With most NFL coaches only making it a handful of years before they find themselves out of a job, the pressure to win is immediate. The coaches who aren’t able to win won’t have a job come the end of the season. While a few coaches who are on thin ice survived to see another season (Dennis Allen, Jason Garrett, Rex Ryan), six others weren’t as fortunate.
Jim Schwartz took over the Detroit Lions in 2009, the year after they became the only team in NFL history to go 0-16. With the first overall pick in the draft that year, the Lions selected Matt Stafford, quarterback out of Georgia. While the Lions believed they finally found their franchise quarterback to build around, they have only had one winning season since. After compiling a 29-51 record over five seasons in Detroit, Schwartz found himself out of a job.
Enter Jim Caldwell, former offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Caldwell’s only NFL coaching experience came from Indianapolis. During his rookie season, he led the Colts to a 14-2 record and a trip to the Super Bowl. This season proved to be a one-year fluke as the Colts went 10-6 the next year and 2-14 his third and final year in Indianapolis. Within three years, Caldwell went from runner-up in the Super Bowl to worst record in the league and out of a job.
After being let go by the Colts, Caldwell became the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. In his first season as offensive coordinator, the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. While not a great head coach, the Detroit Lions liked how their interview with him went. Caldwell addressed how he planned to work with Matt Stafford and turn their offense around. While it’s understandable why they signed Caldwell, he hasn’t truly shown whether he can be a successful coach in the NFL. (Grade C).
The Houston Texans went from making the Divisional Round of the playoffs during the 2012-2013 season to the worst record in the league (2-14) this year. It was no shocker that Head Coach Gary Kubiak was out of a job by week fourteen. The man Houston chose to replace him with is now former Penn State Head Coach Bill O’Brien. O’Brien, who only coached at Penn State for two years, replaced Joe Paterno after the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal. His first season at Penn State, O’Brien won national coach of the year honors and produced an 8-4 record.
Penn State slipped up a game during the 2013 season going 7-5, but O’Brien’s 15-9 record wasn’t what Houston was looking at. They were looking at a man who came into a situation where a well-known football program was on the verge of being nearly derailed and was able to produce a solid team. What recruits are going to want to come to a school that just got out of the worst scandal in NCAA history? The way O’Brien came in and kept everything together impressed Houston, and they believe that he will be able to come in and turn around their dysfunctional organization. (Grade B).
The Minnesota Vikings were another team who went from making the playoffs last year to a dead last finish in their respective division. While they have Quarterback issues to address this coming offseason, their defense was amongst the worst in the league. Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer showed enough promise in Cincinnati to warrant him his first NFL head-coaching gig. With a team that has many questions, especially at defense, it makes a lot of sense to bring in a guy that was voted the 2008 NFL assistant coach of the year. (Grade A).
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the best head coaching hiring by signing former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. Smith, who coached nine seasons in Chicago, returns to Tampa Bay where he was a linebacker’s coach from 1996-2000. Being a well known, respected and likeable coach, there wasn’t a better fit for the Bucs. With the last two coaches Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano both losing the locker rooms, Smith is a no BS kind of guy who is respected by the players and knows how to put a winning product on the field. Being a defensive first coach, he fits right in with Tampa. (Grade A+).
Following in the trends of teams who went to the playoffs during the 2012 season and finished dead last this season, hello Washington Redskins. With hopeful Franchise Quarterback Robert Griffin III getting injured and missing the last three games of the season, this franchise is on the verge of disaster. So when your franchise is almost falling apart and you don’t know what direction you’re going in, what do you do? Well if you’re Washington, hire a coach that’s never coached in the NFL before.
Jay Gruden, like his counterpart Mike Zimmer, also was a part of the Bengals staff but as the offensive coordinator. While Gruden had success coaching in the Arena League, it’s unclear why the Redskins put so much trust for their future in the hands of a rookie coach. (Grade D)
The Cleveland Browns are arguably the worst franchise in the NFL and one of the worst in North American sports. Since returning to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have had two winning seasons. With such a disastrous organization in general, the Browns kept in their style and hired Mike Pettine, another yet to coach in the NFL head coach. While Pettine did have a great year in 2009 as the New York Jets defensive coordinator, it’s still questionable why the Browns decided on him as the man for their job. Was it because they really believed in him? Or was it because they waited too long to sign a head coach and took what they could? That question will be answered during this upcoming season. (Grade D+)
Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu.