The University of Louisville has pegged Jon Gruden as its No. 1 candidate should the school decide to fire coach Steve Kragthorpe, sources told NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi.

Every USO Tour — the participants, the location, the moment in time — feels different from every other that came before it or will come after it. This tour, our first in the 43-year history of NFL-USO tours to feature coaches, was perhaps more distinct than others.

When the planning for this trip was in its early stages, one thing that was most important to us was having the opportunity to spend the Fourth of July holiday with our troops who are serving overseas in harm’s way. I think all five coaches on the tour would agree that July 4, 2009 was a day they will long remember.

So, what are the accommodations like on USO tours? We always stay in “DV” quarters, which are on-base accommodations for “Distinguished Visitors.” These quarters can range from having an extra pillow on a standard-issue Army cot in a barrack-style room to comfortable single rooms for each member of the tour.

The first full day in Iraq began with an early wake up call and included meet-and-greets with US troops Mosul and Kirkuk before wrapping up with a Q&A with hundreds of troops at a reception in Baghdad.

The trip to Iraq is never easy, and this tour is no exception. But we are looking forward to a number of full, exciting and meaningful days ahead.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke Sunday in the media room and spent the first several minutes of his press conference sending well-wishes to many of his former associates now scattered throughout the league.

Jamie Dukes has some burning offseason questions. Who should sign Michael Vick? Will the Chiefs keep Larry Johnson? Which team needs Ray Lewis the most?

A round of golf with my radio partner, Tim Ryan, against former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen and head coach Jon Gruden made for a competitive time. Both of those men need to be back in football as soon as possible, but for one morning, beating me and Tim took center stage.

Sure, Simeon Rice called Jon Gruden a scumbag. But he didn’t mean anything bad by it.

Jon Gruden’s firing as the Buccaneers’ head coach last week came as a surprise to those around the league. Gruden has a statue in the team’s training facility, for crying out loud — to honor Tampa Bay’s victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. So the firing, despite the team’s December collapse, seemed like a surprise. Unless you played for him, of course.

NFL GameDay Morning is the longest, most comprehensive NFL pregame show on television. Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci, alongside co-hosts Spero Dedes and Alex Flanagan and reporter Adam Schefter, brought fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews on NFL Network. Special player correspondents Willie McGinest and Antwaan Randle El provided additional analysis from Sunday game sites.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Glazer family called in various Buccaneers players to solicit their opinions on head coach Jon Gruden.

The Bucs control their own playoff destiny over the season’s final two games, but a playoff run will now take place without at least one of their defensive stalwarts.

NFL.com’s Steve Wyche reports from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta that QB Brian Griese will start for the Bucs against the Falcons.