NFL Coaching Good and Bad
The NFL sports betting season is close to the halfway point and there are already some pointed coaching highlights both good and bad that are indicative of the race towards the playoffs and why some teams are thriving and others are not.
What better example of a great coaching turnaround has there been than Chan Gailey and his Buffalo Bills. Gailey took the Buffalo job last year when former Steeler coach Bill Cowher turned it down but recommended Gailey instead. Many “big name” coaches turned down the Bills thinking it was a can’t win situation but Gailey is proving them wrong with his great offensive mind that has QB Ryan Fitzpatrick playing the best quarterback of his career.
In Buffalo’s AFC East Division another coach is yet to live up to his bluster as Rex Ryan is well known for running his mouth and promising Super Bowls but is far less successful at living up to the hype. Ryan is yet to develop Mark Sanchez into a reliable quarterback and his defensive expertise is being called into question with the Jets ranking 25th in the NFL against the pass.
There has been no worse five-season coaching job turned in beyond Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers. Turner took over San Diego after Marty Schottenheimer was fired following a stellar 14-2 season and a fluke playoff loss to the New England Patriots. The Chargers were loaded with talent and a dynasty was discussed but Turner has instead let performance slip on his watch as the Chargers have been woefully inconsistent since he took over with sloppy mistakes and lack of polish. The Chargers roster isn’t getting any younger and the dream of a Super Bowl is fading fast.
Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks is again reminding fans why he has never been taken seriously as a NFL coach as after a 7-9 season last year after coming out of the college ranks with USC the Seahawks have slipped to 2-5 and looking bad in the process.
Ken Whisenhunt of the Arizona Cardinals was looking like the smartest man in the room when he led them to the Super Bowl in the 2008 season but since QB Kurt Warner retired after the 2009 season the Cardinals simply haven’t measured up and have fallen back to their old traditional ways of losing with a 1-6 record.