We’ve got some catching up to do, so lets talk about all these NFL coaches being fired on Monday:
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1. Lovie Smith, Bears: A sacking sort of taking people by surprise. BSP isn’t surprised at all. Smith was probably long overdue for the firing, even though he has a winning record. Missing the playoffs five of the last six seasons gets a coach on thin ice. People think a 10-6 record makes you safe. Marty Schottenheimer got axed after a 14-2 record. Anyway, the Bears think they have a better team than they’ve shown, despite having a 29 wins, 19 losses record over the last three seasons, including a playoff win in 2010.
2. Norv Turner & A.J. Smith, Chargers: Since the disastrous Monday Night game against the Broncos, Turner has been a dead man walking. Not even a solid December could keep Turner from getting the ax. Smith should have been run a long time ago, since he alienated many current and former players with his hardball negotiating style. Look for Turner to end up back in Dallas where he’ll try and revive Tony Romo’s flagging career. Meanwhile, other factors may be at work in San Diego’s decision-making process.
3. Coach Reid, Philadelphia: Simply too long in the same place, even the game’s greats will end up having players tune him out. Ask Jerry Sloan. Hitching his cart to Mike Vick left him out in the cold. Leaving Philadelphia is probably best for both parties. Coach Reid will get a new gig; BSP thinks he’ll end up in Arizona.
4. Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves, Cardinals: Whisenhunt’s fate was sealed when the Cardinals got off to an impressive 4-0 start, then lost 11 of their last 12 games. Here’s a guy who got this team to the Super Bowl then had the team fall back into obscurity. The Cardinals, minus Larry Fitzgerald and their secondary are a disaster. Some of that has to be laid on the GM, who’s job it is to obtain players…good players. They also need a quarterback. Their future depend on what happens with their QB situation. They should have gone harder after Peyton Manning.
5. Pat Shurmur and Tom Heckert, Browns: Here we go again, the Browns are selecting yet another head coach and GM. The new owner wants his guy. Says here Shurmur was turning the corner with that team. Unless the Brownies pick up a proven winner, they will continue to struggle, fire more coaches and end up continuing their cycle of change without results. By the way, the Browns new owner is a confirmed Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Too funny. You’re going to sell out games no matter how bad you are. What do you think I would do if I became the Denver Broncos owner?
6. Chan Gailey, Bills: Buffalo is nearly outside the United States. The Bills have played regular season games outside the United States. Not to say we don’t care because no one cares about the Bills but they don’t get much attention. Why would a team even hire Chan Gailey as coach? Still, why would a team lock up Ryan Fitzgerald to a ridiculous contract? Their GM not getting sacked along with Gailey is interesting in itself.
7. Romeo Crennel, Chiefs: Crennel guided the Chiefs, with five Pro Bowlers, to a 2-14 record and first overall pick. Their QB turned out to be a system guy in New England. In addition, a player commits a murder-suicide. The team clearly needs change. BSP asks, why isn’t Scott Pioli following Crennel out the door? Ah, the week isn’t over yet. Got it. It would be a stunner if Pioli survives.
Some BSP threats to get sacked today: Pioli; Jason Garrett, Cowboys; Ron Rivera, Panthers; Jim Schwartz, Lions. Underachieving sucks.
