Big coaching issues

admin | January 8, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close it is time to take a look at some of the biggest losers from Week 18 of the season.

Shane Steichen, HC, Indianapolis Colts. It would be easy to put the blame on running back Tyler Goodson for dropping the decisive fourth-down play on Saturday night. The bigger issue though is what he was even doing on the field for that play and being targeted for a season-deciding play.

The Colts ran superstar running back Jonathan Taylor on seven consecutive plays before taking him off the field in the most crucial moment. Add in Steichen’s weird use of a timeout right before that to try to draw Houston offside, effectively ending any chance of regaining possession, and it was a tremendous series of failures from a rookie coach at the worst possible time.

Jacksonville Jaguars. All the Jaguars needed to secure their second straight AFC South title was beat a 5-11 Tennessee Titans that had nothing to play. They could not do it and in the process eliminated themselves from playoff contention.

As if the loss on Sunday wasn’t bad enough, it caps off a disastrous season in which the Jaguars lost five of six games, including each of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s final five starts. Going from the No. 1 seed in Week 13 to missing the playoffs is a bad look for everyone involved, particularly head coach Doug Pederson.

Nick Sirianni, HC, Philadelphia Eagles. Speaking of teams that are playing their worst football at the wrong time, the Eagles have turned a 10-1 record and what looked to be a lock on the NFC East into an 11-6 season and a wild-card spot.

The Eagles’ defense has been the primary culprit in that slump, and head coach Nick Sirianni does not appear to have any solutions. The choice to delegate play-calling responsibility to Matt Patricia appears to have exacerbated the situation.

Bailey Zappe, QB, New England Patriots. The good news for the New England Patriots is that with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft they might be in a position to land their next franchise quarterback. They desperately need it because the long-term answer is not on the roster.

Bailey Zappe completed just 12-of-30 passes for 88 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in an embarrassing 17-3 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. He had 0 touchdowns and five interceptions in his last two games.

D.J. Chark Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers. It was another brutal game for No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young to end a miserable rookie season. The Panthers were shut out in their final two games, and one of the biggest culprits for this one was Chark Jr. for turning a big game and a potential touchdown into a fumble and a turnover at the goal line.

DJ Chark with a generational fumble 😂 pic.twitter.com/W2zfslPJjK

— #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) January 7, 2024

That was the Panthers’ biggest play of the day in a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sam Howell, QB, Washington Commanders. Howell had his chance at being Washington’s franchise quarterback and he did not take full advantage of it this season. His Week 18 performance, featuring two interceptions and another big loss, secured the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Commanders. It will almost certainly be used on a quarterback to replace him.

Dennis Allen, HC, New Orleans Saints. How does a head coach that wins 48-17 find himself in the loser category? It is all about that touchdown at the end of the game that angered Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons.

This demonstrates two things: the Saints players do not respect their head coach, and their head coach is more than willing to publicly humiliate them after the game.

Neither is desirable. It is tough to recover from such experiences.