GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
- 191,421
- 42,669
It's a month into the season, I guess we should take a lot at some coaches under fire. I also need to resolve the melody of the thread title in my head, and I don't know if I can do it in a GDT
NFL:
Doug Pederson, JAX - Jaguars lost a tough one to Houston after having the Bills beat the brakes off of them, and the Khan's don't like looking sillier than they are. Trevor Lawrence has regressed and has been good for one half of one season, which has been discussed extensively in its own thread.
Nick Sirianni, PHI - The Eagles are still 2-2, and they don't panic, but the problem here goes up top. Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie want to be a gold standard and that means a high priority on stability, but they put in a structure that Sirianni has agreed to that's given him almost no power, and very few people really know just what exactly he does outside of the in-game CEO-like figurehead that has no control over the offense or defense, and it's unknown if he even sets the gameday roster. He's defined himself as a culture setter, but Jalen Hurts has been unable to effusively define their relationship upon being asked. Other than Saquon Barkley, all of their off-season moves (or lack thereof in some cases) have blown up in their faces (Bryce Huff has as many tackles as Haason Reddick, a player whom he swapped places with and is still holding out). This is a house of cards waiting to fall, and it seems unlikely that everyone who is responsible (Roseman) will be held accountable.
Brian Daboll, NYG - It's easy to think about how great the hire looked in his first year, but this seems to be another case where decision makers above him have tied his hands. The players still seem to play hard for him, but if Daniel Jones isn't going to put it together, a full house cleaning will be in order from top to bottom, all those guys look like buffoons on Hard Knocks
Robert Saleh, NYJ - The Jets are also 2-2, but there seems to be ambiguity between Rodgers and Saleh (big surprise), and the nature of Rodgers is such that they're forced to be subservient to him and having Nathaniel Hackett with him, even though it's clear Saleh is an excellent defensive coach.
Sean Payton, DEN - Broncos haven't been scared to cut their losses, see Hackett and Russell Wilson. How much rope is he going to have in a division that had Patrick Mahomes in it? You're not going to be able to win enough games while having such a limited offense, which is a lot harder when your quarterback is a rookie and not future hall of famer.
Mike McDaniel, MIA - I think he needs to put something together this year. The Dolphins got put behind the 8-ball last year with their defense falling apart with injuries, and his quarterback keeps getting concussions, but it won't take much for an owner to be looking for new ideas.
Dennis Allen, NO - The Saints have a completely new offensive staff, but if your ride or die is Derek Carr, you get what you get. The Saints draft well enough that they aren't bad enough to rebuild, but don't have a quarterback or offense that's good enough to do more than hope you win the division, win your home game, maybe get another, and hope the matchups work out where you luck your way into having a puncher's chance in the Super Bowl. Which isn't unlike the rest of the NFC South, much less the NFC, but you can't contend when 9 wins is your ceiling.
Sean McDermott, BUF - Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow will likely have the most to say here, and won't say it until January.
College:
Mike Norvell, Florida State - FSU is 1-4 with a team that they were telling people was close to the undefeated team they had last year, having a former top recruit transfer in after getting his career back on track. Well, it's off-track, and they still have to play Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, and Duke (5-0) and they got their asses handed to them by SMU who only just moved up into the conference
Billy Napier, Florida - Things aren't as good for the in-state rival. The Gators are 2-2, got blown out at home twice, and came into the year with the country's hardest schedule. They still have to play Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss, and may only be favored in one of those games, and the three hardest games aren't in their building
Brian Kelly, LSU - You'd sooner bet for hell to freeze over before getting someone to leave Notre Dame to come to your school, but LSU didn't do it to not win national championships and be third or fourth banana to Georgia and Alabama. Those boosters think they should be a top 5 team every year. Les Miles and Ed Orgeron did more and were fired for less, though it's not like they regretted it.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma - Like LSU, they think they should be a top 5 team, but in the complete opposite of them, saw Lincoln Riley (and Caleb Williams) leave, and opted for a defensive coach because, being OU, they should be getting the top QB's, and don't do that. Beyond that, they've seen their biggest rival replace them at the top, and things ain't gonna get easier now being in the SEC.
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech - Good try against Miami, but what's your plan for getting back into being a contender in the ACC? Because that may be important when the conference goes up in smoke and you're hoping for the best landing spot. It's a program that thinks it should be good enough to be in the SEC, and look for the Expanded College Football Playoff
Dabo Swinney, Clemson - You're not going to get back to being an A program by refusing to acknowledge the transfer portal exists, and it's only a matter of time until you can't keep convincing your recruits to not do it. Your future is in TV otherwise, but your legacy is secure.
NFL:
Doug Pederson, JAX - Jaguars lost a tough one to Houston after having the Bills beat the brakes off of them, and the Khan's don't like looking sillier than they are. Trevor Lawrence has regressed and has been good for one half of one season, which has been discussed extensively in its own thread.
Nick Sirianni, PHI - The Eagles are still 2-2, and they don't panic, but the problem here goes up top. Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie want to be a gold standard and that means a high priority on stability, but they put in a structure that Sirianni has agreed to that's given him almost no power, and very few people really know just what exactly he does outside of the in-game CEO-like figurehead that has no control over the offense or defense, and it's unknown if he even sets the gameday roster. He's defined himself as a culture setter, but Jalen Hurts has been unable to effusively define their relationship upon being asked. Other than Saquon Barkley, all of their off-season moves (or lack thereof in some cases) have blown up in their faces (Bryce Huff has as many tackles as Haason Reddick, a player whom he swapped places with and is still holding out). This is a house of cards waiting to fall, and it seems unlikely that everyone who is responsible (Roseman) will be held accountable.
Brian Daboll, NYG - It's easy to think about how great the hire looked in his first year, but this seems to be another case where decision makers above him have tied his hands. The players still seem to play hard for him, but if Daniel Jones isn't going to put it together, a full house cleaning will be in order from top to bottom, all those guys look like buffoons on Hard Knocks
Robert Saleh, NYJ - The Jets are also 2-2, but there seems to be ambiguity between Rodgers and Saleh (big surprise), and the nature of Rodgers is such that they're forced to be subservient to him and having Nathaniel Hackett with him, even though it's clear Saleh is an excellent defensive coach.
Sean Payton, DEN - Broncos haven't been scared to cut their losses, see Hackett and Russell Wilson. How much rope is he going to have in a division that had Patrick Mahomes in it? You're not going to be able to win enough games while having such a limited offense, which is a lot harder when your quarterback is a rookie and not future hall of famer.
Mike McDaniel, MIA - I think he needs to put something together this year. The Dolphins got put behind the 8-ball last year with their defense falling apart with injuries, and his quarterback keeps getting concussions, but it won't take much for an owner to be looking for new ideas.
Dennis Allen, NO - The Saints have a completely new offensive staff, but if your ride or die is Derek Carr, you get what you get. The Saints draft well enough that they aren't bad enough to rebuild, but don't have a quarterback or offense that's good enough to do more than hope you win the division, win your home game, maybe get another, and hope the matchups work out where you luck your way into having a puncher's chance in the Super Bowl. Which isn't unlike the rest of the NFC South, much less the NFC, but you can't contend when 9 wins is your ceiling.
Sean McDermott, BUF - Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow will likely have the most to say here, and won't say it until January.
College:
Mike Norvell, Florida State - FSU is 1-4 with a team that they were telling people was close to the undefeated team they had last year, having a former top recruit transfer in after getting his career back on track. Well, it's off-track, and they still have to play Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, and Duke (5-0) and they got their asses handed to them by SMU who only just moved up into the conference
Billy Napier, Florida - Things aren't as good for the in-state rival. The Gators are 2-2, got blown out at home twice, and came into the year with the country's hardest schedule. They still have to play Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss, and may only be favored in one of those games, and the three hardest games aren't in their building
Brian Kelly, LSU - You'd sooner bet for hell to freeze over before getting someone to leave Notre Dame to come to your school, but LSU didn't do it to not win national championships and be third or fourth banana to Georgia and Alabama. Those boosters think they should be a top 5 team every year. Les Miles and Ed Orgeron did more and were fired for less, though it's not like they regretted it.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma - Like LSU, they think they should be a top 5 team, but in the complete opposite of them, saw Lincoln Riley (and Caleb Williams) leave, and opted for a defensive coach because, being OU, they should be getting the top QB's, and don't do that. Beyond that, they've seen their biggest rival replace them at the top, and things ain't gonna get easier now being in the SEC.
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech - Good try against Miami, but what's your plan for getting back into being a contender in the ACC? Because that may be important when the conference goes up in smoke and you're hoping for the best landing spot. It's a program that thinks it should be good enough to be in the SEC, and look for the Expanded College Football Playoff
Dabo Swinney, Clemson - You're not going to get back to being an A program by refusing to acknowledge the transfer portal exists, and it's only a matter of time until you can't keep convincing your recruits to not do it. Your future is in TV otherwise, but your legacy is secure.
