LAS VEGAS, NV (The Spread) – A total of three NFL coaches have already been fired as “Black Monday” started a little early this year.
Gary Kubiak was the first head coach to get the axe this season but he no longer is alone in the unemployment line. Following his team’s loss to the Steelers on Sunday, the Browns informed Rob Chudzinski that he had been fired as head coach. The ending marked just one year of marriage between Cleveland and Chudzinski, who finished 4-12 as head coach of the Browns in 2013.
The Vikings have also fired coach Leslie Frazier on Monday after he led the team to a surprising wild card berth a year ago. The team sunk to the bottom of the NFC North this year, however, and Frazier was let go after three full seasons with the team. He finished his tenure with a 19-29-1 record and one playoff appearance.
The fates of Greg Schiano, Jim Schwartz, Rex Ryan and others have yet to be decided as of this writing, although following Sunday night’s season-ending loss to the Eagles, Jerry Jones reiterated that Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett will return in 2014. Garrett has gone 8-8 in each of his three full seasons as a head coach while losing a playoff spot in Week 17 each year.
One other note from the NFL, the Falcons extended defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s contract despite its issues all season on that side of the ball. Nolan did what he could with a unit that was decimated by injuries (Kroy Biermann, Sean Weatherspoon both missed significant time this year) and a lack of overall talent. Atlanta must address its pass rush woes this offseason and simply give Nolan more to work with. His schemes haven’t been the problem the past two years – it’s been the lack of talent.
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