Out With The Old, In With The New
The morning after the close of the 2008 NFL season bared the firing of three head coaches. The Detroit Lions hoped to break their win-less season yesterday as they played the Green Bay Packers, but fell inches short yet again, losing the game 31-21. The historic 0-16 record didnt help the case of coach Rod Marinelli in his quest of retaining employment in the NFL for the season to come.
Another coach that simply fell short this year was Romeo Crennel of the Cleveland Browns. After a 10-6 season last year and the playoffs right out of reach, the 4-12 record this year just wasnt enough to keep Crennel out of the Cleveland Dawg-pound.
But, perhaps the most newsworthy firing came from the New York Jets and the release of their coach Eric Mangini. With an overall record of 23-26, and the abysmal close to this 08 season, Mangini will be looking for a new gig in the weeks to come. The Jets started the season with a very solid 8-3 record, and let it slip losing 4 of their last 5 games ending the season at a mediocre 9-7.
The firing of these head coaches might very well be a beneficial move for these organizations as one can lend an eye to the record of franchises that had new coaches this past year: Baltimore Ravens 11-5, Atlanta Falcons 11-5 and the Miami Dolphins 11-5. With rookie coaches coming in the clutch for the 08 season, perhaps there is promise for these teams sorrowful display of play calling and execution.
