St. Louis (espn.go.com)- As mentioned, Spagnuolo and Devaney are both gone.
Tampa Bay (espn.go.com)- Raheem Morris, and his entire staff, are gone as well.
No word yet from San Diego, or Indianapolis. Everyone seems to be sure that Caldwell is gone in Indy though, and a lot of people are speculating that Norv is done with the Chargers, but again, nothing official.
Beyond those 4, and the changes that happened in KC, Jacksonville, and Miami during the season, I don't know what else opens up at the head coach level. The Jets are going to make some big changes, I'd think, though Rex Ryan's probably safe. If the Giants make another great run and win it all, I could see Coughlin hanging it up. I could also see him "retiring" if Atlanta blows their doors off next week, but other than that, I don't know if anything else opens up.
I'm sure that Morris was frustrated last night, but his Mental Midgets comment REALLY sticks out now that said midgets were 100% correct.
I think it was Lombardi on the NFL Network who had a good point that Caldwell and Manning's fates may be linked. I know Payton said all the right things about sticking around should Luck get drafted, but I think it was his father earlier in the year saying that Payton wouldn't play with Luck. So if you know you're going to go with Luck, then it it may sense to remake the coaching staff with that in mind. Especially since Payton seems to be his own offensive coordinator.
Originally posted by kwikNo word yet from San Diego, or Indianapolis. Everyone seems to be sure that Caldwell is gone in Indy though, and a lot of people are speculating that Norv is done with the Chargers, but again, nothing official.
Norv's firing is a formality at this point. It's really sad that so many of us saw Norv's failure coming a mile away. As a Chargers fan, it's immensely frustrating to watch a team that once had the potential to bring home multiple Super Bowl trophies reduced to what it is. So many primes (Tomlinson chief among them) completely wasted.
And how fitting is JayJayDean's comment from that ancient thread?
Originally posted by JayJayDean in 2007Evidently AJ Smith's solution to repeated regular season-success being followed by playoff disappointment is...eliminating regular season-success?
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... Add Bears GM Jerry Angelo to the list of those looking for work.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
San Diego Chargers Chairman of the Board & President Dean Spanos today officially ended speculation and confirmed that General Manager A.J. Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner will return in 2012.
“Bottom line, I believe these two men give us the best chance to get back to the playoffs,” Spanos said. “A.J. Smith is the best man to improve our roster, and Norv Turner is the best man to lead that roster on the field.
“Together, we have stability and experience that’s hard to find in the NFL. They’ve both been in this league a long time. I don’t think there is anything they haven’t seen or experienced. They’ve led us through some difficult situations.
Oh goodie. Pencil the Chargers in for another 4-8 start next year.
Understandable; the Raiders set records this year for most penalties and most penalty yards, plus the Carson Palmer over-pay was on his say-so. (I saw the trade best described as Hue Jackson pulling an Alexander Haig in the aftermath of Al Davis' death.)
The Big Bossman raised the briefcase.
Go Pack Go! (15-1, 1st NFC North). Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! (5-13, dead last). Owner of one (1) share.
Understandable; the Raiders set records this year for most penalties and most penalty yards, plus the Carson Palmer over-pay was on his say-so. (I saw the trade best described as Hue Jackson pulling an Alexander Haig in the aftermath of Al Davis' death.)
This article says that there is more to it than that: Click Here (sports.yahoo.com)
Back in the spring of 2008, when he was very much in charge of the Oakland Raiders’ singularly peculiar organization, Al Davis presided over a predraft meeting at the team’s Alameda, Calif., training facility. As coaches and personnel officials discussed what to do with the fourth overall pick, which the team would ultimately use to select Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden, the Hall of Fame owner’s son, Mark, casually drifted into the room.
“Mark,” Davis said, stopping the meeting and sounding genuinely interested. “What do you think we should do?”
Caught off guard, the younger Davis mumbled something about needing a wide receiver.
Wrong answer.
“A [expletive] receiver?” Al Davis snapped, his voice rising. “Get the [expletive] out of here.”
And with that, the heir to one of the NFL’s most storied franchises slinked out of the room and continued with the rest of his day.
...
Mark Davis is Tommy Boy, trying not to face-plant on a table full of beers. And the thought of presiding over a team with a brash, intelligent and charismatic coach who knew how dismissively his father used to treat him had to be a daunting prospect.
-- 2006 Time magazine Person of the Year -- -- July 2009 Ordained Reverend --
Gotta love the Raiders and the Chargers having such opposing philosophies (Raiders use a revolving door of coaches, while the Chargers hang on to the same dope in the face of repeated failure) and yet the result for both teams is the same.
Originally posted by ZeruelThis article says that there is more to it than that.
I saw that, but I agree with Mike Florio. I'm always skeptical of playing psychologist when there's an easier explanation available, particularly when it seems like the decision to hire Reggie McKenzie as GM was a slam-dunk no-brainer. Plus, Jackson has come off even worse since the firing, as he has bounced back and forth between "McKenzie is going to destroy the franchise and fire everyone" and "McKenzie is just Mark Davis' pawn".
The Big Bossman raised the briefcase.
Go Pack Go! (15-1, 1st NFC North). Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! (5-13, dead last). Owner of one (1) share.
I wonder if McKenzie in charge (and, quite possibly, Winston Moss or another Packers assistant becoming the new Raiders head coach) means Oakland will make a push to sign Matt Flynn this winter. It'd mean cutting bait on Palmer very early but....well, you all saw Palmer play.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
ESPN needs to admit that pointing out that Fisher only had six winning seasons, especially when they proceed to talk about all of his .500 seasons. His career record's 142-120 in the regular season, and he's only had five full losing seasons. (He went 1-5 in the 1994 season, and had losing records in 1995, 2001 (both 7-9), 2004, 2005 and 2010.)
Sure, he only had six playoff berths in that time, but last season, 8-8 would've won the NFC West. The Rams are in a pretty good situation, and if they could stay healthy, they should leave 2-14 in the rear-view mirror faster than Alberto Del Rio became a big deal.
You wanted the best, you got... the Out of Context Quote of the Week.
"£8.70 for a measly 16 out of your average fag machine." (dMr)
The Colts let Coach Caldwell go today. A team with the top draft pick will have a new GM and coach. Is that a comforting thought to the lucky player? Do they now wish to be traded?
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerThe Colts let Coach Caldwell go today. A team with the top draft pick will have a new GM and coach. Is that a comforting thought to the lucky player? Do they now wish to be traded?
It's not exactly an unusual circumstance for the worst team in the league to get rid of everyone that caused that season's failure. I would imagine Luck is totally fine with having a coach that is not a malfunctioning robot, and a GM who probably will draft better than the Polians did in the last few years.
The Big Bossman raised the briefcase.
Go Pack Go! Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! Owner of one (1) share.
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