Firings/Hirings, Discuss here

- Vikings fire Head Coach Mike Tice
- Texans fire Head Coach Dom Capers
- Packers fire Head Coach Mike Sherman
- Rams fire Head Coach Mike Martz
- Lions fired Head Coach Steve Mariucci
- Chiefs Head Coach Dick Vermeil retires
- Saints fire Head Coach Jim Haslett
- Raiders fire Head Coach Norv Turner

So at the very least we will have 6 new coaches.

By my count, in the end, we could have as many as 7 more firings/retirings/resignings.

We might as well add...

"Al Davis assassinates Norv Turner with a crossbow" to the list. Technically it would be a firing.

Jim Hasslett has been fired by the Saints

Who else could get canned?

-group one(more than likely)
Jauron
Vitt
Turner

-group two(less than likely) (<--that shows my extensive vocab)
Mularkey?
Herm?

I love the fact that 3 of the job openings are in the NFC North.

Here were the 7 I was talking about(Including Haslett):

Mike Mularkey - Buffalo
Herman Edwards - New York Jets
Brian Billick - Baltimore
Jeff Fisher - Tennessee
Norv Turner - Oakland
Bill Parcells - Dallas(Retire)
Jim Haslett - New Orleans

Now, I think we can cross off Edwards & Fisher automatically. Since the Ravens owner has said that Billick is back, I'll cross him off. And personally, I don't see Parcells retiring. Therefore, I think these 2 coaches will also be fired:

Mike Mularkey - Buffalo
Norv Turner - Oakland

I don't think Mularky will be fired. He's only been there 2 years, right?

Yeah, but still, he hasn't exactly done a very good job.

Last year was understandable, but this was the year they were supposed to make some noise and actually be a .500 team.

Their WR Corps is underrated and pretty good, and McGahee is great. They did lose Spikes on defense, but still, they should have been better. Their O-Line is dreadful, which could be the problem....but wasn't Mularkey the O-Line coach at Pittsburgh before he came to Buffalo?(Or am I mistaken?).

I just think there were higher expectations out of him.

I think his name is being thrown out there because it looks like there is going to be a new GM there & the owner has vowed that there will be changes because they failed to meet expectations again.

Here's a link

Well... he was the o-coordinator there.

Losman wasnt ready, and Williams might not have really been that bad after all.

Jim Haslett - You know, one of the things I like about the NFL is that either you get it done, or you're gone (whether you're a coach or a player). But after Hurricane Katrina and all the problems associated with coaching a team that's been displaced by it, I should think they could have cut Haslett a little slack and given him at least another season. How many coaches could have done much better under the circumstances?

Mike Martz - Now this firing just reeks of class. The guy was sick enough to die and missed at least half the season, and they fire him. Oh wait, he only took them to the playoffs four times, and just once to the Super Bowl. Yep, gotta give him the boot.

I know he had his disagreements with Rams ownership, but this is just kicking him while he's down, IMO.

What team actually fired 2 head coaches in one year? Detroit holds that card over anybody...Truly a laughing stock franchise... Off course it hasent been made public yet but Juaron is going to be let go as is most of the coaching staff..

I think Losman just stinks to be honest.

Just a horrible, horrible pick. I would've taken him off my draft board completely.

Maybe a new thread subtitle s/b Coaching Carousel Tuesday follows BLack Monday....

According to NFL TOtal Access yersterday:

-- Norv Turner had already cleaned his office out last weekend after their Saturday loss. Schaecter said Al DAvis is old buddies with Jim Fassel who's in Baltimore, so pencil him in for the next Raiders temporary coach (no contract longer than 2 yrs ).

-- Gary Kubiak ---> Texans as HC is practically a done deal. He was a finalist for the job before Capers got it, but Capers edged him out b/c he had led an expansion franchise (Carolina) before, all the way to the NFC Championship game. McNair asked Denver for persmission to negotiate with Kubiak before he even made his long-winded speech about the "high standards set for them," etc. -- he probably had that speech waiting in his desk drawer after they renamed their stadium for Reliant Energy after they took the Enron logos down

-- THe Sheep were on the phone to the Bears for permission to talk with Ron Rivera before officially announcing MArtz' firing. ApparentlyVittt & a whole lot of assts. will go away in St. Louis too. RIvera has a long association with the BEars, & was a starter on the '85 championship team, & may not want to work for the Sheep, whose front office was described as being in "total disarray" by the ESPN SUnday NIght game announcers. NFL NEtwork went on to say that the Sheep have such overwhelming defensive problems -- duhh!! -- that they would be looking at defensive coordinators exclusively for the vacant HC job.

-- Skins DC Gregg Williams, a former Buffalo HC, & NE Pats Asst. Brad Childress' names were mentioned for the Green Bay, New Orleans, &/or Detroit openings. Fresno St. HC Pat Hill, Iowa's Ferentz & Bob Stoops were also mentioned, but NFL Network opined that these college coaches will probably wait for a better opportunity next yr. rather than take over a doomed 4-12 team. Ferentz has already told a reporter that he has "no interest in leaving Iowa" & it has beebn noted that Stoops' asking price of a GM title & 3.5 M/yr. makes Stoops too steep :-)

When they announce Turner's firing, probably today, that would be 8 HCs out in a season -- somebody chk the rcd. books -- isn't that a single season record for HCs canned?

Detroit set to interview Al Saunders. They were given the go ahead from Kansas City today. Just reported on WDFN radio here in Detroit. This is unsuspected but kinda a nice choice.If he were to come here and bring along Mike Solari or Irv Eatman as Oline coach it would be a step in the right direction..I also wouldnt mind Charlie Joiner comming along as well. Kansas City has gotten good production from average recievers for a while now,and we all know Detroit needs a good WR coach as well.

