Welcome back and happy Thursday to you, amigo. This week sort of feels like purgatory with no NFL, doesn't it? We've just gotta get through these next few days, crush the weekend and then celebrate the arrival of Monday/Super Bowl week. We've got this.
Luckily, I was finally able to secure a PS5 for myself this week, meaning my long national nightmare is over (sorry to my editor, Nick, who is still on the hunt 😎) Passing time shouldn't be much of an issue moving forward, but don't you worry, I'll still make time for you every single morning. If video games haven't taken me away from you yet, they probably never will (at least until that Harry Potter game comes out next year.)
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Anyway, before I jump on the sticks, it's time to bring you what you need to know.
📰 What you need to know
1. Texans hire David Culley as next head coach 🏈
Another NFL head coaching vacancy is off the board as the Houston Texans have officially landed their man. The team announced last night they've hired longtime Baltimore Ravens coaching staff member David Culley as the successor to Bill O'Brien.
- Culley, 65, most recently served as an assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for Baltimore
- He has 27 years of NFL experience, almost all being spent coaching wide receivers
- According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Culley is known for his leadership skills and strong relationships with players
- Tim Kelly will stay on as offensive coordinator under Culley
The obvious question that's begging to be asked here is this: How does Deshaun Watson feel about the hire?
The franchise QB was irked by the way the team approached filling out its new leadership (GM and head coach) and his lack of input in the decisions. Watson reportedly wanted Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy to be his next coach, but by hiring Culley (a noted players' coach) and retaining Kelly (who Watson has advocated for) it might be enough to convince him to stick around.
But it might be too little, too late for Watson, who has made it very clear he's unhappy with the organization and would welcome a trade. Have we passed the point of no return for Watson, or is it still salvageable? That's something that we're going to find out in the coming days/weeks ahead, but one would assume that the first order of business for Culley is trying to establish a good relationship with the star quarterback.
2. Flaws for the top 10 national championship contenders 🏀
Once the Super Bowl is in our rearview, attention will soon fully turn towards the NCAA Tournament. In the meantime, the college basketball regular season is inching closer to its conclusion and legitimate national title contenders are emerging from the pack.
But none of these contenders are perfect -- they all have flaws. Finding success in the postseason is all about minimizing your own flaws and exposing those of your opponent, so our Kyle Boone has put some work in to highlight the flaws for the top 10 national championship contenders.
- Gonzaga - They have a perfect blend of young NBA talent (Jalen Suggs) and veteran NBA talent (Corey Kispert), but the team's 3-point shooting percentage on the season (35.3%) is statistically tied for the worst of the Mark Few era
- Baylor - Baylor is the only team in college hoops with a top-three offense and top-three defense. Their lone flaw might be rebounding, as they have a defensive rebounding rate that ranks among the worst in the Big 12
- Villanova - Nova's biggest weakness is its lack of size. Nobody getting significant minutes in their frontcourt is taller than 6-foot-9 and the Wildcats have a block rate of just 5.3% -- the worst among all major seven conferences in the sport
You can find the rest of the top 10 and its flaws right here, but it should be recognized that there's still time for these squads to work on their weaknesses. Sometimes, the flaws disappear when a team locks in during the postseason.
As for you ... you're flawless, and don't you forget it. Never change a thing.
3. Top landing spots for Aaron Rodgers 🏈
Are you sick of Aaron Rodgers talk yet? If so, that's fair considering we've talked about him every day this week. But the uncertainty surrounding the QB's situation is Green Bay is largely dominating a quiet pre-Super Bowl week, so ... here we are again! We still don't really know if Rodgers is staying or going (and we might not for a little while) but our Cody Benjamin has put together a list of logical destinations if there is a divorce on the way:
- 49ers - San Francisco doesn't seem in love with Jimmy Garoppolo as the long-term solution at quarterback (they pursued Tom Brady last offseason) and they can cut/trade him without major penalty. Rodgers is a California boy who grew up a Niners fan and could help put a strong roster over the top
- Patriots - The Cam Newton experiment didn't really work out and now the Patriots are in the market for a QB once again. They have enough cap space to make a play for Rodgers, and the QB could cherish the opportunity to link up with Bill Belichick as he looks to make another Super Bowl run in the twilight of his career
- Colts - Philip Rivers is out and Indy is built to win now, so the Colts are desperate for an established QB that can bring them to the promised land
I can't promise you that we're done talking about Rodgers this week, but we're probably done talking about Rodgers this week. If any other player in the league wants to stir up some trade drama, it would at least give us a change of pace over here. Deshaun Watson ... looking at you, pal.
4. Which college football programs are next in line to make their CFP debut? 🏈
Are you sick of the same old familiar faces and programs finding their way into the College Football Playoff? That would be a relatively fair gripe considering Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma have accounted for 20 of the 28 possible slots in the College Football Playoff since the four-team format was introduced seven years ago.
But this year was actually the first time we didn't see a newcomer enter the CFP, and that got our college football folks wondering: Which programs have the best chance to make their CFP debut next season or in the very near future?
A four-man panel drafted their choices:
- USC (Bud Elliott)
- Texas (Danny Kanell)
- Texas A&M (Tom Fornelli)
- Florida (Chip Patterson)
- North Carolina (Chip)
- Iowa State (Tom)
- Wisconsin (Danny)
- Penn State (Bud)
You can find their reasoning and analysis here but, as a Longhorns fan, I'm going to tell you that my guy Kanell wins this draft. Casey Thompson and Bijan Robinson in Steve Sarkisian's offense? There's glory coming back to Austin, I feel it in my bones.
Whether we get a new contender in the CFP or not, I think we're all hoping that it brings a bit more entertainment and drama next year. This past bowl season fell a bit flat, and that's including the playoff as well.
📝 Odds & Ends
📺 What to watch today
🏀 Trail Blazers vs. Rockets, 7:30 p.m. | HOU -3 | TV: TNT
🏒 Blues vs. Golden Knights, 9 p.m. | VGK -150 | TV: ESPN+
🏀 Warriors vs. Suns, 10 p.m. | PHX -1 | TV: TNT
📝 Top scores from last night
Tobias Harris hit the game-winning jumper for Philly with just seconds remaining while LeBron dropped a game-high 34 in defeat.
💵 Winning wagers: PHI +153, Under (222.5)
Bradley Beal had 47 points in the losing effort.
💵 Winning wagers: OU +142, Over (143.5)
Tyler Motte and J.T. Miller had two goals apiece for Vancouver.
💵 Winning wagers: VAN -158, Under (6.5)
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Can new head coach David Culley fix the Texans' relationship with Deshaun Watson? - CBS Sports
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