A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Bill Belichick contacted the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy before accepting the job at North Carolina.

The Philadelphia Eagles have to make sure they don’t beat themselves.

Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins as part of a star-studded backfield and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, has died.

Speaking for the first time about the coach search that led to the hiring of Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank says former New England coach Bill Belichick made no demands for control of player personnel in Atlanta, as was widely speculated.

Now that Bill Belichick is out as coach of the New England Patriots after 24 seasons, the question turns to where will the six-time Super Bowl champion go next.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to discuss his future amid reports that owner Robert Kraft had already decided to fire the six-time Super Bowl champion after the season.

Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel played 14 seasons as an NFL linebacker.

Bill Belichick passed George Halas for second place on the NFL’s career coaching victories list and the New England Patriots continued their mastery of the New York Jets by beating them for the 13th straight time, 22-17.

Justin Fields threw for 179 yards and a touchdown and ran for 82 yards and another score, and the Bears defense forced returning Patriots starter Mac Jones back to the bench to give Chicago a 33-14 victory over New England.

There’s some symmetry in that Don Shula’s perfect 1972 season with the Miami Dolphins featured what was famously called the “no-name defense.”.

The only 17-0 team in NFL history was the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

Mike Westhoff has always been blunt and brutally honest.

The Chiefs have won a record six straight AFC West titles and will be hosting their record fourth straight AFC title game when Cincinnati visits Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

The most famous name in Miami Lakes is slowly becoming a part of history.

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for two scores apiece to put the New England Patriots in the playoffs with their 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Saturday's event was the first public ceremony honoring the coach since his death in May of last year.

Good luck getting Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid to ruminate on the fact that he’s nearing NFL history, just one win away from becoming the first to reach 100 with two different franchises.

The Miami Dolphins will hold an event to remember legendary coach Don Shula on Oct. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium, Local 10 News has learned.

(AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)MIAMI – Howard Schnellenberger was a pipe smoker with a push-broom mustache and gruff baritone, and he paired his grandiloquent manner with grandiose visions for football at Miami, Louisville and Florida Atlantic that caused snickers. He revived the sport at Miami and Louisville and started the program at Florida Atlantic during a coaching career that spanned a half century. He then founded the program at Florida Atlantic and retired as coach after 11 seasons highlighted by back-to-back bowl victories. That University of Miami team finished No. AdAt Miami, Schnellenberger took over in 1979 amid debate about whether the moribund program should fold.

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 1993, file photo, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula is carried on his team's shoulders after his 325th victory, against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Not long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Football lost a big piece of its heart: Don Shula, Gale Sayers, Paul Hornung, Bobby Mitchell. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020, file photo, the Olympic rings for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 pass by on a barge by tugboats off the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. Tokyo Olympic officials said Thursday, Dec. 24, they have reached a basic agreement with all 68 domestic sponsors to extend their contracts into next year to support the postponed Games. Facing increasingly long odds, some mega-events — the Olympics, March Madness, the Boston Marathon and Wimbledon — pushed the starting line into 2021. … Continue to push (against) everything that’s the opposite of love.”If only for a moment, the pandemic receded into the background. “If we can continue to do that, all of us,” James concluded, “America would be a much better place.”

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

Scott, the star safety who was the most valuable player in the Super Bowl that completed the Dolphins 1972 perfect season, died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, in Atlanta. Scott played in three consecutive Super Bowls, won back-to-back championship rings and made the Pro Bowl five years in a row with Miami. At Georgia, Scott was an All-American and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1968. Shula suspended Scott and then traded him to the Redskins for safety Bryant Salter, who lasted only one season. He grew up in Athens, Georgia, and was recruited as a receiver by Dooley, who then moved Scott to safety.

MIAMI – George Hill, an assistant coach for Woody Hayes, Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson, has died at age 87. The Miami Dolphins confirmed Hill’s death this week. Hill, an Ohio native, was the Ohio State defensive coordinator under Hayes for eight years in the 1970s. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of George Hill. pic.twitter.com/wc5PyWN8Do — Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 11, 2020

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. Don Shulas name will be prominent on the Miami Dolphins uniforms in 2020 as will his record win total. The team on Thursday revealed the commemorative jersey patch to honor the legendary coach, who died May 4. The patch is scheduled to first be worn in the regular-season opener Sept. 13 against the New England Patriots. Don Shulas lasting impact on the Miami Dolphins, NFL and South Florida community is immeasurable, team owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. Coaches and other personnel will also wear a pin with the Don Shula patch design throughout the year.

MIAMI Tua Tagovailoa was easy to identify Thursday even though he wore teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick's jersey and a mask to his first media session of training camp. Tagovailoa is happy to keep a low profile befitting his rookie status, even though he's widely hailed as the Miami Dolphins' future franchise quarterback. A former star at Alabama, Tagovailoa knows how to deal with the pressure of great expectations. But Tagovailoa will be difficult to overlook because he's full of potential and personality. As far as how I feel right now, everything is going well.That's what the Dolphins want to hear.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. Miami Dolphins fans will have a chance to pay tribute to Don Shula next week in a socially distanced kind of way, of course. Fans are invited to drive into Hard Rock Stadium to view the Don Shula statue on Friday May 22 (2-7 p.m.) and Saturday May 23 (10-4 p.m.). That will include a separate public memorial at Hard Rock Stadium once it is deemed safe for large scale events, the Dolphins say. Cars will be able to enter through Gate 5 before heading to the East Gate near the Don Shula statue. pic.twitter.com/KnsXNE6J8Q Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) May 15, 2020

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The family of the legendary coach Don Shula held a private service on Friday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. There was a procession from Miami Beach to Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery in Doral. Shula, who with 347 career wins had more than any other NFL coach in history, died on Monday at his Indian Creek home. Shula was most loved in South Florida for coaching the 1972 Miami Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 record season. After 26 years of coaching the Miami Dolphins, he retired in 1996.

MIAMI – Legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula and former players John Offerdahl, Kim Bokamper and Bob Brudzinski have teamed up to deliver free meals to people in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Shula, the Hall of Fame former coach, owns the Shula Restaurant franchise, which includes dozens of restaurants around the country, and the Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club in Miami Lakes. Offerdahl, a retired linebacker, owns Offerdahl’s Off-The-Grill, which has locations in Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Hollywood and Lighthouse Point. Bokamper, a retired linebacker and defensive end, owns the Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill, which has locations in Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, Plantation, Naples, Estero and Las Olas. Brudzinski, also a retired linebacker, owns the Bru’s Room Sports Grill, which has locations in Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Sunrise, Bird Road, Deerfield Beach, Pembroke Pines, Royal Palm Beach and Delray Beach.

Associated PressNEW YORK - Former Miami Dolphins head coach and Hall of Fame legend Don Shula is among the 20 coaching finalists for the NFL's All-Time Team. The league announced the finalists Wednesday, and 10 of them will make the team. With 326 victories in his 33-year career, Shula holds the NFL record for most head coaching wins. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, Shula was the mastermind of the Dolphins "Perfect Season" in 1972 and led Miami to two Super Bowl wins. After seven seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Shula arrived in Miami in 1970 and immediately led the Dolphins to a 10-4 record.