The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About the NFL Coaching Carousel2018-01-17T20:37:51-05:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/166009612018-01-17T20:37:51-05:002018-01-17T20:37:51-05:00Sean Payton’s Future in New Orleans and More Coaching Chaos — ‘GM Street’
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<figcaption>Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier break down the latest coaching carousel rumors</p> <div id="SToZNz"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/7Iv4jWTIa3rQ1dOXob8ysg" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="Ik8H6f"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/0efb638b-07a3-440a-9d36-9e7ac77dceb7">Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier discuss</a> Todd Haley’s tenure ending in Pittsburgh (00:30), the future of the Saints and Sean Payton (07:15), the drawn-out hiring process in Arizona (18:45), Pat Shurmur possibly taking over the Giants (22:30), the Josh McDaniels–Indianapolis rumors (28:00), and how Tennessee’s playoff win hurt the team (29:30).</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/1/17/16903930/sean-payton-new-orleans-coaching-carouselMichael LombardiTate Frazier2018-01-14T14:43:24-05:002018-01-14T14:43:24-05:00Matt Patricia Is Expected to Bring His Beard Game to the Lions
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<p>The Patriots defensive coordinator reportedly has an agreement in place to become the next head coach in Detroit</p> <p id="leJ5b3">Matt Patricia and his beard will be the next head coach of the Detroit Lions, <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22094437/new-england-patriots-dc-matt-patricia-expected-next-head-coach-detroit-lions">according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter</a>. The deal is not confirmed, as Patricia and the Lions aren’t allowed to come to a formal agreement until after the Patriots season ends. </p>
<p id="yrprnC">If the report comes to fruition, Patricia will be reuniting with Lions GM Bob Quinn, who served as the Patriots director of pro scouting before joining Detroit in 2016. Now Quinn stakes his first head-coaching hire in a beard that rests on the face of a 43-year-old former engineering student and <a href="https://www.si.com/mmqb/2016/11/28/nfl-matt-patricia-bill-belichick-patriots-defense">actual rocket scientist</a> turned Belichick sidekick. Patricia will be tasked with <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16836380/jim-caldwell-detroit-lions-fired">taking the Lions from competent to contender</a> and reversing the legacies of failed Lions coaches (Rod Marinelli, Jim Schwartz, Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg, et al.) and failed coaches from the Belichick coordinator tree (Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Charlie Weis, Josh McDaniels’s first try, et al.).</p>
<p id="2jSJdc">Not only is his current and future employer’s history this century working against him, but he had an unlikely path to make the Pats coaching staff. Patricia spent two seasons as a defensive line coach at Amherst College and three seasons as a graduate assistant at Syracuse University before parlaying the Syracuse connections into interviews as a coaching assistant with the Patriots in 2004. (When New England offered him that job, Patricia said he had to discuss it with his wife. The Patriots, who are some intense folks, pulled the offer for his lack of commitment. After some frantic phone calls, Patricia got the gig.) </p>
<p id="fbeK1H">Patricia proceeded to rise from assistant to linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, and in the process went from a guy in an entry-level position to Bill Belichick’s right-hand man. He is an integral part in the intensive film study that is the key to New England’s weekly metamorphosis that sees the most dramatic game-to-game schematic changes of any team in the league. Patricia’s engineering background was reflected in a meticulous attention to detail that often impressed his peers (he also taught some on the Pats coaching staff how to use computers, so you know he’s wicked smart). It’s hard to parse a coach’s role in game preparation, but we can try: Pats cornerback Malcolm Butler credited Patricia for preparing him to jump the slant route in Super Bowl XLIX, which might be the best example of game preparation in league history. The Patriots never had a dominant defense under Patricia, but they never had a bad one, either. They ranked in the top 10 in points allowed every season under him as coordinator as New England won two Super Bowls and reached a ridiculous seven consecutive AFC championships.</p>
<p id="QBDEcC">Detroit is not New England––in Patricia’s tenure, the Pats won as many Super Bowls as the Lions played in postseason games. Patricia would be taking over a team that has its quarterback position solidified with Matthew Stafford, but he’ll have to kick-start Detroit’s anemic running game and repair a defense that was dead last in DVOA in 2016 and 19th in 2017. His first key decision will be whether to retain offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who Detroit also interviewed for the head-coaching position. Cooter would be key to preserving the Lions’ DNA as a frightening passing attack. </p>
<p id="PgoWTX">It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Patricia will be able to continue his success in a head-coaching gig, which is more managerial than the coordinator role, <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/burgh_10/status/912076231717326848">but if there’s any franchise that appreciates details, it’s the Lions</a>. Patricia has likely been prepared well by Belichick, but turning around the Detroit Lions is going to be harder than rocket science.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/14/16890702/matt-patricia-detroit-lions-new-england-patriotsDanny Heifetz2018-01-08T13:39:44-05:002018-01-08T13:39:44-05:00In Matt Nagy, the Bears Get a Coach Who Can Reboot Their Offense
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<p>After a disappointing season behind an uncreative scheme, Chicago has hired a guy who could be perfect for Mitchell Trubisky</p> <p id="iEbnSG">The state of Illinois rejoiced Monday when the Bears hired someone who is not John Fox to lead their football team. Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who, along with Andy Reid, architected an offense that was <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/5/16853446/afc-playoffs-influential-offense-andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-college-spread">far and away the league’s most innovative in 2017</a>, will now helm the Bears’ rebuilding effort.</p>
<p id="7ssMK7">Nagy replaces Fox, who left the Bears after three seasons with a 14–34 record, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/12/16640392/john-fox-challenge-bears-touchback">the worst challenge of all time</a>, and a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16836234/john-fox-chicago-bears-fired">rotten stink in the building</a>. With Nagy, Chicago will get a fresh start from a fresh face (and hopefully some Febreze for their offense). Whereas Fox had been a head coach for 12 years before being hired in Chicago at age 59, Nagy, 39, has spent his entire coaching career under Reid. He rose from a position as Philadelphia coaching intern in 2008 to become offensive quality control coach by 2011, and then followed Reid to the Chiefs in 2013 to become their quarterbacks coach. This year Nagy was promoted to offensive coordinator, and, in early December, he took over play-calling duties from Reid and promptly rejuvenated the Chiefs’ slumping offense.</p>
<p id="6Oyd9S">The Bears offense won’t need to be rejuvenated as much as dredged and sanitized like movie characters that were exposed to an alien virus. Chicago finished 30th in yards per game (287), dead last in passing yards per game (176), and tied for last in passing touchdowns (13) as Fox tried to stuff the Bears offense into a time machine and set the sport back 50 years. Now Nagy has to clean up the mess, and his primary responsibility on offense will be developing quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who the Bears traded up to draft with the second overall pick last year. Under Nagy and Reid, the Chiefs finished fifth in yards (375.4 per game) and second in yards per play (6.1) after establishing one of the most dynamic attacks in the league that focused on bringing college concepts to the NFL. That’s welcome news for Trubisky, whose mobility and sharp accuracy on rollouts should give him the skills to thrive in that kind of offense.</p>
<p id="YeQmAm">It will be intriguing to see how many West Coast–spread hybrid concepts Nagy brings from his time under Reid, and while he won’t have the luxury of game-breaking pass catchers like Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill, Bears running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen provide excellent running and catching options out of the backfield. Take this speed option the Chiefs ran against Miami in Week 16.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Andy Reid and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> bring the college game to the NFL better than anyone else! Always creative.<br><br>Here we have Speed Option off Jet action, with both Defensive Ends unblocked. <br><br>Alex Smith pitches to <a href="https://twitter.com/Kareemhunt7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kareemhunt7</a> for a 24 yd gain.<a href="https://twitter.com/ArrowheadPride?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArrowheadPride</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/chiefskingdom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#chiefskingdom</a> <a href="https://t.co/4Jq5JK8Vfk">pic.twitter.com/4Jq5JK8Vfk</a></p>— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLMatchup/status/946128132469395457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a>
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<p id="O0Wkfa">It’s not hard to imagine the Bears running that play with Trubisky and either Howard or Cohen.</p>
<p id="3OEveM">With Nagy on board, the immediate concern will be the Bears defense. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is considered a valuable asset to the team and was also interviewed for the head-coaching role. The front office wants to retain him as coordinator, though his contract expires Tuesday and he could leave for a head-coaching gig elsewhere.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="7jchQq">Even if Fangio departs, an open-minded and creative offensive mind taking over a team with a young quarterback and an offense that needs to be overhauled is a promising start, especially considering his predecessor might have been the most stubborn and uncreative coach in the league. Nagy has a lot of work to do, but just the fact that he isn’t Fox will have Bears fans thrilled.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/8/16863900/chicago-bears-hire-matt-nagyDanny Heifetz2018-01-01T13:53:55-05:002018-01-01T13:53:55-05:00Bruce Arians Is Retiring, and Football Is a Little Less Fun Now
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<p>After five years of varying success with the Cardinals, the coach is stepping away</p> <p id="ULGFhE">Head coach Bruce Arians announced Monday morning that he will retire from professional football after more than four decades of coaching.</p>
<p id="8rqGL4">Arians, 65, has endured a number of medical issues in recent years, including surgery in February to address kidney cancer and a hospitalization before the 2016 season.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The coach with the most wins in our history is officially retiring.<br><br>Thank you for everything. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThanksBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThanksBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/kIDuafOrAC">pic.twitter.com/kIDuafOrAC</a></p>— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/947894270135975936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a>
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<p id="TeB6VS">Arians finishes 49-30-1 as an NFL head coach, a record that does not include his time in 2012 as Indianapolis’ interim coach while Chuck Pagano underwent cancer treatment. Arians led the Colts to a 9-3 record and a playoff berth that season and was named Coach of the Year. The following season, he was named head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, whom he quickly turned into one of the most dangerous teams in the league with an <a href="https://www.si.com/mmqb/2015/11/17/nfl-carson-palmer-arizona-cardinals-inside-game-plan">aggressive, vertical passing attack</a>. In 2015, the Cardinals led the league in yards behind a rejuvenated, 36-year-old Carson Palmer, who was a top-four quarterback in passing yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and passer rating. Arizona earned a first-round bye that year and won the NFC West. </p>
<p id="opsNW3">That was the highest that the Cardinals would fly. Arizona was blown out in the NFC championship game that season and the team hasn’t been above .500 since. In 2016, Palmer regressed to his previous level of play, three offensive linemen missed significant time, and the team suffered from “complacency,” according to Arians, as Arizona went 7-8-1. The 2017 season started disastrously. Running back David Johnson went down with a season-ending wrist injury in Week 1. Palmer followed him to the IR in Week 7. Without Palmer and Johnson, Arizona’s once-mighty offense was 22nd in total yards this season. And, for the second consecutive year, the Cardinals missed the playoffs.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="RcESRC">Even with the team’s struggles the past two seasons, the Cardinals <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/947444682375811072">reportedly</a> tried to convince Arians to stay on as head coach. With Arians now retired, the Cardinals will need to find a coach who can compete with the current Arizona roster, while also developing a replacement for Palmer if the Cardinals acquire a young quarterback in the offseason. Whoever the Cardinals hire, they almost certainly won’t be as <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/7/13/16078328/arizona-cardinals-bruce-arians-quarterback-whisperer-drinking-paint-4dd9130859">colorful as Arians</a>.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16836592/bruce-arians-arizona-cardinals-steps-asideDanny Heifetz2018-01-01T09:05:30-05:002018-01-01T09:05:30-05:00Chicago’s John Fox Experiment Is Over
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<p>After three seasons at the helm of the Bears, the coach who led the NFL’s least-watchable offense has been fired</p> <p id="S167Uj">True story: Sushi was served at the Bears’ facility the week before Thanksgiving, and no one properly disposed of the leftovers before the holiday weekend. So after being embarassed by the Eagles 31-3 the following Sunday, and then waiting four hours at the airport because of an issue with their plane, the Bears returned to the team facility––and the stench of rotten fish. It was described as having a “<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/whats-that-smell-bears-offense-play-calling-qb-accuracy-sunday/">vile, eye-watering potency</a>.” It was not the first time John Fox’s Bears have produced a decaying mess that made people cry. </p>
<p id="CKQ1mB">Fox, who <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/947826832782643200">was fired on Monday</a>, leaves Chicago after three seasons having accrued 14 wins, 34 losses, and countless poor coaching decisions.</p>
