 |
| English: Norv Turner, the former coach of the San Diego Chargers American football team. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This is going to be a long list, I'm going to look at teams that have made changes first.
Starting with the Buffalo Bills, the team released a statement today saying that head coach Chan Gailey has been released. The full team statement:
"The Buffalo Bills today are announcing that Chan Gailey has been relieved of his duties as the team's head coach."Gailey was 16-32 in his three seasons as the Bills head coach, and finished 6-10 in 2011 and 2012. Not much improvement from his initial four win season. The front office brought in big name free agents like Mario Williams, but that didn't seem to help the defense. If anything, Williams showed a glaring lack of both production and effort that could be directly tied to the culture in the locker room.
This is a change that had to happen.
Gailey has stated that the entire coaching staff has been released, per Adam Schefter:
Chan Gailey said Bills full coaching staff has been relieved of duties.The future of general manager Buddy Nix is still highly uncertain.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2012
Arizona Cardinals
Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves are out. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton was retained by the Cardinals, which means he's likely to get a shot as the next head coach. It's been reported that the Cardinals have released their entire offensive coaching staff, retaining Special teams coach Kevin Spencer and tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens.
The rest of the offensive coaching staff that got let go -
Russ Grimm (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
Mike Miller (Offensive Coordinator)
Chad Grimm (Offensive Quality Control)
John McNulty (Quarterbacks)
Frank Reich (Wide Receivers)
Tommie Robinson (Running Backs).
Chicago Bears
The Bears finished 10-6 and almost made the playoffs, but I guess the offensive woes that continue to plague the Bears cost head coach Lovie Smith his job. Smith had been with the Bears for nine seasons, leading them to three playoff appearances.
General manager Phil Emery, who took the job last year, and will decide who the next coach is.
New York Jets
The Jets announced that GM Mike Tannenbaum was let go Monday morning. In a surprise move, Rex Ryan will stay on as coach.
The team statement:
"Mike devoted 15 years of service to the Jets, and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication. Although he helped guide us to two consecutive AFC Championship Games, we are not where we want to be, and a new general manager will be critical to getting this team back on the right track."
Cleveland Browns
The team announced Monday morning that coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckert are both out. Shurmer lead the Browns to a 9-23 record in his two seasons as the Browns head coach. When Jimmy Haslam bought the team earlier this year, it was obvious changes were coming.
I would expect most of the coaching staff to get blown up at this point.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars wasted no time making a move, with owner Shah Khan releasing a statement at a little after 8:00 this morning;
"I met with Gene Smith this morning to inform him of my decision to go in a new direction and thank him for his dedication to the Jaguars since the inception of the franchise. I am personally appreciative for his efforts during my first season of ownership in the NFL."
"Gene is a good man with a long career ahead of him in football, and I know this season was as difficult for him as anyone with our organization. I sincerely wish Gene and his family the very best, today and always."Smith spent four years as the General Manager of the Jaguars, hiring head coach Mike Mularkey last year. Mularky is safe so far, but that could change. The Jaguars 2-14 record was it's worst as a franchise since 1996, their first year.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessean reported Monday that coach Mike Munchak will keep his job despite a 6-10 record. Mike Reinfeldt, senior executive vice president/chief operating officer, has been fired. This move allows General Manager Ruston Webster to take over the personnel department, making everything run a little smoother.
Kansas City Chiefs
Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced the team has parted ways with head coach Romeo Crennel. The team said it has not made a final decision about General Manager Scott Pioli's status, but there are reports that Pioli will return next season.
Crennel was 4-15 in two seasons as the head coach of the Chiefs, and the offense was ranked the worst in the NFL in scoring.
Pioli is expected to hire the next head coach, his third choice for the position as the General Manager. I'm thinking Pioli had better hit it out of the park with this one.
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have fired Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp and two other offensive coaches, Offensive Line coach Frank Pollack and Special Teams coordinator Steve Hoffman, along with linebacker coach Johny Holland.
The running game went backwards, and that is a direct result of the zone blocking scheme Pollack tried to employ, all with the approval of Knapp.
First year head coach Dennis Allen will return next season, according to sources, and he wants to put more emphasis on the running game. The defense should also see a few tweaks.
Raiders have released OC Greg Knapp, special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman, IL coach Frank Pollack and linebackers coach Johnny Holland.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2012
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers announced both coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith have been let go. This move was expected, as the Chargers once again failed to impress with a 7-9 record.
Team chairman and president Dean Spanos released the following statement:
"I thank A.J. and Norv for the determination and integrity they brought to the Chargers each and every day. Both Norv and A.J. are consummate NFL professionals, and they understand that in this league, the bottom line is winning. My only goal is the Super Bowl, and that is why I have decided to move in a new direction with both our head coach and general manager positions. I am committed to our great fans, and we will do whatever we possibly can to achieve that goal."
Philadelphia Eagles
Owner Jeffrey Lurie confirmed Monday morning that coach Andy Reid is out after 14 seasons in Philadelphia. This was also an expected move, as the Eagles continued to decline after an 8-8 season to just four wins this season, despite what many around the league see as a talented roster.
Reid won 130 games in 14 seasons as the head coach of the Eagles, the most in Eagles history for any head coach, but it's apparent to everyone involved that the Eagles need a new direction. Reid lead the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles, five NFC title games, and one Super Bowl appearance in his 14 years.
Reid has expressed a desire to return as a head coach in the NFL next season, and there are a few teams that may make him an offer at this point.
There are still moves to be made, they aren't all made on Black Monday. The Detroit Lions should see some changes somewhere after winning only four games this season, a huge disappointment, and if you think the Dallas Cowboys are not going to change anything, think again. I'm thinking a new offensive coordinator, and the Cowboys need to start looking for a new quarterback.
There will be more changes through the week, then coming weeks, and I'll try to keep that up to date.
Update:
Just a few minutes ago, Mlive and Lions beat writer Anwar Richardson reported that the Lions have fired wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, running backs coach Sam Gash and tight ends coach Tim Lappano.
#Lions have severed ties with WR coach Shawn Jefferson, RB coach Sam Gash and TE coach Tim Lappano, according to #NFL sources — Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) December 31, 2012Lappano is one candidate that might return, his contract was up, but the other two have been released.
The thinking is that Jim Schwartz is going to meet with Lions owner William Clay Ford, and he is going to have to convince the owners that he is going to make changes to his staff. These moves help reinforce that idea, and the Lions need a scapegoat.
I'm still waiting for special teams coordinator Danny Crossman to get his notice, and I think that move will happen soon.
The Lions made yet another coaching move today, parting ways with offensive line coach George Yarno.
No comments:
Post a Comment
HTML tags can be used for style. Anyone can comment using 'anonymous' from the drop down, so join the conversation!