The Football Version Of “One And Done”

The phrase “one and done” probably originated in the world of college basketball referring to a player who would go to college knowing that he would only be there for one year.  His intent was to play in the NBA, but he had to wait for one year to be eligible for the NBA Draft because of a provision of the CBA that governs how the league operates.  This year, it seems that “one and done” might have a more sinister meaning when it comes to the NFL.  In this week where NFL coaches and coaching staffs are in medias res, we have a few “one and done” situations:

• Jerod Mayo is “one and done” as the head coach of the Pats.  The team finished the year with a 4-13-0 record and by winning the last game of the season handed the overall #1 pick in the Draft to the Titans.  Mayo did not take over a team full of latent talent; the Pats were also 4-13-0 in the 2023 season.  I cannot help thinking that Mayo was destined to fail in this job – – maybe not in one year but in the end – – because the fans and the Pats’ brass are probably spoiled by the fading memories of the Pats’ dynasty in the Brady/Belichick regime.  Jerod Mayo was identified with those joyous days but the reality is that no one was going to bring them back to Foxboro in short order because the roster is flawed.
• Antonio Pierce is “one and done” as the head coach of the Raiders.  I know; technically he is “one-and-a-half and done” in that job because he was the team’s interim head coach for 9 games in 2023.  Nevertheless, the Raiders also clocked in with a record of 4-13-0 this year and that led to Pierce’s dismissal.  Another similarity between Pierce’s situation and Mayo’s plight in New England is that the Raiders’ roster was not primed for success in 2024.  I think there is a more fundamental “issue” at work with the Raiders.  Like the Pats, there are memories of a glorious past, but those euphoric days predated the current team leadership.  Al Davis was a “scratchy” curmudgeon – – but Al Davis knew football.  Mark Davis seems like a much more affable and cooperative person – – but I don’t think he knows half of what his father knew about football.
• If Antonio Pierce “deserved” to be let go, then the Raiders’ GM, Tom Telesco, should have been hand-in-hand with Pierce on the way out the door.  He came into the Raiders organization last January and in his year at the helm, the team “regressed” from 8-9-0 in 2023 to 4-13-0 in 2024.  If Telesco is entitled to a longer leash than one season, why is the standard different for Pierce?
• Nick Sorenson is “one and done” as the Defensive Coordinator for the Niners.  The expectations for 2024 were lofty in the Bay Area and the team finished 6-11-0.  Kyle Shanahan has a “genius label” attached to him – – deservedly or undeservedly – – so he is not vulnerable to separation for one bad year.  But it was Shanahan who fired Steve Wilks as Defensive Coordinator last January presenting Shanahan with the opportunity to fill that vacancy with Sorenson.  Actually, I think there might be a more positive motive behind this firing decision.  Perhaps the Niners see an opportunity to “upgrade” at the Defensive Coordinator position by keeping Sorenson on the staff and hiring Robert Saleh for a second stint as the Niners’ Defensive coordinator.  Remember, Saleh was sufficiently successful in that role about 5 years ago that he was a hot head coaching prospect in an offseason leading to his getting the top job with the Jets.  Just a thought…

This is the time of the year when fans begin to imagine positive changes for their favorite NFL franchises.  Often, there is far too much “imagination” in their thinking and not enough “reality” but hope springs eternal.  One source of fans’ “irrational exuberance” [Hat tip to Alan Greenspan] is the annual positioning by players who let it be known that they would like a new NFL employer.  If/when that player is Joe Flabeetz, no one particularly cares; when that player is one with Pro Bowl achievements on the résumé, fans get energized.  So, who might be available for moving from one place to another this year – – ignoring for a moment the likely impending drama involving Aaron Rodgers:

• Maxx Crosby has indicated that he is not particularly interested in hanging around while the Raiders go through a rebuilding process.  Reports of his willingness to play elsewhere were still echoing around the football world when fans in Cincy had him signed, sealed and delivered to the Bengals.  And the Bengals’ defense was the unit that needed upgrading as of this season, so the move makes sense – – in a simple and transactional world.  Looking at his situation, there is no team in the NFL that has two defensive ends better than Maxx Crosby; he would be an upgrade for 31 other franchises; if he is really going to be sent elsewhere, there are plenty of teams other than the Bengals who might “buy a lottery ticket” so to speak.
• Tyreek Hill has made it known that he would like to be traded from the Dolphins and also posted a photoshopped picture of his face on Antonio Brown’s body on a social media site.  There is no doubt that Hill – – like Crosby – – can upgrade the WR position for most every NFL team; but unlike Crosby, Hill brings enough baggage with him that his nickname ought to be Samsonite.  [Aside:  Posting a picture of himself “aligned with” Antonio Brown is not a good way to push said baggage into the background.]  Hill left the Chiefs amidst drama there; the Dolphins gave him a contract worth $120M and stood by him during a period of “involvement with law enforcement”; what would lead any other team to think he would not produce the same sort of “drama” in their locker room?  But in the NFL, talent trumps bad behavior, and Tyreek Hill does have talent …

Finally, some of today’s commentary deals with errors that need to be corrected; so, let me close with these words from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC):

“It’s one thing to shoot yourself in the foot.  Just don’t reload the gun.”

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