| True to form, the guillotine has begun dropping
on a number of coaching staffs around the league. And unlike Jets head coach Al
Groh’s bombshell resignation last weekend, the shakeups that have transpired in the
last five days have hardly been surprising. The Lions got the ball rolling when they
axed offensive coordinator Sylvester Croom, defensive coordinator Larry Peccatiello and WR
coach Jerry Sullivan last weekend. Nary an eyebrow was raised.
In rapid succession, the purges picked up steam.
Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis, who has been given significant authority by team
owner Bill Bidwill, wasted no time firing Marc Trestman, QB coach John Garrett, TE coach
Don Lawrence and WR coach Vic Rapp. Trestman earned rave reviews in his first season as
the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in 1998. Two seasons later, he was one of the
team’s most inviting targets for criticism.
In Denver, a few days after the Broncos’ defense was squished like a bug by the
Ravens’ powerful ground game, defensive coordinator Greg Robinson was given his
walking papers — a move that had been rumored for weeks in Mile High country.
In St. Louis, Rams head coach Mike Martz initially said he would wait a week or so
after the season before heads would start rolling on his staff. But Martz ended up waiting
just three days to fire defensive coordinator Peter Giunta, special-teams coach Larry
Pasquale, secondary coach Steve Brown and DL coach Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston.
Why the sudden sense of urgency?
"There’s just not a lot of guys available for these positions, so we have to
move very quickly to replace them," said Martz, who reportedly already has his sights
set on Bobby April as Pasquale’s replacement. "It’ll get very competitive
the way the rules are now, being able to talk to some of them. You have to put in an
official request for permission to talk to assistants.
"We’ve got to start doing that immediately."
More full-scale shakeups could be just around the corner.
In Kansas City, while it remains to be seen what exactly Chiefs GM Carl Peterson has in
mind for head coach Gunther Cunningham, there is no end to rumors that both offensive
coordinator Jimmy Raye and defensive coordinator Kurt Schottenheimer could be sent packing
in the near future.
In Buffalo, where Bills owner Ralph Wilson reportedly has given head coach Wade
Phillips a vote of confidence despite the fact Buffalo missed the playoffs for only the
third time in the last 13 years, close observers expect at least one assistant coach, and
possibly more, to be let go.
After all, the Bills have to find at least one scapegoat to blame for their
disappointing season. Remember what happened to special-teams coach Bruce DeHaven after
the "Music City Miracle" last season?
After all is said and done, more than a few NFL coaching staffs will be revamped to the
max. Such is life in a profession in which grace periods have grown much shorter and the
demand for success continues to intensify at a rapid pace.
"That’s how this business works — if you’re not doing well, then
you’re out," said Rams S Devin Bush, who has seen the red flags waving in St.
Louis for the last few months. "I guess it’s nothing personal. It’s a
high-performance business."
Which is why Groh’s decision to bolt the Jets for the University of Virginia
head-coaching post might not be all that surprising after all. Groh was quick to mention
the security factor at Virginia — he was given a guaranteed five-year contract
reportedly averaging $1.4 million a year — as a big reason for making the move.
Surely, Groh will feel the pressure to produce at Virginia.
But compared to the pressure-cooker existence every NFL coach must learn to live with
on a daily basis, his new job will feel like a walk in the park. |
