‘Black or White’

People want to play the race game or the color game, but the NFL is a results game.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve sat by and listened to various voices give their opinions about the current coaching carousel in the NFL. Now I hesitantly throw my hat in the ring because I feel that people need a fresh voice and perspective–a perspective that’s not clouded by an allegiance to a network, team, or specific region.

I will never advocate for anyone to lose their job, but when your job is predicated on wins and losses, you obviously have to win games to sustain your employment.

Hue Jackson, whom I believe is the worst coach ever to walk the sidelines in the NFL, was a horrendous 11-44-1 with the Raiders and the Cleveland Browns (combined), including a winless season in 2017. His teams couldn’t score and they only defended well in spurts.

Todd Bowles was fired by the New York Jets after four seasons with a record of 24-40 and no playoff appearances. Vance Joseph was armed with offensive weapons, like Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, and defensive stoppers like Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. He still only managed an 11-21 in 2 seasons. Steve Wilks was only able to win three games during his lone season with the Cardinals.

Unacceptable! In a results-driven league, these coaches didn’t deliver. They were rightfully dismissed. You see, people want to play the race game or the color game, but the NFL is a results game.

Many people over the years had called for the firing of Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis–despite his 15-year record of 131-122. Unbelievable! He had a winning record despite having to deal with injuries to his franchise QB Andy Dalton, top receiver A.J. Green, and various front office distractions, Lewis still managed to deliver and take his team to the playoffs seven times.

Marv Lewis, (photo, Alchetron)

Yes, some organizations are more patient than others, giving coaches more time than other organizations. But, in the end, the formula doesn’t change.

Dirk Koetter, Mike McCarthy, and Adam Gase were fired. They are white coaches. They weren’t fired because they were white. They were fired because their teams were terrible and they had issues with players. That applies to even the likes of McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl and coached MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

So let’s be rational. Let’s look at all of the facts.

Yes, I do believe more black coaches should be given an opportunity to land NFL head coaching jobs. But they should be given jobs based on credentials, not just because there’s a Rooney Rule.