Black Monday Thread

[Dodub]

Right now the offense is rudderless. I'm sure Harbaugh and Turner could coincide.

No man, they have two COMPLETELY different philosophies. Theres no way for them to coincide. Harbaugh perfers more WCO principles with horizontal passing while Norv perfers the Zampese system with verticle passing. The offenses just don't match up.

Anyway why would you even want to try to force together two offenses that don't match up? That's like when your a kid and you have a round hole but you are so determined to get that square peg in there that you pull out the hammer and start pounding away

 

[Dodub]

Ha ha! But you are right. I don't know his name. Probably couldn't even get it on a multiple choice question.

They switch coaches so often I can't keep up with all the names lol.

 

[CalamityX11]

I agree that Lovie shouldn't have been a candidate for a firing nevertheless an actual firing. He'll find a new home real soon.

Don't like that move by the bears TBH.... per Stephen A Smith though, the Bears had missed the playoffs all but 3 years of Lovie's era(9 yrs) IF i heard correctly... didn't realize that.

 

[Yadahell]

I'd like to see Ron Rivera canned and Chip Kelly choose Carolina over the other possibilities (apparently the Browns and Eagles are interested in him). Oregon's spread offense would be fun to watch with Newton, D. Williams, Stewart, and Steve Smith.

 

[CalamityX11]

I'd like to see Ron Rivera canned and Chip Kelly choose Carolina over the other possibilities (apparently the Browns and Eagles are interested in him). Oregon's spread offense would be fun to watch with Newton, D. Williams, Stewart, and Steve Smith.

funny, i actually think/see Philly's current offensive roster more suited for any speed/spread type offenses...

 

[Smalls]

Schefter:

Cardinals fired HC Ken Whisenhunt. Up to 7 HCs today.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

And it begins:

(per Shef's twitter)
"Jets and Jaguars have asked permission from San Francisco to interview 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble for their GM jobs."

 

[BINGO]

I agree that Lovie shouldn't have been a candidate for a firing nevertheless an actual firing. He'll find a new home real soon.

Don't like that move by the bears TBH.... per Stephen A Smith though, the Bears had missed the playoffs all but 3 years of Lovie's era(9 yrs) IF i heard correctly... didn't realize that.

Bears gave Lovie Smith a fair opportunity - NFC North Blog - ESPN

 

[beardown07]

I think they shoulda extended him one year (Lovie) this last year was the new GM's first draft...give em' one more draft with each other...see if they can fix the o-line. 10-6 in one of the toughest divisions in football....

Lovie's downfall, was his lack of knowledge on the Offensive side of the ball. Wouldn't know an OC if he fell in his lap. Heck of a man tho, and brought respectability back to a franchise that had all but lost it.

 

[BINGO]

Changes coming to Arizona?
1:26PM ET
Arizona Cardinals

Email UPDATE: And another: Schefter reports Whisenhunt has also been let go as of Monday. Will they move quickly on promoting DC Ray Horton? Only a handful of people know, but we may soon find out.

---

GM Rod Graves has been fired, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Whether this means the Cards are feeling the pressure to move quickly with Steve Keim remains to be seen.

---

Starting off the season 4-0, and following that up with just one win over the remaining 12 contests will generally place a team's head coach (and others) on the hot seat. Such appears to be the case for the Arizona Cardinals, as HC Ken Whisenhunt is scheduled to meet with team president Michael Bidwill on Monday morning. The day starts a little later out there -- so there haven't been any official announcements yet, as there have been in Eastern NFL cities -- but some major changes could be on the way.

Some expect that Whisenhunt could be out, and possibly be replaced by Cards DC Ray Horton; after all, the defense has shown some verve during Horton's tenure, and that side of the ball offers something upon which to build. The club should have a very good idea of whether they believe Horton can be an effective head coach, and should be able to proceed quickly if this is their desired path.

In addition to Whisenhunt, the job security of Cardinals GM Rod Graves is in question. The internal candidate whose name has been mentioned most as Graves' replacement is vice president of player personnel Steve Keim. Keim has also been linked to GM openings with other teams, so if the Cards want to hang on to him, they'll have to act fast.

- Tim Kavanagh​

 

[BINGO]

Lovie's possible replacement
12:00PM ET
Lovie Smith | Bears

EmailUPDATE: Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports that the Bears have already reached out to Denver to ask permission to interview OC Mike McCoy. Expect to hear McCoy's name quite a lot over the coming weeks.

