Another Coach Firing

Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell was the latest to go.

Jim Caldwell became the latest casualty of a pretty busy offseason for teams who haven't made the playoffs this season. After an awful 2-14 season in which their best player missed the entire season, the Indianapolis Colts fired Caldwell. In Caldwell's first season, the Colts went 14-2 and went to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the New Orleans Saints. The next season, they went 10-6 and won the AFC South again, but were eliminated at home in the opening round by the New York Jets.

While this firing looks like management is cleaning house, another message should be deeply sent to other coaches around the league. Just because you have a player or players that can carry you to a championship level, that doesn't mean anyone can coach the team. Clearly, once Peyton Manning was lost, the whole season was lost before it even started. It certainly appeared Caldwell wasn't a good coach even when Manning was getting them to the playoffs.

Now that we've seen him without Manning, we know that he doesn't deserve to be an NFL head coach at all. Caldwell had a calm demeanor on the sideline, just like his predecessor Tony Dungy. However, Dungy came to the organization in 2002 and brought defense. After his arrival, the Colts' defense improved, and Dungy and Manning finally got the championship they coveted for so long. The only reason Caldwell got the job was because Dungy named him the successor.

Caldwell was the quarterback's coach for the last several years of Dungy's tenure before he became the head coach. He didn't have much to offer, because Manning is already an elite quarterback. They didn't pay attention to the other areas that needed to be addressed, most notably the defense. It was inevitable that Caldwell had to go because we now see how bad he is when Manning isn't around. The Colts need a defensive coach who can let Manning run the offense if he sticks around, while the defensive coach takes care of the defense.

Another coach who is a catastrophe away from losing his job is Mike Tomlin. Tomlin came in after Bill Cowher retired in 2007. Tomlin didn't even change the staff, because it was already so good. Tomlin's specialty is defense, but with Dick Lebeau being respected in the locker room and already doing a great job with the defense, Tomlin kept him.

With the offense being run by Bruce Arians, Tomlin was left to be simply a motivator. He has been given a ton of credit for motivating his guys, but the fact of the matter is he was given a great team. There was no motivation needed for players like Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Hines Ward, Ryan Clark and others who are veterans. The offense is being managed by Ben Roethlisberger and the defense is doing a great job.

However, once the defense plays ineffective, that team is done. The 2009 season, the year after they won the Super Bowl, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs because of poor defense and poor special teams. This was something Tomlin did not work on with his team. When the Steelers lost in the Wild Card round to the Denver Broncos, Lebeau's defensive strategy obviously didn't work, but Tomlin wasn't able to make any adjustments to the offensive or defensive sides of the ball.

If Tomlin were to coach the Cleveland Browns, for instance, he would've been fired in no more than three years. Most of the head coaches who were fired this offseason weren't even on their respective teams for more than three years. The Jacksonville Jaguars just hired Mike Mularkey, and three years down the line, he'll probably be fired.

Coaching searches should be thought out long and well. When the New York Giants fired Jim Fassel, they immediately sought Tom Coughlin, who coached the expansion Jaguars to two AFC Championship appearances. Coughlin's hard-nosed stance with players obviously fit in with what Ernie Accorsi, the Tisch and the Mara family were looking for. Almost a decade later, Coughlin is still with the Giants and trying to lead them to a second Super Bowl appearance and victory.

When Bill Belichick left the New York Jets, and took the New England Patriots head coaching job the next day, it was because the Kraft family knew what they wanted in their next head coach. While it did help that Tom Brady turned into a sensational quarterback, it was Belichick's job managing the defense that helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls. When you're looking for your next head coach, look at the worst possible scenario, and look for the right fit. Hopefully the Colts will do that in their next head coach.