Rookie quarterback Cam Ward’s blunt assessment of the Tennessee Titans last month shed light on the state of the team.   

The Titans made their first major decision to change the trajectory of the franchise Monday when they fired head coach Brian Callahan after less than two seasons.

‘After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach,” Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said in a statement. “While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth. Our players, fans, and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard.’

Callahan went 4-19 in 23 games as the Titans head coach. One might think parting ways with a head coach after 23 games is premature, but when the No. 1 overall pick and franchise quarterback sounded the alarm after the Week 4 loss, it was only a matter of time before changes would be made in Tennessee.

The Titans are a bad football team. Tennessee has the NFL’s worst total offense (232.3 yards per game), they average the second fewest number of points (13.8) and rank No. 22 in total defense, allowing 343.3 yards per game.

Ward is among a few players on the roster that generate tangible optimism for the future. In Week 5, Ward and the Titans became the first team to overcome a deficit of at least 18 points and win with a rookie starting quarterback since the New York Giants on Sept. 22, 2019. He leads all rookies in passing yards (1,101) and passing yards per game (183).

“Everybody talks about his work ethic, how early he’s there, how late he stays,” franchise legend and Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon told USA TODAY Sports of Ward earlier this season. “He just loves to work. That’s what you want your best player being. You want him to be one of the hardest workers on the team. You want him to be a guy that doesn’t blink. That has tremendous confidence, but he puts in the work to back it up.”

Sure, Ward is experiencing rookie growing pains. He’s completed under 40% of his passes between 10-19 yards and has a 40% success rate on pass attempts beyond 20 yards, per Pro Football Focus. While his 55% overall completion percentage ranks last among starting quarterbacks.

But the Titans haven’t necessarily surrounded Ward with weapons. Does a receiving corps that consist of Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett strike fear on opponents? Or tight ends Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm?

Tony Pollard is a solid starting running back, but he’s currently averaging 3.9 yards a carry.

The Titans must do a better job of building around Ward. That starts with whomever they hire as head coach.

The positive news is the Titans have enough resources. Tennessee enters the 2026 season with the most salary cap space in the NFL, per Over The Cap.

The Titans made the correct decision in taking Ward No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft. Now they must do right by the quarterback. The development and success of Ward is contingent upon the Titans’ ability to build around him and implementation of an offensive system that caters to his skill set.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said he’s not in a hurry to find James Franklin’s successor, a day after firing the coach who took the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff just last season.

Technically, Monday was Day 1 of the coaching search, and plenty of names have been tossed around. A few were asked about the job during their Monday weekly news conferences.

Here’s what they had to say:

Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Rhule, a Penn State linebacker from 1994-97, is in his third season as head coach at Nebraska with the Cornhuskers 5-1 this year. He has a proven track record as a program builder, as he led quick rebuilds at both Temple and Baylor. He also has a long friendship with Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, who hired him at Temple.

‘(Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen) and I understand the steps we need to take to make us Big Ten champions and national champions,’ Rhule said. ‘… I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come. Maybe it’s been awhile here, but this is what happens when you win. I dealt with it when we won at Temple and I dealt with it all the time at Baylor.

‘I’m not going to talk about those things ever, I’m not going to talk about my contract here, I’m going to talk about the team. I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. … I’m really happy here.’

Rhule started his response by explaining his love for Penn State and Kraft, however. Rhule also mentioned how important Franklin was for stabilizing the program in a time of disarray when he took the job in 2014.

‘I love Penn State,’ Rhule said. ‘I met my wife there. It’s my alma mater. Fan since I was born, think I probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft…

‘Troy and I are in unbelievable relationship too,’ he said. ‘And Troy and I are in constant, constant, constant communication about this program and where we’re headed.’

Manny Diaz, Duke

Diaz worked on Franklin’s staff at Penn State for two seasons as defensive coordinator and LBs coach in 2022-23 before taking the Duke job. Diaz has a 13-6 record with the Blue Devils, leading the program to a 9-4 record in 2024.

