Tag: Fired

Vic Fangio reacts to being fired by Broncos

“The future is bright for the Denver Broncos, and I wish the organization nothing but the best,” Vic Fangio said.

After being fired by the Denver Broncos on Saturday morning, former head coach Vic Fangio released the following statement:

It was an honor and privilege to serve as head coach of the Denver Broncos. I want to think John Elway and Joe Ellis for giving me the opportunity to be part of this storied franchise and special community when they hired me three seasons ago.

Over the past year, I am grateful to have been able to work with George Paton, one of — in my opinion — our league’s best general managers. Broncos fans, you have a great one in George.

To the players, coaches and staff: Thank you for the fight and character you showed each and every week. No matter the adversity, circumstances or challenges we faced, you never backed down. I am proud to be associated with this group of fighters and competitors. I appreciate you all.

To Broncos fans: Thank you for your support, passion and how much you care about the Broncos. You are the reason Denver is one of the NFL’s best football towns.

The foundation is in place for this team to accomplish great things. The future is bright for the Denver Broncos, and I wish the organization nothing but the best.

That’s a classy farewell from Fangio, who will have no trouble finding a job as a defensive coordinator with another team. His time as head coach didn’t pan out the way fans in Denver wanted it to, but Fangio seems to be leaving the club on good terms.

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Broncos fire offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur

After scoring 20.2 points per game in 2020 and 19.7 PPG in 2021, the Broncos have fired OC Pat Shurmur.

In addition to firing head coach Vic Fangio, the Denver Broncos have also fired offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported Sunday morning.

Denver hired Shurmur in 2019 after his unsuccessful tenure as the New York Giants’ head coach from 2018-2019. Shurmur had plenty of experiences as an offensive coordinator when he joined the Broncos, but it did not translate to success.

Denver’s offense scored 20.2 points per game last year, the fifth-lowest average in the NFL. The team made no progress in that department this season, averaging just 19.7 points per game.

Broncos general manager George Paton will be responsible for hiring the team’s next head coach, and that new coach will likely have a large role in picking the team’s next offensive coordinator.

Before Shurmur, Denver went through four offensive coordinators in four seasons: Rick Dennison (2016), Mike McCoy (2017), Bill Musgrave (2018) and Rich Scangarello (2019). The Broncos will now aim to get the next hire right to have some stability at the position.

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Vic Fangio’s job appears to be safe — for now

“Do I acknowledge that it’s certainly out there and could happen — absolutely,” Vic Fangio said of his job status. “Do I worry about it? I absolutely do not worry about it.”

Black Monday did not arrive early for Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio.

NFL teams who fired their coach (or informed their coach he would not return at the end of the season) by Tuesday are allowed to begin submitting requests to interview head coach candidates from other teams.

There have been no reports of the Broncos making any interview requests for potential coach candidates, which is seemingly a sign that Fangio has not been informed that he will be fired at the end of the season.

Fangio could still be fired, but it appears the team has not made that decision yet. The coach was asked during his Monday press conference if he’s worried about his job status.

“I don’t, and I know you think that’s a standard answer, but for a lot of reasons I do not worry about it,” Fangio said. “Those reasons are personal for me, but do I acknowledge that it’s certainly out there and could happen — absolutely. Do I worry about it? I absolutely do not worry about it for many, many reasons.”

Fangio’s current contract is set to expire after the 2022 season. He was asked Monday if he would be willing to coach next season without receiving a contract extension for his expiring contract.

“Absolutely, just the direct short answer there — absolutely,” Fangio said.

Denver’s ownership situation might complicate the team’s decision on Fangio. The Broncos are expected to be sold in the spring, probably a few weeks or even a few months after the top coach candidates have been hired.

Denver’s current front office might choose to leave Fangio in place for the 2022 season, allowing new ownership to then make a decision on the coach the following year. That’s just speculation, though. For now, all we know is Fangio’s job appears to be safe, at least for a few more weeks.

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Broncos face an interesting deadline for Vic Fangio decision

If the Broncos do not fire Vic Fangio before Tuesday, other teams could get a head start on Denver interviewing head coach candidates.

The NFL created a new rule this year (on a trial basis) that will allow teams to interview head coach candidates from other teams during the final two weeks of the regular season.

Teams can begin making interview requests on Tuesday (Dec. 28), but only if they have fired their coach or if they have notified their coach that he will not return at the end of the season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

So if the Denver Broncos would like to get an early start on their head coach interview process, they will need to either fire Vic Fangio by Tuesday or inform him by Tuesday that he will not be brought back at the end of the season.

That creates an interesting deadline for the Broncos because with a playoff berth technically still possible and the defense playing so well, it’s hard to imagine the team firing Fangio before the end of the season. But if Denver does not fire him (or give him an early notification) before that deadline, other teams could get a chance to begin talking to the top candidates before the Broncos do.

Early signs seem to indicate Fangio won’t be fired this week because the coach is currently scheduled to hold his usual Monday press conference later today.

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Michael Thomas reacts to Jaguars firing his old college coach Urban Meyer

Michael Thomas reacts to Jaguars firing his old college coach Urban Meyer

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended the Urban Meyer era near midnight on Wednesday, announcing their decision to fire the first-year head coach after a tumultuous series of on-field and off-field incidents illustrated just how badly Meyer was out of his depth in the NFL.

His list of offenses runs long — take your pick between his terrible win-loss record, dubiously qualified hires on his coaching staff, illegal practices in offseason workouts, shenanigans at his bar with a woman who was not his wife during a game week, behind-the-scenes belittling of his assistants, and the latest accusation that he kicked a player during warmups, it was past time for him to go.

