Has there been a more perilous time for NFL coaches looking to ascend the employment ladder on the traditional position coach-coordinator-head coach path?
There’s a well-established checklist of steps embattled head coaches must take to extend their time of employment—one being to fire their coordinators to deflect some of the blame—and little that offensive and defensive play-callers can do to avoid the inevitable fallout. The best ones work through the panic. The worst ones get consumed by it. And, for another day, a toxic, paranoid work environment churns on.
On Monday morning, Marvin Lewis, a head coach hired for his defensive acumen, fired his defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin, after the team was pummeled by the New Orleans Saints, 51-14.