WATERCOOLER CHAT: GRUDEN TO REDSKINS, PENN STATE HIRES FRANKLIN, WILDCATS BEAT UCLA
FOOTBALL
In the NFL, the Washington Redskins have found their man at head coach. After a long search, they have hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. The Skins liked what they saw in Gruden, so much so, that they offered him a 5-year deal just to ensure that Gruden wouldn’t have any pressure and can do what he needs to get the job done. His first job will be to make sure that Robert Griffin III turns into the superstar the Redskins think he can be. The Redskins used to be one of the top franchises in the NFL, but have been lackluster for the past 20 years (despite a few playoff appearances). The fan base in D.C. is fervent, and hopefully Jay Gruden can turn things around there.
And speaking of coaching hires, it appears that another program has selected their new head coach. This one comes from the college ranks: Penn State. Ever since the Joe Paterno fiasco, Penn State has been trying to turn things around. They succeeded with head coach Bill O’Brien, but he was snapped up to be head coach of the Houston Texans. So Penn State is bringing in Vanderbilt coach James Franklin. Franklin completely revived Vanderbilt, who used to be a doormat for the rest of the SEC powerhouses. He made them into a legitimate threat, and now Penn State thinks he can make their program a perennial title contender. Good hire.
BASKETBALL
Finally, in college basketball, the #1 ranked Arizona Wildcats are having a storybook season. They are undefeated, which is even more difficult at #1 because everyone plays extra hard to be the team that gets that upset. So these guys have to play underdog team after underdog team every time they step on the floor. Thursday night they got a true test against a tough UCLA team. It was a close game, but Arizona prevailed to stay undefeated. This team has its sites set on winning a championship. Arizona 79, UCLA 75.
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