‘I know how hard James worked. I know nobody cared more about getting Penn State back to the top of college football,’ Diaz said, per Anna Snyder of the Fayetteville Observer.

‘I’ve already been through it. Look, there’s three things you go through when you’re a coach. You’re in the honeymoon phase, you’re in the please don’t leave phase, and then the please leave now phase … College football is preparation and mindset. And so I think that’s the whole key. You have got to be present where you are. And the second you start thinking about what’s next, you’re about to get it.

‘It does say a lot about where we are in college football right now, that three weeks ago, that they could be No. 2 in the country … And this is going to happen more. I don’t know that we’re fully aware of how our sport is changing or rapidly changing. You can’t build these massive conferences. Like, we’re just going to lose games more. That’s what’s going to happen. … I think we’re in a strange place in this sport because if you can have a bad three weeks and it can go that quickly, it just lets everybody know we’re not where we used to be.’

Brent Key, Georgia Tech

Key is a Georgia Tech alum and has the Ramblin’ Wreck wreckin’ folks. Key has started his fourth season in Atlanta 6-0 and has the Yellow Jackets up to No. 12 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

He’s a hot name in carousel speculation and was asked more broadly about coaching openings in general Monday:

‘All of that noise, quote, unquote noise, it comes with success,’ Key told 680 The Score in Atlanta. ‘Would you rather not have it and be 3-3? Not at all. It’s part of it. True competitors get motivated by that stuff.”

Fran Brown, Syracuse

Brown went 10-3 in his first season as Orange coach last year and was off to a 3-1 start following a win at Clemson. He became a hot name with openings popping up and USA TODAY’s Matt Hayes was singing his praises. Syracuse has lost two straight, but Brown still has plenty of admirers. His name has popped up on a few early Franklin replacement lists out there. He seemed less than enthused when asked about the job Monday.

‘I mean I’m working at Syracuse right now, so I don’t really need to talk about that,’ Brown said at his weekly news conference. ‘If this wasn’t where I wanted to be right at this moment, would I be standing here at this moment? Yeah, so I’m just focused on that. I’m focused on being here. I’m locked in on coaching the players that I have here. This is where I work at. I think that’s disrespectful to even bring that up and ask that. What’s the point of asking that?’

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

The Hoosiers coach has been a name atop many Penn State wish lists — however realistic that is. Cignetti is from Pittsburgh, attended West Virginia and cut his teeth coaching at Pitt. That’s pro-Pennsylvania, but not necessarily pro-State University of Pennsylvania.

He wasn’t asked about the Penn State job at his weekly news conference Monday. In just his second season in Bloomington, Cignetti already signed an improved contract after last season’s playoff run. He’s paid as one of the nation’s top coaches and has mastered the winning formula in the NIL and portal era.

When asked why he signed that contract before last offseason’s coaching carousel, Cignetti responded: “We’re the emerging superpower in college football. Why would I leave?”

Indiana is 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country after its 30-20 win at Oregon on Saturday.

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

Seven FBS coaches have been fired since the start of the 2025 season after James Franklin, Trent Bray and Trent Dilfer were dismissed Sunday, Oct. 12. And being a fired college football doesn’t seem all that bad.

The combined buyouts are pushing $100 million. And it won’t be long until we get there. So far, the number is at $93.5 million, according to contracts and term sheets obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Franklin’s buyout is doing most of that lift at nearly $50 million, second-highest ever behind only Jimbo Fisher’s $76.8 million Texas A&M gave him to go away.

Here’s a look at the buyouts for the seven coaches fired so far this season:

College football 2025 fired coaches buyouts

These buyouts may be subject to coaches’ duty to mitigate by getting new jobs with the firing schools getting to offset the buyouts based on the new employment income.

James Franklin, Penn State $49 million
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State, $15 million
Sam Pittman, Arkansas, $9.3 million
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech, $6.8 million
DeShaun Foster, UCLA, $6.4 million
Trent Bray, Oregon State, ~$4 million
Trent Dilfer, UAB, $3 million

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

Seven FBS coaches have been fired since the start of the 2025 season after James Franklin, Trent Bray and Trent Dilfer were dismissed Sunday, Oct. 12. And being a fired college football doesn’t seem all that bad.

The combined buyouts are pushing $100 million. And it won’t be long until we get there. So far, the number is at $93.5 million, according to contracts and term sheets obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Franklin’s buyout is doing most of that lift at nearly $50 million, second-highest ever behind only Jimbo Fisher’s $76.8 million Texas A&M gave him to go away.

Here’s a look at the buyouts for the seven coaches fired so far this season:

College football 2025 fired coaches buyouts

These buyouts may be subject to coaches’ duty to mitigate by getting new jobs with the firing schools getting to offset the buyouts based on the new employment income.

James Franklin, Penn State $49 million
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State, $15 million
Sam Pittman, Arkansas, $9.3 million
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech, $6.8 million
DeShaun Foster, UCLA, $6.4 million
Trent Bray, Oregon State, ~$4 million
Trent Dilfer, UAB, $3 million

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

Divisional rivalries just mean more to people like Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin did not shy away from some harsh criticism of the Cleveland Browns, who traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco within the division to the struggling, quarterback-needy Cincinnati Bengals prior to Week 6.

The Steelers’ head coach went right at Browns general manager Andrew Berry with some strong thoughts on the Browns’ trade on Monday, one day after Tomlin’s team defeated Cleveland in a Sunday divisional clash.

‘Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us,’ Tomlin said, ‘because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area. But that’s just my personal feelings.’

The Browns named Flacco their Week 1 starter during training camp in August. Flacco started the first four games for Cleveland this season, going 1-3 to begin his second stint with the Browns before he got benched.

When the Browns announced rookie Dillon Gabriel would be their new starting quarterback ahead of Week 5, Flacco became an immediate trade candidate.

The Bengals were a somewhat obvious trade partner. Backup Jake Browning had been struggling behind center in relief of the injured Joe Burrow, and Cincinnati had lost three straight.

Within one week, the 40-year-old Flacco had been traded to a team not only within the AFC North division but within the same state. Ahead of Week 6, Bengals named the newly acquired Flacco their new starting quarterback, replacing Browning as Burrow remains sidelined with a turf toe injury.

The Flacco-led Bengals dropped their Week 6 game to the Green Bay Packers to fall to 2-4, but the 18-year veteran threw for 219 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Flacco has now started at least one game for every team in the AFC North besides Tomlin’s Steelers. His career began in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens, one year after Tomlin took over as the head coach in Pittsburgh. Flacco played 11 years in Baltimore and has since played out two separate five-game stints with the Browns before joining the Bengals this year.

Tomlin and the Steelers will face Flacco and the Bengals for the first time this season on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh will be gunning for a fourth straight win, while Cincinnati is hoping to stop a four-game slide after a 2-0 start to the season.

There were rumors percolating this season that trouble was brewing with San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt and the front office. And on Oct. 13, Shildt officially announced his retirement with two years left on his contract.

“Just took a lot out of me,’ Shildt told USA TODAY Sports. “Just looked in the mirror and knew I didn’t have it in my to do what it takes to lead another 90-plus win season and World Series run.

“I’m at peace and look forward to the next chapter.’

Several executives in baseball told USA TODAY Sports this summer that the relationship between Shildt and AJ Preller, president of baseball operations, and his coaching staff had become strained – but Shildt denied that was the reason for his departure.

“That wasn’t it,’ he told USA TODAY Sports.

When asked if he wanted to continue managing, he said, “Not at the moment. I need a break and take care of myself.’

Shildt, who was earning about $2 million a year, says he will immediately move from Coronado Island in San Diego back to North Carolina.

“I’m at peace,’ he said.