<p id="i9xFyS">Fox was hired in 2015 after four seasons as the head coach of the Broncos. His tenure included Peyton Manning’s 55-touchdown season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to Seattle. Yet Fox, who also brought the Panthers to a Super Bowl loss in 2003, failed to translate his playoff pedigree to the Windy City. The Bears finished in last place in the NFC North every year of Fox’s tenure. Fox leaves with a win percentage 11.4 points worse than the man he replaced, Marc Trestman, who is currently the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fire(John)Fox <a href="https://t.co/uukAlTPHBb">pic.twitter.com/uukAlTPHBb</a></p>— NFL MEMES (@NFLMemes4You) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLMemes4You/status/934880794400583680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a>
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<p id="3qEKhY">Fox, though, drew the ire of Bears fans not just for leading Chicago to losses, but for the team’s manner of losing. He made <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/12/16640392/john-fox-challenge-bears-touchback">the worst challenge of all time</a> against archrival Green Bay in Week 10, when Fox ended a Chicago possession at the Green Bay 2-yard line in a game the Bears lost by seven points. His <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/10/22/16517150/bears-offense-mitchell-trubisky-seven-completions">aversion to passing</a> is rivaled only by <a href="https://twitter.com/spidr2ybanana/status/945363844398018560">Gandalf</a>’s. At a time when the Bears should have been prioritizing the development of rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago stuck with an unimaginative and conservative offense that produced the fewest passes in the league and tied for the fewest red zone attempts.</p>
<p id="YLYqhF">Some of the blame for the Bears’ season falls on general manager Ryan Pace, who inexplicably <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/sites/sbs.com.au.comedy/files/styles/full/public/joker.gif">signed now-backup quarterback Mike Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract with $18 million guaranteed</a> but let star receiver Alshon Jeffery leave to sign with the Eagles on a one-year, $9.5 million deal. Glennon was benched after four games, and Jeffery’s production in Philly proves that he might be more valuable than the whole current Chicago wide receiving corps combined––Jeffery had nine receiving touchdowns this season, while the Bears receivers combined for four.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="2XjLq7">The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/944907769492197376">reported</a> on Christmas Eve that the Bears were doing homework on potential coaching candidates, and Pace may not have the job security to get this choice wrong. One candidate that is reportedly interested in the job is Jeff Fisher, who played for the Bears in the ’80s and who coached the talented and now-competitive Rams to repeated mediocrity. While <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/12/22/16808838/do-not-hire-jeff-fisher-cleveland-browns-chicago-bears-indianapolis-colts"><em>The Ringer</em>’s Kevin Clark passionately argued against Fisher getting another head-coaching job</a>, Fisher seems like the perfect candidate for an organization that doesn’t know how to clean up its own mess.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16836234/john-fox-chicago-bears-firedDanny Heifetz2018-01-01T08:43:09-05:002018-01-01T08:43:09-05:00The Browns Are Retaining the Least Successful Coach in NFL History
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<p>No one has ever gone 1-31 before, yet Hue Jackson is getting a third chance with the league’s most moribund franchise</p> <p id="D9tgsh">Last season, head coach Hue Jackson had the worst campaign in Browns history when his team went 1-15. After Sunday’s loss pushed them to 0-16, that’s now only the second-worst season in Cleveland franchise history—and Jackson is getting a third chance to continue his record-setting leadership of the team. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who just met with local news media outside locker room, reaffirmed Hue Jackson will be coach in 2018.</p>— Patrick Maks (@maksimuspatrick) <a href="https://twitter.com/maksimuspatrick/status/947584013027414016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2017</a>
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<p id="vXIRmz">The Browns are the first team to finish with an 0-16 record since the Lions accomplished the feat in 2008, and the fourth team to finish a season winless since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. The year caps off a 1-31 run for Jackson, the worst such stretch for a team in league history. Even for the Browns, this is a whole new era of futility.</p>
<p id="HteN7c">Cleveland hasn’t just played bad football during this stretch—the Browns have played ugly football. The squad entered Week 17 as the 32nd-ranked team in DVOA, and will likely finish the year at the bottom after a 28-24 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. Cleveland ranked 31st in the metric last season, just beating out the Colts. The Browns rank last in point differential (negative-176), points scored (234), turnovers (41), completion percentage (54.4), passer rating (61.4) and adjusted net yards per passing attempt (an astonishingly bad 3.6). Many of these same statistics were at or near league-worst levels last season, and Jackson failed turn his team around. But as they say: the third time’s the charm.</p>
