Will any more NFL coaches be fired before the end of the season?

Jack Del Rio was the first NFL head coaching casualty of the season, fired Tuesday by the Jacksonville Jaguars. But will he be the last?

Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion by leaving a comment of your own.

Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

It is possible, maybe even probable, that other teams will follow the lead of the Jaguars and start their off-season housecleaning during the season. It used to be that NFL teams waited until the season ended to do their dirty work.

But it seems a trend has begun. Last year four teams fired their head coaches before the season ended, as Brad Childress, Josh McDaniels, Wade Phillips and Mike Singletary bit the dust early.

Making an early firing is a way to get a leg up on the competition in the hiring game. And what seems certain is there will be plenty of change coming.

People in the know would put the over/under for coaching changes to come at eight. Among the vulnerable appear to be Jim Caldwell of the Colts, Steve Spagnuolo of the Rams, Tony Sparano of the Dolphins and Norv Turner of the Chargers.

Can we believe a word Urban Meyer says?

Urban Meyer stepped down as Florida's head coach a year ago, citing health reasons and a desire to spend more time with his family. That was a year after announcing his retirement, only to abruptly change his mind and return to the sidelines for the Gators.

On Monday, Meyer un-retired again, returning to college football as the new head coach at Ohio State. The university said he will receive a six-year contract that pays $4 million annually, plus another $2.4 million total in “retention payments."

But can we really believe that Meyer is ready to make such a commitment with his history of changing his mind so often? Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the topic -- check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion with a comment of your own.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times

Here's the news flash on Urban Meyer: He's a coach, not a polygraph volunteer. Put your trust in their words at your own risk. Nick Saban said he was not going to be the next coach at Alabama, and then he was. The great ones don't have to be believable -- they just have to win.

So what if Meyer double-talked and backtracked his way out of Florida? The only stat Gator fans should care about is two BCS titles in six years. Coaches are, in many ways, professional manipulators and career opportunists. I have no problem with Meyer coming out of retirement to coach at Ohio State. I believe him when he says he had no inkling a year ago the job would be open. Who did?

Meyer has a right to do whatever he wants, and we have the right to think he's 10% genius and 90% disingenuous. But this yarn makes sense. Ohio State is a great job. Meyer is from Ohio. He is a former Buckeye grad assistant. He will win big there. It is a dream job.

Will he be the last coach to say one thing and do another? Dream on.

Should Penn State self-impose a bowl ban this year? [Poll]

In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal, should Penn State officials follow in the footsteps of the University of Miami, which issued a self-imposed bowl ban for this season in response to an NCAA investigation into the university's compliance practices?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses. And feel free to join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times

Yes, although the two cases are different. Miami absolutely did the necessary thing in declining a bowl bid as part of a damage-control strategy in advance of major NCAA penalities. Current Miami players were involved in the present scandal in which booster Nevin Shapiro is alleged to have provided lavish gifts and favors.

Penn State players had nothing to do with the controversy surrounding the Jerry Sandusky case. But several members of the coaching staff, including interim head coach Tom Bradley, were longtime associates of Sandusky. No one is accusing them of any wrongdoing but there are questions being raised about what they knew, or should have known, about their former colleague.

This is shaping up as the biggest scandal in collegiate sports history. I think a bowl would be more of a distraction than a reward. The university would be better served at this time sitting this bowl season out.

Mike Krzyzewski or Bob Knight: Who's the better coach? [Poll]

The poll results have been corrected. See the note below.

Mike Krzyzewski passed Bob Knight, his former coach at Army, as the winningest Division I college basketball coach when No. 6 Duke beat Michigan State, 74-69, on Tuesday night.

With 903 victories, Coach K may have the most wins of all time, but which of the two men is a better coach? Writers from around the Tribune Co. will discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses.

And feel free to join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own.

Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune

When you think of Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, you think about winning. When you think about coach Bob Knight, you think about winning ... and throwing chairs ... and throwing tantrums.

Krzyzewski's tempered attitude -- and not his temper -- has shaped Duke into a perennial power en route to his becoming college basketball's winningest coach with 903 victories, bypassing his former coach and mentor Knight with Tuesday's victory against Michigan State.

He's won four NCAA tournament titles and appeared in 11 Final Fours, which are both more than Knight. Now Krzyzewski has the most wins ever. Give him the crown.  

Which will happen first: Packers lose or Colts win? [Poll]

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details

After watching Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers destroy the Minnesota Vikings, 45-7, on Monday night, it's hard to imagine these guys ever losing again. They're 9-0 this year and 15-0 since their last loss, to the New England Patriots on Dec. 19 last year.

But the Packers are still seven wins away from joining the 2007 Patriots as the only teams in NFL history with 16-0 seasons -- and many of their opponents should put up a bit more of a fight than the hapless Vikings, including five teams with winning records and six that will likely be fighting for playoff spots.

After hosting the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) next week, Green Bay visits the Detroit Lions (6-3) for a Thanksgiving meeting between NFC North rivals. Then on Dec. 4 comes a road game against the New York Giants (6-3) -- the team that gave those 2007 Patriots everything they could handle in the final game of the regular season and then prevented them from going 19-0 by winning Super Bowl XLII.

That is followed by games against a pair of AFC West contenders -- home versus the Oakland Raiders (5-4) on Dec. 11 and visiting the Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) on Dec. 18. The Packers finish off the season with home games against division rivals, the Chicago Bears (6-3) on Dec. 25 and the Lions on Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts (0-10) are trying to avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only 0-16 teams in league history. Two of their best chances for a victory come the next time they take the field -- Nov. 27 hosting the Carolina Panthers (2-7) -- and in the last game of the season -- Jan. 1 at the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6).

In between, the Colts have dates at the Patriots (6-3) on Dec. 4, at the Baltimore Ravens (6-3, including losses to the Jaguars and the 3-6 Seattle Seahawks) on Dec. 11, home against the Tennessee Titans (5-4) on Dec. 18 and home against the Houston Texans (7-3, but may be without starting quarterback Matt Schaub) on Dec. 22.

Writers from around Tribune Co. will discuss which will happen first, the Packers lose or the Colts win. Check back throughout the day for more responses, and join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment.

Should Joe Paterno be allowed to coach Penn State on Saturday?

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno has announced he will retire at the end of the football season in light of the sex-abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. But should he still be employed by the university even that long?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss whether Paterno should be with the Nittany Lions when they host Nebraska on Saturday. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion by voting in our poll and leaving a comment of your own.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times

It's incredible to think the best deal Joe Paterno could cut for himself at the height of this scandal was announcing he would retire at the end of the season. A man who talked only weeks ago about having no intention of retiring actually had to get out in front of a Penn State Board of Trustees that might want him to step down immediately.

FULL COVERAGE: Penn State scandal

Yet, allowing Paterno to coach the next three games and a bowl game is going to be huge distraction. Paterno should probably be allowed to coach his final home game at Penn State and then step aside for remaining away games at Ohio State and Wisconsin. But even that might not sound like a good idea by the time this day, or week, is over. Things are moving that fast.

Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

Joe Paterno is one of the greatest coaching legends in college football. He has done more for Penn State University in the 46 years that he has been coaching than anyone else. Until this point, his programs have remained clean during a time period when others have failed and his donations to help further education are legendary.

With his iconic black glasses and black sneakers, he is the face of Penn State. That’s why he should be allowed one last chance to say goodbye on Saturday. To walk the sidelines at Beaver Stadium and hear the cheers one last time. There will be boos, reminders of the mistakes he made being complacent instead of vigilant, and there will be protests. Wins and losses won’t matter in the end, and a legacy that had once written itself will now be forever tarnished. A legacy that started on a football field 46 years ago, should end on it as well. 

Joe Frazier: Where does he rank among all-time heavyweights?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. weigh in on boxing great Joe Frazier, who died Monday at age 67 after a brief battle with liver cancer. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion with a comment of your own.

Barry Stavro, Los Angeles Times

Frazier's greatness and immortality can be measured easily because you can't say Ali without saying Frazier, any more than you could say Dempsey without Tunney or Robinson without La Motta.

