Green and Mora fired

Dennis Green couldn’t get the Arizona Cardinals into contention. Jim Mora couldn’t keep the Atlanta Falcons in contention.

Both are now unemployed.

The first two coaching dismissals after the NFL season came quickly. Less than 24 hours after their teams concluded losing campaigns, the Cardinals canned Green and the Falcons fired Mora. Each had his job for three seasons.

“In the final analysis, when you look at the three years of wins and losses, we didn’t win enough games,” said Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill, son of owner Bill Bidwill.

Green was 16-32 as the latest failed coach for the Cardinals, who have had one winning season in 22 years.

Mora, whose father, Jim, was a longtime NFL coach, was a San Francisco 49ers assistant when he was hired by Atlanta in 2004. The Falcons went to the conference title game that season but then were 8-8 and 7-9. In the last two seasons, they collapsed in the second half of the schedule, going 4-12 combined.

*

Alabama renewed its courtship of Dolphins Coach Nick Saban, and he declined to say whether he’ll remain with Miami.

“I’ve got a rule that I’m not talking about any of that stuff,” Saban said.

The Birmingham News reported on its website that Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore left Tuscaloosa on a plane Monday headed for a Miami-area airport. The News and other newspapers reported that Alabama was prepared to offer Saban a seven-year deal that would make him college football’s highest-paid coach.

*

Brett Favre sounded like someone on the verge of retirement, getting choked up after the Green Bay Packers’ victory in Chicago on Sunday night.

But the man who would be first in line to replace the three-time most valuable player isn’t convinced that’s the case.

“He’s an emotional guy, but there weren’t really any tears ... in the locker room,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

*

Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor says he’ll consider retirement at age 32, despite concluding his best season with 13 1/2 sacks.... Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Dan Morgan said he had been cleared to return to football next season despite multiple concussions.