Black Monday: Bears Fire Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery

The house cleaning for teams that did not make the NFL Playoffs continues with the Chicago Bears cleaning house in their top management.

Head Coach Marc Trestman and General Manager Phil Emery were let got Monday morning by the underachieving Bears who finished 2014 at 5-11 with lots of tension.

Trestman finished his second season in the Windy City on a real down note as reports of internal fights among teammates and the general lack of performance by high paid QB Jay Cutler ultimately undid the team.

Like all the others, the Bears will begin the search for replacements immediately. No telling which direction the team will go....

Black Monday: Falcons Fire Coach Mike Smith

The Atlanta Falcons have announced they've parted ways with now former head coach Mike Smith.

On Black Monday, the day after the NFL regular season came to an end, Smith became the 3rd casualty.

He coached the Falcons for 7 years beginning in 2008. And during that time, the team had quite a bit of success, recording back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their history. Smith got them into the playoffs 5 times and helped guide them within a touchdown of a Super Bowl berth.

But the past two seasons haven't been as kind as the Falcons fell victim to bad luck, injuries and problems finding quality linemen. Smith also made some questionable coaching decisions which this past season cost his team two games.

We should add that GM Thomas Dimitroff is not without blame here as the Falcons have severely lacked top flight talent on the line and have not drafted well the past several seasons.

But Dmitroff is likely to stay--though his status is a bit iffy too.

We feel bad about this, having covered the Falcons for 10-years. We were there when Smitty was hired and he was a total class act.

But the team has not produced and ultimately, owner Arthur Blank, with a billion dollar stadium on the way had to make a change. And he made it with the hope a new regime can bring in a winning team to launch the new building.

Only time will tell.

DEVELOPING: Black Monday Begins: Ryan and Idzik Fired

((HT: NJ.com/SNY))

Surprising no one, really, Black Monday begins with a dual firing in New York with both head coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik being shown their walking papers.

Owner Woody Johnson has long been known for wanting to clean house and he went two levels on a team that seemed ill-fitted to compete in the AFC- until yesterday with their fun performance and win over the Miami Dolphins

Here's his game ball presentation


And his addressing the media after the game


The HQ anticipates their will be further action in Chicago, Atlanta, and the actions in San Francisco

More when we know more...

Black Monday Begins: Frazier Out In Minnesota, Shanahan Out In DC

According to multiple media outlets, the first firing in the National Football League is...

Minnesota's Leslie Frazier...

After not having any kind of quarterbacking, and that includes Cassell, Freeman, and Ponder- even with Joe Webb at WR as a QB... It looks like the Wilf family wants a new look as they leave the Metrodome and head over to the University of Minnesota for two years, before their new barn is built.

Understandable, but disappointing...

We'll keep an eye on places like Detroit, Washington, and all points in between...
The folks from 1500ESPNTwinCities discuss after the game from yesterday...


0935 UPDATE: Mike Shanahan and his entire staff are out in DC. The dysfunction, as Brother J-Dub can attest, is finally over. There seemed to be too much of everything surrounding RG3 and his handling...

And, now, it's done... the loss to the Giants and Curtis Painter didn't help, either...

Here was the discussion yesterday as to who should be the new Redskins coach...
((HT: CSNWashington))

More Reaction From Black Monday: Philly, Cleveland, And Arizona

Here's Jeffrey Lurie's announcement on the dismissal on Andy Reid...
((HT: CSNPhilly))


Sources close to OSG Sports are telling us that the Eagles are interviewing all three coordinators for the Atlanta Falcons- OC Dirk Koetter, DC Mike Nolan, and Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong. Armstrong's interview satsifies the Rooney Rule...

The Cleveland Browns blew it all up- insert conspiracy theories about Tuscaloosa here- and want to take the Steelers mentality that new owner Jimmy Haslam III saw as a minority owner there and install it in Cleveland...
((HT: Newsnet5.com))
Cardinals Team President Michael Bidwill addressed the issue of his team before Week 17 and, finally, answered his own question... ((HT: KTVK-TV)) According to Adam Schefter, Chicago and Arizona are asking for permission to talk to Denver Broncos OC Mike McCoy- and received it.

Early Reaction From Black Monday...Chicago, Buffalo, Kansas City (UPDATED)

Okay...

Here we go...

Here's Chicago...
((HT: WLS-TV))


Jay Cutler seems to have fallen on the sword a little bit, but admits change might be good for the long term...

According to Adam Schefter, Chicago and Arizona are asking for permission to talk to Denver Broncos OC Mike McCoy- and received it.

