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Falcons fire coach Mora

Sunday`s 24-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was Atlanta Falcons` Coach Jim Mora`s last game with the team. Missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the third-year coach was fired. In the season that ended for the Falcons, the team opened 5-2 but lost seven of their next nine games to finish 7-9 and out of the playoffs. He went 26-22 in three seasons with the Falcons.

Mora, 45, is the son of NFL coach Jim Mora. His teams led the NFL in rushing, with quarterback Michael Vick running the ball for record breaking distances. Mora was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco before joining the Falcons in 2004. "My goal is to be a head coach again and work in the NFL for another 20 years," he said.

In a recent radio interview, Mora`s father called Vick "coach killer" causing tension in the Falcons clubhouse. Vick, who has the highest paying contract in the NFL, lost faith in Mora`s coaching as the losses mounted. "We`re too good to be losing these games. We should be up there among the elite," he said.