Welcome to a slightly belated Huddle, everyone! With the NFL regular season approaching a close, our crew talks injuries, coaches on the hot seat (or worse), and what it means to lose a team.
All of this here, inside The Huddle!
No Kickoff Questions this week, as your intrepid Sports Editor relocated this week in order to better celebrate a Lions’ playoff run.
JT Rozzero:
Tannehill dead. Broncos choke. Ravens wild card looking better!
J Arsenio D’Amato:
Is it Romo time in the Big D?
Bradley, Rex, Pagano, Fisher: Who else will be a victim on Black Monday?
JT Rozzero:
Not Romo time yet. Sounds like Rex could go today. Bradley is toast. Fisher isn’t. Pagano should be.
Tannehill only has ACL and MCL sprain, no tear.
Brian Bayless:
It shouldn’t be Romo time in Dallas. If GB misses the playoffs, you have to wonder if McCarthy is getting the ax. The Jets win in SF probably saved Bowles for now.
JT Rozzero:
I think it’s clear they rallied for Petty and Bowles. At some point it doesn’t matter if the people on the field just can’t execute. And the D settled in after that opening mess. I think it’s a mistake to restart the coaching clock again.
Coaches take time to figure it out. You think Cleveland regrets dumping Belichick or the Jets dumping Carroll after short runs? I do think Chan Gailey will be gone though.
The Jets overachieved last year thanks to a career year from Fitz and a soft schedule. Heaping those expectations again on this year was always misguided by those who did.
I think Buffalo dumping Rex and Tyrod is a backwards step, but they are kind of stuck.
If I’m the Jets, I call Tyrod’s agent day one of free agency.
Brian Bayless:
If a team quits on you, then you have to make a change. They laid down Monday night and had to come from behind in OT to beat the second-worst team in the league. So, they are not only bad, which isn’t Bowles’ fault completely, but you cannot fire the whole team. And how Bowles handled the quarterback situation was how you lose the locker room.
JT Rozzero:
I said from day one that Rex made a mistake taking that job. He rushed into it out of embarrassment but it was never a good spot for him.
So (the Jets) laid down some quarters and not others? Did they lay down against the Pats?
Or the second half yesterday when they easily could have packed it in?
I think it’s an odd generalization to sit back and claim a team is bailing on a coach based on selective quarters.
The Colts game was a disaster, but when you have a locker room with key veterans in major roles, its not easy to just go to the quarterback with no game experience before the season is officially over.
It was also only the second time all year they got blown out.
As for Rex he went to a team that had the same deficiencies as the one he just left. He need to wait for a better spot because now he has a second black mark.
He needs a year off and a DC job and then hope to be an interim coach somewhere.
Brian Bayless:
Rex should go to ESPN. He’d fit right in with that crew.
Jeff Fisher just got fired.
Carroll and Belichick both took several years to get another head coaching job in the NFL as they got more experience elsewhere.
As for the Jets, yes, their quarterback play is atrocious and, as a result, the offense suffers. Bowles admitting to the media that he forgot to tell Fitzpatrick he was being demoted proves that’s he struggles mightily with head coaching duties as well.
However, that defense is underachieving — washed-up Revis aside — and watching them play this year, there is no way you can tell me they are giving quality effort on a consistent basis.
And Bowles was hired for his defense!
Maybe they were overrated coming into the season, but they are sitting at 4-9 in a weak AFC.
JT Rozzero:
And if you look at the losses, it’s one play here or there, (rather than) a constant lack of effort.
I’m not saying (Bowles) had a great year as coach. I’m saying using the crutch of “Oh, they quit on him” to fire him and then restart all over again isn’t really needed just yet. He clearly has positive qualities and the team is severely lacking depth but also has a lot of young talent too.
If you fire him, who do you hire? Where do you restart? Then you become Cleveland.
JT Rozzero:
If they get even slightly below league average QB play we aren’t even having this discussion.
