2010 NFL Coaching Carosel - In Game

[Mr. IWS]

Let the games begin....

[Luke]

Zorns gone


Next

[Mr. IWS]

Wow, cant believe Zorn got fired.


Jim Zorn was fired by the Washington Redskins early Monday, the first step in yet another team overhaul under owner Dan Snyder.

Zorn was informed of his dismissal shortly after the team returned to Redskins Park following Sunday's season-ending 23-20 loss at San Diego.

"I just know that last place is not Redskins football," general manager Bruce Allen said. "Last place two years in a row is not Redskins football."

Zorn went 12-20 over two seasons, losing 18 of 24 games after a 6-2 start in 2008. The Redskins struggled early despite a weak schedule this season and finished 4-12, their worst record since 1994.

"No one in the organization is satisfied with our record over the last two years," Snyder said in a statement released by the team, "and I am sure that Jim would concur with that statement. It has been painful for him, too. I certainly accept responsibility for mistakes that I have made. I am hopeful that our fans will accept my commitment and pledge to deliver a franchise that can compete in the NFC East every season."

Zorn's replacement will be Washington's seventh coach since Snyder bought the team in 1999. Playing a role in the decision will be Allen, who was hired as the GM last month. Allen would not comment on former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who is considered the favorite to get the job.

"We're in the process of talking to people," Allen said. "We have a good game plan of what we're going to do."

Neither Snyder nor Zorn were made available for comment.
More Redskins links

Sunday's recap: Chargers 23, Redskins 20

Redskins RapidReports | Coaching Carousel

Zorn's dismissal had been expected for months. The front office stripped him of his play-calling duties in late October, and Snyder interviewed assistant coach Jerry Gray for the job weeks ago, according to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors minority hiring in the NFL.

The new coach, Snyder and Allen will have a monumental task to rebuild a team with many roster deficiencies and major questions at offensive line, quarterback and running back.

This season's team was hurt by numerous injuries, a lack of depth and many off-the-field distractions, but also by an inability of Zorn's West Coast offense to consistently find the end zone.

The Redskins failed to score more than 17 points in their first eight games, prompting the front office to bring longtime NFL assistant coach Sherm Lewis out of retirement as an offensive consultant and play-caller.

Zorn, who had never previously been a head coach or coordinator in the NFL, wasn't even on Snyder's list of candidates when Joe Gibbs retired at the end of the 2007 season. Zorn become a last-minute option when other contenders either showed no interest, dropped out or were deemed unsatisfactory. Snyder initially hired Zorn to be the offensive coordinator, then promoted him to head coach two weeks later after an extensive interview.

[Mr. IWS]

Bills wacked everyone today...LOL


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills opened their offseason with a purge by firing interim coach Perry Fewell and the rest of his staff on Monday.

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Though Fewell was dismissed, he will still interview for the team's vacant head coaching job, a personal familiar with the decisions told the Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the dismissals.

The Bills released an awkwardly worded statement, saying members of the team's current coaching staff have been informed that their obligations for this season have been completed, and they now "have the opportunity to seek positions elsewhere." The release said their status will then be determined by the Bills' next head coach.

The statement added that Fewell remains a candidate for the job.

The shakeup came a day after the Bills (6-10) closed their season with a 30-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

FoxSports.com first reported the firings.

Days after firing head coach Dick Jauron in November, Bills owner Ralph Wilson had said no job was safe as he was preparing to revamp his entire front office once the season ended.

The overhaul started last week when national scout Buddy Nix was promoted to general manager, filling a spot that had been filled by the team's chief operating officer Russ Brandon, who had no football background. Brandon was promoted to chief executive officer.

The Bills closed their 50th season by missing the playoffs for a 10th straight year, and capping a decade in which they enjoyed only one winning season -- a 9-7 finish in 2004.

Fewell, the team's defensive coordinator, finished with a 3-4 record as the interim coach.

