Doings In “Coaches World” …

Lots of news/rumors today in “Coaches World” …  Yesterday, I mentioned in passing that Wes Unseld, Jr. had not exactly succeeded in his tenure with the Washington Wizards and that the expectation that he would bring tough defense to the fore was not nearly borne out in on-the-court results.  This morning, the Wizards have kicked Unseld upstairs in the organization; he  is no longer the coach; he is now in a “front office advisory position”.  The Wizards record so far this season is 7-36; the team’s combined record under Unseld’s leadership is 77-130 (winning percentage = .372); so, the team had to dig deep into management-speak as it announced the basis for this move:

“After several thoughtful conversations with Wes, we determined together that a change was needed for the benefit of the team.”

And …

“Wes embodies the characteristics we value in our organization, and his vast basketball experience will be an asset to the front office as we progress toward our long-term goals.”

Another big event in “Coaches World” from yesterday was the decision by Jim Harbaugh to leave Michigan and take the job as the head coach of the LA Chargers.  First of all, I wondered why he would leave Michigan now after winning the national championship just a couple of weeks ago; he is in the process of beatification there.  Then I remember that the penny-ante bureaucrats at the NCAA have not given up on investigating him and Michigan for real or imagined violations of their sacred rulebook.  So, from that perspective, it is the perfect time for him to pack up his belongings and ship them from Ann Arbor to LA and take on a new challenge in the NFL.

I said here previously that I thought the Chargers’ job was the best NFL head coaching vacancy in this cycle simply because all the other teams looking for a new coach are either deficient at the QB position or at best have a question mark at the QB position.  That is not the problem with the Chargers; Justin Herbert is a blue chip QB.  The Chargers seem always to invent ways to lose games that they need to win and should have won.  The most recent egregious example of this tendency was in last year’s AFC playoffs:

• The Chargers led the Jags 27-0 late in the first half of a wildcard round playoff game.
• The Chargers benefited from 5 turnovers by the Jags in that game.
• Nonetheless, the Chargers lost the game 31-30.

In Jim Harbaugh’s previous stops on the coaching circuit, his teams have lost a few “big games”, but they were never known for beating themselves sufficiently often that their fans could never count on a victory until the clock read 0:00.  If he can remove that tendency from the Chargers’ team, he will be a success there because there is plenty of individual physical talent on the roster.

Another way to look at Harbaugh’s decision to take the Chargers’ job is to examine the coaching lineup in the AFC West:

• Broncos:  Head coach is Sean Payton who has won a Super Bowl and has an overall record of 152-89 (winning percentage = .631).
• Chargers:  Head coach is Jim Harbaugh who has won a collegiate national championship and has taken an NFL team (Niners) to the Super Bowl.  His NFL coaching record is 49-22-1 (winning percentage = .690).
• Chiefs:  Head coach is Andy Reid who has won 2 Super Bowls and has an overall record of 258-144-1 (winning percentage = .641).
• Raiders:  Head coach is Antonio Pierce who salvaged what he could of the Raiders’ season in 2023 and has an overall record of 5-4 as the interim head coach in Las Vegas (winning percentage = .556).

Two observations from that listing:

1. That is a potent coaching lineup that is not matched in any other NFL Division.
2. Coach Pierce has his work cut out for him matching wits with those division rivals.

One final thought about “Coaches World” today …  This is a flight of fantasy; it is not impossible but the odds against this happening are as long as a Wagnerian opera.  Imagine:

• The Washington Commanders hire Bill Belichick as their new coach.
• The Washington Commanders sign Kirk Cousins as a free agent in this offseason.
• The Washington Commanders go on to win the Super Bowl in the next couple of years.
• The Washington Commanders’ fans experience joy in the victory and agita at the fact that the team ran Cousins out of town six years ago.

Finally, let me close today with these words from George F. Will about the sport of football:

“Football combines the two worst features of American life.  It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”

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