A Third Mid-Season Firing In The NFL

In case anyone was wondering why there was no rant yesterday, it is because we had an equipment failure in the system that gives us home Internet service.  But thanks to a competent and quick Verizon technician who came this morning, I am back on the air again.

A week ago, the Chargers fired their coach, Brandon Staley, and their GM, Tom Telasco, in the wake of losing to the Raiders and giving up 63 points in the process.  On the one hand, this is not hugely surprising.  That loss is an embarrassment, and it comes less than a year after a loss by the Chargers in the playoffs after they led the Jags 27-0 at halftime.  The reason I was mildly surprised is that the Chargers’ owner, Dean Spanos, is not known as someone who looks to have to pay someone not to coach his football team.  But in this case, he swallowed a year left on Staley’s contract and moved on.

This makes 3 NFL teams who have made an in-season coaching change in 2023.  The Raiders and the Panthers also have different coaches now from the ones who started the season back in September.  The Raiders are highly unlikely to make the playoffs; the Panthers are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs; the Chargers are a game behind the Raiders so you can basically count them out too.  I mention this because over the years, only a very few in-season coaching changes have made a big positive difference in team performance.

Nevertheless, the Chargers’ change spawned a lot of speculation about other NFL coaches who could/should be fired immediately – – if not sooner.  Here are five coaches who have been called out as being on a short leash.  I have put them in alphabetical order lest anyone suspect that I am prioritizing this in any way:

• Bill Belichick:  His record with the Pats is a gaudy 265-119 but the team has been a disappointment for several years now and has been only slightly better than fetid in 2023.  He has one year left on his contract with the Pats, but I doubt if that would be much of a factor as Robert Kraft thinks about retaining or not retaining Belichick’s services in 2024.  The question I would ask is simple; the Pats’ record in 2023 is currently 3-11; it is two games worse than any other team in the AFC.  So, what is there to be gained by firing the coach now?  Maybe the owner will decide to fire him in January, but there seems to be nothing to gain over the next three weeks.
• [Aside:  IF Robert Kraft decides to fire Belichick – – now or in January – – he needs to announce the new coach 24 hours after the presser that announces the firing.  If you fire one of the best coaches in the history of the NFL, you must do it with a new candidate in mind and not as the beginning of a search process that could take a month.]
• Matt Eberflus:  His record with the Bears is an unimpressive 8-23.  However, the Bears have a far more fundamental situation to address and assess than Eberflus’ coaching capabilities.  The Bears need to decide once and for all if Justin Fields is their QB of the future; and if he is, they must improve the talent level of the skill players around him.  If he is not, then the Bears need to draft a QB this year and get an Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach who can begin the new guy’s developmental processes.  Spend the next three weeks working on that stuff and not firing the coach.
• Ron Rivera:  His record with the Commanders – under a variety of team names – is 26-37-1.  He has one year left on a 5-year contract as the coach and director of football stuff for the team.  I said before that Rivera cannot remain in his GM role with the team because the roster he constructed is flawed to say the very least.  I suspect that his recent decision to fire the Defensive Coordinator and the DB Coach will not work to his benefit regarding maintaining his job in the new year.  After firing those guys, Rivera took over defensive play calling and game planning.  The result of his taking on those roles is that the team’s defense gave up even more points than they had been giving up.  The Commanders’ final regular season game this year is on January 7^th; I will be surprised if Rivera is still the coach on January 9^th, but there is nothing tangible to be gained by firing him now.
• Robert Saleh:  His record with the Jets is a not-so-good 16-32.  He is signed as the Jets’ coach through 2026 which makes firing him now or even in January financially burdensome.  Saleh – – and GM, Joe Douglas – – have built an excellent defensive team; on offense, they need an infusion of talent and a healthy Aaron Rodgers to play QB for them.  The Jets’ QB situation has been disastrous ever since Joe Namath’s knees gave out; Saleh has had to trot out Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian, Mike White etc. and that is not conducive to building a winning record.  My opinion: the Jets would be nuts to fire Saleh now or in January.
• Arthur Smith:  His record with the Falcons is 20-28.  Meh!  I cannot find reliable sources regarding his contract with the team so I have no idea if it would be financially burdensome to fire him now or in January.  I will say that Smith came to the team with an “offensive pedigree” and usually teams led by “offensive coaches” are “fun to watch”.  The Falcons are not fun to watch; they are a slog.  The signature loss by the Falcons just last week to the previously 1-win Panthers by a score of 9-7 can easily be portrayed as a firing offense for an NFL coach.  However, the Falcons are only a game behind the division leading Bucs in a sorry-assed NFC South.  Is “disruption” the Falcons’ path to the playoffs?  If the owner wants to fire Smith in January, I will have no strong objection, but I think an immediate firing makes little sense.

Finally, here is a quote from novelist, Peter De Vries about confession; I think it also applies to NFL owners firing coaches in mid-season:

“Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff – it is a palliative rather than a remedy.”

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