DETROIT — Jim Schwartz insists he loves challenges.

Well, he's got one.

The Detroit Lions, the NFL's first 0-16 team, agreed yesterday on a four-year deal with Schwartz to make him their next coach.

The former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator will be introduced at a news conference today at Ford Field, where Detroit lost its home games last year by an average of 21.4 points to break another dubious league record.

The 42-year-old Schwartz just finished his eighth season as the Titans' defensive coordinator and his 10th on their staff. He interviewed for a second time with the Lions on Monday.

"After an extensive search that included several highly qualified coaches, we are thrilled that Jim Schwartz will become our team's head coach," team president Tom Lewand said in a statement. "(General manager) Martin (Mayhew) and I believe that Jim's qualifications and vision will lead this organization on the field toward our goal of becoming a championship football team."

The chance to lead an infamous team only seemed to motivate Schwartz to get the job.

"I don't shy away from a challenge," he said during a news conference earlier this week.

SECOND LOOK AT LINEHAN

Scott Linehan is in his second interview with San Francisco coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan, hoping to become the 49ers' offensive coordinator.

Linehan is the first candidate to get a second interview in Singletary's quest to replace Mike Martz, whom Singletary fired last month. The 49ers are looking for their seventh offensive coordinator in seven seasons.

Linehan was fired four games into his third season as the St. Louis Rams' head coach last September, but the veteran has been a successful offensive coordinator in Miami and Minnesota.

SPAGNUOLO A FAVORITE

The New York Jets had a second meeting with Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo earlier this week about their coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the search told The Associated Press yesterday.

Spagnuolo, considered one of the top candidates for the job, met with owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum on Tuesday.

HASLETT NOT THE MAN

Jim Haslett has been eliminated from consideration for the St. Louis Rams' coaching job.

The interim head coach was 2-10 after being elevated from defensive coordinator when Scott Linehan was fired following an 0-4 start. General manager Billy Devaney said before interviewing candidates that Haslett, a former NFL coach of the year with the Saints, would be a finalist.

"We decided that, after going through the interview process and in the spirit of that process, it was best to let Jim know that we are going to go in a new direction," Devany said.

Saints: New Orleans hired Gregg Williams to fill its vacant defensive coordinator's post, hoping he'll shape up a unit that allowed 339.5 yards per game. Coach Sean Payton announced the hiring yesterday, a little more than a week after the Saints fired former defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

USC

SANCHEZ HEADED TO NFL

Coming off a record-setting Rose Bowl, Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft — going against the advice of coach Pete Carroll.

Sanchez, a fourth-year junior, announced his plans at a campus news conference yesterday, the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft.

Carroll tried to convince Sanchez that another year of college experience would help him in the pro game, but Sanchez said he had carefully weighed all the considerations before deciding to leave.

"It has been my dream since I was just a little kid to play in the NFL and thanks to this great academic institution and football program, I have the opportunity to realize that dream," Sanchez said. "It was with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to this university. But I can't tell you how excited I am for this dream to come true."

Florida: Junior playmaker Percy Harvin is taking his speed, elusiveness and durability concerns to the NFL, announcing yesterday he is leaving school early to turn pro, but Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes will return for his senior season.

LSU: Wide receiver Brandon LaFell has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft, but was not hiring an agent, leaving open the possibility he could revoke his declaration for the draft and return if he changes his mind within the next three days.

Ohio State: Defensive back Donald Washington will give up his final year of eligibility for the NFL, joining tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells and wide receiver Brian Hartline among Ohio State juniors who will make themselves available for the NFL draft.

Harvard: Quarterback Andrew Hatch decided the Ivy League is for him after all, and said yesterday he is leaving LSU to return to Harvard, where he began his college career with the Crimson's junior varsity squad before transferring to LSU in 2007.