Also fired on Monday was New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum after a 6-10 season.
Long time Jets coach Rex Ryan will return to coach next season.
devoted 15 years of service to the Jets, and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication. Although he helped guide us to two consecutive AFC Championships games, we are not where we want to be, and a new General Manager will be critical to getting this team back on the right track.”
Johnson also promises that head coach Rex Ryan will return for the 2013 season.
Pat Shurmur (left), head coach of the Cleveland Browns, was among those fired on Black Monday.
The Cleveland Browns also announced that general manager Tom Heckert and head coach Pat Shurmur were fired Black Monday after not living up to expectations for the past two seasons, finishing the 2011 season 4-12 and the 2012 season 5-11. New owner of the franchise Jimmy Haslam plans on improving the team’s performance as soon as possible through new management.
Technology education teacher Jack Stoneberg thinks change could possibly be a good thing for the Browns.
“Sometimes change is a good thing at all levels, but it’s a gamble on everyone’s part. We’ll have to see what happens [next season],” said Stoneberg.
The San Diego Chargers announced the firing of general manager A.J. Smith and head coach Norv Turner after finishing their season 7-9 with no playoff appearances for the past three seasons. Smith has been with the franchise since 2001; Turner has
spent the last six seasons with the Chargers, ending with three AFC West titles.
Chargers president Dean Spanos thanked Smith and Turner for their years at the franchise in his statement, according to AOL Sporting News.
“Both Norv and A.J. are consummate NFL professionals, and they understand that in this league, the bottom-line is winning. My goal is the Super Bowl, and that is why I have decided to move in a new direction with both our head coach and general manager positions,” said Spanos in AOL Sporting News’s article.
Even more general manager- head coach duos were fired on Black Monday.
General Manager Rod Graves and head coach Ken Whisenhunt were fired from the Arizona Cardinals team. This decision was tied to the decisions the Cardinals made for the quarterback position in recent seasons, including the costly trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Kevin Kolb. The Cardinals ended the 2012 season 5-11 with a season starter of 4-0, ruining their chances at the playoffs.
“I was a fan of Ken Whisenhunt because he was with the Steelers for so many years, but a coaching change doesn’t always mean a good thing. Sometimes it takes 2-3 years to change the program around,” explained Stoneberg. “They just have to give a new coach that long.”
Many other teams made the decision to find new head coaches and keep their general managers.
After three seasons and a 16-32 overall record, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Chan Gailey. Gailey admitted to reporters that the team, which finished 6-10, has not produced wins with additional talent under his coaching, according to AOL Sporting News.
“We do not have the wins to show for it, so that is not good because as I said the other day, the buck stops with me. I understand that. We are in a production business. We have not produced. I think we can get there, but we have not done it so far,” said Gailey, according to AOL Sporting News.
After nine seasons with the Chicago Bears, head coach Lovie Smith was fired on Black Monday.
The Chicago Bears was yet another team who fired their head coach. Lovie Smith, who has been with the Bears for a total of nine seasons, ending with an 81-63 overall record, did not live up to the franchise’s Super-Bowl expectations. The Bears finished their season 10-6, unable to secure their spot in the playoffs for a fifth time in the last six seasons.
After 14 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Andy Reid was among the seven coaches fired on Black Monday. Reid has ended his career with a 130-93-1 overall record with a 10-9 record in the playoffs. Reid did not meet the high expectations of owner Jeffrey Lurie. Many players such as running back LeSean McCoy are upset to lose their beloved coach.
“Coach Reid [was] by far one of the best coaches in the NFL . . . in four years he has turned me into [a] great person and player,” said McCoy on Twitter after hearing of the firing of his coach.
Senior Chandler Larkin hopes a new coach will get his favorite team, the Eagles, a chance to get Super Bowl ready for next season.
“We obviously lost our coach and need a good replacement to win the Super-Bowl,” said Larkin. “We have great talent so hopefully with [a] high draft pick we can fill up some holes in our roster. . . Hopefully the organization will make a good decision and get us a coach to get the team back on track.”
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel was yet another fired coach on Black Monday after spending two seasons with the team. Crennel ended his
After being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles, Andy Reid will assume the position of head coach in Kansas City, replacing former head coach Romeo Crennel.
coaching career with a 4-15 overall record. The Chiefs, who ended the 2012 season 2-14, are looking for a new coach-quarterback dynamic, and rumors are whirling of a rookie quarterback to come for the 2013 season.
Recently, former Eagles head coach Andy Reid was hired as the replacement for Crennel.
“Kansas City gets a great coach in Andy Reid who will be able to help rebuild the organization,” said Larkin.
Although many are upset over the loss of their coaches, junior Josh Gladfelter sees this as an opportunity for players to improve their overall team performance.
“I believe change can be a good thing, and I believe it will help the teams. But it all starts with the players,” said Gladfelter. “The teams need to decide which players want to be with the team and put forward enough effort to help the team.”
