Marvin Moore September 26, 2023
The number of competent NFL head coaches has declined in recent years. No longer are these field generals considered leaders of men. Most are offensive and defensive coordinators masquerading as head coaches. And their won-loss records are all the evidence needed.
The league currently has three Black head coaches and one Latino. So much for diversity. It would be different if the league were stocked with great head coaches. But the No Fun League is overflowing with mediocre coaches because clueless owners love to hire people who look like their uncles, brothers, and sons.
Arizona Cardinals principal owner Michael Bidwill prefers young head coaches with little experience. He recruited a college coach, Kliff Kingsbury, who posted a 36-38 record at Texas Tech before getting his walking papers. However, less than two months after the Red Raiders showed him the door, he was given a prestigious NFL job. Go figure.
Kingsbury went 28-37-1 as the Cardinals’ head coach. That’s not the shocking part. The fact he lasted four seasons is stunning but not surprising. Despite their unimpressive records, more than a handful of current head coaches are still calling the shots.
Saints’ head coach Dennis Allen has a career record of 16-38. The guy is a terrific defensive coordinator, but that’s it. He went 8-28 as the Raiders head man but was rewarded with another shot in New Orleans. Who said losing doesn’t pay?
Matt Eberflus has spun a 3-17 record as the head coach of the Bears. Dating back to last season, Eberflus has coached Chicago to 12 consecutive losses. He was hired without head coaching experience, and his tenure in the Windy City has been a disaster.
Josh McDaniels lost 17 of the 28 games he coached while at the helm of the Denver Broncos. His track record of mediocrity led to another NFL gig with the Las Vegas Raiders. But just like his first stint calling the shots, McDaniels has lost 13 of his first 20 games in Sin City.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has a 20-17 record and lost a playoff game last season after taking a 27-0 lead. Despite having one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks, the Chargers are underperforming again this season with a 1-2 mark.
Kevin Stefanski is in his fourth season as the head man in Cleveland. The Browns are 28-25 under Stefanski and have yet to finish above third place. He is another former coordinator with no head coach experience who has mastered the art of mediocrity.
Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith has dropped 21 of the 37 NFL games he has been calling the shots. He became the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator in 2019 and two years later, with no head coaching experience, was hired by the Falcons. It’s painfully evident that experience is not required to become an NFL head coach unless you are a minority candidate.
The Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich after a 3-5-1 start last November. However, the Carolina Panthers hired Reich less than three months later to become their new head coach. Getting fired for not winning seems appealing to some owners since Allen and McDaniels were also dismissed during the middle of the season.
Bidwill’s next head coach in the desert, Jonathan Gannon, is a 40-year-old who spent only two years as a defensive coordinator before getting the Arizona gig. He joins a long list of current NFL field generals hired with no experience as the top man.
Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Don Shula, Vince Lombardi, Bud Grant, John Madden, and many other legendary coaches were leaders of men. They garnered respect for their achievements, not their job titles. They were proven winners, not football’s versions of teacher’s pets.
The NFL’s commitment to diversity is a joke. The Rooney Rule is a joke. And a large number of incompetent head coaches are jokes, too.
