Why USMNT will play better vs. El Salvador this time, plus a pair of college basketball best bets for Thursday

After what felt like a slow drip in the NFL coaching carousel, the floodgates seemed to open on Thursday. First, the news came out that the Denver Broncos are hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, which isn’t likely to slow down speculation that Aaron Rodgers could leave Green Bay this offseason. A few hours later, the Chicago Bears coaching search ended when the team announced the hiring of Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. There have also been reports that the Jaguars could be wrapping up their search shortly.

And none of those stories are the biggest in the NFL today. That honor goes to Ben Roethlisberger, who officially announced his retirement. While it doesn’t come as a big surprise considering the hints he dropped earlier in the season, there’s a sense of finality that comes now with the official announcement. To think that Roethlisberger is leaving a year after Philip Rivers did the same and that we might still see Tom Brady walk away this year too means the faces of the NFL are changing quickly. The QB torches are being passed down to a new, exciting generation.

Speaking of new and exciting, how about these other stories from today?

While…