On a day where NFL coaches were on the edge of their seat waiting to hear if they’d stick around another year with their respective teams, two more got the boot.
Rex Ryan is officially done in New York and Jim Harbaugh is packing his bags out of San Francisco, but Marc Trestman in Chicago and Mike Smith in Atlanta got their pink slips after disappointing seasons. For the Bears, that means their general manager was out too, as well as their offensive coordinator. Ouch.
Tom Coughlin, the other coach in New York, received news that he’ll be staying as the Giants coach for the time being but may have to overhaul the staff a bit.
Check out the other two coaches getting fired on Black Monday below.
Marc Trestman
The Chicago Bears went 5-11 this NFL season, clearly an embarrassment after the high hopes they had to start the year. Now Chicago cleans house and fires general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman, going back to the drawing board on their quest to a winning season. The team has now missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
The Bears were in the midst of controversy during the second half of the season, after Jay Cutler‘s underwhelming play and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was exposed as being the source of a report that scrutinized Cutler. Their defense has also been in disarray after Brian Urlacher‘s retirement, ranking at the bottom of the barrel in the league since Trestman’s hiring. The past two seasons, they ranked at a horrid 30th.
The next head coach will inherit an offense that features high-powered weapons like Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.
Mike Smith
After a second straight losing season, the Atlanta Falcons organization has run out of patience and decided to fire head coach Mike Smith. Smith joined the Falcons in 2008 and enjoyed 5-straight winning seasons after picking up quarterback Matt Ryan in the draft.
The last two years have been disappointing and the nail in the coffin was this past Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers at home for the division title.
“Smitty’s contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous. 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.” – Atlanta Falcons owner, Arthur Blank
Smith went 66-46 during his tenure in Atlanta but only amassed to a 1-4 record in the post season.
The Falcons have now hired a search to identify candidates for their next head coach position and they might be looking at some young offensive coordinators to lead them in the near future.