NFL-National Football League roundup

Jan 16 The Sports Xchange) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was on the field for the team's morning practice after missing Wednesday's session due to illness. Brady reported to team headquarters early Wednesday but after learning he was ill, the Patriots requested he skip practice and avoid spreading the bug to teammates before a weekend trip to Denver for the AFC Championship game. - - Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said wide receiver Percy Harvin was not cleared to practice Thursday as the team prepared for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. Harvin is going through the league's concussion protocol and it is unclear if he will be ready this week. He continues to recover from a concussion he suffered during last weekend's 23-15 playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints. - - Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is near deals with veteran coaches George Edwards and Norv Turner who will become his top coordinators. Edwards, the Miami Dolphins linebackers coach who worked with Zimmer in Dallas under Bill Parcells, is in line to be the Vikings' defensive coordinator. Another former Cowboys assistant, Turner, is reportedly closing in on a deal to become Zimmer's offensive coordinator. - - The Washington Redskins named Kirk Olivadotti as inside linebackers coach and retained Jacob Burney as defensive line coach and Raheem Morris as defensive backs coach, the team announced Thursday. - - Two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and the Detroit Lions are outlining parameters of a new contract. Suh has two years remaining on his five-year, $64 million rookie contract as the No. 2 overall pick in 2010. He is regarded as one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL and he's also the most expensive in 2014. - - Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said Thursday that the organization still believes in running back Trent Richardson. The Colts acquired Richardson for a 2014 first-round pick from the Cleveland Browns. But Richardson didn't produce, and Donald Brown replaced Ahmad Bradshaw as the Colts' starter when Bradshaw went down with a neck injury. - - Carolina's Ron Rivera, who led the Panthers to a 12-4 record and the NFC South title, is the 2013 Coach of the Year based on voting by the Professional Football Writers of America. Kansas City general manager John Dorsey, who made strategic moves to mold the Chiefs into a playoff team in his first season at the helm, is the 2013 Executive of the Year. And former San Diego offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, now head coach in Tennessee after helping rejuvenate the career of quarterback Philip Rivers, is the 2013 Assistant Coach of the Year. - - New York Jets coach Rex Ryan reached an agreement on a multiyear contract extension, the team confirmed Thursday. Ryan had one year remaining on a deal he reworked in 2010, worth about $3 million annually. Ryan's new contract keeps him in New York at least through the 2016 season, according to ESPN. - - Chip Kelly, on the one-year anniversary of being named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, was named Pro Football Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club on Thursday. The Maxwell Club, whose president is Ron Jaworski, is Philadelphia-based. In his first year, Kelly oversaw a quarterback competition, won 10 games and the NFC East title and got his first taste of the NFL playoffs. - - The Buffalo Bills added Jeff Hafley to the coaching staff as a defensive assistant, the team announced Thursday. Hafley will enter his third season in the NFL coaching ranks in 2014 after spending the previous two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including 2013 as the team's safeties coach. - - Pictures posted by wide receiver Davone Bess to his Twitter account prompted the Cleveland Browns to investigate the matter. Bess (@davonebess) posted an image of what appears to be marijuana, indicates he was watching "Cocaine Cowboys" on illegal drug use in the 1980s and wrote the message "We da real dons!" Bess was permitted to return home to Oakland for the final two weeks of the regular season with what the Browns described as a "serious family matter." (Editing by Frank Pingue)