15 Signs Your Coach Might Not Make It Through the Season
How can you tell if your coach is going to get the boot? What are the signs?
Midseason coaching changes aren't exactly the norm, but they can happen. Often, a firing occurs when the team fails to perform well or live up to expectations, but that's not the only red flag to be on the lookout for, and some signs are more surefire than others.
For instance, even if your general manager states publicly that he doesn't plan to make a coaching change, your guy isn't necessarily safe. Just ask Kevin Dineen.
Or if your coach has any issues with management, his days are probably numbered. Tom Thibodeau knows all about that one. He technically made it through his final year, but his departure was practically imminent long before season's end.
Training Camp Does Not Go Well
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Getting off to a bad start is never ideal.
In October 2013, Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider said, "I thought our training camp, quite frankly, was one of the worst training camps I've ever seen," according to ESPN. Yikes.
After a preseason in which Snider said "nobody shined," the Flyers fired coach Peter Laviolette when the regular season got off to an 0-3 start.
Your Record Doesn't Match the Payroll
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Don Mattingly is still, obviously, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, there was a period of time in 2013 when his job outlook appeared uncertain.
The Dodgers went into 2013 with a $216 million payroll and high expectations. So when the season got off to a rough start (23-30 through May), chatter of a possible ousting began.
Mattingly made it out alive, as did the Dodgers, who went on to win 92 games and play in the National League Championship Series. Still, when your payroll is sky-high, the pressure will be as well. And the margin for error will be very thin.
Your GM Says He Won't Fire the Coach
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That's right. Sometimes it's just Opposite Day.
In November 2013, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon told the Miami Herald that despite a rough start to the NHL season, he did not plan to make any coaching changes at the time. Two days later, the entire coaching staff, including head coach Kevin Dineen, was fired.
It just goes to show—no one is safe when the team is losing.
Similar to the "we don't plan to fire you" red flag is the always dreaded "vote of confidence."
Young Players Aren't Progressing
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Jacque Vaughn was another victim of midseason firing in February when the Orlando Magic ousted the third-year coach.
According to general manager Rob Hennigan, a big reason for Vaughn's forced departure was the lack of development in a young roster. According to Steven J. Gaither of Sporting News, Hennigan told reporters, "We went into this season wanting to see some progress. We wanted to see growth. We just didn't feel like we were seeing the type of growth that we wanted to see."
He Is the Subject of Ongoing Investigation
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Sean Payton made it through the 2011 season, but he was suspended without pay for the entirety of 2012 for his role in the New Orleans Saints "Bountygate" scandal.
So fair warning: If your coach is being investigated for knowing about—and possibly covering up—some shady dealings, he could be at risk for missing significant time.
He 'Lost the Locker Room'
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Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers parted ways in December 2014 after continuing reports of his disenchantment with the management (and vice versa).
Besides that, there was the dreaded question: Did he lose the locker room? A few months before the separation, Marc Sessler of the NFL wrote, "He says he is about the team, the team, the team. The players now wonder, is that actually the case?"
A close cousin to the "he lost the locker room" red flag is the "players-only meeting" red flag. The Boston Red Sox, for instance, took matters into their own hands during the Bobby Valentine debacle of 2012.
He Is a 'QB Guru' Whose QB Is Jay Cutler
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Marc Trestman somehow made it through the 2014 NFL season, but it looked touch-and-go for awhile. And he definitely didn't make it to 2015.
Trestman, a noted "quarterback guru," came to the Chicago Bears from the CFL in hopes of getting the most out of Jay Cutler. After his two seasons went from mediocre to bad—and Cutler went from bad to worse—Trestman was out in Chicago.
When your QB has been called a "coach killer," it's usually not a good sign for the coach.
He's Failing to Live Up to Expectations
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The Houston Texans didn't even wait until Black Monday to fire Gary Kubiak. Sitting at 2-11 in December 2013, Kubiak was out.
One of the big reasons for his dismissal was a failure to live up to major preseason expectations. There was even Super Bowl talk leading into the year.
At the time of the firing, owner Bob McNair said, "This has been a very disappointing year. We started with such high hopes. To have this string of losses is unacceptable," according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.
You're on a Skid
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Streaks can be a good thing in sports. Or they can be very, very bad. For instance, losing streaks should be avoided at all costs if your coach wants to keep his job.
The Oakland Raiders fired Dennis Allen in September after the team lost four consecutive games to start the season. Likewise, the Denver Nuggets dismissed Brian Shaw in March in the midst of a six-game losing streak.
Salary Dump
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Brad Mills was fired as manager of the Houston Astros midseason 2012, at a time when the team's record was a league-worst 39-82. In 2011, the team posted a 56-106 record, a franchise worst at the time (another sign of bad things to come).
The real beginning of the end for Mills, however, was the signal from management that a rebuild was on the horizon. They spent the season trading away well-paid players and clearing $40 million of payroll.
He Doesn't Get Along with the Front Office
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The Chicago Bulls parted ways with Tom Thibodeau after he made the playoffs in all five of his seasons as head coach. The reason for the firing? In essence, he wasn't "on the same page" with the front office. At least Thibs made it through the season though.
The same can't be said for Michael Malone in Sacramento. Malone was relieved of his duties in December after a tough start to the season. According to Sam Amick of USA Today, anonymous sources claimed there were "philosophical differences between the second-year head coach and management."
The Owner Is Selling the Team
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Jack Del Rio coached the Jacksonville Jaguars for nine seasons, from 2003 to 2011. He had a couple of good years in there, but ultimately his demise came with a change in ownership.
In November 2011, owner Wayne Weaver announced Del Rio's firing as well as his intention to sell the team to Shahid Khan. According to ESPN, Wayne said, "It's the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons. We deserve better; the community deserves better."
Business is business.
He Requests a Release from His Contract
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If your coach asks to be released from his contract, then it's a good bet he won't make it to the end of the year. Ozzie Guillen did just that in September 2011 when he and the Chicago White Sox were unable to agree on a contract extension. He missed the final two regular-season games.
Oh, and earlier in the season, Guillen had said, "I don't give a [expletive] if I get fired," according to Doug Padilla of ESPN. So, that was obviously a sign of things to come as well.
A 'Franchise Worst' Anything Happens
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The Cleveland Indians finished the 2012 season at 68-94. That bummer record was contributed to by a 5-24 August, the worst month in franchise history.
The scapegoat for the dismal month (and really, the season) was third-year manager Manny Acta. The writing was on the wall in August, and Acta was fired with just a few days remaining in the season.
The Team Is Just Not Good
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Winning is everything in professional sports, isn't that right? If your team is consistently subpar, then your coach's job probably won't have a long shelf life.
For instance, the Miami Marlins haven't made the playoffs since they were the Florida Marlins and won the World Series in 2003. The team hasn't won 80 games since 2010.
So, fans shouldn't have been too shocked when manager Mike Redmond failed to make it through the 2015 season. Redmond was fired in May after a sweep by the Atlanta Braves, the last game of which was a 6-0 near-no-hitter.
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