Andy Reid is out, leaving the Eagles searching for a head coach for the first time in more than a decade. [Eagles] owner Jeffrey Lurie has requested permission to interview Atlanta Falcons assistants Mike Nolan, Dirk Koetter and Keith Armstrong, according to an NFL source. University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly is the Eagles' prime target, according to two NFL senior personnel officials. Kelly, 49, is 45-7 in four seasons as a college head coach. He is praised for his innovative mind, so much so that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has used elements of the Oregon offense in New England this season. The Ducks play in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday. Lurie, who fired [Reid] on Monday, said that he spent the last month researching potential hires. (Philadelphia Inquirer) Comment

Mikhail Prokhorov turned the page quickly on Avery Johnson, leaving P.J. Carlesimo with, perhaps, Phil Jackson looking over his shoulder. The Nets are trying to play coy, and they're saying Carlesimo, who won his first two games as the interim coach, will get a real shot. But Jackson is certainly the guy who'll get the first call when and if Prokhorov decides to look elsewhere for a permanent coach. "It's Phil," says a league coaching source. "That's coming straight from Russia." ... Prokhorov will, no doubt, give Jackson anything he wants -- the paycheck, the control, the travel restrictions if Jackson wants to be a part-time head coach. But would even all of that be enough for Jackson to take a flier? (NBA.com) Comment

Though the bowl season is a long one, providing a postseason home for so many teams, not all meetings set up as ideal on paper. The Heart of Dallas Bowl kicks off the sporting New Year on Tuesday, and it's a misnamed matchup. If anyone had a heart, OSU would not be playing Purdue. OSU would be in a better bowl, befitting a team that tied for third in the Big 12. And Purdue, already cursed by administrators who fired their coach after the regular season, would not be playing a foe so ill-suited for Boilermaker success. The Vegas crowd picks this game as the most lopsided of the bowls. The Cowboys are 17-point favorites, and it would be a surprise if it's closer than that. (The Oklahoman) Comment