Cardinals coach Bruce Arians retires; the Bears and Lions fire their coaches on “Black Monday.”
Broncos retain Joseph; Bengals contemplating decision on Lewis
The Lions and Bears showed their coaches the door. Bruce Arians of the Cardinals found it himself.
And Vance Joseph of the Broncos remained gainfully employed despite enduring the sort of season that doesn’t go down well in Denver.
What is traditionally the NFL’s biggest day for firings, “Black Monday,” started with a flurry when Detroit canned Jim Caldwell and Chicago did the same to John Fox, both before noon.
“Today is the tough part of our resultsoriented business,” said Fox, whose team went 14-34 and finished last in all three of his seasons in Chicago.
Fox was let go after a 5-11 finish; Bears general manager Ryan Pace got a contract extension through the 2021 season.
Fox and Caldwell, who went 36-28 in four seasons but didn’t win a playoff game, joined Jack Del Rio of the Raiders and Chuck Pagano of the Colts, whose owners didn’t even wait until the calendar turned, choosing to sack them after their games Sunday. But that was it. Arians, who has been dealing with health problems, including a bout with kidney cancer, announced he was leaving Arizona, though that was widely expected.
In a teary news conference, Arians, 65, called his stay in Arizona, which included 49 victories over five seasons “a great ride.” Sporting his trademark cap and toying with his grey goatee, Arians said an eye opener came over the summer when his wife told him his son, Jake, was soon to turn 40.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks, that I missed all that time,” Arians said. “That’s the culture. I probably wouldn’t change anything.”
Joseph, a rookie head coach who oversaw a 5-11 season that included an eight-game losing streak, was on the hot seat.
But his boss, John Elway, slept on it and decided to keep Joseph and not begin a search for the team’s fourth coach in five years.
“We believe in Vance as our head coach,” Elway tweeted. “Together, we’ll put in the work to improve in all areas and win in 2018.”
Tampa Bay’s Dirk Koetter and Cleveland’s Hue Jackson, who is 1-31 in his two seasons with the Browns, are also being retained as coach of their respective teams.
The Marvin Lewis situation in Cincinnati — well, it’s complicated. Lewis completed his 15th season with the Bengals, and conventional wisdom held that he might not be asked to return. He met with owner Mike Brown on Monday, but no conclusions were reached. Lewis said the decision was more complicated than management simply asking him back, and that the owner and the front office need to be on the same page.
The five vacancies (six counting the Giants, who fired Bob McAdoo earlier in December) naturally triggered a flurry of speculation about which assistant coaches might be moving on to take over the teams.
Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks confirmed that the Colts, Lions and Giants had asked him to interview. Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia were, as usual, on a number of lists, and Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was considered one of New York’s top candidates.
Maybe most intriguing was the prospect of Jon Gruden leaving the broadcasting booth and returning to the Raiders. ESPN reported that Raiders owner Mark Davis was trying to lure Gruden back to the sideline with an offer that could include an ownership stake.
Ravens DC Pees calls it a career
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced his retirement following a successful NFL career that began with the New England Patriots.
Pees, 68, told players of his decision on New Year’s Day, less than 24 hours after the Ravens were eliminated from playoff contention with a 31-27 loss to Cincinnati .
Pees served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator for six years, spending the 2010 and 2011 seasons as linebackers coach.
He began his coaching career in 1973 as a high school coach before becoming defensive coordinator at the University of Findlay in 1979. He served as an assistant at six other colleges before launching a six-year run as an assistant with New England.
He is one of eight men in NFL history to serve as defensive coordinator in a Super Bowl with two teams.
Baltimore won the 2012 Super Bowl with Pees guiding the defense.
Current Ravens linebackers coach Don Martindale is a possible candidate to replace Pees.
Packers GM set for reassignment
Green Bay intends to redefine the responsibilities of several of the executives in its personnel department as part of a reshuffling by which Ted Thompson, the Packers’ longtime general manager, will move into a different role within the organization, according to multiple people familiar with the plan.
Thompson, 64, joined the Packers’ front office in 1992. He spent five years in Seattle between 2000 and 2004, then returned to Green Bay and was named the GM in 2005. Thompson hired Mike McCarthy as Green Bay’s coach in 2006, and the duo has led the team to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship.
Tests negative on McCoy’s ankle
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott says medical test results on LeSean McCoy’s injured right ankle were negative, giving the running back a chance to play against Jacksonville in Sunday’s AFC wild-card game.
McDermott would not go into detail except to say the team received “some good news” Monday, a day after McCoy was hurt in a 22-16 win at Miami.
The victory combined with Baltimore’s 31-27 loss to Cincinnati clinched Buffalo (9-7) its first playoff berth since the 1999 season, and ended the longest active postseason drought in North America’s four major professional sports.
McCoy leads Buffalo with 1,138 yards rushing, 59 catches and eight touchdowns, including two receiving.
Buffalo lacks depth at the position a week after backup Travaris Cadet broke his ankle. That leaves Mike Tolbert and Marcus Murphy as the Bills’ only running backs on the roster, along with fullback Patrick DiMarco.
Odds and ends
The Broncos fired special-teams coordinator Brock Olivo, receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and running backs coach Eric Studesville, who had been in Denver since 2010. … The Packers dismissed defensive coordinator Dom Capers.