Extra Points: The copying ceases on ‘Black Monday’
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – The NFL is almost universally regarded as a “copycat league” and for the most part that sentiment is true.
When it comes to Xs and Os, plagiarism is certainly an accepted part of professional football and imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery in the coaching ranks.
“We are a copycat league, you bet,” NFL head of football operations Troy Vincent recently told the Associated Press. “If Peyton (Manning) and Philip (Rivers) and (Drew) Brees and (Tom) Brady are doing something that’s good, then go out and try to do the same thing.”
That kind of piracy has never reached into the front office, however.
No NFL team has had more success in the Super Bowl era than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who already possess a record six Lombardi Trophies as they prepare to embark on their quest for a seventh Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
And the Steelers are renowned for their stability, employing all of three coaches since Chuck Noll arrived in Western Pennsylvania in 1969. That continuity has helped spawn the record six Super Bowl crowns with each coach — Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin — contributing to the collection.
“Black Monday” is the yearly reminder that few organizations plan to play copycat when it comes to Pittsburgh’s history of success, with impatience, anxiety and often ego trumping common sense.
The first official domino fell Sunday night in Santa Clara when the messy Jim Harbaugh-Trent Baalke divorce finally became official.
The 49ers and Harbaugh officially parted ways after Sunday’s 20-17 win over Arizona, a move weeks in the making and one the team called “mutual” if mutual means the politician (Baalke) winning a power struggle against the bull in a china shop (Harbaugh).
The 49ers announced they have already begun a search for a new head coach and the team quickly asked for permission to talk with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase during his bye week.
“Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions,” 49ers CEO Jed York said. “We thank Jim for bringing a tremendous competitive nature and a great passion for the game to the 49ers.”
Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record in four seasons with three consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship game and one trip to the Super Bowl. He, however, didn’t get along with a lot of people in the building and it was clear months ago that the first sign of things going off the rails would give Baalke the excuse to move on.
Harbaugh is expected to land on his feet as the highest paid college coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, with multiple reports indicating he will be named the Wolverines new head coach by Tuesday.
“It’s been the time of my life. There’s been a lot of memories, great moments,” Harbaugh said. “I feel like I’m going to be friends for life with anybody who wants to be.”
Others won’t have a golden parachute waiting for them.
The Jets kicked things off on the actual “Black Monday” as team owner Woody Johnson cleaned house, firing both head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik after a 4-12 season.
“After extensive thought and reflection about the current state of our football team, this morning I informed Rex Ryan and John Idzik that they will not be returning for the 2015 season,” Johnson said. “Both Rex and John made significant contributions to the team, and they have my appreciation and gratitude for their efforts and commitment. Over the years, Rex brought the Jets a bold confidence and a couple of great postseason runs, which all of us will remember.”
Johnson’s decision probably wasn’t all that fair to Idzik, who was on board for only two years and never got the opportunity to hire his own coach but that’s a tough sell to long-suffering Jets fans, who blame Idzik tor two failed drafts.
The lack of development from quarterback Geno Smith — selected as part of Idzik’s first draft class — was a major reason for the Jets’ struggles this season. He was benched after a Week 8 loss to Buffalo, then returned to the starter’s role a month later in a Dec. 1 loss to Miami, long after New York was no longer relevant to the playoff picture.
Next up was Mike Smith in Atlanta, who was dismissed after seven seasons, one day after losing 34-3 at home to the Carolina Panthers in a winner-take-all game that determined the NFC South champion. The Falcons finished 6-10, their second straight losing season.
Atlanta reached the playoffs four times and captured two division titles in Smith’s seven seasons, but had just one postseason win, posting five straight winning seasons under Smith before going 4-12 last in 2013.
“Smitty’s contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “His accomplishments on the field made him the most successful coach in the 49-year history of the Falcons, and we are grateful for the foundation he has laid for us for the future.”
The next domino was a housecleaning in Chicago as the Bears fired both head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery on the heels of a 5-11 season.
Emery spent three years at the helm and brought in Trestman from the CFL in January 2013 after inheriting coach Lovie Smith, who was fired despite a 10-6 season in 2012.
The Bears floundered the past two years, posting an 8-8 mark in 2013 before this year’s disappointing finish. Chicago hadn’t finished below .500 since a 7-9 mark in 2009 and suffered through its worst season since a 5-11 record in 2004.
Considered a successful quarterbacks coach, Trestman’s ultimate sin was the play of Jay Cutler. The veteran quarterback struggled in 2014 and was even benched for Week 16 against Detroit before playing in Sunday’s season-ending 13-9 loss to the Vikings after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion against the Lions.
“I want to thank Virginia, George and the McCaskey family, Phil Emery and Ted Phillips for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears,” Trestman said. “I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous respect for this organization. Chicago is a special city with great fans.”
Emery was tied to the Trestman hire and the McCaskeys believed giving him the leash to pick another coach would have been untenable to the Second City faithful.
Whether any of the coaches removed Monday rebound to have greater success in a future stop remains to be seen but they all now understand hiccups won’t be tolerated in most cities.
Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, a legacy that morphed into mediocrity in 2012-13 with a 16-16 mark over that span was answered by staying the course. And the GPS arrived at its destination on Sunday with the organization’s 21st division championship.
You would think someone might want to copy that.
Categorized in: NFL
Tags: 49ers, Atlanta, Atlanta Falcons, Falcons, San Francisco, San Francisco 49ers