Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Thinking ahead a bit, this could be a very bloody Black Monday after week 17. Could be a culling of historic proportions. Coaching staffs at the start of the 2019 season are going to look radically different

Todd Bowles - Jets - All but confirmed he's fired. His whole awful staff will be given the boot except for maybe the special teams coordinator which I could see a new regime retaining.

Vance Joseph - Denver - Likely gone. Denver is very frustrated with him. In over his head. Terrible in game decision making. Rumors Mike Shanahan may be on his way back there

Dirk Koetter - Tampa Bay - Likely gone. Will be a coveted coordinator somewhere.

Steve Wilks - Cardinals - Rumblings he may be gone after just 1 year due to incompetence and how often the team is unprepared to play this year. Lots of games where they seem to have outright quit from the getgo. Not the right guy to have there to develop Rosen.

Marvin Lewis - Bengals - could this be the year he finally gets the ax? Somehow he finds a way to survive but I think this is finally it for him

John Harbaugh - Ravens - Doing a great job, may be in the playoffs...still rumors are that he and the Ravens just want to go their separate ways at this point

Joe Philbin - Interim coach - Packers - This one is expected. They'll be looking to fill the position for the next decade or so with somebody steady and stable. And somebody who can be on the same page as Rodgers today...as well as lead the transition from Rodgers to whoever will be their next QB of the future in the coming years

Jason Garrett - Dallas - This one really depends if they make it to the playoffs or not. If not I can see them making a huge play for Lincoln Riley.

Gregg Williams - Browns - Has done a nice job in an interim roles taking over for the almost unfathomably bad Hue Jackson. It could be that he gets his interim tag removed if the Browns continue on and finish strong. Still he is a bit of a polarizing guy. Very fiery. Perhaps only good in small doses. I think the Browns know Williams is probably not the best choice to lead them for the long term future. I see Cleveland looking for somebody who's had more past success and who is best for Baker Mayfield. If they do however go for a first time coach in Cleveland I can see Pete Carmichael being the guy due to his work with Brees.

Ron Rivera - Panthers - Solid track record. I personally don't think he deserves it but that brutal 6 game losing streak appears to have done him in

Also curious to see what happens to Tomlin if the Steelers lose early in the playoffs this year. Supposedly there was a push last season from some Pittsburgh minority owners who wanted him gone.

Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco is another one to keep your eye on but I think he gets a pass due to the Garoppolo injury. Plus Mullens success.

The Giants I think will stick with Pat Shurmur which I feel is a mistake. He's just an outright bad coach and they need to cut ties with him quickly. They're in a strange situation there with a very good RB and WR but no quarterback of the future and some big holes elsewhere on the team (O-line, the defense). Curious what direction the Giants take but they desperately need Eli's replacement to be waiting in the wings. The Rams did it backwards too with obtaining Gurley then Goff. I just don't see a Goff anywhere in this draft.

I agree about Ron Rivera, as the Panthers are in a midst of a six-game losing streak. I saw him on the local news last night talking about how he might be resting Newton the final two weeks of the regular season as Cam has been trying to work some sort of injury as the season progressed, which in other words means Rivera has already given up on the season. With new ownership in Carolina, I think there is a good chance he is gone.

Gregg Williams was first seen as a stop-gap to get the Browns thru the rest of the season before they could find somebody else in the off-season, but the team has improved dramatically with the addition of Chubb and Mayfield. They've still got a long way to go, but I think Browns fans and the organization as a whole are more optimistic now than at any point in the past ten years, and Williams will be back in 2019.

Rupert Patrick wrote:I would also add Ron Rivera to the list, as the Panthers are in a midst of a six-game losing streak. I saw him on the local news last night talking about how he might be resting Newton the final two weeks of the regular season as Cam has been trying to work some sort of injury as the season progressed, which in other words means Rivera has already given up on the season. With new ownership in Carolina, I think there is a good chance he is gone.

Added yes. Good call on Rivera. I think it will be a mistake if they can him but new owners can be impatient and too eager to leave their stamp on a franchise

One has to wonder about Jon Gruden, as he will now have to rebuild a Raiders team that went 12-4 two years before, and the Raiders look silly for the big long-term contract they gave a guy who hasn't coached in nearly ten years. With the Raiders having already jettisoned Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders might want to cut their losses and come to a settlement with Gruden and try something else.

Rupert Patrick wrote:One has to wonder about Jon Gruden, as he will now have to rebuild a Raiders team that went 12-4 two years before, and the Raiders look silly for the big long-term contract they gave a guy who hasn't coached in nearly ten years. With the Raiders having already jettisoned Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders might want to cut their losses and come to a settlement with Gruden and try something else.

The Raiders getting rid of Gruden after one season (of this second stint) would probably top any of the other absurd moves during their long string of awful football save the 2016 season. The owner loves Gruden and must be aware that Gruden purposefully wrecked the team in the short term.

Rupert Patrick wrote:One has to wonder about Jon Gruden, as he will now have to rebuild a Raiders team that went 12-4 two years before, and the Raiders look silly for the big long-term contract they gave a guy who hasn't coached in nearly ten years. With the Raiders having already jettisoned Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders might want to cut their losses and come to a settlement with Gruden and try something else.

Extremely puzzling the commitment that the Raiders made with Gruden. Even for the Raiders somebody who's been out of football that long and the fact that coaches coming back for their 2nd go-round have been so hit or miss. Just re-adapting to that lifestyle is difficult enough. Gruden was a good coach when he walked away, but he was no Belichick, no Lombardi

Mike Shanahan going back to Denver? If that happens, I won’t be able to help but to think a possible Gibbs’ 2nd stint in DC - good but not at all championship-caliber. If that would be the case, would John have it in him to fire his old HC after four or five years of no Super Bowl yet? The HC that helped win him those two SBs to end/place that exclamation point on his career?

Ron Rivera, hate to say, I have a feeling he’ll be gone. Now if Carolina actually won their Super Bowl three years ago, I think that’d be enough to secure him for at least another year no matter what happens last two games.

Tomlin? Even if Steelers lose final two and miss playoffs, he’ll still be back in the ’Burgh 2019; and not on the hot-seat either. I have yet to, and find it real hard to, board this ‘Tomlin-must-go’ bus that seems to have been filling up.

If Browns continue to be anything like they’ve been since ’99, they remove ‘inter-rim’ tag from Gregg Williams instead of keeping him at DC, and squander next year’s draft opportunity(s).

What are all your takes on Arians coming back?

What about Doug Marrone and/or Sean McDermott? I don't hink Marrone can keep his job, due to Bortles' and the offense failure.

I'd be shocked if McDermott got let go.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:Mike Shanahan going back to Denver? If that happens, I won’t be able to help but to think a possible Gibbs’ 2nd stint in DC - good but not at all championship-caliber. If that would be the case, would John have it in him to fire his old HC after four or five years of no Super Bowl yet? The HC that helped win him those two SBs to end/place that exclamation point on his career?

Ron Rivera, hate to say, I have a feeling he’ll be gone. Now if Carolina actually won their Super Bowl three years ago, I think that’d be enough to secure him for at least another year no matter what happens last two games.

Tomlin? Even if Steelers lose final two and miss playoffs, he’ll still be back in the ’Burgh 2019; and not on the hot-seat either. I have yet to, and find it real hard to, board this ‘Tomlin-must-go’ bus that seems to have been filling up.

If Browns continue to be anything like they’ve been since ’99, they remove ‘inter-rim’ tag from Gregg Williams instead of keeping him at DC, and squander next year’s draft opportunity(s).

What are all your takes on Arians coming back?

I don't think there's any way Mike Tomlin is let go. Even if the Steelers lose out, they would be 8-7-1, which is a non-losing season. Tomlin would still never had a losing campaign. The fans have been crying about Tomlin for years, that's just what they do. I don't think they appreciate the winning, maybe they would if the Steelers turned into an annual sub-.500 team.

I think Rivera should be kept. Panthers need to get a #1 WR for Cam. Need more weapons on offense besides McCaffrey. Olson is fine but he's been injured.

I agree the Raiders would look like total hypocrits if they let go of Gruden. What does the team expect when its best defender and receiver are traded away?