals coach Bruce Arians following his groundbreaking appointment of Welter last year.

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London is “on track” to have its own permanent American football team within the next six years, NFL spokesman Mark Waller said on Wednesday. “The fan base is big enough and passionate enough that it can support a franchise,” Waller said, in comments published on the BBC website. “I felt in 2007 it was always a 15-year journey. I think we’re on track to deliver that. I fundamentally believe we will deliver that.” London’s Wembley Stadium has been staging regular-season NFL games since 2007, with the Jackonsville Jaguars playing one game a season there since 2013.

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Patriots linebacker Darius Fleming confirmed that he rescued a woman from a smoking car last week and played with 22 stitches in his leg in Saturday’s divisional playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Fleming said he was injured when he kicked in a window to pull the woman out of the smoking car about a mile from Gillette Stadium two days before the game.

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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski took issue with Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr.’s comments to “hit him in his knees” as the teams prepare for the Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. Asked during an ESPN’s “SportsCenter” interview Tuesday for the best way to defend Gronkowski, Harris said: “You gotta hit him low, man. Hit him in his knees. That’s the best chance you got of hitting him.”

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Chip Kelly was drawn to the job of San Francisco 49ers head coach for many reasons, but it all boiled down to his passion for coaching. “Everybody makes mistakes,” Kelly said of settling into a job in which he won’t have as much control in personnel.

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