Welcome to our weekly column where we look at all things NFL from our regular NFL tipster and Rugby League raconteur Nick Tedeschi. He will look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the NFL, holding back no punches.
The Worst Coach Every Team Has Had
The NFL traces its roots back to 1920. Over that time there have been some truly horrific head coaches. Here are the worst for each franchise:
Arizona – Phil Handler: Handler’s 4-34 record over five seasons including two winless campaigns is the lowest in NFL history for a coach who coached five-plus seasons.
Atlanta- Bobby Petrino: Petrino became a star at Louisville but after starting 3-10 fled in the dark of night to return to the college ranks.
Baltimore – Ted Marchibroda: The Ravens have had only three head coaches and Marchibroda is the only one with a losing record and without a Super Bowl.
Buffalo – Harvey Johnson: Johnson went 1-10-1 in 1968, got fired and then remarkably rehired in 1971, where he went 1-13, his 2-23-1 record defying his nickname of ‘Stud’.
Carolina – Frank Reich: Reich was expected to be a steady hand after a strong stint at the Colts but went 1-10 before being fired in his first season.
Chicago – Matt Eberflus: Eberflus remarkably lasted three seasons at the Bears, losing every game to the Packers and becoming known for awful clock management.
Cincinnati- David Shula: Hired based on his name as the son of one of the greats at just 32, he lost 52 of 71 games in charge of the Bengals.
Cleveland -Hue Jackson: Jackson went 3-36 including 1-15 and 0-16 seasons in what was a laughable stint.
Dallas – Dave Campo: The only Cowboys coach with a losing record, Dave Campo went 5-11 in three straight seasons in an era of utter mediocrity.
Denver – Nathaniel Hackett: Hired in an attempt to lure Aaron Rodgers to the Mile High City, Hackett had his card marked in the first game with some horrific decision-making. He was fired before his first season ended.
Detroit – Marty Mornhinweg: One play summed up his mediocre coaching stint at Detroit – winning the toss in overtime and choosing to kick off, which the Bears of course won on the opening drive.
Green Bay – Ray McLean: McLean kicked the last drop goal for 64 years but his head coaching was not nearly as memorable, going 1-10-1 before the Packers hired Vince Lombardi and Green Bay became Title Town.
Houston – Bill O’Brien: O’Brien is loathed in Houston for the arrogant way he dismantled the team including changing All-World wideout DeAndre Hopkins for nothing.
Indianapolis – Frank Kush: A legend at Arizona State, Kush also built a reputation as a bully and a thug that led to his dismissal at the Sun Devils. So bad was his reputation that John Elway refused to join the Colts when drafted, robbing the franchise of a generational QB all for a coach who went 11-28-1.
Jacksonville – Urban Meyer: Meyer had built an incredible resume at college but his Jags tenure was embarrassing highlighted by unprofessionalism including hiring racists, making players cry, calling assistants losers and missing team flights.
Kansas City – Romeo Crennell: Interim coach who got the full-time job, Crennell lasted a year after a poor record at the Browns, going 3-15 before Andy Reid took the reins and built a dynasty.
Las Vegas – Lane Kiffin: Al Davis tried to find the next John Madden when he hired 31yo Lane Kiffin. It ended after one season that saw the Raiders go 4-12 and Davis call Kiffin “a flat-out liar” who brought :disgrace to the organisation”.
LA Chargers – Harland Svare: Svare went 7-17-2 in three seasons with the Chargers and made it worse by trading the club’s greatest receiver Lance Alworth away for nothing.
LA Rams – Bob Watefield: Hiring a movie producer who was married to Hollywood starlet Jane Russell proved a fail with the Rams 9-24-1 under his leadership.
Miami – Cam Cameron: The man named twice won just once in an awful 1-15 one-and-done season with the Dolphins.
Minnesota – Les Steckel: Steckel was hired to replace the popular Bud Grant but the players hated his authoritarian ways and he was sacked after a year, forcing Grant out of retirement.
New England – Jerod Mayo: The decision to move on from Bill Belichick was an utterly confounding decision from Robert Kraft but to force the wholly unprepared Jerod Mayo in was laughable. He last one painful 4-13 season where the Pats looked like a rabble.
New Orleans – Mike Ditka: One of the greatest coaches in Bears history became the worst in Saints history when he traded an entire draft and the top picks from the next draft for Ricky Williams.
NY Giants – Bill Arnspager: A Don Schula assistant who went 7-28 before being fired after a 0-7 start to his third season.
NY Jets – Rich Kotite: The former Eagles head coach who was run out of Philly returned home as coach and GM and went 4-28 in two of the three worst seasons in franchise history.
Philadelphia – Ed Khayat: His ridiculous rule forcing all players to be clean shaved led to the team’s best player being traded. He also guaranteed a win over the Giants – and lost 62-10.
Pittsburgh – Johnny McNally: The Steelers have had three great coaches since 1969 but their worst came just before WWII with ‘Blood’ McNally famously missing a game because he thought the team had the week off.
San Francisco – Pete McCulley: His two predecessors lasted just a season but McCulley made it just nine games when he was dismissed after a 1-8 record in his first nine matches.
Seattle – Jim Mora: Mora had done a decent job at Atlanta but lasted just one-year between Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll, going 5-11. He won no friends blaming everyone but himself.
Tampa Bay – Greg Schiano: The Bucs have a sorry history when it comes to coaching but none more hated than Greg Schiano, the college coach whose authoritarian style saw him lose the locker room quicker than most.
Tennessee – Brian Callahan: The current Titans coach has gone 3-15 and seems to not understand the time limits in making decisions.
Washington – Herman Ball: The popular Ball was elevated from an assistant role but went 4-16 in three fruitless seasons and never coached in the NFL again.
Russell Wilson Is a Myth
The Super Bowl winning Russell Wilson is long gone. The clown that is currently running by the same name having wheeled through three clubs the last three seasons is living off past glories and stealing future salary cap space. His lacklustre performance against Kansas City should be the last time he throws a pass in professional football. His gross incompetence and refusal to even give the slightest indication of giving a flying Andrew Luck should see Brian Daboll bench him and the Giants brass cut him at the first opportunity. On potential game-impactful drives in the fourth quarter, he gave away a totally unnecessary intentional grounding penalty and then threw a fourth down pass into the crossbar. It is time to start the Jaxson Dart era.
Brian Callahan On Borrowed Time
Brian Callahan was a bad hire for the Titans. He had ordinary credentials and was not being pursued by other teams. Worse, they let go of a significantly better coach in Mike Vrabel. To make matters notably worse though is the bloke seems
Week 3 Bad Beat Power Rankings
No sport lends itself to cruel beats more than American football. Here are the five worst for Week 3:
5. New York Giants +6.5: The Giants had ample opportunities to not only cover against Kansas City but a combination of incompetent quarterback play and an injury to kicker Graham Gano killed any hope of a backdoor late in the game.
4. Arizona Win: NFC West rivals Arizona and San Francisco played out a defensive battle that the Cardinals seemed to have won when the 49ers conceded a safety on a holding penalty in the endzone to give the birds a 15-13 lead with three minutes to play. The 49ers got the ball back with 1:46 left and drove down for Eddy Pineiro to kick the winning field goal.
3. New York Jets Win: The Jets seemed to be on the cusp of a stunning last-quarter comeback win over Tampa Bay with 21 final stanza points giving the Jets a 27-26 lead. Baker Mayfield led his third game-winning drive in three weeks when he moved the Bucs 48 yards in seven plays leading to a Chase McLaughlin field goal.
2. Over 49.5 Dallas-Chicago: There were 38 first half points scored in the Cowboys-Bears clash with the over destined to hit. Unfortunately for over punters only one touchdown was scored in the second half – one that came at the end of a 9:54 drive that took nearly the entire third quarter. The lowlight came when a 92-yard Cowboys drive ended in a pick.
1. LA Rams +3.5: The Rams led Super Bowl champions 26-7 in what was a dominant display before the Eagles clawed their way back. Even still the plus looked good with Philadelphia leading 28-26 and the Rams lining up a field goal. Not only was the field goal blocked but it was returned by lineman Jordan Davis for a touchdown in what will prove one of the cruellest beats of the season.
Fun Fact #1
Quarterback Gale Gilbert is the only player to go to five straight Super Bowls. He lost all five. He did not win one and threw just six passes in those Super Bowls. He started just four games in his NFL career.
Fun Fact #2
Sammy Baugh once led the NFL in passing, punting and defensive interceptions.
Fun Fact #3
Only one 0-4 team has ever made the playoff – the 1992 San Diego Chargers.
Read It
For those who love delving into the business of the NFL and have a fascination with television rights, Bryan Curtis’ piece on how Fox and Rupert Murdoch won the right to broadcast the NFL in 1993 is a must-read. Read it here.
Watch It
Ever wanted to see the longest punt in NFL history? Here is Steve O’Neal’s famous 98-yard punt for the New York Jets against the Denver Broncos in 1969. Watch it here.