Now that the regular season has ended, Black Monday has inevitably passed. Seven coaches lost their jobs on New Years Eve, four came as no surprise whatsoever, two were always pretty likely, while one was a bit of a shock.
Pat Shurmur of the Cleveland Browns went 9-23 in his two years with the organisation. No coach survives that sort of record, and especially not in Cleveland, where coaches have been binned at the end of the season in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2010. General Manager Tom Heckert also lost his job as new owner Jimmy Haslam, who only bought the franchise in October, cleaned house stating he was looking for "strong leadership." Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone will interview today, while Oregon's Chip Kelly and Alabama's Nick Saban will be contacted once their respective bowl games are over and done with. Several current NFL coordinators and assistants are also on the Browns shortlist.
With a 2-14 record, Romeo Crennel was never likely to last past his first full season in Kansas City. In a turbulent season overshadowed by the murder-suicide committed by linebacker Jovan Belcher, Crennel was subject to fan protests and almost constant speculation over his future. In a typically classy move from Crennel, his exit statement thanked the Chiefs owners for giving him the opportunity to coach there. General Manager Scott Pioli has kept his job for the time being. Dirk Koetter of the Atlanta Falcons has been given permission to interview, as has Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong.
After 14 years in Philadelphia, where he compiled a 130-93-1 record to become the coach with the most wins in franchise history, the Eagles parted company with Andy Reid after a dismal 4-12 2012 season. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said it was "time to move in a new direction," and called Reid "not only an outstanding coach, but an outstanding person." The Eagles players gave Reid a standing ovation in the locker room after a final meeting with his team. The Eagles are likely to take their time in making an appointment after having the same coach for 14 seasons, and some of the major names in college football have already been installed as favourites by the bookies, while the entire Falcons coordination unit are on the shortlist once again.
He never came close to repeating their team's 2008 Super Bowl appearance and that's what cost Ken Whisenhunt his job at the head of the Arizona Cardinals. GM Rod Graves has also been fired by the organisation. The Cardinals were 45-51 under Whisenhunt in his six years with the team, and the 2008 Super Bowl was their only ever trip to the "Greatest Show on Earth." Cardinals President Michael Bidwell ahs moved quickly to talk to fired Eagles coach Andy Reid, and will also interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and his own defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
Chan Gailey's three seasons in charge of the Bills also came to an end on Monday as he was fired along with his entire coaching staff. The status of GM Buddy Nix is still up in the air, and with Ralph Wilson having now handed control of the franchise over to former CEO and now President Russ Brandon, anything is possible. Gailey failed to deliver on his promise of turning the Bills into a playoff team after 3 losing seasons and posted a 16-32 record over his tenure. The usual suspects all look set to be interviewed, Chip Kelly, Doug Marrone and Bill O'Brien from college, as well as several NFL coordinators, and fired coaches Ken Whisenhunt and Lovie Smith. Whoever takes over may have one of the hardest jobs in football.
Missing the playoffs for the third successive season has meant that Norv Turner and GM AJ Smith have both been relieved of their duties in San Diego. After a highly disappointing 7-9 season, the Chargers hierarchy have decided that the time is right for a change. Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who served as interim coach for much of 2012 while Chuck Pagano underwent treatment for leukaemia is a firm favourite for the job, but time will tell whether he leaves Indianapolis. Fired Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is also in the frame, while there has been very little noise about any college coaches moving to the franchise. Whoever takes over will have to make many changes to appease the Chargers faithful - the team suffered four blackouts towards the end of the season as the fans stayed away.
On the surface, Lovie Smith losing his job as Chicago Bears coach looks like the biggest shock of all. And after a 10-6 season, it certainly is the harshest of the Black Monday firings. But for his Bears team to miss the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six years despite starting the season 7-1, it does become more apparent why the decision was taken. The Bears players expressed their disappointment en masse on Twitter and in radio interviews, and it seems unlikely that with six other head coaching positions available that Smith will be out of the game for long. As for Chicago, many of the same coordinators being lined up for interview by other teams are in the frame including Mike McCoy and Keith Armstrong. Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan has also been given permission to talk to the Bears.
The teams in search of a head coach were dealt a blow however, when the Falcons announced that Dirk Koetter will not pursue a head coaching vacancy this offseason. Koetter was in high demand, and his decision could mean a scramble from teams to get their preferred candidates.
Craig's coaching carousel predictions:
Cleveland: Lovie Smith (former Chicago Bears head coach)
Kansas City: Ray Horton (Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator)
Philadelphia: Chip Kelly (Oregon Ducks head coach)
Arizona: Andy Reid (former Philadelphia Eagles head coach)
Buffalo: Doug Marrone (Syracuse Orange head coach)
San Diego: Bruce Arians (Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator)
Chicago: Mike McCoy (Denver Broncos offensive coordinator)
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