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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone wasted little time filling a big hole on his staff by reaching a deal with recently fired Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz as defensive co-ordinator. Marrone also turned to Schwartzs former staff to address another need by agreeing to hire Todd Downing to coach the young crop of quarterbacks, led by last years rookie first-round pick, EJ Manuel. The additions were announced Friday night, a day after defensive co-ordinator Mike Pettine left the team after one year to take over as the Cleveland Browns head coach. "We are excited to add a talented and accomplished co-ordinator in Jim Schwartz to our staff," Marrone said in a statement released by the team. "Schwartz has led aggressive and productive defensive units throughout his time in the NFL, and we feel our defence will continue to improve under his leadership." Schwartz was fired Dec. 30, a day after the Lions missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record. In four seasons in Detroit, the 47-year-old Schwartz was 29-51. That included a 10-6 finish in 2011 when the Lions reached the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Schwartz becomes the Bills fourth defensive co-ordinator in four years and has big shoes to fill in taking over a unit that emerged as the teams strength last season. Pettines departure had the potential of under-cutting much of the progress the Bills hoped would carry over into next season after a 6-10 finish that extended the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 14 seasons. Though the Bills were inconsistent against the run, they still finished 10th in the NFL in fewest yards allowed -- Buffalos best ranking since finishing second in 2004. And they finished second in the NFL with a franchise-record 57 sacks. Schwartz has 20 years of NFL coaching experience, including eight seasons as the Tennessee Titans defensive co-ordinator from 2001-08. The Titans defence three times finished among the NFLs top 10 in fewest yards allowed. Tennessee was particularly stingy in stopping the run, finishing sixth or better in yards rushing allowed, including a first-place ranking in 2003. Its unclear how many positions Schwartz will have to fill on his defensive staff because theres a chance Pettine may lure some of his assistants to Cleveland. The Bills currently have one opening after inside linebackers coach Chuck Driesbach was fired last week. Schwartz takes over unit that produced four Pro Bowl selections, defensive linemen Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus and safety Jairus Byrd. Byrds status is uncertain after he played under a one-year franchise tag last season. The defence also includes linebacker Kiko Alonso, an NFL rookie of the year candidate. Schwartz has a fiery personality, and an aggressive approach to defence much like Pettine, which is being counted on to ease the transition. The knock against Schwartz in Detroit was the Lions inconsistencies and undisciplined style of play. In 2012, the Lions lost their last eight games after a 4-4 start. Last season, they collapsed during a stretch in which they blew fourth-quarter leads in losing six games during a seven-game stretch. Downings addition filled Marrones desire to add a quarterbacks coach to his staff after offensive co-ordinator Nathaniel Hackett doubled at the position last year. Marrone had expressed an intention to ease Hacketts burden entering his second season. Lack of experience and injuries didnt help the position. Manuel missed six games because of knee injuries. Undrafted journeyman Thad Lewis went 2-3 in five starts, while undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel struggled in a 23-13 loss to Kansas City. Downing has 11 years of NFL coaching experience, and spent the past three seasons at the same position in Detroit, where he mentored Lions starter Matthew Stafford. The 33-year-old Downing is familiar with Lewis, who spent last off-season in Detroit before the Bills acquired him in a trade in August. And he also coached Manuel at last years Senior Bowl. "Todd Downing is a bright and energetic coach," Marrone said. "He played a pivotal role in the development of Detroits quarterbacks during his tenure: most notably Matthew Stafford, the franchises all-time leading passer. Downing will be a valuable addition to our offensive coaching staff." Joonas Korpisalo Jersey . Neither made it that far in 2013. Not even close. Federer lost his second match at the All England Club. Nadal exited in the first round, a year after bowing out in the second. Gabriel Carlsson Jersey . -- Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has been suspended two games for his hit from behind on Kevan Miller of the Bruins. http://www.officialbluejacketsfanstore.com/authentic-alexandre-texier-blue-jackets-jersey/ . -- LeGarrette Blount made one last big splash into a soggy end zone. Custom Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. Lukas Sedlak Jersey . He looked very comfortable Wednesday night. Konerko had a big three-run double and Gordon Beckham homered for the second straight game, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-3 victory over the sliding Chicago Cubs.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle gave Garrett Jones a few days off this week, freeing the first baseman to explore ways to work out of a miserable funk that threatened to banish him to the bench indefinitely. A lot of time in the batting cage and a couple of helpful hints from a new teammate provided Jones with the confidence boost he desperately needed. Jones hit his 100th career home run and drove in four runs as the Pirates beat St. Louis 5-0 on Friday night to move into a tie with the Cardinals for the lead in the NL Central. "Big game, big series," Jones said. "I made some adjustments and took it into the game and I felt good. I felt aggressive and strong and it was nice to be able to contribute to the win." A pep talk from outfielder Marlon Byrd helped. The veteran, acquired by the Pirates in a trade with the New York Mets on Tuesday, pulled Jones aside and delivered some advice culled from 12 years of bouncing through seven big league cities. "He came up to me and said youre a guy who can hit 30-40 home runs," Jones said. "He started talking to me about hitting and the few things he mentioned to me just made a lot of sense." Hard to argue with the results. Jones finished with three hits while matching his entire RBI total for the month in one night. Russell Martin added his 12th homer of the season for Pittsburgh. Jose Tabata and Neil Walker got two hits as the Pirates moved within four victories of their first winning season in 21 years. Francisco Liriano (15-6) allowed just two hits over eight innings, walking two and striking out six to reach the 15-win plateau for the first time in his eight-year career. The left-hander struggled in his previous start last weekend in San Francisco but bounced back with one of his most dominant performances of the season. Liriano credited his resilience on a newfound maturity that allows him to move on quickly following a rough night. "Whatever is done is done, nothing you can do about it, just focus on the next start," Liriano said. Having an early lead to work with certainly helped. Jones came in hitting just .119 in August but broke out against St. Louis starter Shelby Miller (12-9). Jones hit a two-run double in the first inning to give Pittsburgh the lead, added a moon shot to the seats in right field off Miller in the fourth and followed it up with an RBI single in the fifth. "Garrett put in a lot of work and it paid off big time for us," Hurdle said.dddddddddddd The Cardinals came in surging after they erased a four-game deficit earlier this month. St. Louis arrived at PNC Park with a one-game lead and a chance to create some breathing room over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati heading into September. Instead, things tightened up after Miller again struggled to get outs against the Pirates. The rookie right-hander is in the midst of a breakout season but fell to 0-4 versus Pittsburgh, though his hitters havent done him any favours. The Cardinals have produced just one run in Millers four starts against the Pirates. Miller lasted just 4 1-3 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out three. He struggled with his command, twice walking Liriano - who came in hitting just .075 - on four pitches. "I made some mistakes with some pitches and they put good swings on them," Miller said. "At the end of the day, they were better than us. I was just battling all night. It wasnt a good night." It certainly was for Liriano, who is in the midst of a mid-career revival with the Pirates. The 2006 All-Star pitched a complete game in a 5-1 win at St. Louis two weeks ago and was even sharper in front of a packed PNC Park that is still getting used to being in the thick of a pennant race. The Cardinals managed only one runner in the last six innings, and no one got past second base in the entire game. "Theyre waiting for him to make a mistake out of over the plate but hes not making many mistakes then you dont have too many options," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "We hit some balls hard but not enough of them in a row then we gave him the lead and that made it even tougher for us." NOTES: Pittsburgh All-Star closer Jason Grilli will pitch one inning for Double-A Altoona on Saturday as he continues his rehab from a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm. Grilli has been on the 15-day disabled list since injuring the arm against Washington on July 22 ... The Cardinals bolstered their bullpen on Friday when they acquired reliever John Axford from Milwaukee. "Theres a lot of experience there, a lot of upside," Matheny said. "Its hard to forget that two years ago this guy was one of the top relievers in the game." ... Lance Lynn (13-8, 4.02 ERA) starts for the Cardinals on Saturday against A.J. Burnett (6-9, 3.18). 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