I think Greg Williams, Brad Childress and Monte Kiffen would be good candidates somewhere else.

I think I would take a chance on Mariucci and Capers in another city. I like their styles and I think both of them got stuck with teams that were narrow minded. Millen refused to address the QB position and believed yound offensive talent was more important than leadership and it sunk Mooch. I think Casserly (sp?) ignored his O-Line for way too long and screwed Carr and Capers. I do agree it was time for Capers to go in Texas. An expansion team that keeps a coach for 5 years and ends up 2-14 needs to break loose.

I am sad Tice is gone, yet I wouldn't hire him as a head coach elsewhere (no disapline). I was sick of of Sherman and his swiss cheeze defence. He could be a HC again in a few years but I am glad GB made the move.


I also thin it was unfair that Haslett and Martz got canned but I agree with the moves. When you consider the way the franchises were heading, it was in their best interests.

How bout that Phil Savage? I'll take him if the Browns don't want him. I think their personel improved major leaps last year and with a good offseason (and some decisiveness at QB) they could be in the post season.

We all knew it would happen, but now it's official.

Raiders fire Turner

Well, 7 canned & 1 retirement.

I guess you could say that for Vermeil's career, he went on the high end of it only on his 2nd (of 3) retirements, winning the SB for the Rams.

Jeff: what does the Pack pay its HC? It used to be the lowest HC salary in the league. I wonder if salary was a factor in GB for Williams to say "Not interested" to anybody.

Well, 7 canned & 1 retirement.

I guess you could say that for Vermeil's career, he went on the high end of it only on his 2nd (of 3) retirements, winning the SB for the Rams.

Jeff: what does the Pack pay its HC? It used to be the lowest HC salary in the league. I wonder if salary was a factor in GB for Williams to say "Not interested" to anybody.

I don't think spending is a factor here when it comes to coaching.

...that's typically what happens with INTERIM head coaches... You actually think he would've stayed anyway? Or deserved to?

Al Saunders had is interview today with Carl Peterson for the Chiefs job. The more i think about it, if making Saunders head coach is what the Chiefs have to do to keep him in town, i say make him head coach. Alot of the older players would want to stay longer if Saunders is there.


my bad, someone was asking me something about Gunther when i was typing that up, and put Gunther in there instead of Saunders. But for some reason Carl Peterson has never liked Al Saunders.

This post has been edited by bgeorges on Jan 4 2006, 09:32 AM

Detroit is waisting no time they talked briefly with Mike Singletary and have set up an interview. They are quickly running through the NFL hiring process. Unlike last time when Mooch was hired the Lions are actually giving proper interview's. So far the short list of candidates are..

Al Saunders
Mike Singletary 2 very good picks so far.

That's b/c the Lions had a 5-w'k head start in their HC search.

NFL Netwrok says Haslett will go somewhere soon -- he is respected around the league, just not in New Orleans. The consensus view is that he was the martyr who paid for the Saints miserable season with his job, so he will be the 1st coach hired somewhere. He's a defensive guy, so maybe in St. Louis .....

link

Bills' front office decisions expected Wednesday

Former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy, 80, will return to the team to oversee the football operation, and president and general manager Tom Donahoe will be fired Wednesday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports.

On Tuesday, team owner Ralph Wilson held a postseason meeting with coach Mike Mularkey, whose status remains uncertain.

Frustrated by the Bills' 5-11 finish and failure to reach the playoffs for the sixth straight season, Wilson promised to make changes to his management structure, but only after he met with his coach. The meeting took place at Wilson's office in Detroit.

Wilson, age 87, informed Mularkey that he would take a more active role in the organization, including evaluating assistant coaches and personnel, Mortensen reported.

Donahoe, spotted at the team's headquarters Tuesday afternoon, did not take part in the meeting.

Levy did not return several messages left by The Associated Press. He led the Bills to four consecutive AFC titles in the early 1990s before retiring after the 1997 season. He's currently an NFL broadcaster in his native Chicago but remains close to Wilson.

Mularkey likely will have to agree to shake up his staff after his offense and defense finished among the NFL's worst this season. He is scheduled to address his staff on Wednesday.

Last month, Levy told the AP he was a big supporter of Mularkey.

Donahoe failed to build a playoff team in five years at the helm. Buffalo has a 31-49 record -- tied with Cleveland for the third-fewest victories -- during that span. Except for Houston, which joined the NFL in 2002, the Bills are the only AFC team to not make the playoffs since 2001.

The Bills haven't qualified for the postseason since 1999, the six-year drought matching the team's longest since the NFL merger.

Donahoe also has been faulted for hiring coach Gregg Williams, who was dismissed following the 2003 season after going 17-31 in three years.

The Bills produced in their first season under Mularkey, rallying from a 1-5 start to finish 9-7, but missed a shot at a playoff berth with a season-ending collapse despite playing against Pittsburgh's reserves.

The Bills struggled this season, slowed by injuries and a sputtering offense under first-year starter J.P. Losman, who was eventually benched in favor of journeyman backup Kelly Holcomb.

Donahoe is the only Bills executive to hold the post of president in the franchise's 46-year history.

Assistant general manager Tom Modrak will remain with team and oversee the personnel department, but will keep his principal residence in Jacksonville, Fla., Mortensen reported.

Modrak, who has spent 29 years in the NFL mostly in scouting and personnel capacities, is in his fifth year with Buffalo. He joined the Bills after spending three seasons as Philadelphia's director of football operations.

Russ Brandon, the team's vice president of business development and marketing, would be considered a candidate to oversee the franchise's business operations.

Brandon has been credited for marketing the Bills into a regional franchise with his decision to shift the team's training camp to Rochester in 2000 and reaching sponsorship deals with many of the city's major corporations.