Black Monday is upon us.
As expected, Mike Shanahan, Leslie Frazier, Greg Schiano and Jim Schwartz all lost their jobs on Monday, but it was downright stunning to see the Cleveland Browns pull the plug on Rob Chudzinski after just one season.
What the heck were the Browns expecting out of Chudzinski? He had no quarterback to work with. His starting running back was traded away and he took over a team with no culture of winning.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam came from a Pittsburgh Steelers organization that prided itself on continuity and stability. Pittsburgh has had only three head coaches since 1969 while the Browns have had four different coaches four since 2009.
Haslam told Peter King of Sports Illustrated last year that he wanted to bring the same approach to Cleveland: “One thing I learned from watching the Steelers is the importance of consistency in coaching, and how much it sets you back when you’re always making a change. When you change coaches, it can be a three- or four-year deal to get back,” Haslam told King.
Good to see he’s taking his own advice. The Browns and their loyal fans deserve better.
With that in mind, here are our takeaways from the final Sunday of the regular season:
Cowboys are stuck in quicksand
Don’t blame Kyle Orton for his best Tony Romo impression. The quarterback position isn’t the problem with these Cowboys, who dropped a one-and-done Week 17 game for the third year in a row. The whole organization is the problem—Jerry Jones, most notably. Jones is a heck of an owner and a businessman. He did great work saving the Cowboys when he bought the team, but he’s been a disaster of a general manager without Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells at his side. He is not qualified for the position and that’s why the franchise hasn’t had any real success since the mid-1990s. They need more capable football men in key personnel positions. They need better coaching and a more balanced roster. Until then, the Cowboys will be stuck on a non-stop path to mediocrity.
What the heck happened in Miami?
The Dolphins truly got what they deserved. All Miami needed was one win over the Bills or Jets in the final two weeks of the season, but they were completely flat in two consecutive weeks. They scored a total of just seven points over those two games. As much as we’ve praised Ryan Tannehill in this space this season, he needed to perform better with the season on the line. There are more than just personnel problems as the players have clearly lost trust in offensive co-ordinator Mike Sherman. The play calling and lack of execution on offence was a consistent problem all year long. They need a fresh voice to work with the up-and-coming Tannehill.
Rex Ryan did a heck of a job this season
Rex Ryan has been a laughingstock at times during his tenure in New York, but this season may have been the most impressive coaching job of his career. Ryan had a roster with as little talent on the offensive side of the ball as any team in the league. No one thought this team had any chance of finishing above 5-11, but Ryan got the most of this ragtag unit. He was able to accomplish this with an incredibly erratic rookie quarterback and a defence that traded away their best player last spring (Darrelle Revis). Ryan’s team has a clear identity and it was refreshing to see the Jets reward him for his efforts.
Lions need to bring in an offensive mind
The Detroit Lions made the right decision to fire head coach Jim Schwartz. His team faded down the stretch and failed to make progress with a roster that was loaded with talent. The next step for Detroit has to be finding a head coach who can help develop the wildly inconsistent Matthew Stafford, who was far too erratic during the second half of the season. An offensive mind like San Francisco’s Greg Roman would be the perfect hire. He’s done outstanding work with both Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. Stafford would be his most talented pupil yet.
Award picks:
MVP: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
This was a one-horse race. Manning had the best season of his storied career. He broke Drew Brees’s record for passing yards in a season and extended his record for touchdown passes in a season to 55 with four against Oakland on Sunday.
Offensive rookie of the year: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
This was a tight race between Lacy and San Diego receiver Keenan Allen. Lacy got the slight edge because of how impressive his performance was after Green Bay lost Aaron Rodgers for the majority of the second half of the season. The Packers were able to lean on Lacy during Rodgers’s absence and he was able to play a key role in their division title.
Defensive rookie of the year: Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets
Richardson was an incredibly dominant player in his first NFL season. He turned out to be a perfect fit in Ryan’s 3-4 scheme and even added two rushing touchdowns down the stretch. Buffalo’s Kiko Alonso was considered as well.
Coach of the year: Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals
This was the toughest race of the season with Arians, Andy Reid and Ron Rivera all battling it out for the award. Arians stood out the most considering how dangerous Arizona became in the second half of the season. They were the only team to beat Seattle at home in two years and finished the year with another strong showing against San Francisco. Arians even turned Carson Palmer into an effective quarterback, something that looked next to impossible when he was in Oakland.
Offensive player of the year: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
This should probably go to Manning but I think it would be silly not to recognize McCoy for his monstrous year. McCoy finished the year as the league’s leading rusher and was an absolute force in Chip Kelly’s offence.
Defensive player of the year: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
There were a ton of legitimate contenders for this award. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Robert Quinn and Robert Mathis all had outstanding seasons, but it was the Panthers linebacker who stood out the most.
What will happen in the draft?
With the regular season in the books, the order is set for the 2014 NFL Draft in May. Here’s what the teams in the top 10 could be thinking with their first-round picks:
Houston: Expect Houston to add a quarterback with the top pick. Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater is the early favourite if he declares for the draft.
St. Louis (via Washington): The Robert Griffin III trade continues to pay dividends for St. Louis. Don’t be surprised if the Rams look to move down and accumulate more future first-round picks.
Jacksonville: The Jaguars would love to find a quarterback here but that may not be realistic. A pass rusher like South Carolina’s Jadaveon Clowney could certainly make some sense.
Cleveland: The Browns’ No. 1 priority is finding a new franchise QB. The front office is reportedly very high on Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel.
Oakland: They’ve yet to settle on their starting quarterback, but it’s far more likely the team decides to address their weak offensive line or receiving corps.
Atlanta: The Falcons didn’t get much of a pass rush this season so they’ll be looking to upgrade there. They’ve also got a questionable situation on the offensive line.
Tampa Bay: The one thing Tampa Bay lacks on their defensive line is a reliable outside pass rusher. Expect the new Bucs’ coaching staff to quickly address this issue.
Minnesota: After missing on Christian Ponder, expect the Vikings to try and land another quarterback here. Who that will be remains the biggest question heading into the off-season.
Buffalo: The Bills had an outstanding draft in 2013 and will look to add more young talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit: The Lions have ignored the cornerback position for far too long and this would be an ideal spot to upgrade the organizational hole.
