NFL Head Coaching Hot Seat:
Matt Patricia coaching for career in 2020? Has Dan Quinn’s time in Atlanta run its course?
With the 2020-2021 NFL season looming we can’t help but wonder what the future holds for 5 Head Coaches from a season ago whose team performances left less than the success desired from all 5 front offices. For every Mike McCarthy, Matt Rhule, & Joe Judge in contrast there has to be a Jason Garrett, Ron Rivera, & Pat Shurmur. In the following article we will take a close look at the above 5 Head Coaches who could be on the hottest of hot seats going into the upcoming season.
Dan Quinn, Falcons:
28-3 with the entire state of Georgia preparing for its biggest celebration since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series back in 1995 seems so long ago for Falcons fans as well as team owner Arthur Blank. Since the biggest collapse in NFL Super Bowl history the Atlanta Falcons have been stuck in a 3 year long hangover with no current signs of relief. Immediately after their 34-28 loss to the New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan bolted for the head coaching job in San Francisco and the Falcons offense has sputtered ever since to say the least. Former league MVP Matt Ryan has physically regressed due to taking a pounding in the pocket the past 3 seasons on top of father time, and no continuity with one of the most injured rosters in all of football it isn’t difficult to see why they have struggled to find their footing. They are exactly .500 with a record of 24-24 over the past 3 seasons with 1 playoff appearance in 2017. After a brutal 1-7 start to last season the rumblings over Quinn’s job in Atlanta reached a furious pitch which was simmered down by the team going 6-2 in the second half of the season pushing team owner Arthur Blank to publicly back his coach, and telling all of us he would definitely be returning for next season. For what it’s worth the fall this team suffered isn’t completely on Dan Quinn’s desk, but when you’re the Head Coach of a team that was flying high and looked to be a possible juggernaut that lost 1 game, 1 Coordinator, and has been an underachiever ever since things undoubtedly fall on you. Have things gotten stale? Too many injuries, Julio aging before our eyes? Matt Ryan’s health? No pass rush? No pass protection? Whatever the excuses are valid or invalid if this Falcons team stumbles out the gate in 2020 we could see a quick decision on Dan Quinn’s job security.
Bill O’Brien, Texans: In all honesty in coach O’Brien’s defense he has actually had a solid tenure in Houston. Since becoming Head Coach in 2014 he has a W-L% of .54.2 with only 1 losing season (4-12) which took place in 2017 the rookie season of current Texans signal caller Deshaun Watson. Watson suffered a season ending ACL injury in practice right after a sensational week 8 lost at the Seattle Seahawks 38-41. The loss dropped the Texans to 3-4 at the midway point, and paired with the Watson injury all but buried the promising young team. Aside from that season 0’Brien has a record of 48-32, but as of late things seem to have leveled off as far as the Texans progress. Yes the team reached 10-6, and a back to back playoff berth a season ago, but it has become more than evident that this is a Deshaun Watson overworked team.Will Fuller is a big play waiting to happen, but his inability to stay available health wise has all but sealed his fate with the organization regarding the future moving forward. No viable threat at TE or RB in 3 years of play for Watson has made it virtually impossible for him to ever see a clean pocket, but he has managed to still be the No.1 reason that team wins anything. This offseason O’Brien made one of the more head scratching trades in recent NFL memory when he flat out gave away All-Pro Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for aging RB David Johnson, a 2nd round pick in the just passed 2020 draft, & a 4th round pick in 2021. The move did not go over well nationally, or locally, and almost started a fanbase revolt against the Texans head coach. He has a lot to prove this upcoming season since in his Head Coach/GM role he has decided to rid the locker room of anyone who challenges his ideas on winning. Things do not look strong for the Texans roster wise, or head coach approval rating wise with the fanbase heading into the 2020-2021 season, and any early slip ups 3-6, 2-5, or 0-4 for whatever reasons could spell the end for Bill O’Brien.
Adam Gase, Jets: 10-6, 6-10, & 7-9 in 3 seasons as the Miami Dolphins Head Coach from 2016-2018 which ended in Gase being shown the door. Despite his less than stellar tenure in South Beach Gase did not have to wait long before he received his second crack at being the head man in charge when divisional rival New York picked up the phone, and brought Gase right in after firing then Head Coach Todd Bowles after 4 unsuccessful seasons. Gase had a very interesting first season with the Jets having to juggle a rookie qb, bottom 2 offensive line, Le’Veon Bell weekly issues, and having his best player demand a trade, and not demand a trade. What makes things even more dicey for Gase is his job security is directly tied to the development of Sam Darnold. The young QB had a strange rookie campaign to evaluate given he missed significant time with Mono, showed big time flashes, big time blunders, had zero o-line help, and was furnished with 1 wide receiver with a pulse in Robby Anderson who has since left for Carolina. The team made the logical 1st round selection in massive human being Left Tackle Mekhi Becton from Louisville, and selected Baylor Wideout Denzel Mims in the 2nd round. That there is pretty much it for the “Help” thrown Darnold’s way for 2020. Even if Becton does pan out in 2 or more years and becomes Darnold’s rock on his blindside for 12-14 years there’s a very good chance Adam Gase will not be around to see it through. If you believe developing a team with a young QB is tough try developing a team with a young QB, young LT, & young WR all while trying to do it as quickly as possible to keep your own job. Things do not look promising for Adam Gase simply put.
Matt Patricia, Lions: 9-22-1 in 2 seasons after prior Head Coach Jim Caldwell led the organization to winning seasons 3 out of his 4 years served including an 11-5 record in 2014, with 2 playoff appearances. Caldwell was let go after the 2017 season for a 9-7 record by GM Bob Quinn who made it perfectly clear afterwards “9-7 isnt good enough”. Which brings us to current Head Coach Matt Patricia whose first 2 seasons in the Motor City have gone about as ugly as predicted by some national and local pundits alike. Reported locker room revolts, terrible play calling, awful drafting, silly staff decisions, and a beat up Matthew Stafford who is fastly reaching the twilight of his career, not due to age but the constant beating he has taken not only over the past 2 seasons, but over his entire Lions career. Tough, talented guy, but not tough and talented enough to overcome the current state of the franchise. Team owner Martha Firestone Ford gave GM Bob Quinn and Head Coach Matt Patricia the proverbial pound on the table which is “Next season playoffs or fired” so we can expect the two to pull out all stops to reach the satisfying goal of sniffing around 8-8, or trip, stumble, & falling into 9-7.
Doug Marrone, Jaguars: Marrone took over at the tail end of the 2016 season splitting the final 2 games against Tennessee & Indianapolis. Despite having such an attractive roster to pretty much everyone around the NFL, and having the ball in their court to mingle with almost any available coaching candidate they chose the Jags instead decided to roll the dice on Marrone, and made him the official head guy moving into the 2017-2018 season. That decision initially looked to be one of the savviest ever by any organization as Marrone led the Jaguars to a 10-6 regular season record, and the AFC Championship Game where they came up just short against the New England Patriots. After that loss everyone was positive that the Jaguars were one of those “ next teams”, and that they would surely be back multiple times moving forward, but there were always 2 huge issues with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the way they were constructed. Waay too much money invested in high 1st round players on the defensive side of the ball, and there was no way they could continue hiding Blake Bortles if they wanted to reach their full potential while they still had a window. To make a long story short, since that successful 2017 campaign the team has gone 5-11, 6-10, released Blake Bortles, bounced Miles Jack around between all 3 linebacker positions, signed Nick Foles, traded Nick Foles, allowed Tom Coughlin to alienate an entire generation of players, and traded 2 of the 7 best corners in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey, and A.J. Bouye. The organization looks to be in complete “Tank 4 Trevor” mode for the 2020, and usually coaches who possess losing records in back to back seasons who walk into situations like these are typically just glorified babysitters until the next regime is ushered in, and i see absolutely nothing different about Doug Marrone in Jacksonville.
