Head Coaches Who Are Starting To Sweat

Coaches on the hot seat after three weeks:

 

Rex Ryan, obviously. I think that he won't make it to the end of the season. Shocking move firing the OC after 2 weeks, but even more shocking that the move was made by the owner himself... and without consulting Rex. The whole season comes down to their match up with Belichick in a few days. If they get rolled by the Ravens and Jets to start the season, and then can't beat the Pats without Brady... Rex will be gone. 1-3 with a relatively healthy and talented squad will be unacceptable in western NY. However, they were an absolute buzzsaw as they dismantled the Cardinals... a universally accepted elite team in the NFL.  If they follow that up with another stellar performance vs. the Pats they will be 2-2 and looking like a team on the rise. One game can be so impactful. P.S.- Tom Coughlin has been rumored to be talking with the ownership in Buffalo.

Jay Gruden, unquestionably. He has certainly stumbled and struggled from day one as the big cheese in Washington. They won their division last year, but it was a historically bad division. What it boils down to in this situation is the team has performed well below their perceived talent level. It's that simple. If they don't squeak out that win last week in East Rutherford Gruden would have already been fired IMHO.

Gus Bradley, finally. My gosh, this team has drafted SO WELL over the past 4 years. Tons of young talent, a legitimate franchise QB, a solid coaching staff serving under Bradley... and it's Groundhog Day all over again in Jacksonville. Losing close games, and not making key plays when they are needed. It goes back to the culture that is created by the HC. Bradley is a loser. Get a guy like Mike Zimmer or Jack Del Rio in there who can help this squad grow a set of balls and this roster is deep in the playoffs. Stick with Bradley and you'll be drafting in the top 10 every year.

Sean Payton, surprisingly. I think he is a brilliant coach, and if he gets clipped this year he would be a PERFECT fit for the aforementioned Jaguars. The Saints are facing two main problems that have caused their struggles over the last few years and their current 0-3 start. One is horrendous drafting/ free agent signings/ trades. Yup I'm grouping all of that stuff into one category... 'roster moves'. Trading Jimmy Grahm was dumb. He and Brees had rare chemistry, breaking it up for a draft pick... when you obviously can't evaluate/ identify talent in the draft was a mistake. A big one. I am not sure how much influence Payton has on roster moves in general, but he's not the GM so I can't put much of the blame on his shoulders.

The other main problem that has been holding them back is Brees's greed. His contract has suffocated this team and limited their ability to sign talent. I felt that he showed some signs of decline last year despite his usual huge stat line. But this year I definitely see him starting to hit the wall. And he just forced his teams hand again into another huge extension. Payton needs a fresh start.

One final name I will mention is Todd Bowles. I've been a Jets fan for 30 years... inexplicably LOL. I was very excited about the Bowles hiring. I have been a very enthusiastic supporter of his. But, I also predicted a 2-5 start through the first 7 games this year, which defied conventional wisdom. My prediction wasn't because of Bowles, but because of poor roster management. The Jets GM won the prestigious executive of the year award is rookie season in 2015. But I have been very critical of his moves... and non-moves. The bloom is off the rose and we are starting to see the ramifications of his missteps. After an unacceptable one point loss in the home opener to a mediocre Bengals team that is not known for their poise in big games, followed by an absolute meltdown/ blowout loss on the road in KC the team is 1-2. Their sole victory coming vs. Rex Ryan's circus of a team in Buffalo.

Two factors that I think will start to warm up Bowles seat are his decision to keep FitzMagic in the game after 3... 4... 5... and even 6 INT's. It was terrible in game management. I'm one of his biggest fans, and even I shook my head. The second issue is that The Jets are facing the Seahawks this week. Their defense has been outstanding so far this season. Their QB is hobbled. They are traveling across the country for this game. The Jets are expected to win this game, no matter what the spread may be. I am sure they will lose. That will be a 1-3 start for a team that some expected to be a playoff caliber squad. Rumblings will start in NY. Trust me.

Week 1 is in the books...

Here are some takeaways from an exciting opening week!

 

 

Worst call:

The Jags elect to call, and very poorly execute, a WR screen on 4th and 3 with the game on the line. I can't imagine throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage in that scenario. I wrote about the Jags and Raiders a few months ago. I was clear that they are in 'win now' mode. No more rebuilding, no more 'just wait until next year'. This is the time to start delivering. If week 1 is any indication, The Jags are still a day late and a dollar short. As for Del Rio and The Raiders, they plan to leave it all on the field.

