Givanni Damico | October 29th, 2019
There’s been a lot of speculation about some coaches who might be in their last year with their respective teams. I’m going to give you my thoughts on these guys, discussing who should stay put and who needs to go.
On The Hot Seat: Adam Gase, New York Jets
While I rarely, if ever, agree with firing a coach just one year into their contract, it’s time for Adam Gase to go. Gase was a fantastic offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2013-2014. His team finished top five in point differential, total yards, and total points each year. When he joined the Bears as their offensive coordinator, his numbers fell to mediocrity as his offense was in the back of the pack. After his poor year with Chicago, he joined the Dolphins as their head coach. He showed promise in his first year when he took his team to the playoffs after going 10-6. In the two years following that, the Dolphins finished below .500 and missed out on the postseason. The Jets scooped him after the Dolphins let him go, hoping that he would bring a winning culture to New Jersey.
That hasn’t happened at all. It’s not all his fault though. He didn’t know that Sam Darnold would come down with Mono and miss out on a good chunk of the first half of the season. But even with Darnold, it’s clear that this team is nowhere near making the postseason. Le’Veon Bell has struggled due to the struggles of the Jets’ offensive line. The defense looked good at the beginning of the season, but now they look average at best. The Jets failed to make any moves at the deadline, other than sending Leonard Williams to their neighboring New Jersey team in exchange for a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder. There were talks about Le’Veon Bell, Jamal Adams, Robbie Anderson, and pretty much anyone else not named Quinnen Williams and Sam Darnold. Gase hasn’t prepared his team to compete and there is no appeal to keeping him in New Jersey. He’s not a revolutionary coach who’s changing the game and the team seems to be regressing. Adam Gase, your time in Jersey is up.
Not On The Hot Seat: Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
I’ve seen a lot of talk saying that the Bengals need to get rid of rookie head coach, Zac Taylor. To be honest, I didn’t understand this hire in the first place. Taylor was the Rams’ quarterbacks coach, so he wasn’t in an incredibly prominent role. I felt like this was a way for the Bengals to try and be innovative by bringing in a younger, rookie coach to change the culture. Taylor’s situation includes a team with no running game, very few offensive weapons, no offensive line, and poor defense. This team wasn’t supposed to be successful, so the fact that they’re not shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Bengals are in a great position where they could go for the number one draft pick and possibly pick up a new franchise quarterback. Personally, I don’t feel like Andy Dalton is the issue, but clearly, Cincinnati does since Ryan Finley is starting this week over the healthy Dalton. The future is looking up for Cincy and Taylor should be at the helm for the next couple of years.
On The Hot Seat: Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons
Dan Quinn is set up for success with his powerful offense, while his defense also has a few big names. Frankly, the defense has been absolutely atrocious. The offense hasn’t exceeded expectations either, but this team’s defense keeps it out of some big games. On paper, this team is a potential Wild Card team, but they’re not living up to it. While the defense is to blame, I also put a lot of blame on Quinn. He hasn’t coached his team to success as they only have recorded one win so far this year. If he’s not gone in the next few weeks, he’ll be gone by the end of the season.
Not On The Hot Seat: Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins
Once again, this team is trying to lose. I love what Brian Flores brings to the table and he seems to have gained the players’ respect. This team is set up very nicely for the future. They have three first-round picks this year as well as two next year. It’s been made quite obvious that they have their eye on Tua Tagovailoa as their quarterback of the future, but they need to pick up some more playmakers with their other picks. When they are on the clock with the Steelers’ pick, they need to look at guys like CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, and possibly Jerry Jeudy if he’s available. The Dolphins’ situation is like when you play Madden and you trade everybody on your team for draft picks and then rebuild from there. Brian Flores needs to be a part of this rebuild.
On The Hot Seat: Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers
We already saw the Chargers get rid of offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Anthony Lynn could very well be next. The Chargers are such a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team. One week, they’ll have a fantastic week and have a statement win, then they’ll lose at home to the Denver Broncos. After a fantastic year last season when they went 12-4, this team seems to have nothing going for them. While I don’t blame Lynn completely, I just think it’s time for a culture change in Los Angeles.
On The Hot Seat: Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland Browns
Man, I just want Freddie out of Cleveland. I did not understand the Browns’ decision to make him the head coach rather than retaining Gregg Williams and that decision looks like it’s not paying off. Baker Mayfield is regressing from his impressive rookie campaign. The team brought in more star power this offseason, but yet they’re doing much worse than last season. I can only blame Kitchens. He seems like he doesn’t fit the culture that the Browns need to be successful.
Safe For Now: Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys
Hey, I’ve seen this one before. We’ve had this conversation the last couple of years, but Garrett always manages to wiggle out of trouble. As long as his team is in first, he won’t be fired. He has the weak NFC East to thank for his current job status, but if he keeps losing the big games, he won’t be in Dallas much longer.
Safe For Now: Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
Nagy had a great first season as the Bears’ head coach, but much like Cleveland, the Bears have shown a ton of regression. Mitchell Trubisky is playing like a perennial backup quarterback with a pretty low ceiling. It took until week eight for Matt Nagy to realize that they needed to utilize their running backs more, yet they still lost to the Los Angeles Chargers. Recency bias will keep Nagy’s job safe for now, but if his struggles continue throughout the season and next year if he’s retained, his days are numbered in Chicago.
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