NFL-National Football League roundup

Jan 22 (The Sports Xchange) - The NFL head of officiating confirmed Wednesday that Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker's block on New England Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib in Sunday's AFC Championship game was a legal hit. Patriots coach Bill Belichick had complained that the block was illegal and a "deliberate play by the receiver." NFL's top official, Dean Blandino, said Welker's hit didn't violate league rules, although it knocked Talib out of the AFC title game. "Under the current rules, this is a legal play," Blandino said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. - - - Scott Pioli is back in the NFL, joining good friend Thomas Dimitroff as a member of the Atlanta Falcons front office. Pioli will join the Falcons on Feb. 3 as assistant general manager following the completion of his contract with NBC Sports Network and SiriusXM Radio. Pioli spent four seasons as the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs before parting with the team in January 2013, when head coach Andy Reid was hired and met with Pioli before what Reid labeled a "mutual decision" to move in another direction. The Chiefs hired John Dorsey as general manager, and he was named the 2013 Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. - - - The Cleveland Browns met with Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine on Tuesday night in Mobile, Alabama, for a second interview as the franchise continues its month-long search for a head coach, according to reports. The meeting included Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, CEO Joe Banner and front-office personnel who are in Alabama for the Senior Bowl this week. Pettine is the first known candidate to have a second interview with the Browns, who fired Rob Chudzinski after one season as coach. - - - The Tennessee Titans hired former NFL head coach Mike Mularkey as their tight ends coach on Wednesday. The Titans also announced the hiring of John McNulty as quarterbacks coach and Kevin Patullo as assistant wide receivers coach. Mularkey has 19 years of NFL coaching experience, including three seasons as a head coach of two teams. - - - The New York Giants hired Craig Johnson as their running backs coach. Johnson, who is entering his 32nd year in coaching and 15th in the NFL, was the Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach the previous three seasons. He previously held the same position for 10 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he was also assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2010. - - - The New England Patriots announced the retirement of assistant head coach/offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia after 32 seasons in the NFL, including 30 seasons with the team. The Patriots also announced the addition of Dave DeGuglielmo to Bill Belichick's staff as the new offensive line coach. Scarnecchia, with the Patriots from 1982-88 and 1991-2013, was the longest tenured NFL coach this past season. - - - Unable to land an NFL job the past two seasons, free-agent quarterback Vince Young filed for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, the Houston Chronicle reported. According to the petition filed in a Houston bankruptcy court, Young has assets between $500,001 and $1 million and liabilities between $1,001,000 and $10 million. The former Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback once had a guaranteed $26 million contract, but since then he has fought two lawsuits stemming from a $1.8 million loan in his name obtained from Pro Player Funding during the NFL lockout in 2011. With interest, the loan has grown to $2.5 million. (Editing by Julian Linden)