If there’s one theme prevalent throughout the NFL this off season, it’s the number of coaching changes. The Bills, Lions, Packers, Texans, Chiefs, Vikings, Saints, Jets, Raiders and Rams gave the boot to their respective head coaches, some even before the end of the season. See Steve Mariucci and Mike Martz.
The coaching carousel that seems to spin ever so faster every three or four years has had a different kind of spin this year, mainly due to the odd events that seemed to surround most of the fired coaches.
After a very thankful Thanksgiving beating given to the Lions by the Atlanta Falcons, Mariucci was the first coach to be fired that following Monday, leaving the team with a record of 15-28. He was only the coach for three years.
Martz probably got the worst end of any deal, getting fired while he was on medical leave. Heart surgery kept Martz at home for the last 11 games of the Rams 6-10 season. Not the worst record in the league, but his differences with the front office sealed his fate.
The award for the coach that had little to no control over his team goes to former Vikings coach Mike Tice.
From the Wizzinator, to ticket scalping and the updated version of “The Love Boat,” Tice should have been fired early into the Vikings season. Tice made it the entire season, turning a 0-5 start into a respectable 9-7 season.
Dom Capers, Norv Turner and Mike Malarkey had the shortest tenures with their respective teams.
In three years, Capers had a record of 18-46 with the Texans. Malarkey was only with the Bills for two years and had a decent record of 14-18. Turner had the worst of the three, only compiling a 9-23 record in two years with the Oakland Raiders.
Mike Sherman only had one losing season with the Green Bay Packers, but going 59-43 in five seasons with the team, only going 2-4 in the playoffs and never getting to the NFC title game would not be enough in cheese-land.
When Dick Vermeil retired from the Chiefs, the speculation was that he was leaving the position open for Herm Edwards, then Jets head coach. Edwards was a scout and assistant coach in Kansas City in the late 80’s. The Jets let him out of his contract and took the Chiefs job.
Last but not least is Jim Haslett, the former leader of the on again, off again, off again New Orleans Saints.
Granted, he had the hardest job of any coach of any season in the NFL. The uncertainties that seemed to come up every week for him and his team nobody should have to face. Still, in five seasons he had one winning season and a career record of 45-51.
The reason of any of this is important is because of the coaching cycle that seems to happen even 3 or 4 years in the league, with one exception-only one coach has held a head coaching position. Six of the newest coaches have only been assistants.
In order to get the next Bill Belichick, you have to go through some Norv Turners. So if you have no experience in football, of any kind, put in your resume to a couple of teams. The worst that could happen is you could get invited on a Vikings boat cruise.
