As Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong prepares for a second interview with the Arizona Cardinals, one of the top players in Falcons history offered Customized Basketball Jerseys strong words of support. Roddy White, the franchise's all-time leading receiver, believes Armstrong has earned this head-coaching opportunity. Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong is among the candidates to replace Bruce Arians as Cardinals head coach. Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire "He has worked hard and has managed a 53-man roster on a day-to-day basis, he knows the pulse of every team, and he has a lot of experience at the NFL level," White said. "He's an awesome guy and competitive as hell. He deserves to be a head coach for someone's team." Armstrong, 54, has a second interview with the Cardinals on Friday. ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported Armstrong is among a group of candidates that includes Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, Customized Football Jerseys Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher, and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line Customized Hockey Jerseys coach Mike Munchak pulled out of a second interview with the Cardinals. Arizona is looking to replace Bruce Arians, who retired after the season. Armstrong played running back, tight end, linebacker, and defensive back for Arians at Temple University was a graduate assistant coach for Arians in 1987 and has gotten a strong recommendation from Arians in the past. "He's a leader of men," Arians said of Armstrong last August. "He's got grit, toughness. He's a great family guy. ... People get all hung up in these offensive and defensive coordinators, and special teams coordinators work with the entire team. So they have that presence and that connection with the offense, defense, everybody. To me, it makes more sense. Plus, he's had a background in both offense and defense." Armstrong has been the Falcons' special teams coordinator since 2008. He interviewed for the Falcons' head-coaching position before Dan Quinn was named head coach in 2015. Armstrong has been through head-coaching interviews in Chicago, Kansas City, and Philadelphia through the years. It's unclear which coaches Armstrong have in mind for offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, but he's well-respected around the league and has plenty of connection from his two stints with the Falcons and years as the special teams coordinator with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. His current players believe he has the tools for immediate head-coaching success. "Keith is a great motivator and communicator," long-snapper Josh Harris said recently. "As a special teams coordinator, you're tasked with coaching players from both sides of the ball. At some point, every guy on Customized Baseball Jerseys the roster is in a special teams meeting. His ability to relate to every player both on and off the field, combined with his wealth of knowledge, is what set him apart. "He's always going to shoot you straight, and he's always got your back. Keith has played a pivotal role in my development, and the same goes for every player that's sat in one of his meetings. He is passionate." If the Falcons lose Armstrong, assistant special teams coach Eric Sutulovich seems likely to be a top candidate to replace him.

The Chicago Bears have extended general manager Ryan Pace's contract through the 2021 season, team president Ted Phillips announced Monday. Phillips made the announcement at a news conference to discuss the firing of coach John Fox, who was dismissed earlier in the day after the Bears finished last in the NFC North for the third consecutive season. "When we hired Ryan, we saw the key characteristics of successful general managers in him," Phillips said. "We feel he has exhibited those traits in his three years as general manager. He's had leadership skills. He shows a clear vision of how to put together a winning team. He's always striving to find better ways to get that competitive edge. He's taken calculated risks in the draft and in free agency, while at the same time maintaining an eye on roster flexibility, salary-cap flexibility. "He's identified value at every level of the draft, and, last but not least, got great character, great work ethic. He knows he needs to improve, as we all do. But we see the progress in our roster and we're confident that that growth is going to continue." Pace was hired as the Bears' general manager in 2015 on a five-year contract. Monday's deal is a two-year extension of that contract. "I never feel like it's about me; it's about what's best for the Bears, and if [my extension] allows us to go get the coach that we want, then that's what I'm for," Pace said. "It does show stability within our organization, so I just feel very blessed for the opportunity, very honored. Now I have to take advantage of it." One of Pace's first moves was to hire Fox as coach. But Pace moved on from Fox on Monday after the Bears were 14-34 in the past three seasons. Under Pace, the Bears have endured a string of free-agent misses, including quarterback Mike Glennon, wide receiver Markus Wheaton, safety Quintin Demps, wide receiver Eddie Royal, safety Antrel Rolle and cornerback Marcus Cooper. Wide receiver Kevin White -- Pace's first draft choice in 2015, the seventh overall pick -- has played in only five regular-season games. "I Customized Baseball Jerseys need to point the finger at myself as Customized Football Jerseys well," Pace said. "Our record is a reflection on me as well. But I feel good about where we're at right now. I feel much better about where we're at right Customized Basketball Jerseys now than at this time last year, and that starts with the quarterback position. We have a 23-year-old quarterback that we feel very good about that we need to build around. We need to build upon that core, and fortunately we have the resources to do that." Ryan Pace was hired as the Bears' general manager in 2015 on a five-year contract. Monday's deal is a two-year extension of that contract. Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire Pace made a splash during the 2017 NFL draft, trading up to the No. 2 overall pick to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Pace left open the possibility of Trubisky, who started 12 games as a rookie with mixed results, having input in picking the next coach. "That's something we're discussing," Pace said. "I know a lot of teams have done that in the past. That's definitely something we're going to look into." Pace said that as of Monday afternoon, the Bears had not formally requested permission to speak with any candidate for the head-coaching vacancy. The Bears are expected to submit a request to interview Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, a source told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Later Monday, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano that the Bears have requested permission to interview Minnesota Vikings Customized Hockey Jerseys offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Bears say they will move with a sense of urgency, but Pace declined to reveal specifics regarding the scope of Chicago's search. The general manager did add that he will not cede control of the 53-man roster to the future head coach. "We're in a position to aggressively attack this, but today was all about treating this with the respect that it needed to be treated with," Pace said. "I think these relationships are personal, they're very deep, so I just wanted to make sure we handled today properly, and that started with John and I this morning."