Tribal Warfare
12-25-2008, 11:41 PM
Coaching hot seat: Haslett done, Turner back? (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-coachinghotseat122508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
In the best moments, 49ers fans can look at Mike Singletary and see Jeff Fisher. In the less stellar ones, perhaps they see Terry Robiskie.
Fisher is the dream scenario for a guy like Singletary – to be handed a team in the middle of a season, and hold onto it well beyond a decade. The Titans coach did just that in 1994, taking over for ousted Houston Oilers coach Jack Pardee after 10 games that season. Fisher never let go, and 14 seasons later, he’s riding the league’s longest current head coaching tenure and poised for a Super Bowl run.
But there is another side of the coin, and Robiskie is as versed with it as any coach in the league. The 27-year coaching veteran and current Falcons assistant was given the sash of interim coach twice in his career – first with the Redskins in 2000, and then against with Browns in 2004. Both times, he was replaced at the end of the season.
Such change is a way of life in the head coaching fraternity. Sometimes you seize a team and ride it through several talent cycles. Other times your contract is being shredded before the ink dries. Undoubtedly, we’ll see that this offseason, when a brief tenured head coach like Raiders head man Tom Cable (12 games) is expected to enter the same unemployment line as Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren (10 years).
And they won’t be alone. At various points this season, at least 16 different coaches rotated on and off the hot seat (not including the growing discussion of whether Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy will walk away after the playoffs). Here’s a look at them and where they stand heading into the final game of 2008 …
Packing their bags (they’re gone)
Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
The stench of 0-16 (or 1-15) is just too much to endure, even with Marinelli having a good relationship with chief operating officer Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew. The team has faltered far too much under the current regime to keep it in place. The one interesting reality hanging overhead: there is growing talk around the league that the Lions are hemorrhaging money on the business end. The expected forecast has the Lions taking a more frugal approach with their hires and free agency, rather than taking more chomps out of the Ford family’s personal fortune. So while Marinelli will be gone, a high-priced replacement isn’t expected.
Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks
This was a foregone conclusion of Holmgren’s doing well before the season began. And while he changed his mind down the stretch, Seattle management and owner Paul Allen closed the door before he was all the way out. He won’t be back in Seattle, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if he relocated to a new team for 2009. A more realistic scenario is Holmgren sitting out for a season and jumping back into the mix in 2010.
Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns
While Crennel wants to present his closing arguments before ownership about a possible return, there aren’t any indications that will happen. Randy Lerner hasn’t indicated any confidence in Crennel of late, and Browns general manager Phil Savage has already gone into his own life-saving mode, leaving Crennel to fend for himself. Interestingly, the talk in some league circles has presented a theory that the next head coach might have a say in determining Savage’s fate. That’s hard to believe. Then again, with this franchise, maybe not.
Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders
Like Crennel, Cable has been making it known how badly he would like to remain as head coach. But the reality is that the offense hasn’t progressed all that much under Cable and his ceiling in that regard is likely to be too limited for the tastes of owner Al Davis. Regardless of what the Raiders tried to perpetuate after Lane Kiffin’s firing, Cable was only a stopgap. His only chance at retaining the job was an impossible mission – getting exponential improvement out of the Raiders by the end of the season. Instead, they’ve made marginal gains, and that won’t be enough.
Jim Haslett, St. Louis Rams
Haslett had a glimmer of hope after the Rams pulled out back-to-back wins over Washington and Dallas. But that was fool’s gold. Not only have the Rams lost nine straight since then, Haslett has clashed with Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger and Torry Holt. In turn, the locker room support isn’t there. With president of football operations Jay Zygmunt stepping down, this will be a clean sweep all the way.
Looking over their shoulders (they’re not secure yet)
Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills
Anytime your owner refuses to give you a vote of public confidence or talk about whether he has signed you to an extension, you are in trouble. Bills owner Ralph Wilson has said Jauron’s future with the franchise – he’s currently in the last year of his contract – will be determined in the next two weeks, but the tea leaves say it’s all about the season finale against the Patriots. Yes, Buffalo started 4-0, but in hindsight that streak looks feeble, with victories over Seattle, Jacksonville, Oakland and St. Louis. Bottom line: If the Bills get battered at home in the finale, they’ll be 3-9 since that winning streak. That will get Jauron fired.
Eric Mangini, New York Jets
Mangini has one year left on his contract, making the team’s latest flop even more perplexing. If they go by the NFL textbook, they are in a “fold or raise” scenario. They don’t want a scenario where he’s in a lame-duck season, especially when the players are hearing the New York media and fan base calling for his head. Either they fire Mangini now and begin with a rebuild, or they extend his deal and hope he can repair the damage from a late-season slide. If the Jets make the playoffs, the whole question is moot – Mangini will be back. But if they don’t, the manner in which they fall out of the playoff picture could play a role. A loss to Miami, the age of the roster, and next season’s horrid salary cap situation (a league source said they could be more than $15 million in the red) could seal Mangini’s fate.
Photo Edwards’ Chiefs have suffered a bunch of close losses this year.
Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Edwards’ situation is a mess. He’s got one year left on his contract, and the majority of the players in the locker room are still behind him. There is some talk in the scouting community that Edwards is telling confidants he believes the Chiefs want him to walk out on his own, coming to a settlement for the last year of his contract. If that’s true, the team’s hire at general manager for the departing Carl Peterson should speak volumes. If it’s not an Edwards-friendly hire, then he’ll be a dead man walking going into 2009. And in that scenario, Edwards may choose to make Kansas City’s decision for them and resign.
Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers
Singletary’s position might be as murky as any of the guys who are on the fence for next season. There has been persistent talk that San Francisco might have a “surprise” hire up its sleeve, but that has dissipated over the last few weeks. It wouldn’t be beyond management to float that scenario just to keep its options open, and prevent the media from painting Singletary as an entrenched figure down the stretch. But the 49ers have been competitive every week since the bye, and have displayed an attitude adjustment while scratching out wins under Singletary. If there isn’t a nuclear meltdown in the finale against Washington, all Singletary may need to do is show ownership that he’s got a concrete plan for moving forward – including roster and coaching changes.
Safe and sound (they’re back for another year)
Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins
As it turns out, any question about Zorn’s future with the Redskins was largely media generated – a byproduct of a tough losing streak and rocky relationship with running back Clinton Portis. Owner Daniel Snyder’s past history with his head coaches (read: Marty Schottenheimer) didn’t help, either. But the reality is that Snyder isn’t quite the same owner he was seven years ago, thanks to the failed Steve Spurrier project. Zorn did enough with this group to foster some patience. General manager Vinny Cerrato squashed any thought of his firing by affirming he’ll be back. There’s no reason to think that will change.
Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones has backed Phillips rather forcefully down the stretch, and there is good reason: He has painted himself into a financial corner. Phillips has one year left on his deal, and would cost $3 million to fire, but offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and his near $3 million a year contract (through 2010) would have to go, too. No upper-tier head coach would agree to come aboard with Garrett still in place after Jones laid the groundwork for him as the team’s future head coach. It’s a wolf in the hen house, plain and simple. Even for the mighty Jones, this oncoming economic depression makes it tougher to swallow $9 million and pay another elite coach on top of that. And even if Dallas misses the playoffs, there is some credence to what Jones says about Phillips – he does still believe Phillips can get the job done.
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
Lewis has one year left on his contract, and Mike Brown isn’t paying him to go away. That’s the end of the story. Oddly enough, if the Bengals don’t hire a general manager to cut Brown out of the decision-making process with the roster, some in the league believe Lewis would rather get a pink slip than go another year stressing over Brown’s meddling. Considering Brown’s history, Lewis isn’t likely to get his general manager, or his pink slip. He’ll be back in 2009 with the status quo.
Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars
Del Rio is signed through 2012, and the next four years are worth in excess of $20 million. He’s not going anywhere, which is why you’ve seen owner Wayne Weaver doing the only thing he can: shuffle the pieces around Del Rio. General manager James Harris is out and he has been replaced by Gene Smith. As the director of pro and college scouting, Smith runs virtually every aspect of the personnel operation. Next will be elements of the coaching staff, with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis likely to be ousted. One way or another, the infrastructure of the franchise is going to be built around Del Rio.
Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith isn’t going to bail on Turner two seasons into his four-year deal, particularly after the team picked up the pieces and got itself back into playoff contention in the last month. Turner has a good argument in his favor, too: he has gotten Smith’s best offensive draft pick, Philip Rivers, playing at a Pro Bowl level. And Smith pulled the plug on his hand-picked defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell at the request of Turner. That illustrates Smith’s dedication to giving Turner what he wants to be successful. The only thing that could stop Turner from coming back in 2009 is if owner Dean Spanos decrees it from the mountain top. And things just haven’t become that dire yet.
Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
Reid has two years left on his current contract, and talk about his job status has quieted considerably during the last month as Philadelphia has pushed into the fringe of the postseason mix. There has been no indication that the Eagles brass isn’t standing behind Reid for 2009, but a failure to make the playoffs could prompt pressure for other changes. In particular, Reid could be expected to change members of his staff, and lay out an actual plan about where this team is going for the future. Some of the key elements on the roster are aging, and the offensive play-calling has been far from consistent. If Reid is pushed to drastically overhaul his staff and commit to a new direction, he could walk. But that is even more unlikely than him being fired in the first place.
Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
He’s got two years left on a five-year deal, and even with the postseason in jeopardy, he’s safe. The offense getting better the second half of the season (particularly free-agent splurge Bernard Berrian) helped a great deal. There hasn’t been nearly as much talk about the locker room disenchantment that marked Childress’ first two seasons. Everything points to 2009 being Childress’ true make or break year.
In the best moments, 49ers fans can look at Mike Singletary and see Jeff Fisher. In the less stellar ones, perhaps they see Terry Robiskie.
Fisher is the dream scenario for a guy like Singletary – to be handed a team in the middle of a season, and hold onto it well beyond a decade. The Titans coach did just that in 1994, taking over for ousted Houston Oilers coach Jack Pardee after 10 games that season. Fisher never let go, and 14 seasons later, he’s riding the league’s longest current head coaching tenure and poised for a Super Bowl run.
But there is another side of the coin, and Robiskie is as versed with it as any coach in the league. The 27-year coaching veteran and current Falcons assistant was given the sash of interim coach twice in his career – first with the Redskins in 2000, and then against with Browns in 2004. Both times, he was replaced at the end of the season.
Such change is a way of life in the head coaching fraternity. Sometimes you seize a team and ride it through several talent cycles. Other times your contract is being shredded before the ink dries. Undoubtedly, we’ll see that this offseason, when a brief tenured head coach like Raiders head man Tom Cable (12 games) is expected to enter the same unemployment line as Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren (10 years).
And they won’t be alone. At various points this season, at least 16 different coaches rotated on and off the hot seat (not including the growing discussion of whether Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy will walk away after the playoffs). Here’s a look at them and where they stand heading into the final game of 2008 …
Packing their bags (they’re gone)
Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
The stench of 0-16 (or 1-15) is just too much to endure, even with Marinelli having a good relationship with chief operating officer Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew. The team has faltered far too much under the current regime to keep it in place. The one interesting reality hanging overhead: there is growing talk around the league that the Lions are hemorrhaging money on the business end. The expected forecast has the Lions taking a more frugal approach with their hires and free agency, rather than taking more chomps out of the Ford family’s personal fortune. So while Marinelli will be gone, a high-priced replacement isn’t expected.
Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks
This was a foregone conclusion of Holmgren’s doing well before the season began. And while he changed his mind down the stretch, Seattle management and owner Paul Allen closed the door before he was all the way out. He won’t be back in Seattle, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if he relocated to a new team for 2009. A more realistic scenario is Holmgren sitting out for a season and jumping back into the mix in 2010.
Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns
While Crennel wants to present his closing arguments before ownership about a possible return, there aren’t any indications that will happen. Randy Lerner hasn’t indicated any confidence in Crennel of late, and Browns general manager Phil Savage has already gone into his own life-saving mode, leaving Crennel to fend for himself. Interestingly, the talk in some league circles has presented a theory that the next head coach might have a say in determining Savage’s fate. That’s hard to believe. Then again, with this franchise, maybe not.
Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders
Like Crennel, Cable has been making it known how badly he would like to remain as head coach. But the reality is that the offense hasn’t progressed all that much under Cable and his ceiling in that regard is likely to be too limited for the tastes of owner Al Davis. Regardless of what the Raiders tried to perpetuate after Lane Kiffin’s firing, Cable was only a stopgap. His only chance at retaining the job was an impossible mission – getting exponential improvement out of the Raiders by the end of the season. Instead, they’ve made marginal gains, and that won’t be enough.
Jim Haslett, St. Louis Rams
Haslett had a glimmer of hope after the Rams pulled out back-to-back wins over Washington and Dallas. But that was fool’s gold. Not only have the Rams lost nine straight since then, Haslett has clashed with Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger and Torry Holt. In turn, the locker room support isn’t there. With president of football operations Jay Zygmunt stepping down, this will be a clean sweep all the way.
Looking over their shoulders (they’re not secure yet)
Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills
Anytime your owner refuses to give you a vote of public confidence or talk about whether he has signed you to an extension, you are in trouble. Bills owner Ralph Wilson has said Jauron’s future with the franchise – he’s currently in the last year of his contract – will be determined in the next two weeks, but the tea leaves say it’s all about the season finale against the Patriots. Yes, Buffalo started 4-0, but in hindsight that streak looks feeble, with victories over Seattle, Jacksonville, Oakland and St. Louis. Bottom line: If the Bills get battered at home in the finale, they’ll be 3-9 since that winning streak. That will get Jauron fired.
Eric Mangini, New York Jets
Mangini has one year left on his contract, making the team’s latest flop even more perplexing. If they go by the NFL textbook, they are in a “fold or raise” scenario. They don’t want a scenario where he’s in a lame-duck season, especially when the players are hearing the New York media and fan base calling for his head. Either they fire Mangini now and begin with a rebuild, or they extend his deal and hope he can repair the damage from a late-season slide. If the Jets make the playoffs, the whole question is moot – Mangini will be back. But if they don’t, the manner in which they fall out of the playoff picture could play a role. A loss to Miami, the age of the roster, and next season’s horrid salary cap situation (a league source said they could be more than $15 million in the red) could seal Mangini’s fate.
Photo Edwards’ Chiefs have suffered a bunch of close losses this year.
Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Edwards’ situation is a mess. He’s got one year left on his contract, and the majority of the players in the locker room are still behind him. There is some talk in the scouting community that Edwards is telling confidants he believes the Chiefs want him to walk out on his own, coming to a settlement for the last year of his contract. If that’s true, the team’s hire at general manager for the departing Carl Peterson should speak volumes. If it’s not an Edwards-friendly hire, then he’ll be a dead man walking going into 2009. And in that scenario, Edwards may choose to make Kansas City’s decision for them and resign.
Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers
Singletary’s position might be as murky as any of the guys who are on the fence for next season. There has been persistent talk that San Francisco might have a “surprise” hire up its sleeve, but that has dissipated over the last few weeks. It wouldn’t be beyond management to float that scenario just to keep its options open, and prevent the media from painting Singletary as an entrenched figure down the stretch. But the 49ers have been competitive every week since the bye, and have displayed an attitude adjustment while scratching out wins under Singletary. If there isn’t a nuclear meltdown in the finale against Washington, all Singletary may need to do is show ownership that he’s got a concrete plan for moving forward – including roster and coaching changes.
Safe and sound (they’re back for another year)
Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins
As it turns out, any question about Zorn’s future with the Redskins was largely media generated – a byproduct of a tough losing streak and rocky relationship with running back Clinton Portis. Owner Daniel Snyder’s past history with his head coaches (read: Marty Schottenheimer) didn’t help, either. But the reality is that Snyder isn’t quite the same owner he was seven years ago, thanks to the failed Steve Spurrier project. Zorn did enough with this group to foster some patience. General manager Vinny Cerrato squashed any thought of his firing by affirming he’ll be back. There’s no reason to think that will change.
Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones has backed Phillips rather forcefully down the stretch, and there is good reason: He has painted himself into a financial corner. Phillips has one year left on his deal, and would cost $3 million to fire, but offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and his near $3 million a year contract (through 2010) would have to go, too. No upper-tier head coach would agree to come aboard with Garrett still in place after Jones laid the groundwork for him as the team’s future head coach. It’s a wolf in the hen house, plain and simple. Even for the mighty Jones, this oncoming economic depression makes it tougher to swallow $9 million and pay another elite coach on top of that. And even if Dallas misses the playoffs, there is some credence to what Jones says about Phillips – he does still believe Phillips can get the job done.
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
Lewis has one year left on his contract, and Mike Brown isn’t paying him to go away. That’s the end of the story. Oddly enough, if the Bengals don’t hire a general manager to cut Brown out of the decision-making process with the roster, some in the league believe Lewis would rather get a pink slip than go another year stressing over Brown’s meddling. Considering Brown’s history, Lewis isn’t likely to get his general manager, or his pink slip. He’ll be back in 2009 with the status quo.
Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars
Del Rio is signed through 2012, and the next four years are worth in excess of $20 million. He’s not going anywhere, which is why you’ve seen owner Wayne Weaver doing the only thing he can: shuffle the pieces around Del Rio. General manager James Harris is out and he has been replaced by Gene Smith. As the director of pro and college scouting, Smith runs virtually every aspect of the personnel operation. Next will be elements of the coaching staff, with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis likely to be ousted. One way or another, the infrastructure of the franchise is going to be built around Del Rio.
Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith isn’t going to bail on Turner two seasons into his four-year deal, particularly after the team picked up the pieces and got itself back into playoff contention in the last month. Turner has a good argument in his favor, too: he has gotten Smith’s best offensive draft pick, Philip Rivers, playing at a Pro Bowl level. And Smith pulled the plug on his hand-picked defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell at the request of Turner. That illustrates Smith’s dedication to giving Turner what he wants to be successful. The only thing that could stop Turner from coming back in 2009 is if owner Dean Spanos decrees it from the mountain top. And things just haven’t become that dire yet.
Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
Reid has two years left on his current contract, and talk about his job status has quieted considerably during the last month as Philadelphia has pushed into the fringe of the postseason mix. There has been no indication that the Eagles brass isn’t standing behind Reid for 2009, but a failure to make the playoffs could prompt pressure for other changes. In particular, Reid could be expected to change members of his staff, and lay out an actual plan about where this team is going for the future. Some of the key elements on the roster are aging, and the offensive play-calling has been far from consistent. If Reid is pushed to drastically overhaul his staff and commit to a new direction, he could walk. But that is even more unlikely than him being fired in the first place.
Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
He’s got two years left on a five-year deal, and even with the postseason in jeopardy, he’s safe. The offense getting better the second half of the season (particularly free-agent splurge Bernard Berrian) helped a great deal. There hasn’t been nearly as much talk about the locker room disenchantment that marked Childress’ first two seasons. Everything points to 2009 being Childress’ true make or break year.