Best play of the week:

Jimmy Garoppolo did a solid job in his first start. But one play really stood out to me. In the 2nd half The Pats are trailing. It's 3rd down. They are backed up on their own side of the field. The play call is a WR screen, very similar to the play I just mentioned from the end of the Jags game. Jimmy dropped back and began to throw the ball. He saw the defender breaking on it and pulled the ball back. He went to his second read and again began to throw the ball, but pulled it back. The clock in his head went off and he got out of the pocket... keeping his eyes down the field the whole time. He finally found an open WR and got the first down and then some. That would have been an outstanding play if it was Brady back there, it was even better for a guy in his first start.

They were who we thought they were:

The Packers offense looked scary, as did The Broncos defense. In a rollercoaster week that delivered some surprises and all of the unpredictable variables that make us love NFL football.. the two squads that delivered simply lived up to their respective expectations. Rodgers and Co. were in mid-season form on offense and Von Miller and his wrecking crew terrorized Cam and the Panthers.

As for living up to negative expectations The Browns always come through. I said they would be the worst defense in the league this year. They got off to a good start in accomplishing that. RGIII is on IR after one game. Its so sadly predictable. I can hear the late, great Denny Greene 'they were who we thought they were!' The Browns could have kept a few of their vets that they let walk and drafted Wentz at #2. They would have at least been competitive. Instead it's another year as the leagues doormat.

Offseason adjustments that look effective so far:

The Giants spent a ton of cash on their terrible defense this past spring. They showed some signs that the cash wasn't spent in vain. There revamped secondary looked OK. They made some big plays, but struggled with consistency. That's normal early in the season for a bunch of new guys who are learning to play together. I expect them to get even better. But, there front seven played lights out and are the reason The Giants pulled out that close win on the road. The pass rush was dynamic and their run defense manhandled the best O-line in football.

The Jets let Chris Ivory walk in free agency and signed the grizzled vet Matt Forte. Boy did that look like a brilliant move considering how #22 has quickly become the centerpiece of the Jets offense and Ivory was sitting in a hospital room with a "general medical issue" ... whatever that means.

The Ravens get a +1 for the moves they didn't make. They were decimated by injuries to their core players on defense and offense. Ozzy Newsome and Harbaugh didn't panic and brought back some vets who are getting long in the tooth like Steve Smith and Suggs. They squeaked out a big win vs. Rex Ryan and his Bills and as the season progresses I think these old guys will make some major contributions.

Most significant win of the week:

The Vikings played their absolute hearts out. This team refuses to lay down and die after losing their starting QB days before their first game of the season. Watching their effort, passion and disciplined execution made it clear to me how important it is to have the right guy in the HC spot. Zimmer doesn't accept excuses. It showed week 1.

I know the Patriots upset of the Cards would be a top candidate for this spot, especially considering Brady/ Ninkovich being suspended, and Gronk/ Lewis being injured. But I wasn't shocked. Give Belichick 6 months to prepare for a game and he's winning 99 times out of 100.

Most significant loss of the week:

The Redskins were absolutely beat down by the Steelers. Gruden was the exact opposite of Zimmer, his former coaching colleague from Cincinnati. He has shown that he struggles with getting his team ready for week 1. They looked loss and uninspired. However, I see them improving the more they play together. But with the Giants and Eagles looking much better, the Redskins may have lost their playoff spot with this one loss.

The worst loss of the week was obviously The Rams being destroyed by the 49ers. It's not very 'significant', because they were never going t be contenders anyway. But this loss is epic for so many reasons. First off they lost to a terrible football team. Gabbert was like 8-27 in his career heading into this game. If he could just play the Rams over and over for 18 more straight weeks he would be .500 LOL

But seriously, they move to LA with a lot of fanfare. They have debatably the best individual offensive and defensive players in the league with Gurley and Donald. They gave a 1st round bust WR who is basically a glorified kick returner $52 million. They traded tons of draft picks to move up to the #1 overall pick. I think it was to make a big splash. They took Goff over Wentz and the kid DIDN'T EVEN FUCKING DRESS FOR THE GAME. A healthy scratch for the #1 overall pick in the draft?????  In the game Gurley and Donald both get unsportsman-like flags and Donald is ejected.

Oh, and finally.... they were shut out. It's going to be a long strange journey for southern California's new/old team.