Black Monday: NFL Coaches Likely to Get the Ax This Week
With the conclusion of the 2013 NFL season, the crazy period where NFL coaches learn their fate is about to kick-off. Black Monday is here; an unfortunate, but somewhat necessary tradition in the league where teams want try to get a jump on the off-season as soon as they can. Here is the list of coaches, who are likely moving on this week.
Rob Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns: Hard to believe this actually went down Sunday, but the Browns decided to part ways with their first year head coach, Rob Chudzinski. I don't know what the Browns front office expected from this guy in his first year on the job taking over a team that has been a mess ever since it returned to the NFL in 1999. The guy actually got this Browns team to play hard all season, and lost some close games this year. But the front office felt losing seven in a row to end the year was enough to merit a firing.
Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins: By the time you read this Shanahan might already be fired. After four tumultuous years in Washington, the Redskins are ready to part ways with Shanahan, and for good reason. Shanahan created a unworkable relationship with quarterback Robert Griffin III; the two clearly can't co-exist. Plus, Shanahan's decision to play RGIII injured in last year's playoffs, coupled with his bizarre handling of him this year, means it's time for change. Not to mention the Skins are plain awful.
Jason Garret, Dallas Cowboys: What Jerry Jones decides to do with Garret is the question of the off-season. The Cowboys failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year under Garret, and clearly a change could be in the offing. Even without Tony Romo on Sunday, the Cowboys invented ways to lose to the Eagles with the NFC East title on the line. Jones has stated in the past that Garret would be back in 2014, but we all know that owners can change their minds whenever they want to.
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions: The fact that Detroit had the NFC North in their hands and couldn't get the job done speaks volumes about Schwartz and the job he has done in the Motor City. The Lions blew it by losing two critical games down the stretch that allowed both Green Bay and Chicago back into the race. Now the Lions are out of the playoffs again.
Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans: The Titans have to make a tough decision on Munchak who was a Hall of Fame player for the Houston/Tennessee franchise, but as a coach he's been underwhelming. The Titans won seven games this year with their starting quarterback on the shelf for most of the year. This is a decision that might take a while to process.
Leslie Fraizer, Minnesota Vikings: the Vikings are entering a new era. They will move into a college stadium for the next two years until the Metrodome is rebuilt as a new stadium, and they want to move into that new era with a new coach. The placid Fraizer is done.
Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders: It's the Raiders, you just never know what they will do from one minute to the next.
Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yes, the Buccaneers won four of their last eight, and played much better football in the second half of the year, but nobody will forget how Schiano handled things in the first half of the year. It looked like in October that Schiano would have a mutiny on his hands with the Josh Freeman situation. Won't surprise either way here.
Rob Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns: Hard to believe this actually went down Sunday, but the Browns decided to part ways with their first year head coach, Rob Chudzinski. I don't know what the Browns front office expected from this guy in his first year on the job taking over a team that has been a mess ever since it returned to the NFL in 1999. The guy actually got this Browns team to play hard all season, and lost some close games this year. But the front office felt losing seven in a row to end the year was enough to merit a firing.
Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins: By the time you read this Shanahan might already be fired. After four tumultuous years in Washington, the Redskins are ready to part ways with Shanahan, and for good reason. Shanahan created a unworkable relationship with quarterback Robert Griffin III; the two clearly can't co-exist. Plus, Shanahan's decision to play RGIII injured in last year's playoffs, coupled with his bizarre handling of him this year, means it's time for change. Not to mention the Skins are plain awful.
Jason Garret, Dallas Cowboys: What Jerry Jones decides to do with Garret is the question of the off-season. The Cowboys failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year under Garret, and clearly a change could be in the offing. Even without Tony Romo on Sunday, the Cowboys invented ways to lose to the Eagles with the NFC East title on the line. Jones has stated in the past that Garret would be back in 2014, but we all know that owners can change their minds whenever they want to.
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions: The fact that Detroit had the NFC North in their hands and couldn't get the job done speaks volumes about Schwartz and the job he has done in the Motor City. The Lions blew it by losing two critical games down the stretch that allowed both Green Bay and Chicago back into the race. Now the Lions are out of the playoffs again.
Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans: The Titans have to make a tough decision on Munchak who was a Hall of Fame player for the Houston/Tennessee franchise, but as a coach he's been underwhelming. The Titans won seven games this year with their starting quarterback on the shelf for most of the year. This is a decision that might take a while to process.
Leslie Fraizer, Minnesota Vikings: the Vikings are entering a new era. They will move into a college stadium for the next two years until the Metrodome is rebuilt as a new stadium, and they want to move into that new era with a new coach. The placid Fraizer is done.
Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders: It's the Raiders, you just never know what they will do from one minute to the next.
Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yes, the Buccaneers won four of their last eight, and played much better football in the second half of the year, but nobody will forget how Schiano handled things in the first half of the year. It looked like in October that Schiano would have a mutiny on his hands with the Josh Freeman situation. Won't surprise either way here.
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