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Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune provided a list of HC candidates for the Bears -- in slideshow format! -- following the news of Smith's dismissal. Some notable ones on the list include former Ravens HC Brian Billick, Broncos DC Jack Del Rio, Steelers OC Todd Haley and former Eagles HC Andy Reid.

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It is done: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Smith is out. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that the Bears have already sent out consent forms asking permission to speak with other team's coordinators regarding the opening.

---

It's hard to believe, but despite finishing with a 10-6 record, the job status of Chicago Bears HC Lovie Smith is not secure right now; Bears GM Phil Emery has remained largely silent on the coach's future. Though the Bears won on Sunday, they turned a 7-1 start into that final 10-6 record, missing the playoffs on tiebreakers; accordingly, there will be some alterations to how the team functions heading into 2013, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune examined in a column Sunday night.

If Smith is fired, the job obviously becomes an attractive one for coaching candidates around the league; however, the team may also consider internal candidates, such as former NFL head coaches Rod Marinelli (the assistant coach/D-line coach) and Mike Tice (who coordinates the offense), as well as special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who's been mentioned as an HC candidate elsewhere.

The list of rising coordinator candidates around the league is long; should the Bears want to bring in a new offensive guru to work with Jay Cutler, there's men like Denver's Mike McCoy, Cincinnati's Jay Gruden, Indy's Bruce Arians, San Francisco's Greg Roman and Atlanta's Dirk Koetter. If they pick from the defensive side of the ball, Cincinnati's Mike Zimmer, Jacksonville's Mel Tucker and the Giants' Perry Fewell are possibilities. There are also the "big name" candidates -- Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher -- though it's unclear whether Chicago would go in that direction.

Could be an interesting week in Chicago.

- Tim Kavanagh​

 

[Dodub]

I could certainly see Andy Reed in Chicago

 

[shouldakepowens]

Wisenhunt as offensive coordinator?

 

[Yadahell]

funny, i actually think/see Philly's current offensive roster more suited for any speed/spread type offenses...

Agreed- everywhere but QB (unless Vick is back). McCoy, Brown, Jackson, and Maclin would be great in that Oregon spread offense. I just like Carolina more than Philly and would enjoy seeing how that offense works with a team I like rather than a team I despise.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Thank God Whisenhunt is gone. I'm actually a pretty big fan of his.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Agreed- everywhere but QB (unless Vick is back). McCoy, Brown, Jackson, and Maclin would be great in that Oregon spread offense. I just like Carolina more than Philly and would enjoy seeing how that offense works with a team I like rather than a team I despise.

Yeah, this was my thought. I think it was the week Cal was playing Oregon this year I was listening to KNBR and some Oregon fan was dismissive of Kelly's likelihood of going to the NFL. He was like, "Would he go to the Browns over staying at Oregon, cause that's the question." The radio guys - forget which show, and it actually might have been 95.7 now that I'm thinking about it - disagreed, but didn't give any specifics. I was practically shouting, what about Philly or Dallas? Both have drawbacks, but both are storied franchises that will likely be looking for HCs - though Garrett may miraculously get another shot. I thought Philly in particular would be a great fit for a guy like Chip Kelly with all that speed on offense.

 

[ChrisPozz]

I expect Tom Gamble to be hired elsewhere if he wants a GM job. He turned down the chance to go to the Raiders a while back, but I think he's one of the hottest, most impressive front office names in ALL OF PRO FOOTBALL. Too dang bad. He might be my favorite person in the 49ers organization. Bummer.

 

[MHSL82]

I think the likely departed Alex Smith would vomit in his mouth if this happened.

Exactly what I thought - if it weren't for Kaep, he could be here for awhile (if Norv came back) and he might have finished this year had he not gotten injured. (He could have also struggled and Harbaugh could also surprise - so not saying it's a guarantee or good enough.)

 

[clyde_carbon]

Greg Knapp was just fired by the Raiders.

 

[MHSL82]

I'm really bothered by the Lovie Smith firing. The guy went 10-6 in possibly the hardest division in football and gets fired for it? Meanwhile guys like Jason Garrett, Rex Ryan, Mike Mularkey and whoever the hell coaches the Raiders these days all get to keep their jobs (so far). It just doesn't make sense.

Love it KC would be cool as long as he got Norv as his OC.

Yeah, you don't lose your job due to injury. Yes, I recycle lame jokes, good jokes I hear from others, I use only once. Just kidding.