What a Ride

It took 18 days, but the NFL's coaching carousel finally completed its turn last Friday, when Bruce Arians signed with Arizona. Here's how the eight new hires rate, including the impact each will have in the wins column.

Marc Trestman

Bears (10--6 in 2012) B-

A shift from Lovie Smith's defense-first approach to the CFL import's offense-centric stylings could pay big dividends for Jay Cutler. As a longtime NFL assistant, Trestman worked wonders on QBs less talented than Cutler (see Mitchell, Scott). But will the Bears' vaunted defense suffer? Chicago has 18 pending UFAs, including LB Brian Urlacher, DT Henry Melton and DE Israel Idonije.

-1 win

Doug Marrone

Bills (6--10) C

He did a fine job at Syracuse, and he comes back to the NFL with former mentor Bill Parcells's blessing. Still, there is reason to wonder if the 48-year-old Marrone (whose only pro coordinating experience was with the Saints' offense from 2006 to '08) is ready for this task, especially since the Bills are built to win now. Buffalo could bring back close to 20 starters in '13.

+1 win

Rob Chudzinski

Browns (5--11) B-

Having already imported Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator, the Ohio-born Chudzinski (the Panthers' former offensive coordinator) inherits an offense featuring QB Brandon Weeden and young studs Trent Richardson, Josh Gordon and Greg Little. On defense the rumblings are that Chud will switch to a 3--4, a move that could force the Browns to overhaul their linebacking corps.

+2 wins

Bruce Arians

Cardinals (5--11) B

He did a masterly job with the Colts in 2012 while Chuck Pagano underwent leukemia treatment. But Andrew Luck won't be walking through the desert door to save this new team; the Cardinals used four different starting QBs in '12 without success. And the Colts' defense actually struggled under Arians, a first-time head coach whose expertise lies on the other side of the ball.

-1 win

Andy Reid

Chiefs (2--14) B

On D he'll stick with the Chiefs' 3--4, which makes sense since OLBs Justin Houston and Tamba Hali thrived in that scheme— and since K.C. spent a 2012 first-round pick on NT Dontari Poe. On offense, though, the former Eagles coach traded in one team with QB headaches for another. (Matt Cassel appears headed out the door.) Reid, who will call the plays, gets an exciting weapon in RB Jamaal Charles but looks to lose WR Dwayne Bowe and perhaps LT Branden Albert in free agency.

+4 wins

Mike McCoy

Chargers (7--9) B+

This hire strikes a lot of the same chords as the Chicago-Trestman pairing: McCoy has the offensive chops—he proved that in Denver—but will he be able to improve San Diego on both sides of the ball? He'll have to find Philip Rivers some more reliable receivers and upgrade the offensive line while bolstering a defense that could lose a host of players to free agency.

Even

Chip Kelly

Eagles (4--12) A-

You have to like the potential of a Kelly-led offense stockpiled with the likes of RBs LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown, and WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The big question is at QB, where the former Oregon coach has been noncommittal on Michael Vick's future. With virtually the entire starting lineup coming back, this is a swing-for-the-fences hire, and Kelly is smart enough to make it work.

+5 wins

Gus Bradley

Jaguars (2--14) B

The former Seahawks defensive guru has a mountainous climb in front of him after inheriting arguably the NFL's least-talented roster. He should give the Jaguars' D a fighting chance, even with CBs Derek Cox and Rashean Mathis potentially leaving through free agency. Kick-starting the offense, however, is a tougher challenge—whether Blaine Gabbert sticks as QB or not.

+2 wins

GO FIGURE

0.7

Percentage of the approximately 2,000 soccer games monitored each year by the Union of European Football Associations that show irregular betting patterns; Interpol estimates match-fixing revenue runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

$800 million

Cost, estimated by the Las Vegas Sun, of a proposed 60,000-seat stadium for UNLV, which would feature a 100-yard video screen described as "the world's largest multimedia immersive experience."

42

Age of Kimiko Date-Krumm, who beat 12th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6--2, 6--0 to become the oldest woman to win a match at the Australian Open.

12

Years that the 100th-ranked Date-Krumm took off from tennis before coming back in 2008.

4

Stats in which St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, N.J.) center Karl Towns Jr. reached double figures during an 82--66 win over rival St. Peter's. The junior, who has committed to Kentucky, had 16 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks and 11 assists.

ILLUSTRATION

ILLUSTRATION BY DARROW