Larry Coyer & 5 NFL Coordinators Who Are Overmatched

Halfway through the season, it's time for faltering teams to begin taking stock of both their players and coaches to figure out what needs to be done to improve, not just over the remainder of this season, but also in the longer term future.

In many instances, coordinators can serve as scapegoats for head coaches under the gun.  Jettisoning the leader of a single failing unit can provide head coaches a way of saying, "I understand what the problem is, and I know how to fix it. (Also, please don't fire me yet.)"

Flip through the slideshow for 5 NFL coordinators who are currently overmatched and could find themselves on the chopping block at the end of the season.

Larry Coyer

In the wake of Peyton Manning's neck injury, one of the things that got most exposed about the Indianapolis Colts was just how unsuited the defense was to play without a stellar signal caller behind center on offense.  

While some will mock those who make the connection between a quarterback's absence and the performance of the defense, the idea shouldn't be dismissed outright.  

The Colts designed their defense to punish teams who are forced to pass while trying to catch up to the Peyton Manning-led offense.  That means putting a premium on speed over size.  While this worked to varying degrees of success over the years, without Manning, they are hopeless.

Not only are the rarely playing with a lead, meaning they can't just sell out with Freeney and Mathis to rush the passer every down, they also are next to last in time of possession.  That small, fast defense simply can't hold up when they play that many snaps.

It's debatable how much of this is Coyer's fault vs. Bill Polian's fault for making everything so dependent on one player in a league where injuries are inescapable. Regardless, this is a really terrible defense, and the buck will likely stop with Coyer. 

Dirk Koetter

Dirk Koetter's first season as the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars was a huge success, racking up the sixth most points in the league in 2007.  And it has been all downhill from there.

Koetter's tenure calling plays for the Jaguars has truly bottomed out this season, scoring a league-worst 12.2 points per game so far.  The Garrard-McCown-Gabbert transition has hardly been executed smoothly, as Jacksonville has already had four games with fewer than 100 yards passing this season.

It boggles my mind that the Jaguars continue to allow the current regime to run the franchise into obscurity, but once the badly needed housecleaning finally comes, expect Koetter to be out the door with the rest of the Del Rio crew.

Dennis Allen

Over the last six seasons, the Denver Broncos have had six defensive coordinators.  Six years, six coordinators: a truly staggering reality that goes a long way to explaining why the once-proud franchise has turned into perennial bottom feeders.

There's only so much you can expect Allen to do when stepping into that kind of a situation.  But on the other hand, those low expectations match up exactly with the results he has gotten: 28.6 points per game surrendered, good for second-worst in the league.

Look on the bright side, though, they have shaved nearly a whole point off of their league-worst points allowed average from last year.  Baby steps...

Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan is not the most sympathetic of characters.  He came up in the Houston Texans organization under Gary Kubiak, a close friend and associate of his father Mike. 

In 2010, they decided to give up on the transparent attempt at hiding the obvious nepotism at work, and he moved to Washington to coach directly under his father.

His accomplishments as offensive coordinator with the Redskins are hardly impressive.  He is well on his way to the second consecutive season of ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in scoring in D.C.

It really makes you wonder, what's in a name?  In this case, certainly not results.

Bill Belichick

While this slide may make some readers do a double take, Bill Belichick is not just the head coach in New England.  He is also the defensive coordinator.  And for the last two years, the Patriots defense has been the primary weakness of his team.

For two years now, they have been unable to put any pressure on quarterbacks, forcing the offense to have to be near perfect to win games.  Belichick, in maintaining absolute control in so many areas of the team, may have stretched himself too thin.  

For all the wheeling and dealing he has done to rack up draft picks over the years, the Pats have precious little to show for them, as some of the primary failings of the defense this year are directly tied to young players not living up to expectations. 

Perhaps it's time for The Hoodie to bring in some fresh eyes and a little assistance in the form of a defensive coordinator.