Except for highly respected special teams coordinator Bobby April, most of the Bills assistants, including Fewell, had been hired by Jauron.

The timing of the shakeup comes as the Bills embark on their fifth coaching search since Hall of Famer Marv Levy retired after the 1997 season.
More Bills links

Sunday's recap: Bills 30, Colts 7

RapidReports | Coaching Carousel

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher has been mentioned as a candidate. Several media outlets, including ESPN and the Buffalo News, have reported the Bills have spoken to Cowher.

Other potential candidates being mentioned for the job include Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

There's likely to be others because Nix, upon taking over, said he would prefer to hire someone who has been a head coach.

Wilson, in November, told the AP that he was willing to spend as much money as possible to lure a top candidate.

The news of the dismissals came a few hours after Fewell addressed his players in a final team meeting. Players were only made available to the media before the meeting, and discussed the uncertainty regarding the team as they cleaned out their lockers.

"I'm anxious to see what happens. I know coach Perry did a great job with us," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "We all want to know what the situation is, who the head coach will be, what type of defense we're going to run. There's a lot of questions, but you have to stay patient."

Defensive tackle Kyle Williams was frustrated after finishing another losing season, but was hopeful about the team's future.

"We come back here, it'll all be new. It'll be a fresh start," Williams said.

The new coach will have several personnel decisions to make, starting at quarterback.

Trent Edwards, who opened the season as starter, was benched after Jauron was fired. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over and failed to spark a sputtering offense, though he did go 5-4 in games he had a majority of playing time.

Defensive end Aaron Schobel is contemplating retirement after completing his ninth year in Buffalo.

Then there's receiver Terrell Owens, who becomes a free agent after completing a one-year, $6.5 million contract he signed with the Bills in March, days after being released by Dallas.

Owens, on Monday, reiterated that he hasn't ruled out returning to Buffalo, but only with the right coach, at the right price, and if the Bills are interested.

"I think anything is possible, and I think for myself, just be patient, wait things out and weigh my options," he said.

Though disappointed in the Bills losing season, Owens expressed no regrets about signing with Buffalo.

"I took a chance on the opportunity that the Bills really, really wanted me ... and I just felt like I could fit in and be that added piece to get the team to the playoffs," Owens said. "I never envisioned none of the things that happened this year ... Those are some of the things that were definitely out of my control."

The Bills' troubles began even before the season started, when Jauron fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt.

[Mr. IWS]

I love the little blurb on ESPNews

"Buffalo Bills fire entire staff"

[YoungTRK484]

Haha I wonder what I would do if my company told me I had the opportunity to seek a position elsewhere. Hilarious!

[Luke]

Haha I wonder what I would do if my company told me I had the opportunity to seek a position elsewhere. Hilarious!


I know what I would do .Get in the uneployment line and sign up for my free checks.

I would mind sitting on uneployment for about 6 months

[Luke]

Shanahan is the new coach of the skins

Bet he'll regret this

[Mr. IWS]

Shanahan is the new coach of the skins

Bet he'll regret this

So they hired Bruce Allen a couple weeks ago to be the GM, and now they hire Shanahan, who makes all the personel decicions?

I love that the Skins are in the Eagles division with Snyder as the owner.

[Mr. IWS]

Looks like the Turk got Mora. Carroll should jump ship now before anymore USC breaks anymore NCAA rules.


A busy week in NFL coaching news has claimed another victim.

The Seahawks have fired head coach Jim Mora on Friday after just one year on the job and is already making a move for a replacement.

"We've made a tough decision today," Seahawks chief executive Tod Leiweke said. "It became apparent after conducting an extensive internal audit, that a new direction was needed to provide an opportunity for the organization to be successful."

Leiweke called Mora "truly a standup man, who gave his full effort to our franchise."

Who will take Mora's place? USC head coach Pete Carroll has surfaced has a hot candidate. The Seahawks have offered Carroll a significant amount of money and he is absolutely interested, according to two people close to Carroll. However, Carroll was also interested in the Falcons job before they hired Mike Smith.

