The NFL's annual coaching carousel was supposed to be relatively calm. Instead, it has turned into another reminder that instability at the top almost always leads to chaos below.
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Much of the perspective here comes from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who has been documenting a hiring cycle that has spiraled quickly. Ten teams have already made head coaching changes, nearly one-third of the league. Only two jobs have been filled. After the Buffalo Bills moved on from Sean McDermott on Monday, the total number of vacancies climbed back to eight.
One current NFL head coach summed it up bluntly in an unsolicited text message to Florio.
"At this very moment, this is the worst collective of 32 owners in league history," the coach wrote.
It is a strong statement, but the pattern is familiar. Bad teams tend to stay bad. Owners convince themselves that firing the coach is the fastest way to fix things, because they have seen it work elsewhere. What often gets ignored is how much the constant hiring and firing contribute to the problem.
When an owner has a quick trigger, the coach spends more time looking over his shoulder than building anything sustainable, Florio opined. Every decision carries the weight of finality.
There is no competency test required to own an NFL team. The path is simple. Have enough money or inherit the right name. And while not every opening stems from dysfunction, many do. In some cases, coaches are dismissed three years or less after the previous one was fired.
Meanwhile, teams with steady ownership quietly benefit. Rash decisions are avoided. Patience exists.
Aaron Rodgers recently blamed the media for putting certain coaches on the hot seat. Florio sees it differently. The blame belongs to those who do not know what to do, so they do the easiest thing. Fire the coach.
Even when the coach is not the real problem.
In the most dysfunctional franchises, the biggest issue is not subject to a pink slip. Owners cannot be fired for poor on field results.
Financially, they are all winning. Even when they are losing. And for those losing the most, the cycle continues. Fire the coach, sell hope, and prepare for the next reset.
