11/04/24
December 31, 2012
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Happy Black Monday, NFL!
posted by Bonkers at 12:07 PM on December 31, 2012
Also, HC Pat Schmurr and GM Tom Heckert of the Browns.
Maybe not official yet, but looks like HC Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith of the Chargers are on their way out.
I cannot believe Rex Ryan keeps his job. Is that for lack of alternatives?
(though it seems there must be plenty of folks looking for jobs right now)
posted by kokaku at 12:33 PM on December 31, 2012
Since I'm still in shock that Norv Turner was hired again as a head coach I will not be surprised if he's fired now. Guy is a great OC but a prime example of the Peter Principle.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:35 PM on December 31, 2012
posted by NoMich at 01:01 PM on December 31, 2012
Someone please hire Cowher so I don't have to keep watching him try to win the weekly in-studio spitting contest with Lou Holtz.
Someone please hire Gruden so I don't have to keep listening to him fantasize, lionize, and Simonize.
posted by beaverboard at 01:07 PM on December 31, 2012
I cannot believe Rex Ryan keeps his job. Is that for lack of alternatives?
He'll be on the hot seat next season. But Woody should probably can him anyway; he'll be charged with the near-impossible task of turning the team around back into a playoff contender, with essentially the same circus team he had this season, unless they can somehow find a taker for Sanchez.
posted by NerfballPro at 01:35 PM on December 31, 2012
Wisenhunt and Graves are next over the side from the Cardinals.
Jets should keep Ryan and hire Norv to come run the offence.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:50 PM on December 31, 2012
Would it be easier to list who is keeping their coaches and GMs?
The Lovie Smith one confuses me. Didn't see that coming at all. They were 10-6. If the tiebreaker goes the other way would Lovie be a beater coach?
posted by tron7 at 01:56 PM on December 31, 2012
The Lovie Smith one confuses me. Didn't see that coming at all. They were 10-6. If the tiebreaker goes the other way would Lovie be a beater coach?
I was not aware Lovie was in any danger of losing his job, and I live in Chicago. Of course, I've been out of town for the better part of the last week and I don't listen to talk radio or otherwise consume much local media. I just did not get the sense that this was a playoffs-or-bust type of ultimatum season.
I do think this is less about the Bears not making the playoffs but how they missed the playoffs. Flip the 7-1 start and the 3-5 finish and perhaps Lovie is still coach of the Bears. Clearly, though, the more macro-focus, long-term, major factor here is that Lovie was never able to sustain any sort of balance between offense and defense -- the defenses were consistently good, while the offenses were always in the bottom quartile or worse (even post-Cutler). I think the other major factor in his firing is that the Bears have lost six in a row against Green Bay and eight of their last nine.
posted by holden at 03:33 PM on December 31, 2012
Beater coach? Wtf is wrong with me?
posted by tron7 at 03:59 PM on December 31, 2012
I was shocked they let Lovie Smith go. Here's hoping someone good picks him up, because he seems like a really decent guy and a good coach. I'll miss seeing him in the NFC North, though.
posted by evixir at 05:19 PM on December 31, 2012
All hail the mighty ACC, or something: USC Trojans lose to Georgia Tech(!); LSU go down to Clemson.
posted by etagloh at 11:24 PM on December 31, 2012
So that's 7 NFL coaches fired in one day.
How many interviews does Nick Saban go through in the next month? 3? 4?
posted by grum@work at 11:54 PM on December 31, 2012
The Lovie Smith one confuses me
Smith will resurface as an assistant coach or coordinator somewhere. Players like him and he gets the best out of his players. He just doesn't do a good job of game planning or in-game adjustment.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:10 PM on January 01, 2013
You get a firing and you get a firing and you get a firing!
HC Lovie of the Bears is fired.
HC Romeo Crennel of the Chiefs is fired.
HC Chan Gailey of the Bills is fired.
HC Andy Reid of Philadelphia is fired.
HC Rex Ryan of the Jets is not fired, but GM Mike Tannenbaum is fired.
GM Gene Smith of the Jaguars is also fired.