Cowboys most disappointing team: According to ESPN's NFL weekly power rankings, the Cowboys fell a league-high 24 spots throughout the season to become 2015's most disappointing football team.
Heading into week one, the Cowboys were ranked as the NFL's sixth-best team–coming off a 12-4 2014 season where they made the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and proceeded to win a playoff game before losing to the Green Bay Packers on the road.
Expectations were high for the Cowboys, but after a 2-0 start, the team lost seven-straight games after losing starting quarterback Tony Romo to a broken clavicle. Romo would return and lead the Cowboys to a win, but he would re-injure the clavicle during the team's next game against the Carolina Panthers, thus ending his season.
By the end of the regular season, the Cowboys dropped to 30th on ESPN's power rankings after finishing 2015 with an abysmal 4-12 record.
Coughlin "not necessarily done with coaching:" After stepping down as head coach of the New York Giants after 11 seasons, Tom Coughlin gave an emotional press conference that encapsulated his philosophies and attitudes as a head coach. He was caring, focused and passionate.
But even at age 69, Coughlin eluded to the possibility of coaching elsewhere in 2016. He was asked during his press conference if he would coach somewhere else if the right opportunity came along.
"I didn't say that, I just said I'm not necessarily done with coaching," Coughlin said, via NFL.com. "Thank you very much for asking."
NFL insider Ian Rapoport echoed Coughlin's remarks with a tweet saying that sources close to Coughlin say that he hasn't ruled out coaching again and that he needs time to "process" everything.
Source close to former #Giants coach Tom Coughlin doesn't rule out coaching again. Could happen, could be soon. But gotta process this first
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2016
There is a possibility that the Giants keep Coughlin on board in an advisory role, given his value as a scout and talent evaluator.
"[Coughlin] brings a unique perspective. He knows our team as well as anybody, he knows the league as well as anybody, and there may be some capacity in which he could help," said Giants co-owner John Mara, via NFL.com. "This is not a situation where we wanted to see him walk out the door. We want him to stay involved because of everything he's brought to this organization and everything he could still possibly do at some point in the future."
Browns hire MLB executive: The Cleveland Browns hired former New York Mets executive Paul DePodesta to be the team's chief strategy officer, the team announced Tuesday.
"We are fortunate to bring in Paul, an extremely talented, highly respected sports executive who will add a critical dimension to our front office," Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said, via ESPN. "His approach and ambition to find the best pathways for organizational success transcend one specific sport and his experience as a high-level sports executive make him a terrific addition to the Cleveland Browns."
DePodesta, who helped the Mets make it to the World Series back in October, is expected to help the sports science and analytics departments maximize their efforts heading into the off season. He will also have a heavy hand in the Browns' personnel decisions.
"Paul has invaluable experience in management and leadership with a number of highly successful sports teams," Browns Vice President of football operations Sashi Brown said, via ESPN. "His ability to create better processes and systems throughout organizations, his use of data as a tool to produce better outcomes, and his relentless focus on looking for innovative ways to create more success will be a strong asset as we look to be as comprehensive as possible in our decision-making."
