One of the most overhyped days in sports will happen Monday, when likely at least half a dozen teams will fire their head coach and begin the melodramatic process of searching for a new one. Black Monday is largely viewed as the first step of the rebuilding process, a day in which hope is restored to forlorn fan bases across the country.
NFL teams are firing their head coaches too quickly
When teams can their coaches on Black Monday, they usually embark on a run of perpetual losing instead of immediate success.
But the reality is, dismissing a head coach seldom results in immediate success. It often leads to a cycle of perpetual losing and a seemingly endless ride aboard the coaching carousel.
During this time span, these clubs have posted winning records on only 10 occasions. Their combined record is 199-257 and only five of them have made the playoffs one year after making the change.
No team has cycled through more head coaches recently than the Browns, who fired their third head coach in four years this offseason. Owner Jimmy Haslam paid Rob Chudzinski the remaining $10.5 million over the three years remaining on his contract after sacking him in 2013 and will still have to pay Mike Pettine for two more years as well. No coach has lasted more than four years in Cleveland since Bill Belichick in 1995.
Though the Browns are the most egregious example of this phenomenon, few teams allow coaches ample time to reshape the organizations they inherit. Look no further than Chip Kelly, who the Eagles fired last week less than one year after owner Jeffrey Lurie gave him total control over player personnel.
There are several explanations for Kelly's abrupt departure, most notably his apparent alienation of everyone in the organization. Eagles running back DeMarco Murray, who's only averaged 3.5 yards per carry this season, reportedly told Lurie recently the team had "lost confidence" in Kelly.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) December 30, 2015 Despite the turmoil that's engulfed the Eagles' season, the fact remains that Kelly compiled a 26-21 record in three seasons in Philadelphia -- including two 10-6 finishes. That's not good enough for a franchise that's desperately in search of its first Super Bowl title, but it's better than the records that all-time greats such as Belichick and Bill Walsh accumulated in their first three years as head coaches. In fact, Belichick said last week he wasn't able to fully install his program in New England until 2003, his fourth season as Patriots head coach.
“The coach that comes in usually has a different philosophy than the coach that left, so you have to try to implement that philosophy,” Belichick said. “That means you’re going to turn over a high percentage of the roster because the players that the other coach had don’t fit the new philosophy, so a lot of the players are going to have to change in part because of the philosophy and probably in part because of the scheme.”
Belichick admitted that he was disappointed Kelly was let go after just three seasons.
“Pretty much everybody is on a one-year contract in this league. I don’t know how you build a program in one year,” Belichick said. “Chip is a great coach. He’ll end up somewhere and he’ll do a great job there.
Kelly the general manager probably deserved to be fired, but that’s not the case when it comes to Kelly the coach. So now the Eagles will join the cluster of teams that will spend their January searching for a new head man instead of playing in the postseason. Just two years ago, Kelly led them to the playoffs and appeared to be the savior.
Now he’s derided as the biggest reason for the Eagles’ failures. Glory can be fleeting in the NFL.
Jim Harbaugh knows that all too well, considering the 49ers ousted him last year despite enjoying three playoff appearances in four years –– including a Super Bowl birth. Harbaugh’s relationship with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke reportedly grew too contentious to continue, and the organization severed ties with him. Now one year later, the 49ers are looking for a new head coach again after dismissing Jim Tomsula Sunday. Lurie better choose Kelly’s replacement more wisely than the 49ers selected Harbaugh’s, that’s for sure.
The same can be said for Jim Irsay, the erratic owner of the Colts. His team's head coach Chuck Pagano has spent the bulk of the year on the hot seat despite leading the Colts to the AFC Championship last January. In fact, Pagano's job was seemingly on the line before the 2015 season even started.
Kelly and Harbaugh's fate as well as Pagano's possible canning are in stark contrast to the loyalty the Carolina Panthers showed Ron Rivera, who was supposedly on the way out at the end of the 2012 campaign. But Rivera is still standing three years later, and the Panthers will have three straight playoff appearances to show for it -- never mind a 15-1 record this season.
If the Panthers dismissed Rivera and his staff, Cam Newton would've had to adjust to a whole new system after just his second season in the league. The change may have stunted his growth.
That's a lesson the Titans would be wise to keep in mind as long as Marcus Mariota is anointed their Quarterback of the Future. He'll play for his third head coach in two years next season, and that number should stay stagnant for the foreseeable future.
Some coaches deserve to get fired, especially those who preside over chronically underachieving teams. But oftentimes, they’re nothing more than scapegoats. Desperate owners move them around like pawns, hoping they hit the jackpot but usually bailing before they can see the results.
* * *
SB Nation presents: A timeline of the Browns’ dysfunctional Week 17
See More:
