Firing Squad

I'm always amazed by the number of NFL coaches that are fired each year. I think that the annual average is right around seven. With that number in mind there should be a fairly complete coaching turnover of all the teams in the league every four to five years. There isn't so a few of the teams are doing a lot of the firings. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has now fired two coaches. He bought the team in October of 2012. After firing his most recent coach, a local reporter asked Haslam about the appearances that the Browns front office was run by the "Three Stooges." Excellent. Six coaches have been fired this season. Four of those were fired yesterday, a day often called "Black Monday." Here's what we have so far:

Houston Texans fired Gary Kubiak during the season.
Cleveland Browns fired Rob Chudzinski before Sunday was complete.
Minnesota Vikings fired Leslie Frazier.
Washington Redskins fired Mike Shanahan.
Detroit Lions fired Jim Schwartz.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Rob Chudzinski.

The Houston Texans have been on the verge of great things for a couple of years now. The fact that they couldn't seem to break through probably hurt Gary Kubiak more than the disaster that this season became. Like the Kansas City Chiefs last year, the Texans this year were a very talented team that simply couldn't get out of their own way. Kubiak had been the Texans coach for eight seasons.

Despite being the most accomplished coach on the list, Mike Shanahan has now been fired three times. Shanahan and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was probably a poor pairing from the start. It was actually a surprise that the relationship lasted four seasons. Snyder might be a poor pairing with any coach. The Redskins were a mess this year. It's no surprise that Shanahan ended up paying for that mess but he's probably much more relaxed because of the firing.

The Cleveland Browns fired Rob Chudzinski after only one season. That seems a bit severe. They ended with only four wins. Considering the incredible string of injuries to any quarterback that they put on the field, getting to four wins was quite remarkable. Something must have gone on that couldn't be viewed on a football field. The quick trigger of the Browns owner can't be appealing to potential coaches.

After watching the Detroit Lions play the Minnesota Vikings yesterday, I'm not surprised at all that Jim Schwartz was fired. That team had tapped out. The Lions had the NFC North title handed to them about a month ago. They were in complete control of the division. Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler were injured. The Lions collapse in the final weeks was total. They have also been one of the most undisciplined teams in the league for all five years that Schwartz has been on the Lions sideline.

I was surprised that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Greg Schiano after only two seasons. His job security was clearly shaky early in the season but I thought that the Buccaneers had turned their season around enough that Schiano's job was safe. They were a tough team to beat every week. That was the case until their sad performance Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Maybe that game cost Schiano his job.

The Minnesota Vikings firing of Leslie Frazier was rough. He might be the most kind man in football. The players and everyone in the organization loved him. The decision to fire him must have been tremendously difficult for the Wilf family and general manager Rick Spielman. From a personal standpoint, I hate the decision to fire Frazier. From a football standpoint, which is the only one that matters, it was probably the right thing to do. I don't think that three years is enough time for any coach. That's all that Frazier was given. You just can't overlook 3-13 and 4-10-1 seasons in two of those three seasons. Frazier's downfall really came from the great lack of anything close to decent play at quarterback. That isn't really on him as he can only coach the players that he's given but he certainly paid for it. The future of the Vikings is now on Spielman. His job is now riding on the decisions that he makes in the coming months.

A Detroit Lions representative said yesterday that his team provides the most attractive head coaching opportunity. He's wrong. I think that the most attractive opportunity is with the Houston Texans. That team is a move or two from being a Super Bowl contender. The Lions opportunity might be slightly more attractive than that in Cleveland but that's it. One thing that the coaching vacancies in Tampa and Minnesota have in common is quarterback Josh Freeman. Is he a coach-killer? Who knows? What is known is that the weeks leading up to Freeman's departure from the Buccaneers was circus. His arrival in Minnesota moved that circus north.