by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports
Norv Turner received a note last week from Josh
Whitman, a former player for the San Diego Chargers and now the athletic
director at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
Whitman played
only one season under Turner, in 2001, when Turner was the offensive
coordinator, but Whitman wanted to thank him for everything he'd done
for him.
"On the bottom of it he said, 'you changed my life,'"
Turner told reporters Monday during his final press conference after
being fired by the Chargers. "And that's what you're trying to do as a
coach."
They call it "Black Monday" in the NFL. There's breathless
speculation and posturing leading up to it, and a race to report the
news. There are fans hoping for the news their coach gets fired, with
the Chargers' faithful using the hashtag #FireNorv on Twitter for a long
time now. But behind all of the names scrolling across the bottom of
the screen or popping up on Twitter feeds are human beings who just lost
their dream jobs.
Well-paid human beings who just lost dream jobs
many would love to hold for just one day? Absolutely. But men who now
face uncertain futures and must think about uprooting their families to
follow them elsewhere.
There were seven coaches and five general
managers who lost their jobs in the most active Black Monday ever, with
more to come for sure.
"Today is, every year, my least favorite
day in the National Football League," said Philadelphia Eagles owner
Jeffrey Lurie, who fired Andy Reid. "For 14 years, I (have been) at home
watching teams have to make changes with their head coaches. They work
so hard at it, and every year for 14 years I sit there and I feel for
many of them who I know quite well. Several of them have worked in this
building and you just feel for them.
"Today we're in that position, and this is the first time in 14 years that (it's been) the case."
Reid
was the second coach to be fired Monday morning, shortly after the
Cleveland Browns let go of Pat Shurmur. Then, word broke the Kansas City
Chiefs had parted with Romeo Crennel, the Buffalo Bills fired Chan
Gailey, the Chicago Bears fired Lovie Smith, Turner was let go, and
finally the Arizona Cardinals fired Ken Whisenhunt.
Even though it
had been rumored for weeks new Bears general manager Phil Emery might
fire Smith, it was a shock to many, including some angry Bears players.
"I'm
going to go home and get away from football right now," Devin Hester
said while also criticizing the fans and media for calling for Smith's
firing. "I don't even know if I want to play again, man."
The day
began with the first general manager being fired when the Jacksonville
Jaguars let go of Gene Smith. After that, the Browns announced Tom
Heckert would not be retained, Mike Tannenbaum paid for his mistakes
with Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes and Tim Tebow when he was fired by
the New York Jets, and a pair of GMs were let go along with their
coaches - A.J. Smith (Chargers) and Rod Graves (Cardinals).
Tannenbaum spoke to the players and cried while doing so.
"I
appreciate that it is rare for someone to stay with one organization
with such a wide range of responsibilities for so many years," said
Tannenbaum, a former cap guy who joined the organization in 1997. "My
time with the Jets will always be special to me and my family, and it
has prepared me well for whatever comes next."
In words he also told the players, Tannenbaum added, "There are champions on this team that haven't been crowned yet."
While
it was a sad day for those who lost their jobs, the flip side is there
are now more openings after one day than ever before. And already the
scrambling has begun:
-- The Cardinals said they will interview
Reid, as well as Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. Look
for current Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton to get an
interview as well, and not just as a Rooney Rule requirement.
--
The Bears also will interview McCoy, per FoxSports.com. ESPN Chicago
says the Bears will bring in Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator
Keith Armstrong. And a source told USA TODAY Sports Monday that Tampa
Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan will meet with
Chicago.
-- Rumblings are the Buffalo Bills could be interested in
bringing in Whisenhunt. And it could make financial sense for the
small-market Bills because Whisenhunt is owed $5.5 million from Arizona
in 2013 with no offset language in the contract. That means the
Cardinals owe Whisenhunt the difference between what he makes and that
$5.5 million marker. The Bills could come in with a low offer for
Whisenhunt, who won't like the quarterback situation in Buffalo but
could overlook that hurdle.
-- The New York Jets will interview
San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble, as first
reported by ESPN. Gamble is also drawing interest from the Jacksonville
Jaguars and San Diego Chargers. Meanwhile, another hot name is Marc
Ross. The Giants' director of college scouting has been a candidate for
the Panthers for a while. Now, the Jets are also looking to talk to him,
as are the Chargers.
-- And the hot name continues to be Oregon's
Chip Kelly. Lurie's saying he's looking for an innovative coach who's
ahead of the game and knows where the league is trending. If that's not a
public plea for Kelly, we don't know what it is. Lurie can expect a
fight on that one from the Cleveland Browns and CEO Joe Banner, the
Eagles' former president. Dirk Koetter, the Atlanta Falcons' offensive
coordinator, is one of the Eagles' other targets. FoxSports.com reported
Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan also will meet with the
Eagles.
-- The one name that's yet to be tied to a specific job is
perhaps the biggest of all: Jon Gruden. There was a report early in the
day the former Raiders and Bucs coach would accept invites to
interview. But a person informed of Gruden's thinking, speaking to USA
TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because Gruden hasn't commented
on his interest in returning to the NFL, said the ESPN commentator is
currently planning to remain in that role. It's unclear if that will
change at some point in the near future.
As always, there's a lot of change and movement, as there was on this Black Monday.