Shildt did not respond when asked if the two sides reached a financial settlement or whether he was walking away from his salary.

Shildt, 56, who has led his team to the postseason in each of the five full seasons he has managed in St. Louis and San Diego, informed the Padres of his decision Saturday.

“We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years, including consecutive 90-win seasons and two postseason appearances as manager,’ Preller said in a statement.

“His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter. The search for a new manager of the Padres will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”

Padres manager candidates

The Padres will now be looking for their fourth manager since 2019, and are one of eight teams with a managerial vacancy.

The Padres have two internal candidates who could be the heir apparent with former catcher A.J. Ellis, who’s a special assistant, and former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, who’s also a special assistant in the organization.

Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, who was on the Padres coaching staff and a finalist for Shildt’s job, will be a candidate. Phil Nevin, the former Angels manager who played for the Padres and also was a finalist for the Padres job, should receive strong consideration.

Yet, the most intriguing name already circulating is a future Hall of Famer manager who began his career in San Diego.

Bruce Bochy, 70, who managed 12 years for the Padres, leading them to a World Series appearance in 1998 before winning three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants and one with the Texas Rangers, says he still has interest in managing.

Certainly, it would quite the story if he returns to try leading the Padres to the first World Series title in franchise history.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

A second Tkachuk brother and U.S. Olympic men’s hockey player is dealing with an injury.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk wasn’t able to finish Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. He had been cross-checked into the boards in the first period by Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who was penalized on the play. Tkachuk returned but missed the final nine minutes of the game.

Coach Travis Green said after the game that Tkachuk was being evaluated and he had no update on his status. He said no when asked if the captain didn’t play the last part of the third period for precautionary reasons. He added that Josi’s cross-check was the reason Tkachuk couldn’t finish.

Tkachuk and his brother, Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, are among the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team for February.

Matthew Tkachuk is out until at least December after having surgery for injuries suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He missed the rest of the regular season but returned for the playoffs and led the Panthers to a second consecutive Stanley Cup title.

Lucas Raymond injury update

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, named to the Swedish Olympic team, left Monday’s 3-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was hit into the boards by Toronto’s Chris Tanev and didn’t return because of an upper-body injury. Coach Todd McLellan didn’t have an update on Raymond after the game.

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The Titans fired coach Brian Callahan on Monday.
Callahan finishes his run with a 4-19 record in Tennessee.
Tennessee dropped to 1-5 on the season after a loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

One-third of the way through their second season with Brian Callahan, the Tennessee Titans reached their breaking point.

On Monday, just one day after a 20-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders dropped Tennessee to 1-5, the team announced it had fired its head coach.

Callahan finishes his run with a 4-19 record. He becomes the first NFL head coach to be fired this season.

‘After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach,’ Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said in a statement. ‘These decisions are never easy, and they become more difficult when they involve people of great character. We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.’

Mike McCoy, who had been the Titans’ senior offensive assistant and was the San Diego Chargers’ head coach from 2013-16, was named the interim head coach later on Monday.

Following the loss to the Raiders, standout defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons spoke critically of the team’s preparation, saying the group was unable to capitalize on last week’s surprising victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

‘In this league, you have to learn how to be able to stack wins and carry that momentum over,’ Simmons said. ‘It started at practice. Just being honest, this was probably one of our worst weeks of practice. We came out flat Thursday. Sometimes things carry over.’

Tennessee ranks last in the NFL in total offense after six weeks with just 232.3 yards per game.

Callahan faced mounting pressure early in the season as the team’s margin of defeat expanded weekly. Following a 41-20 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts in which fans chanted ‘fire Callahan’ before halftime, he relinquished play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.

But the switch didn’t alleviate problems, with Tennessee suffering a 26-0 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4. The team was held scoreless for the first time since October 2019, and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward was held to a season-low 108 yards on 10-of-26 passing.

