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.
Raheem is Rubbish
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is one of the most blessed head coaches in NFL history as he currently enjoys his sixth season as a boss in the league. He has a 33-55 record. He has had one winning season. He has never coached a team to the playoffs. In four of his five completed seasons his teams have finished third or fourth in their division.
This year with a more-than-decent roster that was a clear second favourite to win the NFC South the Falcons are a horrific 4-8. They come off a horrific loss to the Jets. They have now lost twice to the Panthers, the Jets and the Dolphins. The Falcons rank 26th in scoring, 29th in third-down conversions and 26th in completion percentage.
The Falcons are not getting better under Morris. Talent is not developing. Arthur Blank needs to move on from Morris and immediately.
Remembering Max Brosmer
The Vikings handed rookie Max Brosmer his first start against Seattle in Week 13. It will almost certainly be his last. The third stringer was picked four times and sacked four more as the Vikings were held to zero in one of the worst showings imaginable.
Fast Lane
Tigers don’t change their stripes and former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin will never become more trustworthy. In one of the most astonishing coaching move decisions in recent history, the former Raiders boss added to his long trail of destruction by leaving Ole Miss – who had qualified for the College Football Playoff – for SEC rival LSU. He did so after Ole Miss promised Kiffin the same money and an increase in resources. Kiffin dragged the entire process out and then acted hurt when he was told he would not be coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff with Ole Miss No.6 in the country following an 11-1 season. Kiffin is no doubt a talented coach but is the most hated man in Oakland, Knoxville and Oxford while he is deeply unpopular at USC. When he left the Raiders then owner Al Davis called Kiffin a “flat-out liar” who brought “disgrace to the organisation”. He heads to Death Valley with more than a little baggage, no national titles and a long history of leaving in the most horrid of circumstances.
Who Coaches in the 2025 NFL?
There is no strict profile of who gets a head coaching job in the NFL in 2025 – or any other year for that matter – but there are some tendencies worth examining. Here is a breakdown of six key areas looking at the 30 current permanent head coaches:
Offense/Defence
Offense: 18
Defence: 11
Special Team: 1
There is certainly a trend to hiring offensive-minded head coaches with 18 of the current 30 from the offensive side of the ball – as were the two coaches who were fired. This is not a surprise given that head coaches are usually tied to young QBs and charged with developing them. John Harbaugh of Baltimore – the second-longest tenured current head coach – is the only coach from a special teams background.
First Job Level
High School: 2
College Non Power 4: 14
College Power 4: 6
NFL: 8
Only two current coaches climbed from high school coaching to the NFL with 20 of the 30 coaches kicking off their journey in college football. Of those 20, 14 started outside of a Power 4 school. In fact it was more likely that a coach would start in the NFL than at a big college program.
First Job State
California: 5
Ohio: 4
Virginia: 3
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas: 2
California kick started the most NFL head coaching careers with five followed by Ohio four and Virginia three. Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas were the starting point of two NFL head coaching careers apiece. Based on region the West has eight, the Midwest seven, the South six, the North-East three, the Southwest three and Mid-Atlantic three.
First NFL Team
Tampa Bay: 4
Miami, Philadelphia: 3
Cleveland, Houston, LA Rams, San Francisco: 2
Tampa Bay has been the first NFL gig for four head coaches with the Dolphins and Eagles kick starting NFL life for three.
Last NFL Job
Head Coach NFL: 4
Co-ordinator NFL: 22
Head Coach College: 1
Co-ordinator College: 0
Other: 3
Head coaches have almost exclusively been hired from a coordinator role with 22 of the 30 previously being employed as a NFL offensive or defensive coordinator. Four went from NFL head coach to NFL head coach while Jim Harbaugh went from college head coach to NFL head coach having previously been an NFL head coach. Three came from other roles – more specifically as position coaches.
Last Job Team
Philadelphia: 5
LA Rams, Tampa Bay: 3
Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, New Oleans, San Francisco, Tennessee: 2
One-sixth of current NFL head coaches were employed out of the Eagles – a huge nod to the Philadelphia organisation. Three have been hired out of the Rams and the Bucs. Of the 30 head coaches, 29 were in the NFL with their most recent job with Jim Harbaugh the only exception.
Week 13 Bad Beat Power Rankings
No sport lends itself to cruel beats more than American football. Here are the worst for Week 13:
3. Tampa Bay -3.5: Tampa Bay led 17-3 near the end of the third quarter but two late touchdowns saw the Bucs win but not cover.
2. Miami -4.5: The Dolphins led 16-0 at halftime and led 19-17 when they returned a pick the length of the field – but it was on the try and worth only two points, leaving minus bettors short a ½ point.
1. Under 43.5 Den-Was/Denver -6: Minus and under bettor were left in a coma when the SNF clash went to OT. Minus punters thought it was over when a fourth down play was knocked down only for pass interference to be called.
Fun Fact #1
There are currently players born in 40 different countries playing in the NFL.
Fun Fact #2
There are nine foreign-born players in the NFL Hall Of Fame – but only Danish-born kicker Morten Andersen has been inducted since 1990.
Fun Fact #3
Texas is the state that has produced the most NFL pros with 2740. Vermont ranks last with 10.
Punter Fact of the Week
Bob Parsons of the 1981 Chicago Bears and Chad Stanley of the 2022 Houston Texans have had the most punts in a single NFL season with 114.
Read It
Damon Runyon is one of the great 20th century wordsmiths, a character with a wonderfully unique turn of phrase and an ability to fully paint a character. He was more than fond of sports. Here is a piece previewing the 1936 college football season. Read it here.
Watch It
Leon Lett was a quality defensive tackle who spent a decade with the Cowboys where he won three Super Bowls and made two Pro Bowls. He is best known though for two of the greatest blunders in football history though where he blew a Super Bowl touchdown by lairing it up and then less than a year later costing the Cowboys a Thanksgiving Day win with one of the dumbest plays in history. Watch it here.