NFL coaching shakedowns underscore the premium on power
Given what went down in Philadelphia on Friday – when Chip Kelly was granted full authority over personnel by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie – the prospect of another high-profile coach surprisingly hitting the market is not so far-fetched.
On Sunday -- the same day that the San Francisco 49ers "mutually" parted ways with coach Jim Harbaugh – Lurie maintained to reporters that GM Howie Roseman would be back. He intimated that the structure of Eagles football operations would remain intact.
On Friday, Lurie released a statement in which he declared, "I changed my mind."
On the heels of Harbaugh's bolt to Michigan, Doug Marrone stunned his players on New Year's Eve by opting out of his contract with the Buffalo Bills when it appeared he had laid the foundation for a program on the rise.
It's one thing for Mike Smith to get fired as Atlanta Falcons coach and Rex Ryan to get the boot from the New York Jets. They had long tenures, peaked out, and produced regressive results.
Yet these cases this week serve as quite the reminder how friction and power weigh into the equation, too.
Harbaugh never had a losing season with the 49ers, finishing 8-8 this season after taking teams to three consecutive NFC title games, including a trip to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season.
Now he's gone after a full season-plus of speculation and other rumblings that underscored a rift with general manager Trent Baalke.
Marrone led the Bills to a 9-7 mark this season, which in this millennium for Buffalo is quite a statement. The Bills have the NFL's longest playoff drought, 15 years.
I'm guessing that Marrone cashed in his smoothly-created option – a $4 million walk-away payment that won't be reduced if he gets another job – due to a classic power struggle that may have also been reflected in tension with GM Doug Whaley.
New Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, apparently considering hiring an executive football chief who would have more rank than Whaley, were surely not willing to keep Marrone by giving him the type of deal that Lurie delivered to appease Kelly.
Not that they should have. Marrone, 25-25 at Syracuse, was 15-17 in his two seasons with the Bills.
If he wanted full personnel authority, he likely won't get it on the open market now – even from the Jets, who are looking for a GM in addition to a coach.
He doesn't have that type of leverage. So the next-best thing is to connect with a GM with whom he shares a vision. Sometimes, that connection might not be known until the day-to-day heat arrives.
The idea, though, is for the coaches to coach rather than get overburdened in the scouting process. When it works as designed, the GM and personnel department supply the coaches with the specific types of players they need to be successful in their systems.
This is often easier said than done.
Kelly, meanwhile, still hasn't won a playoff game and his team blew its shot to capture a second consecutive NFC East crown by folding down the stretch. But he's made a mark as a good thing, nonetheless, with his innovative offense shaking the NFL.
Still, the jury's out on how well Kelly – who will hire his own GM – will handle his Bill Belihick-like power. Last offseason, he cut ties with DeSean Jackson and it came back to haunt the Eagles.
Jackson, one of the NFL's best deep threats, went on to become a bright spot amid Washington's dismal season.
Now Kelly will be charged with the priority of upgrading his secondary, which incidentally, was identified as a need last offseason.
At least we know where the buck stops if the deep TD passes don't get stopped.
All of which reminds me of another power struggle from another era.
It was Bill Parcells, miffed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave personnel director Bobby Grier control in the draft war room during the mid-90s, who famously said, "If they want me to cook the meal, the least they can let me do is shop for the groceries."
Parcells didn't have the full power when he led the Giants to two Super Bowl crowns, while GM George Young picked the talent. But when the Tuna got the control later in his career, he proved that he knew what to do with it.
Lurie said in his statement that Kelly didn't issue any threats or ultimatums during their meetings this week, but clearly the coach indicated his desire to control the personnel moves that it seemed he already had a firm grip on.
Give Lurie credit for trying. Roseman, the person in the organization probably closest to the owner, was promoted to executive vice president for football operations, will still handle contracts and management of the salary cap.
Still, the shakeup in Philadelphia, following other moves, casts a light on the chemistry that must exist between the head coach and the front office – or else.
Other items of interest as the NFL's wild-card weekend rolls on…
*Who's hot: Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. For all of the emphasis the transformed Cowboys placed on a DeMarco Murray-powered rushing attack this season, it did not diminish the potential for an impact passing game personified by Romo and Bryant – who had even more sizzle during the stretch run. Romo reversed his pattern of struggling in December by posting the best December passer rating in NFL history (133.7), which included a 12-1 TD-to-INT ratio and 74.8% completion rate. Bryant was named first-team all-pro this week for the first time, a residual of a career year that included leading the NFL with 16 TD catches. This, in a season of throwing less for Dallas.
*Key matchup: Ndamukong Suh vs. the Cowboys O-line. Detroit's all-pro D-tackle is a magnet for attention – and as last weekend's Aaron Rodgers incident at Green Bay demonstrated, that's not always for the right reasons. In any event, Suh – the boulder in the middle of Detroit's top-ranked run defense and a relentless rusher who collapses the pocket from the middle – will be a load for Dallas to contend with as part of a classic strength-on-strength matchup in the trenches. Cowboys left guard Ronald Leary figures to be the initial point man on Suh, with help from Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick. Yet adjustments will be constant, as the Lions typically move Suh all across the line – and notably at left end on passing downs.
*Pressure's on: Andy Dalton. The Bengals quarterback joins Joe Flacco as the only quarterbacks during the Super Bowl era to lead teams to the playoffs in each of their first four seasons, but Dalton is the one heading into Sunday's game at Indianapolis still seeking his first playoff win. Dalton threw just one TD pass, with six picks, in his first three playoff games. A solid rushing attack fueled by rookie Jeremy Hill could be the ultimate ticket this time, but Dalton still needs to raise his game to a playoff level when his team needs it the most.
*Next man up: Josh Harris. With Le'Veon Bell sidelined by a hyperextended right knee, the Steelers are forced to look for Harris, an undrafted rookie from Wake Forest, to play a major role in the blood feud matchup against the Ravens. What a mystery. While the multi-dimensional Bell set a franchise record with 2,215 yards from scrimmage and accounted for 32.8% of the yards for Pittsburgh's No. 1-ranked offense, Harris logged 9 carries for 16 yards. Another rookie, scatback Dri Archer, will undoubtedly play a larger role and try to pick up some of the slack in the passing game where Bell also excelled, but Harris will be the first-down back.
*Stat's the fact: Colts wideout Reggie Wayne ranks second to Jerry Rice (151) for all-time postseason receptions with his 92 catches. Wayne is fourth for career postseason receiving yards (1,242), heading into the playoff opener against the Bengals needing 74 yards to move past Michael Irvin and Cliff Branch and claim the second slot behind Rice (2,245).
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Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell