Six Degrees of Separation Packers Style

Mike Holmgren's 1992 Coaching Staff
including Jon Gruden (top) and Andy Reid (4 down on the stairs)

Coaching Carousel  

The NFL coaching carousel began October 5 when the Dolphins fired their head coach and ended with a total of 7 head coaches losing their jobs and another 8 surviving to coach another season.

1. Miami Dolphins

Joe Philbin

The Dolphins fired former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start.

Interim head coach Dan Carpenter (5-7) was not retained and the only man who has been able survive Jay Cutler with his reputation intact (I think if he had stayed another season the Cutler Curse would have got him too) Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase has been hired to take over the Dolphins.

The Dolphins have been in their Wilderness Years since the retirement of Don Shula. Jimmy Johnson was hired after the Cowboys fired him and he lasted four years posting a 35-28 record (2-3 playoffs). Dave Wannstedt (42-31) was next and was fired after nine games during his fourth season and was replaced by former Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates who went 3-4 the rest of the season.

Since 2005 the Dolphins have had four head coaches and two interim coaches with only interim coach Todd Bowles (2-1), who was elevated after Tony Sparano was fired with three games left in 2011, posting a winning record.

2. Tennessee Titans

Craig Hentrich

Former coaching wunderkind Ken Whisenhunt was fired with nine games left in the season. Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach (2012) and current tight end coach Mike Mularkey was elevated to interim coach. Mularkey has been interviewed for the permanent (if I can use that word just ask Ray Rhodes and Mularkey for that matter) replacement, but as of now there has not been a signing. It is also reported that former Bills head coach Doug Marrone (2013-2014) is under consideration.

Packers connection is one of the self-proclaimed mistakes Hall of Famer and former Packers General Manager Ron Wolf made was letting All-Pro punter Craig Hentrich go in free agency when he became the first $1 million dollar punter when he signed and played 12 seasons (1998-2009) with the Titans.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

Doug Pederson & Brett Favre

Chip Kelly became the third head coach to be fired during the season when he was fired with one game left. Pat Shurmur, the nephew of former Packers defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur, finished the season with a win.

The Eagles seem to be Packers Struck with former Brett Favre backup quarterback Doug Pederson (1996-1998, 2001-2004) being hired as a first-time professional head coach. His only previous head coaching experience as head coach of Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana, a private school with 190 students.

Pederson was the Eagles starting quarterback at the beginning of the 1999 season and a member of the Eagles coaching staff (2009-2012) and was former Packers assistant head coach Andy Reid's offensive coordinator for the last three seasons at Kansas City.

4. Cleveland Browns

Forrest Gregg

The continuing dysfunction that is known as the Cleveland Browns 2.0 continued this season with the firing of  Mike Pettine. Since Bill Belichick caused the Browns to leave town in the dead of the night to become the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 1995 season the 2.0 Browns (rising from the dead in 1999) have had seven head coaches and one interim coach posting a 78-185 record. Former Raiders head coach (fired after one season) and current Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has been hired.

The Packers connection is that Hall of Fame right tackle Forrest Gregg was the Browns 1.0 fourth head coach from 1975 to 1977 posting an 18-23 record.  He was named AP Coach of the Year in 1976 after turning a 3-11 team into a 9-5 club. He was fired with one game left in the 1977 season.

Just a note: I am very critical of Mike McCarthy for various reasons, mainly his second half play calling, but he has posted many great seasons over his 10 years as head coach, including going 15-1 in 2011 and turning an 8-8 team into 13-3 in 2007 and winning the Super Bowl with a 10-6 team, but he has never been even close to being named Coach of the Year and he has deserved it.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Mike McCarthy

Jim Tomasula was fired after one season after management ran Jim "Rabid Dog" Harbaugh (44-19- 1) out of town after four excellent seasons although I would say Harbaugh ran himself out of town because he doesn't work well with others.

Former Eagles coach Chip Kelly has hired and was not given any personnel responsiblies, which was his problem with Eagles, so maybe the star African American players are safe unlike running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver DeSean Jackson being shown the door while white wide receiver Riley Cooper was given a huge contract extension in 2014 after he was caught on a cell phone saying, "I will jump the fence and fight every N-WORD here" when an African American security guard wouldn't let him backstage at a Kenny Chesney concert.

Obviously the security guard didn't know how big a deal Cooper was, but then again I didn't either. Maybe Kelly just didn't like the name Sean and loves Riley, but you make any connection you want on that situation.

Packer connection is both Mike McCarthy and former head coach Mike Holmgren were both offensive coordinators for the 49ers when they were hired by the Packers.

6. New York Giants

Ben McAdoo

Tom Coughlin was let go after 12 seasons and two Super Bowl championships. Former Packers tight end and quarterbacks coach (2006-2013) Ben McAdoo (not to confused with former New York Knicks star Bob McAdoo), who has been Coughlin's offensive coordinator the last two season has been hired to replace him.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs fired former Bears Coach Lovie Smith after just two seasons for offensive coordinator Dirk Diggler, oops, I mean Dirk "Welcome Back" Koetter. It has been said that No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston's rapport and interest in other teams in signing Koetter was the reason for Smith's firing.

The Packers connection is that former Packers assistant coach Jon Gruden (1992-1994) was the Bucs best head coach from 2002-2008 winning the Super Bowl in his second season at the helm.

Six Degrees of Surviving

Jason Garrett against the Packers on Thanksgiving

Eight other coaches were on the hot seat and survived the post-season bloodletting. Mike McCoy is staying with the Chargers as are Jason Garrett with the Cowboys, Sean Payton with the Saints, Gus Bradley with the Jaguars, Jim Caldwell with the Lions, Chuck Pagano with the Colts, Rex Ryan with the Bills, and Jeff Fisher with the Los Angeles Rams (now that sounds right).

Mike P. McCoy (not to confused with Mike Patrick McCoy the defensive tackle who was a No. 1 draft pick from Notre Dame in 1970 and Mike Charles McCoy, the cornerback who was a No. 3 draft pick in 1976) was an undrafted free agent quarterback with the Denver Broncos in 1995 and the Packers signed him to the practice squad after he was cut in training camp when Brett Favre and Ty Detmer were injured. He never made the 53.

When Garrett was a backup to Troy Aikman with the Cowboys he started in place of injured Rodney Peete in the 1994 Thanksgiving game and led the team to a come-from-behind win and that game was listed as the fourth-best game in the history of Texas Stadium. He became the second stringer because of that game.

Sean Payton coached under Jon Gruden with the Eagles (1997-98) and Gus Bradley under Jon Gruden at Tampa Bay (2006-08).

Jim Caldwell coached at my alma mater Southern Illinois University (1978-80). I saw him on the sidelines, so he has a Packers connection through me.

However, I could find no connection besides coaching against the Packers for Chuck Pagano, Rex Ryan and Jeff Fisher. So out of 15 coaches out the door or on the hot seat 11 had direct or indirect Packers ties and one I had to stretch to the final degree.

FINAL NOTE:

Club Coyote Strip Club near SIU

Tom Couglin, who Andrew Freeman and I saw at a Carbondale strip club a couple years ago, is still a free agent looking for a position on the east coast. He pulled out of consideration for the Eagles and 49ers job for that reason it has been reported. With only the homeland Titans' job still open it seems Coughlin will be out of a job for the first time since 2002 when he was between the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and taking over the Giants (2004-2015) . Since beginning his coaching career as a grad assistant at Syracuse in 1969 he has only been out of a job one other time in 1994 when he left Boston College after beating No. 1 ranked Notre Dame and began his pro coaching career with the Jaguars.