3 NFL Coaches that need to be fired

The Head Coach of any team is held responsible for the play, preparedness, and conduct of his team. More than any sports entity, if a NFL team is not playing to the standards of their fans, owner, and the media, whether realistic or not, the rumblings to replace the Head Coach will grow louder and louder. Usually I wouldn’t advocate for someone to lose their job, but three teams that going at a downward slope with no chance of rising up without a change of the head man in charge of the team. These 3 NFL Coaches need to be fired ASAP.

Jim Caldwell – Indianapolis Colts

We all know by now that the Colts were a one-man team, and when that one man (Peyton Manning) went down with a neck injury, they would be nowhere as good without him than with him. However, nobody expected the Colts to be this bad without Peyton Manning. Manning did cover up some of the Colts flaws (undersized defense, below average offensive line) but that is no excuse for the Colts to be 0-7, with a very good chance to go 0-16 this season. It is Caldwell’s responsibility as Head Coach to get his team to play at or even above, their potential every week despite not having Manning to lead them on the field. When the Colts lost on national television Sunday night to the New Orleans Saints 62-7, I knew the team had given up on the season, and perhaps on Caldwell as well (no pun intended.) If the Colts want to get any victories this year to avoid going winless and shake things up for the good of the team, they should fire Caldwell as soon as possible and fine someone who can find a pulse on this team.

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Tony Sparano – Miami Dolphins

Let me write the many reasons why Sprano should have been fired as Dolphins Head Coach. The Dolphins were 7-6 late last season with a chance to win a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs, all they had to do was win their last three games of the season against the 3-10 Buffalo Bills, 4-10 Detroit Lions, and the 13-2 New England Patriots (The Patriots had already clinched the AFC’s top spot and were resting starters for the playoffs.) The Dolphins lost all three games by a combined score of 89-48 to finish 7-9 and missed the playoffs. Owner Stephen Ross killed any credibility Sprano had as Head Coach when he tried to hire Jim Harbaugh to replace Sprano without actually firing him. Since Harbaugh decided to become Coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Ross decided to give Sprano a two-year contract extension, but the damage had already been done. The Dolphins aren’t a very talented team, and when you combined that with a lameduck coach, that’s a recipe for disaster. Dating back to last season, the Dolphins have lost their last nine games, including their most recent lost on Sunday to the Denver Broncos 18-15 (OT) in which they allowed the Broncos to tie the game by scoring their 15 points in the last three minutes of regulation. When you can’t win a game you had all but wrapped up, that lies at the feet of the Head Coach, and it’s time for a change in Miami.

Jack Del Rio – Jacksonville Jaguars

It is amazing to me that Del Rio has lasted nine seasons as coach of the Jaguars. He has never won a AFC South division title and has only one playoff win on his resume (In the 2007 AFC Playoffs, the Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-29 in the Wild Card round.) Since the end of the 2007 playoffs, the Jaguars are 22-33 and haven’t come close to the playoffs. Years of mediocrity had finally driven Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver to issue an ultimatum to Del Rio: make the playoffs or be fired. The Indianapolis Colts were the Kings of the AFC South for years, but with Peyton Manning basically out for the year, the division was wide open to anybody to take in 2011. Del Rio took the Jaguars out of the division race before the season even started when he ordered the release of longtime starting Quarterback David Garrard. Garrard wasn’t a future Hall-of-Famer, but he provided the Jags with the best chance to be successful on any level this season. Del Rio thought the Jags would be in better hands with longtime journeyman QB Luke McCown leading them this season. McCown led them to a season opening victory over the Tennessee Titans, but the season ended the following week against the New York Jets. The Jets not only routed the Jags 32-3, but McCown posted a pathetic 1.8 passing rating before being replaced by their 2011 first-round draft pick, QB Blaine Gabbert. The Jags are pretty good on defense, (sixth in total defense, eighth in points allowed) but will not make the playoffs because the offense (last in total offense, next-to-last in points scored) will struggle the rest of the season as Gabbert adapts to the NFL game. If Garrard were still the starter, The Jags would have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs, but their season is over with based on a decision made by their coach before the season started. Rather than wait for the end of the season to fire Del Rio, Weaver should just fire him now and get it over with.

By Gerald M. Britts
Pro Football Fans Staff Writer