<p id="05pmO1">The organization has upended parts of its operation already. In December, franchise owner Jimmy Haslam fired general manager Sashi Brown and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/12/7/16750036/cleveland-browns-hire-john-dorsey">hired former Chiefs GM John Dorsey</a> in his place to overhaul the roster. After his hiring, Dorsey said that the organization “<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/12/browns_john_dorsey_the_guys_th.html">didn’t get real players</a>”—pointing out the lack of talent across the Browns’ roster. But though the general manager is new, the team opted for some continuity by retaining both Jackson and senior personnel executive Ryan Grigson, who was hired in March, and in October Jackson stated that he liked his soon-to-be-winless roster “<a href="https://twitter.com/RuiterWrongFAN/status/925078675132952581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscout.com%2Fnfl%2Fbrowns%2FBoard%2F105323%2FContents%2FVarious-Tweets-from-Hues-conference-call-1030-109714194">a lot</a>.” </p>
<p id="VEWsy4">The Dorsey hiring was presumably a reaction to the organization’s high-profile draft misses in recent years. Sashi Brown’s philosophy of trading down in the draft led to Cleveland acquiring a treasure chest of assets, but he also passed on Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson, instead taking DeShone Kizer in the second round of last year’s draft. Kizer’s season wasn’t promising—the rookie threw just 11 touchdown passes compared to a league-high 22 interceptions. When he was hired in 2016, Jackson was billed as a “<a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/browns-hue-jackson-quarterback-battle-robert-griffin-iii-rg3-draft-pick/15vanwajlo8eu1rn0dfevz9nd0">quarterback guru</a>,” yet he benched Kizer for Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler five times this year and publicly questioned whether his young quarterback would ever “<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/12/hue_jackson_questions_if_desho.html">get it</a>.” Luckily, Jackson will be able to continue his wildly successful mentorship of Kizer next season.</p>
<p id="OGF3tr">Though Jackson’s second season at the helm didn’t deliver what many fans hoped, the coach did make good on one promise. After going 1-15 in his first season, Jackson vowed that fans wouldn’t see that record again.</p>
<p id="FKiTyE">“I’m not going 1-15,” Jackson <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/browns-coach-hue-jackson-guarantees-team-miserable-season/story?id=44517734">said in January 2017</a>. “No. I’ll be swimming in that lake over there somewhere. That’s not happening.” Though he did keep his promise not to go 1-15, Jackson is <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21893225/cleveland-browns-coach-hue-jackson-says-make-good-vow-jump-lake-erie">still planning to jump into Lake Erie</a>.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Qn0xZk">As of press time, Jackson hasn’t confirmed what body of water he’ll jump into if his Browns go 0-16 again next year. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16837862/browns-retain-hue-jacksonRiley McAtee2018-01-01T08:23:03-05:002018-01-01T08:23:03-05:00Jim Caldwell Made the Lions Competent, but He Couldn’t Make Them Contenders
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<p>In his four years leading Detroit, the coach brought consistency to a franchise that traditionally has lacked stability, but his inability to take the team to the next level cost him his job</p> <p id="pwCGiF">Jim Caldwell, the expressionless, eternally unblinking head coach who has been Detroit’s unofficial “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster since 2014, has been fired just one day after he led the Lions to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in two decades. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Lions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lions</a> fire head coach Jim Caldwell: <a href="https://t.co/Wr7BAj0o9H">https://t.co/Wr7BAj0o9H</a> <a href="https://t.co/d5Fy6KA3f1">pic.twitter.com/d5Fy6KA3f1</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/947812101384437760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a>
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<p id="UYuk4l">The Lions signed Caldwell to a contract extension in 2017, but that deal only guaranteed him through the 2018 season, so the franchise will only need to buy out a single year of the coach’s pay. He finishes 36-28 in the regular season and 0-2 in the playoffs during his four years with the team. </p>
<p id="pF6jvd">Caldwell was hired in Detroit after one of the most mercurial rides imaginable in Indianapolis. The coach lost a Super Bowl to the Saints in 2009 during his first season with the Colts and was fired two seasons later, after going 2-14 without quarterback Peyton Manning. In Detroit, Caldwell brought something Lions fans hadn’t seen in decades: consistency. The Lions made the playoffs twice in four years after making one appearance in the previous 14. Detroit finished with 11, seven, nine, and nine wins under Caldwell, marking the first time the franchise had four consecutive seasons with seven or more wins since the Nixon administration. </p>
