Top teams struggle, Coaching seats get filled

Top Hoops Teams Struggling

• The new year has been unkind so far to the top teams in college basketball, many of whom have been getting upset already. First, #1 Duke lost senior forward Ryan Kelly to a foot injury and then lost their first game of the season 84-76 to N.C. State. Next, on the brink of their first #1 ranking in 20 years, #2 Michigan could not get by opponent Ohio State, who was more than happy to keep their bitter rivals from ascending to the top spot in the country.
• So cycle in some new teams at the top of the rankings, #1 Louisville and #2 Indiana. Right off the bat, Louisville began to struggle against unranked Connecticut, falling behind by 6 at halftime before they woke up and rode a strong second half to an easy win. The end was not so bright and shiny for Indiana, who lost to Wisconsin 64-59 Tuesday night, losing for the fifth straight time at home to Wisconsin, the first time they've had such a long home losing streak to one team in an incredible 80 years.
• While there are definitely some teams who are better than others, it's obvious that this is going to be a year where any one of a number teams could win the national championship because there are no clear-cut dominant teams who are leaps and bounds above the field.

NFL Coaching Carousel Starting to Settle

• Of the 8 NFL teams who were looking for a head coach after the end of the season, 5 have since hired a head coach. Of the 5, only the Kansas City Chiefs have hired a former NFL head coach. The Chiefs were happy to give Andy Reid their Head Coaching job, in addition to offensive coordinator and some player personnel decisions. The Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles are still searching for their coaches.
• The Buffalo Bills have hired Syracuse University’s head coach Doug Marrone. Marrone joins the Bills after 4 seasons at SU, before that he was an NFL assistant coach. Even more surprisingly, was the Chicago Bears hiring Marc Trestman, one of the first head coaches hired from the Canadian Football League. Trestman was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes who have won two Gray Cups (the CFL’s superbowl). Prior to the CFL he was a longtime assistant coach in the NFL, known as a quarterback’s specialist. The Bears are hoping Trestman will be able to help Jay Cutler make the jump to an elite quarterback.
• The San Diego Chargers have hired Denver Bronco’s offensive coordinator Mike McCoy as their next head coach. McCoy spent the last few seasons grooming Tim Tebow into a usable quarterback, and helping Peyton Manning’s recovery from his many neck surgeries. The Cleveland Browns have hired Carolina Panther’s offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski (in an attempt to make me spell an even more ridiculous name). Coach Chud (as he is known) spent the last two seasons helping #1 overall draft pick Cam Newton morph into one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. The Browns hope Chudzinski will be able to help Brandon Weeden or Colt McCoy (or another quarterback) lead the Browns to some sort of success.