2023 NFL Coaching Carousel

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,620
This sounds like a negotiated exit Saleh gets to save face, ownership/front office gets their scapegoat out.

Saleh and Matt LaFleur are very close friends and Saleh has the kid brother as his OC. Always made a potential firing a dicey situation.
 

ElUno20

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
6,055
LaFleur was awful with the jets so of course he'll land another job pretty soon. The coaching world is strange.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,463
LaFleur was awful with the jets so of course he'll land another job pretty soon. The coaching world is strange.
I didn't think he was that bad early this year, wheels kinda came off when Hall got hurt, but that's a terrible offensive roster. O-line was bottom 3 in the league with injuries and the worst QB group in the league... all 3 stink. It's hard to judge a coordinator who has no QB talent, especially if the line stinks too.
 

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,829
Unreal America
LaFleur was awful with the jets so of course he'll land another job pretty soon. The coaching world is strange.
I don’t know about LaFleur specifically, but I believe coaches put a TON of weight on acumen and perceived ability and much less on particular results when it comes to evaluating others. A lot of guys have a great rep due to their intelligence and ability to instruct/plan/etc. But as we all know, results are influenced by so many dynamics that it can be difficult to pin all the negatives on someone’s coaching.

It’s obviously why we see so many “retreads” around the league. What fans see as a failed coach, his peers see as a great mind who was in a bad circumstance.
 

macal

New Member
Jul 31, 2005
74
Why did he tell his staff to leave, if they want? Odd
Perhaps he doesn't want to have to fire the people he wants out. Publicly tell everyone they can leave, but maybe privately tell the ones he wants to stay that he really wants them to stay. Even if I'm right, which I don't really think I am, it would be a damn sight easier to fire the people he doesn't want than potentially have to hire a whole staff from scratch.
 

ManicCompression

Member
SoSH Member
May 14, 2015
1,352
He's such an elite grifter. Every year his agent leaks that he's considering the NFL, then gets him a nice fat bribe from the boosters to stay.
I don't love defending Harbaugh because he's so unlikable as a person, but most people try to get raises if they garner interest from other companies. I know I did in the last couple of years. It's one of the few times you have leverage over your employer.

It's not really a grift to have skills that are in demand. Everyone should milk whatever they can when opportunity arises (and that's not just necessarily limited to money - like Lebron used the leverage of short term contracts to push personnel decisions).
 

bosockboy

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
19,863
St. Louis, MO
I don't love defending Harbaugh because he's so unlikable as a person, but most people try to get raises if they garner interest from other companies. I know I did in the last couple of years. It's one of the few times you have leverage over your employer.

It's not really a grift to have skills that are in demand. Everyone should milk whatever they can when opportunity arises (and that's not just necessarily limited to money - like Lebron used the leverage of short term contracts to push personnel decisions).
He did tell UM last winter he was done with the NFL. Clearly lied to be able to squeeze them again.
 

Seels

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
4,948
NH
maybe a hot take, but I think Denver is either at or near the area of the Browns or Jags of a few years ago where they are just not going to attract any coach or front office staff that is interested in having a future. That franchise is in a bad, bad place, even if Wilson turns his career back around. If you're Harbaugh, unless you 100% buy that you can repair Wilson, no chance do you go there.
 

ManicCompression

Member
SoSH Member
May 14, 2015
1,352
He did tell UM last winter he was done with the NFL. Clearly lied to be able to squeeze them again.
People can't change their minds? Or play games to get what they want? I've told my employer that I was thinking about taking a job offer (that I didn't really want) to get a raise. My wife has done the same. So have a lot of colleagues and friends I know. Frankly, our employers had been delaying raise/promotion talks for months until we pressed the issue with competing offers.

Just think we should be consistent in how we view these things. Michigan has fired a lot of coaches across many different sports and I'm sure there was plenty of lying about their job security leading up to those moments. UM is not like an innocent party without agency - they don't have to play the game if they don't want to.
 

Oil Can Dan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2003
8,015
0-3 to 4-3
I don’t think the Chargers are going to fire Staley. It’s not as if the Chargers make the playoffs very often and Staley was one play from making them in his first year then got them there in his second. It also doesn’t seem to fit the Spanos style. Ever since he canned Schottenheimer after a 14 win season they seem gun shy on axing coaches. McCoy and Lynne each got four seasons. Plus I don’t think they’d want to pay Payton what it would take to get him.
 

lexrageorge

Member
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Jul 31, 2007
18,099

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,463
Somehow, Leftwich was good enough to lead the 3rd and 2nd (by points) offense the prior 2 seasons. Injuries and departures gut the offense and suddenly Leftwich is "in over his head" (quoting the useless Ben Volin here).

More likely, Todd Bowles wants to bring in his own OC for the post-Brady era.
More likely Todd Bowles needs somebody to throw under the bus to save his job. Same with Staley and Lombardi.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,620
They lose a 27-0 lead and have a DC who doesn't call the plays- Staley does- and they fire their OC. Brilliant!
Their OC sucks. Every time I watched a Chargers game I asked for an explanation about why he sucked so bad. This doesn’t mean Staley doesn’t suck, but I would have sent Lombardi packing a while ago.
 

CoffeeNerdness

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 6, 2012
8,714
Their OC sucks. Every time I watched a Chargers game I asked for an explanation about why he sucked so bad. This doesn’t mean Staley doesn’t suck, but I would have sent Lombardi packing a while ago.
8th in total yards. 3rd in passing yards. Bottom of the barrel in rushing. 13th in avg. points. 20th in RZ %. A mixed bag, I'd say.
 

EvilEmpire

paying for his sins
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2007
17,183
Washington
A lot easier and cheaper to fire the Offensive Coordinator and QB coach than the Head Coach. Especially if your young star QB is on board with it, which I'm guessing Herbert is.

Keeping Herbert happy is more important than whatever happens (or not) with Staley, I think.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,620
8th in total yards. 3rd in passing yards. Bottom of the barrel in rushing. 13th in avg. points. 20th in RZ %. A mixed bag, I'd say.
Look at their schedule. They played like 13 dome games (roof might have been open for 2). And they have a top 5 QB. @ KC in September, @Browns in October, @ SF in November, and closed out at mile high. That team should have been lighting it up.

edit: to be clear, I would have cleaned house if I owned this team and brought in Sean Payton.

This penny wise pound foolish shit Spanos is doing is malpractice.
 

CoffeeNerdness

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 6, 2012
8,714
Ekeler only had 15 touches and 2 catches in a game they were up 27-0. Criminal.
My impression of the Chargers, which is born out in the numbers, is that they're an elite passing unit between the twenties whose only real red zone threat is Ekeler(Williams too I suppose but he only had 4TD this year). Ekeler to me isn't really a clock grinder between the tackles guy and Jax did a great job locking him down after Q1. There are zero excuses for not getting him the ball in the air more, but without looking at the tape the blame might be shared by Herbert as well.

I guess, at the end of the day I consider that loss more on the D than the O and Dungy (oof) noted many times in the second half that Staley called the D and he was blitzing on nearly every snap-- didn't work. It's just ironic/funny to see the offensive guy getting canned after that collapse.

Five straight scoring drives to end the game:

60172
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,392
Man. That’s a ballsy decision unless he knows that he wasn’t getting one of the jobs. Leftwich was a hot HC candidate last year and now he’s fired.
Interesting to see a guy be patient like this. I guess next year could be a good one for that division if Rodgers leaves, Minn comes down to earth and the Bears continue their rebuild.