The Sportsletter - New Coach, Who Dis?

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 8, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Good Morning,

The NFL coaching carousel is finally over and another night in Beijing brings the Winter Olympics highlights. Our week-long Super Bowl coverage begins tomorrow (stay tuned).

Letter Rip!

NFL

New Coach, Who Dis?

Photo: Bob Levey / Getty Images

Saints Promote DC Dennis Allen & Texans Hire Lovie Smith to Finish Out NFL Head Coaching Cycle

That’s a wrap on the NFL head coaching vacancies in 2022. The league’s nine openings have finally been filled, concluding with two inside hires on Monday in Houston and New Orleans. The Saints promoted Dennis Allen while the Texans elevated Lovie Smith, both defensive coordinators for their respective clubs in 2021. Overall, two of the nine new hires have been head coaches previously (Doug Pederson and Lovie Smith), but the real dilemma still remains…

Diversity Challenge: Lovie Smith was the only African-American to nab a head coaching vacancy, leaving just two in the entire league — Smith and Mike Tomlin (Steelers). It was 15 years ago (2006) when two African-American coaches squared off in the Super Bowl with Lovie against Tony Dungy. Now, with just two total league-wide and Brian Flores filing a lawsuit against the NFL, things are getting worse.

New Coaching Hires (2022)

Bears: Matt Eberflus (Colts DC)

Broncos: Nathaniel Hackett (Packers OC)

Jaguars: Doug Pederson (Eagles HC, 2020)

Raiders: Josh McDaniels (Patriots OC)

Vikings: Kevin O’Connell (Rams OC)

Dolphins: Mike McDaniel (49ers OC)

Giants: Brian Daboll (Bills OC)

Saints: Dennis Allen (Saints DC)

Texans: Lovie Smith (Texans DC)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Grading 2022 NFL Head Coaching Hires: Giants, Jaguars Hit Runs

Yahoo! Sports: Brian Flores’ Lawyers Claim Texans Didn’t Hire Him Due to NFL Lawsuit

OLYMPICS

Winter Olympics Rundown

Photo: Anthony Wallace / Getty Images

Canada Hands USA First Loss in Women’s Hockey (4-2) to Finish Group Play

The final game of Group A in women’s hockey saw the Canadians best the Americans (4-2) on Monday night. Team USA took the lead on back-to-back goals from Dani Cameranesi and Alex Carpenter (2-1) before Canada netted three unanswered goals in the second period. The Canadians went 4-0 in Group A with an untouchable goal differential (+28). The United States finished second in Group A and will still advance to the medal rounds beginning on Friday.

Watch: Canada def. USA (4-2)

Other Winter Olympics Highlights

Super-G: Team USA’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle Wins Silver

Figure Skating: USA’s Nathan Chen Breaks Short Program Record

Freeski Big Air: China’s Eileen Gu Wins Gold in Freeski Big Air Debut

Medal Count 🏅

Russia (7)

Canada (6)

China (5)

Netherlands (5)

Norway (5)

Italy (5)

Austria (5)

Japan (4)

France (4)

United States (4)

Additional Storylines

CNN: Here’s Who Won Gold Medals at the Winter Olympics on Monday

Olympics: Canada Lay Down Olympic Marker With 4-2 Win Over Reigning Champs USA

NCAA

NCAA Polls & Highlights

Men’s AP Top-10

1. Auburn (22-1) | —

2. Gonzaga (19-2) | —

3. Purdue (20-3) | ↑1

4. Arizona (19-2) | ↑3

5. Kentucky (19-4) | —

6. Houston (20-2) | —

7. Duke (19-3) | ↑2

8. Kansas (19-3) | ↑2

9. Texas Tech (18-5) | ↑5

10. Baylor (19-4) | ↓2

Men’s AP Top-25

NCAA Men’s Basketball Highlights

#4 Arizona def. Arizona State (91-79)

Virginia def. #7 Duke (69-68)

#20 Texas def. #8 Kansas (79-76)

Women’s AP Top-10

1. South Carolina (21-1) | —

2. Stanford (18-3) | —

3. Louisville (21-2) | ↑1

4. Michigan (20-2) | ↑2

5. NC State (20-3) | ↓2

6. Arizona (17-3) | ↑2

7. Indiana (16-3) | ↓2

8. UConn (15-4) | ↑2

9. Iowa State (20-3) | ↑2

10. Baylor (17-5) | ↓1

Women’s AP Top-25

NCAA Women’s Basketball Highlights

#5 NC State def. #11 Georgia Tech (59-48)

🎥THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Booker Bests DeRozan in Suns-Bulls

Devin Booker (38 points) and DeMar DeRozan (38 points) put on a show in Monday’s marquee matchup between the Suns and Bulls. Chicago rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit, but Booker’s Phoenix squad held on (127-124).

🏒 NHL: Marner, Leafs Keep Streak Alive

The Maple Leafs beat the Hurricanes in Monday’s NHL match of the night (4-3, OT) thanks to two early goals from Auston Matthews before Mitchell Marner tied it in the third and won it in overtime. Marner’s goal streak is now at eight games, and the Leafs have won six consecutive.

THE STORYLINES

🏀  Ranking Players on NBA Trade Block

The quality of an NBA trade candidate is in the eye of the beholder, but a few of the best have obvious objective appeal. Let’s rank the best players available considering past and projected productivity, and contract status. (Bleacher Report)

⚾️  Every MLB Team’s Post-Lockout Priority

At some point in the coming weeks MLB and the MLB Players Association will agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, and the owners' lockout will end. Every tam has work to do after the lockout, but some have more than others. (CBS Sports)

🏈  Senior Bowl QB Rankings

Hundreds of NFL scouts and coaches descended upon the sleepy southern town of Mobile, Alabama, this past week in the hopes that the Senior Bowl would help separate a tightly clustered and hotly debated quarterback class. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

LaMelo Ball & Dejounte Murray Named NBA All-Star Game Injury Replacements

(The Athletic)

IOC Reportedly Meets With Missing Chinese Tennis Player Peng Shuai

(Yahoo! Sports)

Saints RB Alvin Kamara Arrested on Battery Charges During Pro Bowl Weekend in Las Vegas

(ESPN)

QB Kyler Murray Unfollows Cardinals on Social Media With Contract Extension Looming

(CBS Sports)

PGA Tour Radio Fires Mark Lye After Disparaging WNBA Comments

(USA Today)

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