Exactly; he was one of the ones I was referring to, about high draft choices from the Gruden/Mayock regime failing.
From 2019-2021, the Raiders had six draft choices in the first round. They got a star in Josh Jacobs (2019), but of the rest, only one is still with the team (and apparently won’t be for much longer)
DE Clelin Ferrell (2019) is now a reserve, and has 9 sacks in four seasons; the Raiders have already announced they would not be picking up his option after this season
S Johnathan Abram (2019) was waived by the Raiders midway through this season; he’s now with the Seahawks, after briefly being with the Packers
WR Henry Ruggs (2020) was waived during the 2021 season, after the fatal DUI crash which you note
CB Damon Arnette (2020) was also waived during the 2021 season, after a video surfaced, showing him brandishing weapons and making death threats
OG Alex Leatherwood (2021) was waived during training camp this summer, and is now a backup with the Bears
Edit: to be fair, in 2019, they did also draft DE Maxx Crosby (4th round) and WR Hunter Renfrow (5th round), so they did get some good players there.
I would be utterly flabbergasted if the Cardinals don’t fire Kliff Kingsbury. Kudos to him for making it one more year than I predicted when he was inexplicably hired, but a .438 winning percentage, only one playoff appearance (where his team was embarrassed), and a ton of disfunction throughout the team and coaching staff doesn’t make much of a resume for him.
Of course the Arizona “braintrust” gave him a contract extension in March with a ton of guaranteed money, so he’ll be fine either way.
Not doubting you, but this would truly shock me. The Steelers play in a tough division and have started Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett at QB, yet are still in the playoff hunt heading into the final weekend. Tomlin has never had a losing season. IMO he’s one of the top 10 coaches in the the NFL.
Me too. I’m actually surprised he’s lasted the season.
I concur. Not only has he been a great coach for them, and (as has been pointed out here already) they’ve been struggling to get consistency at QB with Big Ben’s retirement, but the Rooney family is legendarily patient with their coaches: they’ve only had three head coaches in the last 53 seasons, and the last time they fired a coach was after the 1968 season.
I could see Tomlin there for another six years to make that an even 60.
I don’t even like the Steelers but I’m rooting for him personally to keep the streak going this weekend to have never had a losing season. Go Steelers!
Tomlin would probably be in my bottom 5 coaches who are on the hot seat. What a hilariously clickbaitey hot take from that clown.
Playoff bubble in the first year after Big Ben retires. They have a rookie QB who is actually showing some encouraging signs for the future. Might be the first year ever he’s not in the playoffs under one of the most patient ownership regimes in the sport. Is also one of the few black HCs in the league. I mean, come on.
I understand the argument. I don’t disagree with any of the analysis there. I just suspect that any bad team who fires its HC could easily assemble a very similar list, in many cases probably worse. I honestly don’t think the current roster is that big a factor for a HC beyond the QB. In fact most coaches come in and purge the roster anyways. A barren roster with little money locked up in superstars might actually be an asset.
I hate the Steelers, but I think Tomlin is okay. I’m sorry he has to suffer just because the team must lose. But lose they must. As many games as possible. Forever.
Generally, I’d agree, though if the team does have a few high-talent players, the new coach would either (a) keep them if they’re a fit with the new system, or (b) trade them off for players who are perceived to be a better fit, or draft choices. The Raiders’ terrible track record over the past few years with their high draft choices seems to give them even less capital to work with for rebuilding.
On the other hand, if those first-round draft choices hadn’t been so disastrous, they probably wouldn’t be a 6-10 team right now.
This wasn’t entirely unexpected. Jack Easterby is out, so it’s a good chance at a clean slate.
Then again, I’m waiting to see if they try pulling that Josh McCown nonsense next season. The (lack of) brain trust over there is dumb enough to try, especially after what Indy tried to pull with Jeff Saturday.
Lovie Smith was nobody’s idea of a top tier coach, but he did a great job with the cruddy hand he was dealt. The team outperformed expectations and were ready to play each week long after it was clear they had little left to play for.
Classic story. You can’t fire the owners so you find the most convenient scapegoat down the chain.
For that, you need a coach willing to stand up and tell Wilson the reality of his situation. He is not a drop-back 95% of the time QB. No new coach is willing to do that. Seattle was until they got tired of his BS.
But who is the team going to side with? The QB whose cap hit is 9 figures next year or a coach they can fire for literally a fraction of that price? There’s absolutely no incentive for Wilson to listen to anybody regarding his play style.
