The current American Football Playoffs have no doubt shocked fans with unsuspecting results and upsets. With less than three weeks left in the post-season, viewers anxiously await the upcoming matches. Who will win the NFC championship, the Broncos or the Patriots? Who will win the AFC championship, the Seahawks or the Rams? And who will win the world famous Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, 8 February? I, however, would like to examine a much more interesting trend riveting the NFL: the alarming number of sacked head coaches.
The past four months have seen a whopping ten NFL teams fire their head coaches due to underperformances and clear failures to lead their teams to success. The teams involved cover a range of fortunes — the Cleveland Browns finished last place in the NFC while the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs but fell at the first hurdle. With the inclusion of the Bills, as well as the Falcons, the Dolphins, and the Ravens, it is apparent that the trend does not only pertain to the worst recorded teams.
While firing head coaches is not a new concept, the current pace far exceeds the NFL’s usual amount of head coach sackings per season — around five to nine. This begs the question: why is everyone so eager for a change in command?
To understand why, it is important to note that the NFL industry is as much a company as a sports league. If an NFL coach fails to lead their team to a winning record, playoff appearance, and Super Bowl title, why keep them onboard? The quicker the head coaching change, the longer a team has to build up a successful program.
For eight months of the year, teams train, study, and exert their bodies to the max in hopes of playing in the Super Bowl. Once that possibility ends, the rush to find a new body to coach them is understandable. Even teams with all-star players are nothing without a good coach to strategise and use their assets to their advantage. Sure, it sounds harsh, but time is of the essence.
“Sean McDermott 2019 (49019633667)” by All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.