Black Monday in the NFL

Written by: Tyler Deakin

Black Monday falls on the day after the NFL regular season ends, and it signifies the day that many coaches & general managers around the league are fired for underperformance. The event started on Sunday (1/9) this year when Vic Fangio was fired as head coach of the Denver Broncos, and it continued throughout the week with the latest news dropping on Thursday that David Culley is out as head coach of the Houston Texans. There are a few coaches, including Pete Carroll, Rich Bisaccia, & Matt Rhule whose futures are still very much in limbo. Let’s dive in to discuss all of the firings from around the league & why team owners felt these changes were necessary. We’ll begin by examining teams that fired their head coach & general manager.

Mike Zimmer & Rick Spielman; Vikings

Mike Zimmer was the longest-tenured active head coach without a Super Bowl win before being given the boot on Sunday. His teams frequently finished around .500, but lacked the signature wins in big games required for him to stay atop his perch. It didn’t help his cause that Kirk Cousins was his starting QB for so long, as Cousins failed to deliver in many big games. Zimmer is likely to get coaching opportunities elsewhere, but does he want to continue his coaching career at 65 years old? Spielman was a surprise fire, as many NFL analysts believe that he’s assembled a talented Vikings roster. The problem is that the talent regularly underachieved under this regime, which is why both men are no longer there. New management is tasked with identifying what their plan is at the quarterback position and rebuilding a struggling defense.

Joe Judge & Dave Gettleman; Giants

Joe Judge was fired on Tuesday after Dave Gettleman announced retirement on Monday. Both moves were necessary for the Giants as the men struggled in their roles the past few years. Judge’s stint as an NFL head coach was such a disaster that it will take him a while to find work. Gettleman left the roster in really bad shape as upgrades are needed at quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, etc. They’ve got some talent (Saquan Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay) at the skill positions, but all of these guys need to prove their ability to stay healthy.

Matt Nagy & Ryan Pace; Bears

Football fans knew this was bound to happen from the moment the Bears agreed to bring both men back for one more try last year. Nagy’s team never recovered from the famous “Double Doink” play against the Eagles in the 2018 NFC Wild Card Game. Pace was partially to blame for that, as he repeatedly failed to address the team’s issues at wide receiver & offensive line while the defensive unit continued to age without being reinforced by younger talent. It didn’t help either of them that their fate was tied to Mitchell Trubisky, who was not a good QB. The old regime did leave the new regime a parting gift in Justin Fields, but this has the look of a multi-year rebuilding project. We’ll have to wait & see who accepts this challenge for the Bears.

Urban Meyer; Jaguars

Urban Meyer was an absolute disaster from the moment he was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was fired a month ago after many mishaps including not flying home with the team after a loss, a video showing sexual misconduct between Meyer & a young woman, & a kicking incident. The team went 2-11 under Meyer & had Tim Tebow try out at TE as a publicity stunt. Players on the team seemed much happier after he was gone despite the team’s on-field product.

Brian Flores; Dolphins

This was probably the most surprising firing of all the head coaches, as the Dolphins were 24-25 under Flores the past three years. An internal power struggle between Flores & GM Chris Grier, as well as a disdain for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, led to his dismissal. It’s telling that Flores immediately becomes one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market. Could the Dolphins regret their decision in choosing Grier over Flores later on down the road?

Vic Fangio; Broncos

The bottom line for Vic Fangio is that he just never had a good quarterback to contend with. Drew Lock & Teddy Bridgewater did him no favors in elevating the team’s offense despite having a stellar cast of wide receivers surrounding them. He’s a great defensive coach though, as evidenced by the team’s 3rd place ranking in total points & points per game, which is why I believe he’ll get a defensive coordinator gig elsewhere. Fangio indicated as much when he told a reporter who asked about his future, “"I'll be good Legs [Jeff Legwold], don't worry about me."

David Culley; Texans

David Culley was never given a fair chance to be the head coach of the Houston Texans. It’s clear to me now that the Texans only interviewed Culley to fulfill the Rooney Rule, and since nobody else wanted the job they decided to hire him & let him take the fall for the team’s shortcomings this year. He inherited a talent-deficient roster that wasn’t favored in any games & turned them into a 4-win team that managed key wins against the Titans & Chargers. I’m doubtful that Culley will get another opportunity as an NFL head coach, but teams would be smart to recognize that he’s well qualified to lead a team or be a part of a good coaching staff. The Texans are an absolute dumpster fire, and they need a culture change to turn things around.