Black Monday in the NFL wasn’t as big of a plague as many predicted, but there were still many a coaching vacancy in the league. However, those slots are filling quick as teams are pouncing speedier than ever to hit the refresh button for their organization. Here are all the changes that were made in a hectic past week, and how they will potentially change each respective team.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: JIM TOMSULA OUT, CHIP KELLY IN
When rumors started to swirl of Chip Kelly’s tenure in Philadelphia ending arose, his next destination seemed to be fairly clear. He was either going back to the college ranks or he was going to be the next coach of the Tennessee Titans. San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York through manure on those sentiments by snapping up Kelly for himself. York was unconcerned by Kelly’s fall from grace with the Eagles, giving him a four year contract worth $24 million. Ever since their glory days, the 49ers have lacked an offensive identity. The parade of coordinators and philosophies during the Alex Smith era hasn’t stopped with Colin Kaepernick. But with Chip Kelly’s system, the end of Kaepernick’s run in San Francisco isn’t a certainty any longer. That may be the biggest shock to the 49ers system from jump street, but if Kelly’s resume says anything, there will be a drastic shift in personnel. Let’s just hope for 49ers fans sake that York and the rest of management let Kelly just stick to coaching.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: MIKE PETTINE OUT, HUE JACKSON IN
In the least shocking coaching change in the NFL, Mike Pettine was let go as Browns coach. It wasn’t unsurprising just because Pettine seemed lost in the position. It was also because the Browns franchise is a total catastrophe from top to bottom. The man now in charge of turning around a ship in the midst of a Viking funeral is former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Jackson had his share of rotten eggs with the Bengals. He will have plenty of those in Cleveland, but there is one in particular he doesn’t feel like handling. If you believe reports, Johnny Manziel‘s days in Cleveland are numbered. That is a good first small step in the right direction for Jackson. He found out from his short stint as Raiders coach that proactivity serves you better than inactivity with volatile ownership. He was out after one 8-8 season in Oakland. Here’s to his second NFL coaching gig lasting longer than that.
NEW YORK GIANTS: TOM COUGHLIN OUT, BEN MCADOO IN
http://gty.im/484372546
Tom Coughlin is going to be a Hall of Famer some day. He may even be an NFL coach again before the 2016 season starts. But after four straight non-playoff years, with the last three being under .500, it was time for a change for the G-Men. They scoured the NFL for suitable candidates, but in the end they made the decision to keep their current structure intact with the promotion of offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. While McAdoo provides a familiar face for the current Giants, maintaining a philosophy that hasn’t produced recent results is always a risk. His first draft is going to be key as McAdoo needs to fill in the Giants’ many gaps with youth. From his time in Green Bay, he is used to roster consistency. While it may be clamored for by some, there probably won’t be wholesale squad changes for the Giants heading into the 2016 season.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: DAN CAMPBELL OUT, ADAM GASE IN
Miami had one of the more hard to follow seasons in the NFL in 2015. They splurged in free agency in the summer on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was given a massive extension. The team responded by quitting on two different coaches over the course of the year, ending at 6-10. Now this dysfunctional franchise is in the hands of former Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Gase’s scope of power in Miami is massive. He’s in full control of roster moves and will call offensive plays instead of the offensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see if adding autonomy to chaos is a wise decision. In a division where every other team continues to improve, the Dolphins are surely going to hope it is.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: LOVIE SMITH OUT, DIRK KOETTER IN
Lovie Smith was snake bitten in losing his job with Tampa Bay. In his second stint with the club, Smith had his warts. But the Bucs showed improvement this year, especially with a rookie quarterback. Nevertheless, Dirk Koetter will ascend from offensive coordinator to head coach for 2016. Koetter has a sparkling offensive pedigree from both his collegiate head coaching days to his coordinator stints in the NFL. He will continue to mold Jameis Winston and hopefully keep Doug Martin to have one of the most promising QB/RB combos in the NFC. He will be hoping that his new defensive coordinator, former Falcons head coach Mike Smith, can do the same for their putrid defense.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: CHIP KELLY OUT, DOUG PEDERSON IN
We started off this article with Chip Kelly’s new home. We come full circle now with his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia. Now that Kansas City is out of the playoffs, Doug Pederson can officially take the head coaching position with the Eagles. A journeyman quarterback as a player, Pederson has been a stabilizing voice for Alex Smith in Kansas City. Pederson has no prior head coaching experience professionally, which made the move a head scratcher. Needless to say, the announcement of his hiring hasn’t gone over so well in Philadelphia. Many see him as an Andy Reid yes man without his own ideas or strategies. This guy took it a bit too far.
TENNESSEE TITANS: MIKE MULARKEY OUT….MIKE MULARKEY IN
Tennessee’s offseason coaching search didn’t quite go as planned. They originally targeted Chip Kelly, only to pull a sharp 180 in that pursuit. Then their own defensive coordinator Ray Horton (who may be off to Cleveland) became the lead horse. In the end though, they decided that lifting the interim tag off of Mike Mularkey was the best option. According to reports, this was the plan of the Titans ownership all along. Yes, it gives franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota some stability, but does bringing back Mularkey make the Titans any better? Firing Ken Whisenhunt was a necessary move for Mariota to grow, but for him to prosper, Mularkey can’t be more than a stopgap for Tennessee while they reevaluate the potential options next offseason.