Black Monday Arrives In NFL
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – With the National Football League's regular season wrapped up, Black Monday in the NFL arrived just after midnight Monday.
The term Black Monday was applied to the first Monday after the regular season ends because it's typically when most head coaches are fired.
The firings got started around 9 a.m. when the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Pat Shurmur after two seasons in control of the team, according to FoxSports' Jay Glazer. Cleveland finished 4-12 in Shurmur's first season and 5-11 in his second, both times finishing in last place in the AFC North.
With the firing, the Cleveland Browns have had five coaches since 1999 and have fired them all. The last coach to take the Browns to the playoffs was former University of Miami head coach Butch Davis, who was eventually fired.
Not too long after Shurmur's firing was announced, profootballtalk.com confirmed the Chiefs fired head coach Romeo Crennel, but have not made a decision on general manager Scott Pioli.
The San Diego Chargers announced the firings of head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith in a move that had been expected for several weeks.
The New York Jets fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum early Monday morning, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but made the move to keep head coach Rex Ryan on staff.
The Chicago Bears made it official Monday when they fired head coach Lovie Smith, despite the team winning ten games this season. The Bears just missed out on the playoffs in 2012.
Elsewhere, the San Diego Chargers are expected to dismiss head coach Norv Turner after the team continued to regress to a 7-9 record this season. San Diego was just 3-5 at home this season and 4-4 on the road.
The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Chan Gailey after a disastrous season, according to ESPN's Schefter. The Bills spent a lot of money to improve a pretty bad team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo gave the biggest contract in NFL history to a defensive player, defensive end Mario Williams.
The Bills could do no more than tied for last place in the AFC East at 6-10 on the season. For a team expected to compete with the best in the AFC, the stumbling finish was enough to send Gailey out the door.
Philadelphia fired head coach Andy Reid after having him on the sidelines for more than a decade.
In addition, just a few years removed from the Super Bowl, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired after a horrid campaign and his inability to find a quarterback to replace the long-departed Kurt Warner.
The Oakland Raiders go through coaches like some teams go through shoes and this year may be no different. The Raiders haven't been competitive this season and head into the final weekend of the season with a 4-11 record, which isn't good news for head coach Dennis Allen.
Head coaches aren't the only ones vulnerable Monday. The Browns also sacked general manager Tom Heckert early Monday morning. The Jets are also expected to fire offensive coordinator Tony Sparano after one season leading the team's offense.
The firing will mark Sparano's second firing in just more than a year after the Dolphins fired him last year.
The Jets have fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum, according to CBSSports.com, as well. The Associated Press also reported the Jacksonville Jaguars have fired general manager Gene Smith.
