Four NFL head coaches who should see early Black Mondays
Generally speaking, the Monday after the end of the regular season is when head coaches get fired, hence the “Black Monday” name. Teams would generally prefer to avoid firing their head coaches in-season, no matter how bad things are, because whatever continuity in the building leaves with that move. Of course, you could argue that dysfunctional continuity is less than optimal.
Two teams have lost their head coaches in-season in 2021. There was Jon Gruden’s resignation from the Raiders in October after it was revealed that in his former capacity as an ESPN analysts, Gruden sent e-mails of a repugnant nature on several subjects.
And there was the Jaguars’ decision to fire Urban Meyer last week — a decision that was long overdue, and a decision made by team owner Shad Khan as he was flying back from the owners meetings at which a new rule was endorsed.
This rule allows teams to ask permission from other teams to interview potential replacement head coaches during the last two weeks of the season. It’s a one-year rule at this point, and there’s an interesting poison pill: Only teams who have fired or otherwise lost their coaches in-season are allowed to “pre-interview,” or at least request permission to interview. So, at this point, only the Raiders Jaguars are eligible to get first shot at the guys they may want.
When it comes to replacing your head coach at this point, time is of the essence. If you know you’re going to do it, sooner is the time.
With that in mind, here are four head coaches who could (and should) see early Black Mondays under the new rule.
Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
(Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)
This is only a matter of time — nobody doubts that the Bears need to move on from Nagy after four seasons. Nagy has mishandled the team’s quarterback situation, the offense is a joke when he’s calling the plays, and it’s become impossible to take him seriously as the leader of a team.
Here’s where things get interesting: The Bears have been part of the NFL since 1920, when it was the American Professional Football Association, and the Bears were the Decatur Staleys. As one of the league’s founding clubs, the Bears have never fired a head coach in-season. Of course, it helps when George Halas is your head coach for 40 of those seasons — as the guy in charge, Halas isn’t going to fire himself in-season. But now would be the time for the Bears to set precedent, and get ahead of the game on Nagy’s replacement.
David Culley, Houston Texans
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
This isn’t Culley’s fault; let’s make that clear. Years of bad coaching and roster mismanagement under Bill O’Brien, and Deshaun Watson’s ongoing legal situation, has basically turned the Texans into a farm team. Colley was ostensibly hired to provide a calm presence through what has been a rough season, and in that regard, he’s done a fine job. But if the Texans are to get off the mat anytime soon, they’ll need a more dynamic presence to team with general manager Nick Caserio to put things back in the right place — hopefully without interference from the more negative presences still in the building.
Joe Judge, New York Giants
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Recent rumors have the Mara family firing general manager Dave Gettleman after the season and finding someone who works well with Judge. This isn’t a surprise, as the Maras have generally preferred more autocratic coaches, and Judge certainly fits that role. What other role he fits is unclear. The Giants’ offense was an abject disaster before and after Judge made Jason Garrett the fall guy, and for all Judge’s rah-rah stuff, talk of team culture, and alleged leadership stuff, it hasn’t transferred to the field, where Judge holds a 10-20 record since the start of the 2020 season.
Yes, Judge inherited a bad situation, but what has he done to improve it? The Maras should ask that question pointedly, and let Judge go sooner than later if the answer is at all unclear.
Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers
(Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)
Rhule should probably send Urban Meyer a nice floral arrangement — were it not for Meyer’s historically awful mis-steps, we’d be talking a lot more about how Rhule has mangled things with the Panthers, and proven to be in over his head as a longtime college coach with very little NFL experience (Rhule was the Giants’ assistant offensive line coach in 2012).
Like Judge, Rhule was handed a weird quarterback situation, and he made it weirder. Like Judge, he blamed his offensive coordinator (Joe Brady) for the offense’s issues, fired that offensive coordinator, and saw no improvement after that move. And like Judge, he has a 10-20 record after nearly two seasons at the head of things.
Rhule’s commitment to a two-quarterback system with Cam Newton and P.J. Walker — a conceit that has never worked well whenever anyone in the NFL has ever tried it — should be the last straw for owner David Tepper, who needs to get rolling on Rhule’s replacement.
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