Here's the noon lead in Buffalo after the firing of Chan Gailey and his staff...
((HT: WGRZ-TV))
And, now, Kansas City and Crennel... ((HT: KSHB-TV Kansas City)) According to Bill Maas, Atlanta Falcons OC Dirk Koetter will be interviewing with the Chiefs tomorrow in Atlanta... and, at the same time, Clark Hunt is introducing a new structure where the new head coach reports directly to him and not to GM Scott Pioli. Apparently, Pioli is down with that for now... From Adam Teicher at the Kansas City Star: "That will really be my role, finding the right path for the Chiefs and helping them make decisions together."

Black Monday Is Off And Running...7 Teams Makes Moves... (UPDATED... Now 11)

It's not quite a national holiday, but it's a day that pro football fans look at for guidance and renewed optimism... in some places, it's expected...

Others, not so much...

Like Chicago...

The Bears started out 7-1 and now Lovie Smith is fired after the team went 3-5 after the half-way point... Ian Rapoport over at NFL.com gets the HT for that one...

The appropriate amount of early discussion is hyah... on the NFL Network... and they've already asked the Broncos for permission to talk to OC Mike McCoy- which they can do since the Broncos are in a bye week...

Apparently, Bears QB Jay Cutler found out via text during his own radio show. He was, understandably, a little choked up.

The Buffalo Bills, mired in mediocrity, fired Grizzly Adams Chan Gailey... back-to-back 6-10's in three years... but how does GM Buddy Nix still have a job...???

Gailey released a statement through WGR-AM55 radio:

"I understand this is a business. We didn't get the job done. I've been called two other times to get things turned around, was able to do it, we weren't able to get this one soon enough and I understand that completely. I want to thank the fans, great Buffalo fans, great football town. These are loyal, loyal fans and I understand that. I think that the next staff will have a great opportunity for success and to make this another great football franchise. This'll probably be, and I say probably, but I think it will be the first place that's ever fired me that I'll pull for. Thank you."

The Kansas City Chiefs, stuck in one of the worst seasons on and off the field anyone can remember, fired Romeo Crennel... the HQ thinks the team mercifully put him out of his misery...

Crennel texted Rapoport, the response through on Rapoport's Twitter: "It has happened. Going home to watch it snow. Happy New Year."

According to Bill Maas, Atlanta Falcons OC Dirk Koetter will be interviewing with the Chiefs tomorrow in Atlanta...

The New York Jets fired GM Mike Tannenbaum and kept head coach Rex Ryan- for now... The Philadelphia Eagles fired Andy Reid after 14 seasons

- and the San Diego Chargers aren't interested... the HQ slams it's collective palm against its forehead...((Owner Jeffrey Lurie gives Reid a game ball for his time in front of Eagles employees on the right, thanks to the Eagles))

The Cleveland Browns, not surprising the HQ, fired both head coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckart... Heckart told the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot: "I knew I'd be gone..." when new CEO Joe Banner came in...

And the Jacksonville Jaguars fired their GM, Gene Smith, after a 2-14 season... head coach Mike Mularkey says he's safe for now... “Until I’m told otherwise, I’m the coach of this team,” Mularkey told the Florida Times-Union. 1240 UPDATE:

According to Jim Wyatt, over at the Tennessean and others, Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is keeping head coach Mike Munchak. Executive Vice President Mike Reinfeldt wasn't so lucky...

From Wyatt:
“He has two more years to go on his contract but I think we’d be better off without him," Adams said. 'I don’t think he was getting the job done. Mike Reinfeldt is out.”

That should fix the problem right there...

1330 UPDATE: Someone must have found the pictures that San Diego Chargers head coach and GM AJ Smith had of the Spanos family, because they're now both gone as well...

Turner knew it in his postgame presser yesterday, and now it's official...

"My only goal is the Super Bowl, and that is why I have decided to move in a new direction with both our head coach and general manager positions," Spanos said in a statement. "I am committed to our great fans, and we will do whatever we possibly can to achieve that goal.”

1345 UPDATE: Add Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves...according to Adam Schefter...

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves have been fired after a 5-11 season, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Whisenhunt, 50, was 45-51 in six seasons with the Cardinals after being hired in 2007. Graves couldn't find a replacement for Kurt Warner and will be known for trading for Kevin Kolb...

The Cardinals, who started the season 4-0, lost their next nine games.

The team also fired the following assistant coaches: Russ Grimm (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line), Mike Miller (Offensive Coordinator), Chad Grimm (Offensive Quality Control), John McNulty (Quarterbacks), Frank Reich (Wide Receivers), and Tommie Robinson (Running Backs).

1430 UPDATE: Once again from Rapoport...

#Raiders coach Dennis Allen announce the firing of OC Greg Knapp, ST coach Steve Hoffman, OL coach Frank Pollack, LB coach Johnny Holland.