On The Chopping Block …

The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen earlier this week.  The Saints opened the season with two dominant wins and then proceeded to lose seven games in a row.  The last loss had to be considered “rock bottom” because the woebegone Panthers were the winners.  So, the team will move on under new supervision.

Dennis Allen was in his second iteration as a head coach in the NFL.  From 2012 through the first four games of the 2014 season, Allen led the Raiders to a record of 8-28-0.  His calling card in the NFL had been on the defensive side of the ball, and he returned to his specialty after his firing in Oakland.  He was on the Saints’ staff as defensive coordinator when Sean Payton announced that he was going to “step aside” as the Saints’ head coach.  With Payton’s future personal plans in doubt, the Saints simply promoted Allen to the top job probably anticipating a Sean Payton return.  Ooops …

From 2022 through the first nine games of the 2024 season, Allen’s record in New Orleans was a less than stellar 18-25-0 – – but it was an improvement over his time in Oakland.  We shall see if the team reverts to the juggernaut status it flashed at the start of the season; odds are that won’t happen.

But the fact that two coaches have already been shown the door in the NFL this year – – Robert Saleh late of the Jets along with Dennis Allen – – makes me wonder who else might not see the end of the 2024 season wearing the same team gear on the sidelines on Sunday afternoons.  And as I let my mind wander around the league, one of the first stops I made was with the Raiders.

Antonio Pierce took over in the middle of last year and the Raiders responded well.  Mark Davis bestowed a three-year contract on Davis, but the terms have never been reported.  And the Raiders are a mess.

Just this week, Pierce fired his Offensive Coordinator, Luke Getsy along with the Raiders’ OL coach and the Raiders’ QB coach.  Here are stats that suggest that might be a good idea:

  • Raiders rank 29th in the league in Total Offense
  • The three teams below the Raiders are the Panthers, Browns and Pats.  Ugh …
  • Raiders’ defense is no prize either ranking 29th in the league in points allowed.
  • Raiders are losing by an average of 9 points per game.  Oof …

Two points about Pierce’s decisions here:

  1. He said these were 100% his decisions.
  2. Isn’t he the guy who hired those assistants less than a year ago?

Might Antonio Pierce be the next one out the door?

If not Pierce, let me suggest that time may be running out on Doug Pederson in Jax.  His reputation is that he works well with QBs and in Jax he was supposed to turn the raw generational talent of Trevor Lawrence into a polished crystal that might make people forget about players like Peyton Manning and John Elway.  Let me simply assert that nothing of the sort has come from the duo of Pederson and Lawrence over the past two-and-a-half seasons.  In Year 1 in Jax, Pederson’s Jags won the division and made the playoffs.  In Year 2 in Jax, the Jags finished second in the division and missed the playoffs.  In Year 3, the Jags find themselves dead last in the division with a 2-7 record.  That is not exactly the sort of trajectory that head coaches seek …

Maybe I am reaching here, but perhaps Brian Daboll is on thin ice with the Giants.  In his first year with the Giants, he was named Coach of the Year, and the Giants were 9-7-1.  Last year the Giants faded to 6-11 but there were plenty of injuries that could take some of the blame for that regression.  So far this year, the Giants are also 2-7 and they occupy last place in their division.  Here is why I think Daboll might be in danger:

  • This week the Giants play the woebegone Panthers in Munich Germany.
  • If – – I said IF – – the Giants lose by double digits to a team with a point differential of minus-146 so far in 2024, he might have to buy a ticket on a commercial flight home.

These are not predictions; I am not rooting for any of these folks to be fired and humiliated.  I simply suggest here that if changing out head coaches catches fire in the NFL over the next several weeks, these are three potential candidates for a pink slip.

Finally, since today has been about coaches getting fired, let me close with this observation by Leo Durocher:

“If you don’t win, you’re going to be fired. If you do win, you’ve only put off the day you’re going to be fired.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

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