Frazier gave Ali the two worst beatings The Greatest suffered in his prime. In their first epic bout in 1971 Frazier, with one of the great left hooks in history, dumped Ali on the canvas in the 15th round to give Ali his first loss. Their third bout, "The Thrilla in Manila," in 1975 was the most punishing long fight I ever saw. Ali won it -- barely.

Both men continued to fight afterward but they weren't any good in the ring because they'd used up all their talent fighting each other. "Fight of the Century" is now a cliche in boxing, but Frazier and Ali genuinely produced two of them.

Where does Frazier rank? Easily among the best heavyweight champs of the modern era: along with Ali, Foreman, Liston and Tyson.

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Photo: Joe Frazier, left, hits Muhammad Ali during the 15th round of their heavyweight title fight at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1971. Credit: Associated Press

Jerry Sandusky scandal: Is Joe Paterno's reputation tarnished?

Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator at Penn State, has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period. Two school officials have stepped down as they face charges of covering up the allegations. All three men have asserted their innocence.

Coach Joe Paterno, who has more wins than any other NCAA Division I coach with 409, is not considered a suspect. He released a statement Sunday saying he was shocked and saddened by the accusations against Sandusky, who retired from Penn State in 1999 but continued to use the school's facilities.

Paterno said in grand jury testimony that he reported a shower-room incident involving Sandusky in 2002 to Athletic Director Tim Curley when it was brought to his attention by a witness. Paterno added that no other allegations had been reported to him.

Still, the scandal may change the image of what has always been considered to be a clean program run by Paterno, who has led the team to a pair of national championships and five undefeated seasons since becoming head coach in 1966.

Writers from around Tribune Co. will discuss the Sandusky situation and whether or not it taints the reputation of the Nittany Lions' legendary coach. Please check back throughout the day for their responses.

And feel free to join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own.

Who is the best choice to replace Tony La Russa in St Louis?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss who would be the best successor to former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who retired three days after the team won the World Series championship. Feel free to join the discussion with a comment of your own.

Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times

The Cardinals need someone with more than just people and managerial skills. They also need someone with the gravitas to take over a club that just won the World Series.

At the top of that short list would be former Cardinals catcher Joe Girardi. But he already has his dream job with the New York Yankees. Next would be former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, who was run out of Boston when the team blew the wild-card playoff spot in the final inning of the final game.

But the frat-house environment Francona presided over in Boston won’t fly in St. Louis, where La Russa long ran the tightest clubhouse in baseball. If Francona has the desire to manage again, however, and can convince management, the players and fans he can be a disciplinarian, this could be a good fit for both sides.

Was NBA's fine of Miami Heat's Micky Arison reasonable? [Updated]

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison was fined $500,000 by the NBA for making lockout-related comments on Twitter. Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss whether Arison's punishment fit his crime. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion with a comment of your own.

Shandel Richardson, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Someone please tell me that Heat owner Mickey Arison threw a punch during a game or at least used a slur toward an NBA referee. Five hundred thousand dollars? For words that likely offended no one? At least Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was punished for being a repeat offender when he ripped the officiating in 2002, drawing the same fine.

Arison’s comments, made on Twitter, were simply a response to an angry fan referring to owners as "greedy" and "pigs." This was not a black eye for the league. Arison was only sticking up for himself. This fine just shows that the NBA is a place where breaking a league-imposed gag order is more serious than breaking the law. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire once was arrested for marijuana possession at an airport. His fine was half of the price Arison paid.

Who is the early favorite to win next year's World Series?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and weigh in with a comment of your own.

Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times

I think the third time will be a charm for the Texas Rangers, who will reach the World Series for a third straight year in 2012 and finally win it. As gut-wrenching as their seven-game World Series loss to St. Louis was, the Rangers will be better for the experience, more prepared to perform under the intense pressure of the playoffs and even more determined to win.

They should be every bit as good, if not better, in 2012 than they were in 2011. Every position player from a deep and powerful lineup will be back. Their only prominent free agent is pitcher C.J. Wilson, and I think he will return.

Wilson's free-agent value probably dropped enough with his shoddy post-season performance that he won't get an obscene offer from the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees that will blow the Rangers' offer out of the water. I think he has a sense of unfinished business with the Rangers, and really, what other team will give him the best shot of getting to and winning the World Series?