NFL notes: Eagles Kelly faces QB he once tried to recruit

Oakland, Calif. • Chip Kelly is very familiar with what Terrelle Pryor can do as a quarterback.

Kelly tried to recruit Pryor to Oregon when he coached there, lost to him in the Rose Bowl and now gets the chance to face him in the NFL when Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles visit the Oakland Raiders.

"Terrelle was always driven to be a quarterback, which is an awesome thing," Kelly said. "I've seen him play quarterback for a while; I lost to him in the Rose Bowl when he played quarterback at Ohio State. He threw the ball on us then. I think he's starting to develop."

Pryor and Kelly both have had up-and-down seasons in their first years in their new roles. Pryor has provided a spark to the Raiders' offense with his game-breaking speed as a runner and improved passing.

Kelly has brought his up-tempo offense to the Eagles (3-5), who have put up a lot of yards but not enough wins to please Philadelphia fans.

Kelly has a fan in Pryor, who ultimately chose Ohio State over Oregon because of its proximity to his mother in Pennsylvania and he felt a pro-style offense would better prepare him for the NFL.

"I loved his personality and the fire he brought to the game," Pryor said. "He came to my high school and spent a lot of time there, from showing me uniforms to showing me the playbook, some of the stuff that he runs. Seeing that was very interesting and intriguing, but my whole thing that cut it out right away was the distance."

Broncos coach hospitalized

Denver coach John Fox was taken to a hospital in the Charlotte, N.C., area Saturday after feeling light-headed while playing golf during the Broncos' bye week.

Team spokesman Patrick Smyth said the 58-year-old Fox "is in good spirits and he told me he did not suffer a heart attack and he's undergoing additional tests to determine the best course of action."

Fox was with a group of friends and family on a golf course near his offseason home when he started feeling dizzy, Smyth said.

Fox is in his third season as Broncos coach after a nine-year stint with the Carolina Panthers. He's 107-88 overall, including 6-5 in the playoffs.

No Martin investigation

The NFL Players Association is looking into Jonathan Martin's situation in Miami, but it has not launched an investigation into possible harassment of the offensive tackle by his teammates.

Martin left the Dolphins on Monday to receive help for emotional issues, and it's unclear whether he's expected back. The Dolphins are off this weekend.

In a statement released Saturday to The Associated Press by the union, the NFLPA stressed its concern about players being provided a "safe and professional workplace." Martin reportedly left the Dolphins because of the way teammates were treating him, with guard Richie Incognito cited in one report.

"We have an obligation to protect and support all of our members," the statement said. "We take official investigations very seriously, and in this case, we have not launched an investigation into Richie Incognito or other players in Miami.

"The NFLPA believes that management has an obligation to ensure a safe and professional workplace, and we will continue to be in close touch with our player leaders and all players involved as the information develops."

A person familiar with the situation said earlier Saturday the NFLPA plans to look into the matter next week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins have said little about the reasons for Martin's absence.

The Dolphins have attributed Martin's absence to a non-football illness. The second-year pro from Stanford played in Sunday's loss at New England, then missed practice this week and sat out Thursday night's victory over Cincinnati.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak that had stirred talk of dissension between coaches and among players. When asked Friday if he has seen evidence of bullying or harassment, coach Joe Philbin said: "This is something we take very seriously, and it will not be tolerated." —