The Washington Redskins moved quickly in their pursuit of Mike Shanahan yesterday, flying in the former Denver Broncos coach on the same day the team fired Jim Zorn.

Shanahan and wife Peggy landed at Dulles International Airport near Redskins Park in mid-afternoon and were driven away in a limousine to meet with owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen. Snyder planned for Shanahan to stay overnight at the owner's house in Maryland, and a formal hiring announcement could come as early as today.

Shanahan's arrival was the highlight of a long, eventful day as the Redskins sought a new direction after a 4-12 season. The first move came in the pre-dawn hours, when Zorn was dismissed during a meeting in his office with Allen.

"It's real clear that we're going to be aggressive," Allen said. "What we're looking for in a head coach is somebody who can lead these men that we had in our locker room this year to levels they've haven't played through before."

Shanahan won two Super Bowls in 14 seasons with the Broncos. He was fired a year ago after Denver missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

Shanahan would be expected to bring his son, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, with him to Washington.

Zorn went 12-20 over two seasons and lost 18 of his last 24 games after a 6-2 start in 2008.

BILLS

ENTIRE STAFF FIRED

Buffalo opened its offseason with a purge by firing interim coach Perry Fewell and the rest of his staff yesterday.

Though Fewell was dismissed, he will still interview for the team's vacant head coaching job, a personal familiar with the decisions told The Associated Press.

The Bills finished 6-10 this season.

FoxSports.com first reported the firings.

Days after firing head coach Dick Jauron in November, Bills owner Ralph Wilson had said no job was safe as he was preparing to revamp his entire front office once the season ended.

Fewell, the team's defensive coordinator, finished with a 3-4 record as the interim coach.

GIANTS

COORDINATOR AXED

Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan became the first victim of the New York Giants' collapse in 2009.

Coach Tom Coughlin dismissed the rookie coordinator late yesterday afternoon, just hours after saying that Sheridan's future with the team was going to be evaluated in the wake of an 8-8 season that ended with losses in eight of the final 11 games.

The defense struggled this season, giving up 427 points, ranking it third from the bottom in the NFL.

ELSEWHERE

Henry's death: Chris Henry's fiancee says he jumped out of the back of her truck instead of falling and that she wasn't driving fast on the day the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver was fatally injured.

Loleini Tonga tells ESPN that she thinks Henry thought he would land safely and may have been scared because he saw someone calling the police. She said he didn't jump with the intention of harming himself.

The two had argued Dec. 16 at the home owned by Tonga's parents in Charlotte, N.C. She didn't say what the argument was about.

Dolphins: Miami rookie quarterback Pat White was out of the hospital and back at the team's training complex yesterday after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision briefly left him motionless.

White left the field strapped down on a cart Sunday after suffering a head injury when he was tackled by Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor.

Pro Bowl: The Minnesota Vikings have stretched their league-high total of Pro Bowl players to nine with the addition of rookie kick returner Percy Harvin.

DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles made the NFC team at two positions, wide receiver and kick returner. The league's plan was to fill the spot Jackson received the least voting points for with another player.