<p id="aP4bHH">Yet Caldwell failed to deliver Detroit’s first division title since 1993. In 2014 and 2016, Caldwell’s Lions lost to Green Bay in Week 17 matchups that served as de facto division title games. The Cardiac Cats were perhaps the most clutch team in the league during Caldwell’s tenure, but his offense <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/28/16709334/lions-running-backs-four-year-drought">failed spectacularly</a> in its attempts to establish a running game, and the defense that was third in the league by DVOA in Caldwell’s first season finished dead last in 2016. He also may have cursed the team, based on how many <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeoiO-2bZzg">horrible calls have gone against Detroit</a> since he took over.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="zXqKqf">New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has been floated as a possible replacement for Caldwell, but whoever Detroit hires will need to build upon the <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2017/12/30/detroit-lions-jim-caldwell-green-back-packers/991837001/">respect he earned in the locker room</a> while fielding a balanced team that plays with more discipline. Lions fans should hope that the team can retain offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who has diversified Detroit’s passing attack and will be up for head-coaching gigs around the league. Caldwell made the Lions competent, but Detroit is still waiting for someone to make them great.</p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/1/16836380/jim-caldwell-detroit-lions-firedDanny Heifetz2017-12-31T21:03:17-05:002017-12-31T21:03:17-05:00Jack Del Rio Is Out in Oakland—and the Jon Gruden Rumor Mill Is Swirling
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<p><strong> </strong>The Raiders were supposed to contend for the Super Bowl. Instead, they missed the playoffs, leaving Del Rio out of a job and Gruden back in the headlines.</p> <aside id="OP48g0"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About the NFL Coaching Carousel","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/12/31/16836920/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-nfl-coaching-carousel"}]}'></div></aside><p id="ZAOfD0">Eleven months ago, Jack Del Rio received a four-year contract extension after leading the Raiders to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. On Sunday, Del Rio informed reporters at his postgame press conference that owner Mark Davis had fired him after Oakland’s 30-10 loss to the Chargers.</p>
<p id="IbxtIr">Before Del Rio managed it in 2016, the last time the Raiders won 12 games in a season was in 2000, when they were coached by Jon Gruden. Now, reports indicate that the Raiders want Gruden to be the man replacing Del Rio. Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21921030/oakland-raiders-preparing-pursue-jon-gruden-possibly-offer-ownership-stake">reported</a> before Sunday’s game that Del Rio’s job could be in jeopardy if he could be replaced with Gruden, whom the Raiders traded to the Buccaneers in 2002 for a haul of draft picks plus cash. The two teams met in the Super Bowl the following season, and Gruden’s Bucs prevailed. Flash-forward 15 years, and, according to Schefter and Mortensen’s report, Davis may be willing to give Gruden an ownership stake in the team to entice him out of the broadcast booth and back to Oakland—and soon, Las Vegas, where the Raiders will begin playing in 2019 or 2020, depending on construction. After Del Rio was fired, Gruden’s name immediately dominated the headlines.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">And if anyone had any doubts about Jon Gruden coming back....</p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/947630387320287232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a>
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<p id="gz5DDG">Del Rio’s 25-23 tenure in three seasons in Oakland marked a considerable improvement from the 11-37 mark the team posted in the three seasons before his hire. But in 2016, Del Rio’s Raiders unexpectedly became Super Bowl contenders, if not favorites, before quarterback Derek Carr broke his leg on Christmas Eve. Ultimately, the Raiders were knocked out of the playoffs with third-string quarterback Connor Cook under center. This year, with Carr healthy and the expectations as high as they were last season before his injury, the Raiders fell short and finished 6-10. Carr regressed after signing a five-year, $125 million contract in the offseason, but he also suffered a transverse process fracture in his back in Week 4, though he only missed one game. Third-year receiver Amari Cooper also fell well shy of lofty expectations, and the defense remained within the bottom third of the league by DVOA. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="ZUKbRe">Still, not many coaches get fired a year removed from going 12-4, in a season in which the star quarterback plays through a fracture in his back. Gruden has been the holy grail of coaching candidates since he left the Bucs, and landing him would be the rare combination of flashy and savvy that could justify firing Del Rio. Davis, who <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/19143486/the-story-how-owner-mark-davis-moved-raiders-las-vegas">beat the odds</a> in getting his team relocated to Las Vegas, may have another trick up his sleeve to lure the hottest coaching commodity in football back to the Raiders a decade and a half after his father jettisoned him away.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/12/31/16837108/oakland-raiders-fire-jack-del-rio-jon-gruden-rumors-swirlingDanny Heifetz