NFL

SAN DIEGO — By lunchtime Monday, six NFL coaches were looking for work.

With the regular season ending the day before, the firings came at a furious clip and within a two-hour span the following were sacked: Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Lovie Smith in Chicago, Norv Turner in San Diego, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Chan Gailey in Buffalo.

PHILADELPHIA — From rookies to veterans, the Philadelphia Eagles fully support Andy Reid.

While many fans wanted him fired a long time ago and the media expects he’ll be gone next week, Reid’s players are firmly behind their embattled coach.

As the guy who drafted Peyton Manning, Bill Polian knows something about quarterbacks.

Polian calls this year’s class of rookie QBs the best since 1983, when guys named Elway, Marino and Kelly were selected.

NEW ORLEANS — In a sharp rebuke to his successor’s handling of the NFL’s bounty investigation, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players in a case that has preoccupied the league for almost a year.

Tagliabue, who was appointed by Commissioner Roger Goodell to handle the appeals, still found that three of the players engaged in conduct detrimental to the league. He said they participated in a performance pool that rewarded key plays — including bone-jarring hits — that could merit fines. But he stressed that the team’s coaches were very much involved.

WASHINGTON — The New York Jets and their quarterback controversy have turned into Washington’s political football.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Saturday, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager, thanking them for all they’d done before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities did not release a possible motive for the murder-suicide, though police said that Belcher and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, had been arguing recently. The two of them have a 3-month-old girl who was being cared for by family.