The day after the last game of the NFL regular season has certainly earned its nickname.
The NFL regular season concluded Sunday with 12 teams advancing to the playoffs and 20 teams beginning their offseason. The day after the regular season ends is known as "Black Monday," due to the usual mass firing of head coaches who have not proven themselves worthy of the role, the glory, and/or the money. This year's exodus offered no surprises; these personnel changes were all obvious by Thanksgiving. Here are the four coaches who will start the 2015 season in a new job, and one who will hang on to his position for at least one more year.
Rex Ryan – New York Jets
The Jets announced early Monday morning that head coach Rex Ryan had been fired after six seasons with the team. General Manager John Idzik was fired as well. The Jets appear to be clearing house in hopes of shaking up a storied franchise which has largely become a joke around the league.
The Jets went 4–12 this season, with only one of those wins against a team with a winning record (the Steelers). Under Rex Ryan, the Jets went 46–50 with playoff appearances his first two years.
Rex Ryan is one of the more appealing NFL coaches available to other teams. He has a long history of various positions of defensive coaching. The Jets, and their talent pool, hardly set up Ryan for success in New York.
The Jets will pick sixth in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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Marc Trestman – Chicago Bears
After just two seasons with the Bears, Head Coach Marc Trestman has been fired. He did not post a winning season (8-8; 5-11) and the team missed the playoffs both years. The Bears lost their last five games of the season, with the back-to-back wins coming against the Vikings and the Buccaneers. Like the Jets, all of the Bears' wins came against sub-.500 teams.
General Manager Phil Emery was also fired today.
Along with a coach and front office change, the Bears will have to decide how to get their team to playoff contention behind quarterback Jay Cutler, who signed an enormous seven-year contract earlier this season.
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Mike Smith – Atlanta Falcons
As expected, the Falcons fired Mike Smith today after seven seasons with the team. Under his tenure, Falcons teams went 66-46 with four playoff appearances. In 2012, the Falcons went 13-3 and lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship. They went 4-12 the next season, and 6-10 this season, though that was nearly good enough for a playoff appearance thanks to the ultra-weak NFC South.
Atlanta will pick 8th in the 2015 NFL draft. Quarterback Matt Ryan had a fair season that was consistent with his previous six seasons. The Falcons have an immensely talented roster, and it's obvious that a coaching change could quickly bring them back to success.
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