But not everyone is celebrating his departure. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has long respected Meyer as one of the greatest coaches he ever worked with at Ohio State, and still credits Meyer for much of the success he’s found after turning pro. Thomas responded to the news of Meyer’s dismissal on Twitter, writing:

It’s clear Thomas isn’t happy to see his mentor’s downfall so widely celebrated, and he’s entitled to his own take. But it’s also apparent that he may have had a wildly different experience under Meyer’s tutelage, or else responded better to the brand of coaching Meyer tried and failed to import to the NFL.

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Breaking: Jason Garrett fired as New York Giants OC

The former Cowboys head coach was relieved of his duties the day after a 30-10 loss to Tampa Bay. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Jason Garrett era in New York is over after 26 games as the Giants’ offensive coordinator.

Garrett had been the Cowboys’ head coach for nearly a decade. He was let go at the end of the 2019 season after compiling an 85-67 regular season record and a 2-3 mark in the postseason.

The club relieved Garrett head coach the day after a 30-10 loss at the hands of the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. The team made the decision public via social media.

The 3-7 Giants offense currently ranks 26th in scoring and 25th in total yards. Freddie Kitchens will take over as offensive coordinator under head coach Joe Judge.

The Cowboys will play the Giants in New York in December, already having beat them in Week 5.

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Former Notre Dame assistant a Florida possibility?

Will this former Notre Dame assistant soon be a head coach?

In a shocking turn of events from the end of September when Florida was 3-1 with their only blemish being a two-point loss against mighty Alabama, the Gators went just 2-5 since and fired Dan Mullen before their regular season finale against Florida State this week.

Where does Florida now turn for their next head coach?

Adam Dubbin of Gators Wire has put together a list of candidates for Florida to pursue and on it is a recent Notre Dame assistant and current Texas A&M defensive coordinator, Mike Elko.

Says Dubbin of Elko:

Jimbo Fisher made a big splash when he got Elko, the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, to follow him to College Station in 2018. Elko, 44, is considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in college football, and given the fact that he is leading his best defense, which ranks in the top 10, expect his name to come up quite a bit during the coaching carousel this offseason.

Elko is a good coach and could be a candidate for jobs like TCU, but given the importance of this hire for UF, it seems unlikely it chooses to go with a first-time head coach.

I’m with Adam in that line of thinking.  I also remember the last time Florida hired a defensive coordinator from a Texas program who didn’t have any head coach experience and I can’t imagine doing that again would go over too well in Gator country.

Related:

See the latest on all FBS college football coaching hirings and firings in our 2021 coaching tracker

College football head coaching tracker

Rank these jobs from best to worst and give us a reason why…

It’s already been a busy off-season of coaching changes in college football and we’re still two weeks from the regular season actually drawing to a close.  With Justin Fuente’s announced firing from Virginia Tech there have now already been 12 head college football coaches fired since the season began.

Some are staying on to finish the year while others technically resigned, but the the fact remains there will be at least 12 different head coaches in college football’s FBS when the 2022 season begins late next summer.

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we’re certainly not expecting Brian Kelly to be exiting anytime soon, even if Kirk Herbstreit has him on a plane to Southern California, but we certainly would be curious about a Kelly assistant getting a chance at a head coaching job.

Below is our tracker of all FBS coaching changes that will be updated through the fall and into the early parts of 2022.

Tennessee parting ways with Jeremy Pruitt. Will Alabama bring him back?

Former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is no longer the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Could he be on his way back t…

Former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt left the Crimson Tide to accept the head coaching job for Alabama’s in-conference rival Tennessee.

In his three seasons with the Volunteers, Pruitt had one winning season and a total record of 16-19.

The defensive-minded coach has spent quite some time at Alabama, as both a player in the 1990’s and as an assistant serving various different roles for the program.

The announcement of Tennessee and Pruitt parting ways will reportedly also consist of plans for the future of the University’s Athletic Director position, as former football head coach, and current athletic director, Phillip Fulmer, will soon be retiring.

With Pruitt no longer a head coach, and likely in search of a job, could Alabama decide to bring him back?

His sporadic resume with the Crimson Tide has shown him working for the program in an assistant coaching role three separate times, with numerous stops at different jobs in between. This would be Pruitt’s fourth time being hired by Alabama.

Surely, Pruitt could be interested in returning to the program, but is the desire mutually shared?

While there has been no official word from Alabama’s side, Pruitt definitely seems to think he’d be welcomed back.

Nick Saban already has a defensive coordinator. Would Pruitt serve in a smaller role, or could there be a change in staff and Pete Golding’s time at the helm of the Crimson Tide defense comes to an end after only two seasons?

Roll Tide Wire will publish any updates regarding Jeremy Pruitt and his potential return to the Crimson Tide.

 

Seahawks speak to former Eagles HC Doug Pederson about OC vacancy

The Seahawks have recently spoken with former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson about Seattle offensive coordinator vacancy.

A second name has now surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ hunt for a new offensive coordinator. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Seattle has spoken with former Philadelphia Eagles coach, Doug Pederson.

“The #Seahawks have spoken with former #Eagles coach Doug Pederson about their offensive coordinator job, per sources,” Pelissero tweeted on Saturday. “Fired five days ago, Pederson may also still end up drawing interest for another head-coaching job. His options are developing.”

The Seahawks parted ways with former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer following Seattle’s loss to the Rams in the wild-card round. Schottenheimer had been hired in 2018 and spent three seasons with the team.

Seattle has also had recent discussions about the offensive coordinator position with another former head coach, ex-Chargers’ Anthony Lynn.

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