With news of Seattle's pursuit of Carroll, minority candidates such as Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier are reluctant to interview for the job as they do nto want to be used as simply a Rooney Rule candidate rather than a legitimate candidate.

Mora took over a 4-12 team, and this year's squad was decimated by injuries and had to endure a general manager leaving during the year.

The Seahawks finished 5-11 this year, third place in the NFC West. They finished the year on a four-game losing streak during which they failed to score more than 13 points in any game.

"This team, more importantly this community, means so much to me that it hurts not being able to see this through," Mora said in a team statement. "I am disappointed I did not get the chance to complete my contract. This is a tough business that sometimes demands immediate gratification."

GM and president Tim Ruskell took the initial fall for the Seahawks' flop when he was fired on Dec. 3. Leiweke noted then that Mora was steward of a rocky transition in 2009 from Mike Holmgren's regime to one with a new offense, new defense and almost entirely new coaching staff.

Mora said "maybe I oversold" optimism before the season.

"It was harder than we thought," he said.

Seattle has already called for permission to interview other assistants.

Mora, 48, previously coached the Falcons from 2004-2006 and led them to an 11-5 record and the NFC championship game in his first season. He was an assistant head coach with the Seahawks from 2007-2008 before taking over the head job.

The news comes at the end of a week that has featured plenty of NFL coaching headlines. The Bills dismissed their entire coaching staff, the Redskins replaced Jim Zorn with Mike Shanahan and Charlie Weis became the Chiefs new offensive coordinator, to name a few.

[Mr. IWS]

Looks like Carroll is taking the Seattle job accoring to ESPN.

[Luke]

Looks like Carroll is taking the Seattle job accoring to ESPN.



WOW didnt see that coming!!

[Mr. IWS]

Carrol officially the Seahawks coach now:





RENTON, Wash. -- Pete Carroll is gone from USC and back in the NFL.

After days of talks, the Seattle Seahawks hired the charismatic coach Monday, luring him away from the University of Southern California.

"The nine years at USC have been the best years of my coaching life," Carroll said in a statement released by the university. "I will forever be indebted for the opportunity to represent this great university and would like to extend my thanks to President Sample and Mike Garrett for giving me the chance.

The Seahawks chief executive Tod Leiweke spent Sunday completing the contract for the 58-year-old Carroll.

On Friday, the team fired coach Jim Mora following just one season. Seattle forced general manager and president Tim Ruskell to leave on Dec. 3. The moves left them rudderless less than four years after the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl.

Until now.

"We are excited to add Pete as our coach. He brings a great passion for winning and a positive attitude that is contagious," Leiweke said upon his return to Seattle.

The Seahawks are expected to formally introduce Carroll at their headquarters in Renton, Wash., on Tuesday.

Carroll was 6-10 in 1994 with the Jets and then 27-21 while twice reaching the playoffs from '97-99 with the Patriots -- before he restored a dynasty at USC beginning in 2001.


"The university graciously approached me to stay but this choice is about pursuing the great challenges of competing in the NFL and I found this opportunity too compelling to pass up," Carroll said.

Carroll was 97-19 and won two national championships with USC. He leaves following his worst season (9-4) since his first at the school and with the NCAA investigating the program.

He comes to a Seattle team coming off a 5-11 season.

"We now turn our full attention to the hiring process for a general manager," Leiweke said. "Our intended structure is for Pete and the new GM to work in a collaborative capacity on football matters."

How much control Carroll would have over football operations with the Seahawks was a key issue throughout the negotiations.

Carroll was expected Monday to be at a team meeting at USC that he had planned for weeks for Monday, the Trojans' first day back to school from winter break.

Carroll's departure and the expected upheaval of the entire coaching staff leaves USC football leaderless at a difficult time.

USC's string of seven consecutive Pac-10 titles ended with four losses in 2009.

