LAKE FOREST, Ill. Leighton Vander Esch Jersey . - The Chicago Bears hired New Orleans Saints executive Ryan Pace as general manager Thursday to replace the fired Phil Emery, hoping he can rejuvenate a franchise that just missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Pace spent 14 seasons with the Saints and helped build a Super Bowl champion. He was New Orleans director of player personnel the past two years, helping manage their pro and college scouting operations. He also served as the teams director of pro scouting from 2007 to 2012. He will join a team coming off a miserable, 5-11 season. The Bears quickly fell out of contention in the NFC North, costing Emery and coach Marc Trestman their jobs, and had all sorts of distractions derail a season that began with legitimate thoughts of a playoff berth. The Bears also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, who spent 12 years in Chicago working under Emery and his predecessor Jerry Angelo, along with Tennessee Titans vice-president of player personnel Lake Dawson and Houston Texans director of pro personnel Brian Gaine. As for the coaching job, the Bears have interviewed Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn and Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase for that position. The Bears must decide if theyre going to stick with quarterback Jay Cutler after the offence took a big step backward and do something about a defence that has ranked among the leagues worst the past two years. Pace, who grew up in Texas and played defensive end at Eastern Illinois in the late 1990s, has a daunting task as he tries to rebuild the team and win back fans after they stayed away from Soldier Field by the thousands late in the season. Chicago has been to the playoffs just four times since the start of the 1995 season. Only Oakland (three), Houston (two) and Cleveland (one) have fewer appearances in that span. The Bears thought they had a contender with a prolific offence returning intact and a rebuilt defence in tow. But little went right for Chicago. Trestman, who was hired to get the most out of Cutler, even benched the highly paid quarterback in favour of Jimmy Clausen for the second-to-last game of the season against Detroit. Cutler wound up starting the final game after Clausen suffered a concussion against the Lions, adding another chapter to a season-long soap opera. The Bears joined the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams to give up 50 or more points in back-to-back games in losses to New England and Green Bay. Defensive end Lamarr Houston also suffered a season-ending knee injury celebrating a meaningless sack against the Patriots. While the new general managers most immediate task is to find a coach, some big decisions about the roster loom. Topping that list is Cutler, who signed a $126 million, seven-year contract at the end of last season and then tied Philip Rivers for the league lead with 18 interceptions. The deal, which guaranteed $54 million, makes him difficult if not impossible to trade. Another possibility is cutting him. Wide receiver Brandon Marshalls future with the team is also in question even though he signed a three-year extension through 2017 last May. And a defence that ranked among the leagues worst the past two years under co-ordinator Mel Tucker still needs a major upgrade. The overhaul that brought in Jared Allen among others last off-season did not pay off, and a spotty draft record by Emery and predecessor Jerry Angelo left the Bears lacking depth. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLCedrick Wilson Jr. Jersey . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits. Cheap Cowboys Jerseys . Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. http://www.officialcowboysnflauthenticshop.com/ .C. -- Colin Kaepernick raced into the end zone, then pretended to rip open his shirt with both hands imitating Cam Newtons Superman touchdown celebration.PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins spot in the post-season is assured. The Phoenix Coyotes are living much more dangerously. For long stretches during Phoenixs 3-2 win on Tuesday night, it certainly looked like the other way around. Pouncing on a series of sloppy mistakes by the suddenly erratic Penguins, the Coyotes picked up two vital points in the chase for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Thomas Greiss stopped 23 shots -- including all 15 he faced over the final two periods -- and received plenty of help as Phoenix rebounded a night after losing starting goaltender Mike Smith indefinitely with a right leg injury in a loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. David Moss, Antoine Vermette and Mikkel Boedker scored for the Coyotes, who never trailed while dropping the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins to just 6-6-2 since the Olympic break. "It gives confidence that if you can win in Pittsburgh you can win anywhere," Phoenix forward Shane Doan said. Jussi Jokinen and Taylor Pyatt scored for the Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves, but the Penguins failed to clinch a playoff berth and looked lifeless at times without centre Evgeni Malkin, who is out 2-3 weeks after hurting his foot in a loss to St. Louis on Sunday. While hes expected by the end of the regular season, his absence is just the latest setback in a season in which Pittsburgh has lost over 400 man games due to injuries. It didnt seem to bother the Penguins as they built a seemingly insurmountable division lead. Coach Dan Bylsma isnt sure now is the time to start throwing around blame. "I dont think injuries had anything to do with today or what you saw on the ice," he said. More disconcerting for Pittsburgh is its lack of focus. The Penguins held a brief players only meeting after the game and cancelled a scheduled practice on Wednesday. "I dont think theres anyone feeling sorry for us, but that still doesnt allow us not to have the right type of effort and work ethic," centre Sidney Crosby said. Phoenixs play had a little bit to do with it. If the Coyotes were rattled by the loss of their franchise goaltender, it didnt exactly show. Greiss has been effective when sspelling Smith this season, though he wasnt sharp while allowing the Rangers to steal two points Monday by rallying for an overtime victory after he replaced Smith with 7:32 left in regulation and the Coyotes holding a one-goal lead. Chris Covington Jersey. No matter. Despite a short turnaround in the midst of a three-game road trip that could shape the final weeks of the regular season, Greiss kept the Penguins in check. "I thought we did a good job of being close to one another," Moss said. "It seemed like if there was a breakdown, there was support. If they had a chance, (Greiss) made a huge save." Whenever Pittsburgh made a mistake deep in its own zone, the Coyotes were there to take advantage. Moss picked up his seventh goal of the year when great forechecking by Martin Hanzal and Brandon McMillan produced a turnover that ended with Moss all alone in front of the Penguins net. Jokinens 18th goal of the season tied it 11:51 into the period, kind of. His wrist shot caromed out of the back of the net so quickly the goal light never came on. Play continued for nearly 3 minutes before a stoppage in play provided time for the goal to be awarded on replay. Vermette put Phoenix back in front with a power-play goal, poking a rebound between Fleurys legs. Pyatt knotted it at 2 with just 4 seconds left in the first by deflecting in Rob Scuderis shot from the point. The back-and-forth play, however, stopped over the final 40 minutes as the Coyotes choked off the Penguins while continuing to effectively counterpunch. Boedker put Phoenix in front to stay 13:18 into the second period by grabbing a rebound in front of the Pittsburgh net and roofing it over Fleurys glove as a penalty to Jokinen expired. NOTES: Injured Penguins defenceman Paul Martin did not skate on Tuesday morning due to an illness. Martin, who has not played since injuring his hand while playing for Team USA in the Winter Olympics, will have an X-ray on Sunday to determine his progress. ... The Coyotes recalled G Mark Visentin from the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League to serve as the backup until Smiths status is determined. ... The Penguins host Los Angeles on Thursday while Phoenix wraps up its road trip Thursday in New Jersey. Cheap Diamondbacks JerseysCheap Braves JerseysCheap Orioles JerseysCheap Red Sox JerseysCheap Cubs JerseysCheap White Sox JerseysCheap Reds JerseysCheap Indians JerseysCheap Rockies JerseysCheap Tigers JerseysCheap Astros JerseysCheap Royals JerseysCheap Angels JerseysCheap Dodgers JerseysCheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '