Coaching carousel proves success is fleeting in NFL

            When it’s all said and done for the 2011 season, as many as
nine coaches could be out of a job. A number of those coaches have tasted
success as recently as last season.

            Jack
Del Rio was the first to get the axe, losing his job after nearly nine seasons
in Jacksonville when he was dismissed November 28. A year ago, Del Rio had the
Jags in contention at 8-5 before they fizzled and lost their last three games.

Todd Haley and Tony Sparano lost
their jobs yesterday, and for the former it is quite a shocking turnaround.
Haley led the Chiefs to a 10-6 record and their first AFC West crown in seven years last season, yet saw injuries
decimate this year’s club.

Sparano’s firing did not come as a
surprise, yet just three years ago he led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and an
AFC East title.

Looking ahead, San Diego’s Norv
Turner, Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris, and Indianapolis’ Jim Caldwell are all
likely to follow suit, while there is an outside chance St. Louis’ Steve Spagnuolo,
Minnesota’s Leslie Frazier, and Philadelphia’s Andy Reid could all be on the
chopping block as well.

Turner, Morris, and Caldwell all
led their respective clubs to winning seasons in 2010, with Caldwell guiding
the Colts to the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. Yet all three have
seen their teams turn in extremely disappointing 2011 campaigns, none more so
than Caldwell and his 0-13 squad.

Spagnuolo himself had the Rams on
the cusp of a playoff berth a year ago, turning a 1-15 disaster into a
respectable 7-9 showing. But the Rams simply cannot find any offense and have
regressed under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on a team ravaged by
injuries.

Frazier inherited a mess from Brad
Childress and has yet to right the ship for the 2-11 Vikings. Minnesota has a
cornerstone on both sides of the ball in Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen but
virtually nothing else.

And then there is Reid. The Eagles
were one of the heavy favorites in the NFC this year with their supposed “Dream
Team” led by Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. Instead, the team has been a
major flop, showing its lack of depth and, at times, lack of character.

Reid, the longest tenured coach in
the league, may decide to step down before he is let go, unless he can convince
management he can get things turned around in a hurry. Still, it’s hard to
imagine a coach who has engineered nine playoff berths, five NFC title game
appearances, and one Super Bowl appearance in his 13 years at the helm could be
ousted from his post.

This is simply a statement of the
state of affairs of today’s NFL. It is the ultimate “What have you done for me
lately?” sport, as evidenced by the lack of loyalty exhibited by owners and
general managers alike. Win a division one year, be out on the streets the next.

There are very few coaches with
air-tight job security, so few in fact that you can count them on one hand.
Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, and Mike Tomlin may be the only
ones that appear truly invincible at this point.

Obviously, new coaches get
something of a honeymoon period, and for Jim Harbaugh and what he has done in
turning around the 49ers, that could last a while.

But no matter what happens this
offseason regarding coaches, it doesn’t figure to be pretty, and simply goes as
proof that the only surefire way to maintain your coaching job is to win – and
keep winning.