RADIO
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Those who tortured themselves by watching Deshaun Watson attempt to lead the team early in the season know why Stefanski is on the list. Watson’s horrid form led to a 1-6 start, only beating the Jaguars while losing to teams like the Giants and Raiders.
While Jameis Winston hasn’t solved all woes, he’s a clear improvement on Watson. The highly-quotable QB defeated the Ravens in Week 8 and the Steelers in Week 12 – both postseason-caliber victories. Not to mention throwing for nearly 500 yards in Week 13! (Watson never topped 200 yards in any of his seven games this year.)
Don’t forget that Stefanski tabbed Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the No. 2 QB over Winston, only for DTR to get hurt close to Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury. Perhaps Stefanski was trying to limit the calls for Winston or stood as the scapegoat while owner Jimmy Haslam backed Watson, whose contract defines the sunk-cost fallacy. Haslam has expressed support for Stefanski but nothing is secure at 3-10.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
If you judged the Bengals simply on their offense then you might believe they’re in line for a postseason bye. Their 271.6 passing yards per game lead the NFL by over 20 yards, with 27.8 points per game sitting at sixth.
However, the defense has allowed 27.7 points per game to sink the team to an overall 5-8 record despite the offensive accolades. The team is a miserable 1-5 at home and 2-6 in the conference as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are doing their best, but they cannot close the game with a full 60 minutes of play.
After the Bengals dropped a 34-27 game to the Chargers, Chase said: “Ask Zac (Taylor)…ask the coaches. That’s not my job. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us.”
There are also discussions around defensive personnel and who should be getting reps. Or trying different schemes/packages when the status quo is broken. Nearly all of Cincy’s 2024 losses have been one-possession games. Some of this falls on the coach in terms of time management. Taylor also has a below-average 37.8% challenge success rate.
Coach T. has two years remaining on his contract and many feel ownership will stick with him for the duration on the goodwill of those 2021-22 playoff runs. It should be easy enough to justify changing defensive coordinators as enough to those clamoring for better days.
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
It’s easy to blame the 2024 Dallas Cowboys’ woes on injuries alone, but McCarthy continues to falter in ways seen in previous seasons. Yes, they started 3-2 but wins against the Browns and Giants aren’t exciting.
The team then dropped five straight games, including close ones to San Francisco and Atlanta. This most recent loss to Cincinnati was rooted in a special-teams blunder that surely made Jerry Jones fume. Past seasons have seen Mike McCarthy’s poor clock management end in defeat as well.
Injuries to key players such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons will never help. But the Cowboys expect to be annual playoff contenders and McCarthy has failed to produce postseason results in previous seasons. Now, he’s fallen well short of getting another chance in the final year of his contract.
Dallas may evaluate McCarthy down the stretch but Jerry Jones could throw in the towel at any time. Let’s see if the team can rally from the demoralizing loss to the Bengals that buried their last-gasp playoff push to save McCarthy’s job.
Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders
Pierce entered 2024 with wind in his sails following an impressive 5-4 stretch run to wrap up 2023 after being named interim head coach. But the momentum quickly halted in ‘24, with no answer at quarterback and Davante Adams demanding (and getting) a trade. (This may have been related to or fueled by Pierce liking an Instagram post that pointed to Adams’ departure.)
While Pierce isn’t fumbling a roster filled with talent, he’s not proving that he has what takes to handle the coaching spotlight. The first big crack in the facade appeared after he questioned his team’s effort, pointing to some making “business decisions.”
Then his team had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes after Pierce had called his own squad the “worst team in football.” But Pierce needed to burn a timeout to weigh kicking a field goal versus punting in the fourth quarter. He ultimately chose a field goal from 57 yards that missed and set the Raiders up for a botched snap on the final drive despite being in game-winning field goal range.
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Daboll’s Giants have not only stacked up losses in 2024, but they’ve rolled over and dealt with curious calls throughout the year. And we just saw a plane pulling a banner pleading with owner John Mara to “fix this dumpster fire.”
It’s unclear how much weight that 2022 run that included a Wild Card win over the Vikings still carries with Mara. And we don’t know how much of a hand Daboll had in the organization extending the now-released Daniel Jones. General manager Joe Schoen’s seat should be even hotter, but it doesn’t change that Daboll’s Giants have lost eight consecutive games.
There isn’t an easy game remaining on the schedule either, as all four opponents (BAL, ATL, IND, PHI) remain in the playoff hunt. Would they be able to sell Daboll’s return on an active 12-game losing streak? Players such as Malik Nabers aren’t mincing words when it comes to the state of affairs.
Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags have stepped backward in all facets of the game. They’re averaging 18.3 points per game after tallying a 22.2 mark last year. The defense went from allowing 21.8 PPG to 26.5 PPG thus far. We’ve come a long way from when the 2023 Jags sat at a commanding 8-3 before the late slide.
Before Trevor Lawrence’s injury, Pederson failed to elevate the offense even with a standout rookie in wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on the field. It took far too long for Tank Bigsby to see the field as Travis Etienne Jr. floundered in a bellcow role.
Beating the Titans 10-6 shouldn’t change the odds on Pederson returning. This team needs a hard reset to get Lawrence back on track with an offensive coach.
