Black Monday came and went, but the coaching news continued on Tuesday with releases in Chicago and major retentions in San Diego and Philly. Were they the right moves? Let’s break ‘em down!
San Diego Chargers retain General Manager A.J. Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner
OH COME ON!!! I was finally ready to break-up the Turner/Philips romance. However, you can chalk up this stay of execution to a few select reasons. First, key players (i.e. Rivers) probably bitched enough to convince management that it would cause chemistry issues to change coaches. Second, who were they going to get that was even marginally better? Turner’s still got swagger when it comes to his offense, so I’m not sure who was out there (that would come to San Diego) that would be a marked improvement. Maybe Cowher or Gruden if they got extraordinarily lucky, but I’m sure they were rejected outright on those fronts. Finally, it’s the AFC West. A couple plays would have made the difference in getting the Chargers to the playoffs, so they don’t need to improve much to get there next year.
Right Call?Fudge no. I’m sure team President Dean Spanos thought it’d easier to improve with continuity than an overhaul. I don’t care. I still think both of these guys needed to be put down. I’m still shocked they have their jobs. You let me down Dean.
Philadelphia Eagles retain Head Coach Andy Reid
Similar reasoning likely exists behind this move (or non-move if you want to get technical). For next year, what coach has a better chance of winning with the Eagles than Reid? Who else can get the best out of Vick in 2012? Now I’ll give Andy this much, it must have been a f*cking chore to get all these new players in a position to win with no offseason work-outs or camps to get them better acclimated. Juan Castillo sure looks like he could have used to extra work, because that defense failed to get decent until the stretch run. Their 8-8 record doesn’t look as bad because the other teams in their division had their struggles as well. Still, 13 years is a long time to not win the Big One and never learn how to manage the end of the game properly. Maybe all that power bloated Andy's already gigantic head into thinking he could make any coaching move he wanted without consequence?
Right Call?Maybe? Like I said, I’m not sure who’s better right now that the Eagles could have hired. Still, feels like a move out of fear of the unknown rather than Reid’s production. I would have pulled the trigger.
Check back this weekend for a preview of the Wildcard round! Yeah playoffs!
Keywords: A.J. Smith, Andy Reid, Joe Anello, NFL, Norv Turner, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers
