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Although I think I know the answer to this, I'll ask anyway. Is there any way the players could be fined for sub-par play by the coaches? The players should perform much better than they do, and if they had an incentive to actually show up for every game and do what they are paid to do, maybe the team would win more often.
Some examples, all of which are cumulative as opposed to per game: Drop a pass - fined $5K the first time, $10K the second time, etc. Fumble the ball - fined $5K the first time, $10K the second time, etc. Miss a block that results in a sack - fined $10K the first time, $15K the second time, $20K the third, etc. Miss a tackle - fined $5K the first time, $10K the second time, etc. Miss a PAT - fined $10K the first time, $20K the second time, $30K the third, etc. Miss a field goal within 30 yards - same as missing a PAT. Unsportsmanlike conduct - $50K the first time, $100K the second. Suspension for a game plus $150K the third time. If there's a fourth time, instantly cut from the team, and anything in the contract is null and void. (No payment.) I know this is unlikely, if not impossible, to do, but for what these players get paid, it's a crime that they show up and play so poorly. — John, Charlotte
John, your phone's ringing. It's the NFL Players Association. They said no.
These guys are professionals, but as the noted Eastern philosopher John Fox liked to say, "the other team practices too."