Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is going to have some familiar faces with him on the NFC roster for Sunday’s Pro Bowl.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, cornerback Brandon Browner and safety Kam Chancellor were among the 24 players selected Tuesday as replacements for the annual game in Honolulu matching the NFC against the AFC.
Lynch, who rushed for 1,204 yards and scored 12 touchdowns for Seattle this season, steps in for San Francisco running back Frank Gore, who is ill. Browner and Chancellor also take over spots vacated by the 49ers’ Carlos Rogers (Browner) and Dashon Goldson (Chancellor), putting 75 percent of the Seahawks’ starting secondary in the Pro Bowl.
Rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton and Andy Dalton also were chosen to replace Super Bowl quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Seven of the 24 replacements are filling in for Patriots; two are replacing Giants.
Carolina’s Newton replaces Manning, and Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers steps in for Jason Pierre Paul. The players stepping in for New England are Dalton and tight end Jermaine Gresham (for Rob Gronkowski) of Cincinnati, Jets guard Brandon Moore (for Logan Mankins), Jacksonville special teamer Montell Owens (for Matthew Slater), Baltimore guard Ben Grubbs (for Brian Waters), San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson (for Wes Welker) and Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (for Vince Wilfork).
RAIDERS TO HIRE ALLEN
The Oakland Raiders reportedly will hire Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as their new head coach. Fox Sports and ESPN reported that the sides were still working out final details but that an agreement had been reached.
Allen will replace Hue Jackson, who was fired after going 8-8 in his only season on the job.
The 39-year-old Allen helped the Broncos improve from allowing a league-worst 29.4 points and 390.8 yards per game to ranking 20th in yards (357.8) and 24th in points (24.4) this season. Allen had served as New Orleans’ secondary coach the previous five seasons and also had coached for Atlanta.
VIKINGS TOLD NO
The Minnesota Vikings have been given an ultimatum of sorts in their quest for a new stadium.
Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday that the team must build on the site of the Metrodome – its least-favorite option – or state funding help for the multimillion-dollar project won’t happen this year.
The Vikings prefer a $1.1 billion stadium proposal on a site in suburban Ramsey County, north of St. Paul, that offers space to build adjacent team facilities as well as retail, hotel and entertainment development. But funding that proposal would require a sales tax increase in the county, a move that lacks support.
Vikings executives subsequently warmed to another Minneapolis option, a plan for a $995 million stadium on the opposite side of downtown from the Metrodome. But Dayton said Tuesday that the plan was doomed by strong opposition from leaders at the Basilica of St. Mary, a historic Catholic Church adjacent to the site, and by apparent opposition on the Minneapolis City Council, where more members prefer the Metrodome location.
EXTRA POINTS
The Jets hired former Miami offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo as their offensive line coach, replacing Bill Callahan. … The Chargers promoted Rich Bisaccia to assistant head coach-special teams and hired former Carolina assistant Ron Meeks as secondary coach. … Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey retained offensive line coach Andy Heck.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.