With Week 6 wrapping up across the NFL, the league has reached the point of the season where coaches start to get fired en masse. On Monday, the Tennessee Titans relieved Brian Callahan of his head coach duties after they started the season 1-5. He had gone a combined 4-19 dating back to the start of last season.
With a handful of teams struggling more than anticipated, many are likely wondering who will get the axe next. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith named two candidates during his eponymous show, and while one name he mentioned may not be too surprising, the other may be a surprise to some.
"Brian Callahan has now been fired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans," Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. "I'm willing to guess for you, ladies and gentlemen. Mike McDaniel of the [Miami] Dolphins won't be far behind. And it's entirely possible that neither will Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. I'm just guessing. But I think both situations look very, very bad."
McDaniel’s Dolphins fell to 1-5 after losing to an injury-depleted Los Angeles Chargers team by two points on Sunday. Miami fell behind 26-13 early in the fourth quarter and fought back to take a 27-26 lead with under a minute to go, but it couldn’t prevent the Bolts from getting into field-goal range and converting the game-winning kick in the closing seconds.
McDaniel has had to deal with rumors that his job is in jeopardy for a while. The Dolphins have a decent amount of talent, even with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill out due to a severe knee injury, but that talent hasn’t clicked.
Some have never quite believed that McDaniel is a quality NFL coach, perhaps partly because he never played in the league. He has been nicknamed “boy genius” for his offensive creativity, but there are a few who seem to use that nickname to derisively refer to him because of his glasses and youthful appearance.
Glenn would seem to be a curious choice to be let go anytime soon. After serving four seasons as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, he was hired by the Jets in January. After losing 13-11 to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Jets are the only winless team remaining in the NFL.
While they lack offensive depth, they do have a few real threats on defense. But they have lost three games by two points apiece, and they have blown second-half leads in three of their six losses.
It seems unfair for an NFL team to fire a new head coach midway through his first season. But the Jets have been mostly inept for a decade and a half, and the franchise has been groping for some sort of good fortune.
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