The school has been under NCAA scrutiny for several years due as the organization investigates allegations former Trojans tailback Reggie Bush received improper benefits from a marketing agent.

Another potential NCAA problem arose last month when USC running back Joe McKnight was forced to sit out the Emerald Bowl while the school investigated his use of an SUV that was not registered to him.

McKnight, along with star wide receiver Damian Williams, declared for the NFL draft as juniors last week.

With national signing day for college football recruits on Feb. 3, the timing of Carroll's move also puts USC's recruiting class in flux.

Carroll flirted with the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons in recent years, but did not take a the plunge for a third NFL stint until the Seahawks, with owner and Microsoft Corp. tycoon Paul Allen, came calling last week.

Even outside football, Carroll has become a prominent figure in Los Angeles during his tenure in the nation's second-largest media market. His charity endeavors, including his A Better LA foundation, and social work with inner city youth have earned high praise.

[Luke]

I bet he's a flop in the NFL again.

He just left USC for the money and to get away from the investigations imo

[Mr. IWS]

Chan Gaily to the Bills. Looks like Buffalo wants to keep on churning out 5 and 6 win seasons.


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Chan Gailey was hired by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, getting a second chance to prove himself as an NFL coach and inheriting a team that has missed the playoffs for 10 straight years.

The team scheduled an afternoon news conference but did not say why. A person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press that Gailey would be introduced then. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to announce the move.

The Buffalo News and FoxSports.com first reported on Monday that Gailey had emerged as the top candidate and was expected to be hired this week.

Gailey replaces Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. He takes over a team that finished 6-10 and becomes the Bills' fifth coach since Hall of Famer Marv Levy retired following the 1997 season.

Gailey has spent 15 of his 38 years of coaching in the NFL. In his two years coaching the Dallas Cowboys, he went 18-14 and led the team to consecutive playoff appearances -- both losses. He was dismissed after the 1999 season, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his mistake in firing Gailey.

Gailey has been out of football since he was fired as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator in August, two weeks before the season opener. He was entering his second season with Kansas City after a six-year stretch as Georgia Tech's coach, during which he went 44-33 before being fired in 2007.

The Bills hit several bumps during their coaching search. They spoke with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher in an attempt to lure him out of broadcasting. The team also interviewed former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who instead chose to coach the Washington Redskins. Last week, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer rejected the Bill's request for an interview.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was considered the top candidate after interviewing two weeks ago. Frazier's stock appeared climb even further after his defense shut down the Cowboys in Minnesota's 34-3 win in the playoffs Sunday.

The 58-year-old Gailey fits the profile set by newly hired general manager Buddy Nix, who preferred hiring someone with head-coaching experience.

Unlike Frazier, a career assistant, Gailey has run college and pro teams, including a two-year stint as coach of the World League of American Football Birmingham Fire in 1991-92. He also coached Troy State (1983-84) and Samford (1993).

At Georgia Tech, Gailey led the Yellow Jackets to six bowl appearances, but his time there ended after a 7-5 finish and going 0-6 during against rival Georgia.

With Buffalo, Gailey's top priority will be sparking an offense that has finished 25th or worst in yards gained in each of the past seven seasons.

Finding a franchise quarterback would help, too. A combination of injuries and futility led to the Bills to go through three starters this past year. The team has not had a starting quarterback stay for more than three year since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season.

Gailey would also need to warm up to Bills fans, who spent the past two weeks clamoring for the team to hire Cowher. Fans raised $1,125 to rent a billboard in Buffalo last week urging team owner Ralph Wilson to hire Cowher.

[Luke]

::lmao::


Chan Galiey what a joke

[Mr. IWS]

I will never understand why teams keep recycling coaches. They are better off just trying to hire a hot assistant IMO. We already know what Chan Galey is. a shorter version of Dick Jauron.

I loved the quote on ESPN Radio yesterday about the Bills.

"The Bills basically went to dinner at Ruth's Chris and ordered a cheese toasty". ::rolling::