The NFL offseason has been filled with nothing but front office dysfunction and scapegoat firings. While some teams may have punched their ticket to the postseason, others may have positioned themselves further from it.
Well-established head coaches around the league have been fired, including some who held their positions for more than a decade.
Even with the most trusted head coaches, some front offices are looking for a culture change, with executives adopting a “win now” mindset, causing their patience to run short.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams with that very mindset. They made up their minds before the season ended to fire head coach John Harbaugh, who spent 18 years coaching the franchise.
In a press conference held on Jan.13, just a week after Baltimore fired Harbaugh, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said that if Ravens’ kicker Tyler Loop made the game-winning field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC North on Jan. 5, John Harbaugh would have kept his job “for another week.”
After countless interviews searching for a new head coach to lead the flock, the franchise hired Jesse Minter, who was formerly the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
James Costa, a junior sports media student at SHU, believes Minter is a “visionary” but questioned the Ravens decision to hire him given their roster.
“How do you hire a defensive coordinator when you have the best quarterback and a top-five running back in the league?” Costa said. “I just can’t understand that.”
Costa does not deny Minter’s ability to coach, but wants the Ravens to hire a “world-beater” offensive coordinator to complement their star-studded offense.
New York Giants
John Harbaugh lost a home in Baltimore but found a new one in New York, with him being hired as the new head coach of the New York Giants on Jan. 17.
Even after the Ravens’ front office pushed him out the door, Harbaugh knew he would have a home at another franchise, and the Giants brought him in. Costa said he was overcome with emotions, expressing that he finally “felt proud to be a Giants fan once again.”
However, Costa was not the only student who felt strongly about this hire. Senior communications major Victor Lisboa said he believed that this move “needed to be done.”
“This historic organization has a high standard for themselves,” Lisboa said. “And a guy like Harbaugh is going to command the locker room right away.”
During his tenure with the Ravens, Harbaugh commanded respect in the locker room, and he will do the same in New York. Lisboa said he knows Harbaugh has “power leverage” in the NFL and that the Giants’ front office will assist him with whatever he needs for them to win.
Buffalo Bills
Just like Baltimore, the Buffalo Bills had some front office issues between them and their head coach.
Terry Pegula, Buffalo Bills owner, fired head coach Sean McDermott on Jan. 19, following the team’s loss to the Denver Broncos on Jan. 17 in the AFC Divisional Round.
In nine seasons as head coach, McDermott coached the Bills to a record of 98-50 during that span, which included five AFC East championships and eight playoff appearances. And yet, despite his apparent success, McDermott had just an 8-8 playoff record and no Super Bowl appearances during his stint in Buffalo. This lack of postseason success is seemingly what led Pegula to fire McDermott.
After firing McDermott, Pegula conducted numerous interviews for a new head coach—but the guy they were looking for was in the building all along.
The Bills promoted Joe Brady from their offensive coordinator to head coach of the team on Jan. 27. Brady has chemistry with the team and looks to lead them past their postseason struggles.
SHU students had mixed reactions to the news, with freshman Tyler Seabrease, a visual and sound media student with a concentration in sports media, stating that the hire was “terrible.”
“I think Sean McDermott was a scapegoat,” Seabrease said. “The only reason they hired Joe Brady is because he is a ‘yes-man.’”
Meanwhile, junior marketing and sports management major Kaitlyn Kane was surprised that Sean McDermott was fired.
“The Bills are a good team,” Kane said. “When it comes to the playoffs, coaching is an issue.”
Kane said she understood the issue that the Bills have with postseason success and does not think McDermott should lose his job because of it.
With the addition of new head coaches, franchises may be altering the trajectory of their organization for the better or worse. Fans like these SHU students will have to wait until September to find out whether these moves become turning points or lead to another disappointing season for these franchises.
Jayden Bracket is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jayden.bracket@student.shu.edu.
