Coaching Changes

This post will reflect the lighter side of content on this blog since I've been putting some pretty heavy stuff out there lately.

Yesterday eight NFL head coaches lost their jobs.  And six GM's of NFL franchises lost their jobs.  Most were expected, a couple we not as easy to forecast.  Wow, black Monday for sure.  So what do I make of all this?  My mind is rambling so I'll challenge my fingers to keep up:

1.  How many of these coaches knew they were going to get fired.  How many of them knew their product was substandard and that surely they would not be retained?  Lovie Smith surely didn't think a 10-6 season would culminate in his firing did he?  As opposed to Romeo Crennel who surely knew he was going to be looking for another job.

2.  Where is the accountability for wins and losses in the NFL.  Does it solely rest with the GM and Head Coach?  Yes, there were some secondary coaching changes yesterday as well.  But did Matt Cassell get released?  Or Jay Cutler?  How about Tony Romo?  Clearly all three of these QBs had more to do with wins and losses than their respective coaches right?  How come there isn't a black Monday for players?

3.  Succession planning in the NFL sucks.  I didn't hear much about the up-and-comers stepping in to take these NFL vacancies.  Nope.  Instead I heard about a shuffling of the cards and a few collegiate coaches who may want to get into the act.  Sure there's an occasional Offensive Coordinator who steps up but more often than not NFL teams choose to bring in some fresh meat.  Bellicheck (please tell me I spelled his name wrong) and a few other head coaches are the exception, but because I have such disdain for him (to start he's a prick) I'll refrain from wasting any further space on him.

4.  And finally, what can the University of Iowa learn from this?  Yes, I'm going there.  The contrast of mens sport programs couldn't be more pronounced.  I'm so happy for Fran McCaffrey.  I was among the non-believers along with everyone else.  But now I'm one of the believers.  He's changed me and countless other fans into believing in Iowa Mens Basketball again.  But isn't that his job?  Fans, we're fickle.

I'm of the belief every coaching staff has a shelf life.  Some are longer than others but they all have a shelf life and an expiration date.  Every one of them.  Romeo Crennel's shelf life in KC was shorter than a discounted bunch of bananas from Price Chopper.  Sorry, but I'm not sure he ever should have been given the head coaching job.  Hayden Fry (probably my most beloved coach of all time) also stayed past his expiration date.  Bummer.  Kirk Ferentz shouldn't do the same.

I'm hoping we get Lovie Smith in KC, but that has about as much of a chance of happening as Scott Pioli keeping his job through the 2013 season.