‘We’re 0-4. At this point, we have nothing to lose,’ Ward said. ‘We’ve dropped a quarter of our (expletive) games and have yet to do anything. We have to lock in, especially myself. In all three phases, we have to play together and have not done it this year yet.’

After being hired as the replacement to Mike Vrabel, whom the team will face Sunday when they host the New England Patriots, Callahan was expected to usher in a new era for the Titans with a more pass-heavy approach. But his debut season was marred by turbulent play from quarterback Will Levis and self-inflicted mistakes throughout the roster, as Tennessee tied for the NFL lead in turnovers with 34.

With the No. 1 overall pick in hand, Callahan and new general manager Mike Borgonzi took Ward. But Tennessee continued to be plagued by errors, and the team’s -78 point differential is the second-worst in the league.

After the loss to Indianapolis, Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said his team determined from pre-game introductions that the Titans were lacking in energy.

‘They kinda looked a little sluggish. They were kinda walking around. Nobody was really bouncing,’ Pittman said. ‘Right then and there, we all sat there and were like, ‘They don’t want to play today.”

The Milwaukee Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday, a best-of-seven showdown with a spot in the World Series on the line.

Milwaukee had Major League Baseball’s best record in the regular season but come up against the defending World Series champions, seeking to become the first team to repeat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.

The Brewers won all six meetings between the two teams in the regular season.

Left-hander Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) starts for the Dodgers, while Aaron Ashby (5-2, 2.16 ERA) opens the game for the Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Follow for live updates:

What time is Dodgers vs Brewers today?

Game 1 of the 2025 National League Championship Serie starts at 8:08 p.m. ET .

Where to watch Dodgers vs Brewers game: TV channel, streaming

The NLCS opener will air on TBS and HBO Max and can be streamed with Sling TV.

Watch NLCS live on Sling TV

When is Shohei Ohtani pitching? Dave Roberts won’t say

MILWAUKEE — With Blake Snell starting Game 1 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the nod for Game 2, that means Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow won’t take the mound until the series shifts to Los Angeles later this week. Asked if he’s already decided which games they’ll start, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said yes. 

Would he care to share that information?

‘No,’ Roberts said, smiling. 

Aaron Ashby starts Brewers’ pitching parade

MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Pat Murphy is completely focused on Game 1 while already thinking ahead. 

Huh? 

With only two starters – 1 ½, really – the Brewers will be leaning heavily on their relievers to get them through the seven-game series that includes just two off days. Which means Murphy has to be smart in how he uses them. Let one go an extra inning, or two, in Games 1 or 2, and Milwaukee could pay for it down the road. 

‘It’s win tonight, but when you get to about Game 4, you better be careful of what you’ve done to your pitching staff. It might show up in Game 4, Game 5,’ Murphy said ahead of Game 1. 

‘Especially the third game, OK, we just had a day off. How much do you want to use here? What do you think about?’ Murphy continued. ‘That’s where you can get exposed because now your thinking is, `We’re not playing to win tonight,’ we’re playing, `Hey, we’ve got to pitch these guys because these (other) guys are gassed.’ We’ve got to try to keep ourselves from that situation.

‘Comes down to depth and quality of depth.’ 

That helps explain Murphy’s decision to add Tobias Myers to the roster for the NLCS and remove Nick Mears. Mears has been ‘unbelievable’ for Milwaukee, Murphy said. But he’s better in short spurts, and the Brewers will need someone who can go longer. — Nancy Armour

Dodgers lineup today

Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mookie Betts (R) SS
Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
Will Smith (R) C
Tommy Edman (S) 2B
Max Muncy (L) 3B
Enrique Hernández (R) LF
Andy Pages (R) CF

Brewers lineup

Jackson Chourio (R) RF
Christian Yelich (L) DH
William Contreras (R) C
Brice Turang (L) 2B
Andrew Vaughn (R) 1B
Sal Frelick (L) CF
Caleb Durbin (R) 3B
Isaac Collins (S) LF
Joey Ortiz (R) SS