8! That is the number of coaches that failed to survive the season. Monday was Black Monday in the NFL and it was a bloody one. Black Monday is the Monday following the final week of NFL football. The day when the final fate of teams has been set. This is the point when the playoff contenders have been decided and the page has turned on the season for the rest of the league. In some cases, these are seasons that many teams would love to forget.
Six of these firing actually happened on Monday. The Jets, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, Dolphins, and the Bucs all said goodbye to their head coaches. Both the Packers and Browns fired their coaches during the season making for a total of 8 bench bosses that are out of work and looking for employment. When looking at the list of turfed coaches there really aren't any surprises.
Todd Bowles has been the coach of the Jets for 4 years and has failed to lead them to a single playoff season. The Jets are heading into the second season with a good young quarterback and need someone who can come in and groom him into the star he has the potential to be.
Vance Joseph lasted only two years in Denver and had been highly criticized for his play calling and decision making the entire time. Joseph has been unable to build any consistent offense while at the same time letting one of the best defensive rosters in the league sputter through two seasons playing average ball. In all fairness, Joseph has been trying to build this team with subpar QB play but that was not enough to save his job. Joseph is expected to resurface quickly as a defensive coordinator in the league.
Adam Gase went to the Dolphins 3 years ago as an NFL offensive genius. The expectations were high and in the first season he totally lived up to them. The Dolphins made the playoffs and the offense was booming. The past two seasons have been an absolute struggle for the Dolphins who have played much of that time without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Gase is expected to resurface quickly as an offensive coordinator in the league.
Marvin Lewis has struggled to lead the Bengals to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. He was one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league and had been with the team for 16 years. Although he had some regular season success and finished with an above 500 record, he failed to have any post-season success.
Steve Wilks is the coach that is most surprising on the list. The Cardinals did have a horrible season but Wilks only got one season to prove his worth and he was working with a raw rookie QB for most of the season. The major strikes against him are his misuse of his best players. For most of the season, star running back David Johnson was being underutilized and it was incredibly obvious. The Cards need a coach who can help Josh Rosen reach his full potential.
Dirk Koetter was canned at the end of his third season as the Buccaneers head coach. The surprising thing here was that he actually survived his second season. The Bucs seem to be full of talent and yet they have struggled to find any consistency on both sides of the ball. They will need to find a coach that can get the quarterback situation sorted out once and for all.
Mike McCarthy was sent packing late this season after the Packers lost at home to the sad-sack Cardinals. McCarthy has been the Packers bench boss for 13 years and has been one of the most successful coaches over that span. He finished with a 125-77-2 record but missing the playoffs for the second straight year cost him his job in the end. That and the rumor that he had lost the ear of his star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. He should be able to find a head coaching position quickly and is already rumored to be the front-runner for a few different jobs.
Finally, Hue Jackson was let go by the Browns after week 8. This was something that should have happened so long ago. After 1 win in two seasons, for some reason, the Browns brought Jackson back for another year. It was not a pretty sight and although the Browns actually won a game, the team was in disarray under his leadership. The Browns might have the most attractive coaching job for potential candidates out there. The team is full of young stars and have a very bright future ahead of them.
It was an average number of firings. There are always about a third of the league's coaches that spend each season on the hot seat. This year the survivors, in my opinion, are Ron Rivera and Doug Marrone. Both the Panthers and the Jaguars had horrific seasons that were filled with coaching mistakes. Rivera made several questionable decisions this year and even lost a game in Detroit by going for 2 when a point after would have tied the game and sent it to overtime. I think that the Jags success last season saved Marrone's job but it is just delaying the inevitable. The success last year was a whole lot of fate and luck that was not able to continue through this season.
The coaching rumors are flying all over now and I can't see how the dance will end. Not only are these fired coaches in the mix for each other's vacant jobs, but there are former coaches like Bruce Arians and Chuck Pagano as well as young and upcoming new coaches. Some are college coaches while others have been working as assistants and coordinators in the NFL. With the success of young coaches like Matt Nagy and Sean McVay, teams are looking to capture some of the same magic. These guys have found a way to inspire teams and win games with creative play calling and they have been extremely popular with their players. This movement could leave some of the old guard on the outside looking in when the musical chairs end.
I personally think that the Browns job is the one that coaches should be fighting over. The opportunity to mold that team in your image and bring them to the promised land after years of success must be so enticing. I also think that the Broncos are also a QB away from finding some success. The job that I will be keeping my eye on is the Packers job. Any coach walking into that job will be gifted one of the best quarterbacks in the game. What always interests me is how teams are able to start interviewing coaches that are still involved in the playoffs. I really think it can have a big impact on the coach and the teams focus at a time when they should be prepping for the biggest games of the year. Let the dancing begin and keep your eyes on the chairs!!
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