It’s a bit more than ironic that the embarrassing mismanagement by the Chicago Bears at the end of the Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit was the final straw that resulted in the firing of coach Matt Eberflus. It was also another reflection of the preparation – or lack thereof – that underscores why some teams like the Bears can’t get out of their own way in contributing to their demise.
Part of the irony, though, is that the team that benefitted from Chicago’s latest crunch-time disaster, the Detroit Lions (11-1), has gone to great lengths in preparing for situational football. It’s one of the reasons that Detroit’s sharp coordinators – Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn – will be among the hottest candidates on the market for the upcoming hiring cycle.
Each week, Lions coach Dan Campbell conducts a “situational meeting” with Johnson, his offensive shot-caller; Glenn, the defensive guru; and others on the staff, including special teams coordinator Dave Fipp and assistant head coach Scott Montgomery.
Someone asked Campbell recently why it was important to have both Johnson and Glenn in the room at the same time for those sessions, which explains much about preparing for end-of-game scenarios that are critical in a league on pace to finish with more games decided by one possession or less than at any point in history. His response also spoke as much about their futures as it did about the Lions’ hopes of continuing their roll to the Super Bowl.
Campbell knows. Johnson and Glenn could be in the stretch run of their Detroit tenures.
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And they are preparing for that, too.
“Those guys are going to both be head coaches, eventually,” Campbell said. “Whether it’s now, whether it’s like, whatever the case may be, it’s good for them to see it. It’s also good for them to see the other side of it, to be able to see it from a defensive perspective in managing a game. You do that and then you figure out what’s right for you. They know what’s right for us, because it’s the way I see it. Eventually, when it becomes their team, they may see it a little differently.
“There may be a more conservative approach. There may be a more aggressive approach. But you just want to know that you have all the facts … and that you’re able to put those in your own way of seeing it and to make the best decision possible. It’s been good for us.”
When Campbell served as an assistant (along with Glenn) under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints, there were certainly lessons on situational preparation. Every team in the league likely does it to some extent. Yet how that’s emphasized from team to team is in the details, as anyone coached by Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells will attest. Campbell recalled how Payton, now the Broncos coach, did it with the team overall, rather than just with the coaching staff.
“So we all got it,” Campbell reflected. “He would do that every Saturday morning.”
The Bears could have used such lessons.
With Eberflus becoming the first coach fired during the season in the entire history of a franchise that originated in 1920, three teams have already made such moves to get a jump on their coaching searches. The Jets fired Robert Saleh (replaced by interim Jeff Ulbrich) in October; the Saints relieved Dennis Allen (replaced by Darren Rizzi) in early November.
Eberflus (14-32 in nearly three seasons) was replaced by interim Thomas Brown, who less than three weeks ago was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron was fired.
By mid-January, it’s expected that at least seven head-coaching slots will be open. And Johnson, who has been a hot commodity the past two cycles, and Glenn, will be near the top of the list of candidates – including for the Bears, building around quarterback Caleb Williams, drafted No. 1 overall in April.
Campbell, including Fipp in the equation, said, “All three of these guys are superstars. Hey, when it’s over, it’s over. But we’re going to make the most of it until that time comes.”
In the meantime, the iron will keep sharpening the iron.
Amari Cooper living the dream with Bills
“When you’re a kid, we all dream of making it to this league. Never once do you dream about being on a losing team,” Cooper told USA TODAY Sports. “You always dream of being with the winning teams, the playoff teams, teams that go to the Super Bowl. So I would say this feels like I’m living in that dream … I’m just soaking it all in.”
Cooper, 30, is with his fourth team in 11 NFL seasons. This isn’t the first time he was dealt from a last-place team to a first-place scenario. In 2018, the Cowboys obtained Cooper from the Raiders (who finished 4-12) and won the NFC East. Yet throughout his extended journey he’s experienced just one playoff victory, a Dallas win against Seattle in the 2018 wild-card round.
Maybe this is setting up for a different playoff experience. The Bills surely have him pegged for a significant role down the stretch, after overhauling a receiver corps that in recent years included the Pro Bowl presence of Stefon Diggs.
“It’s a numbers game,” Cooper said. “If you’re in the league long enough, hey, the ball might roll your way and you’ll be on a good team and have a chance. That’s all it’s about. And when you have a chance, take full advantage of it.”
As Kirk Cousins goes…
It’s fair to wonder which Kirk Cousins will show up on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the Falcons (6-5) needing a win against the L.A. Chargers to snap a two-game losing streak and cling to what once looked like an insurmountable lead atop the NFC South.
In six victories, Cousins has a TD-to-INT ratio of 14-2, with a 114.1 pass-efficiency rating.
The five losses? The ratio is 3-to-7, with a 73.5 rating.
The moral of the stats: Atlanta has shown no ability to win while carrying the quarterback on an off day. Then again, the Falcons wrote a big check in luring Cousins with a massive free-agent deal (four years, $180 million, $100 million guaranteed) with the expectation that he can lead them over the hump as the franchise seeks its first division title and first playoff win since the 2016 campaign.
Quick slants
∎It’s typically feast or famine when it comes to Terry McLaurin’s production. In six games this season, including his five 100-yard outings and a 98-yard game, the Washington receiver averaged 108.3 yards. In the six other games, he averaged 28.8 yards, including the four contests he’s had with fewer than 23 yards. No, this isn’t so much a barometer of whether the Commanders (7-5) win or lose. They lost twice when their star wideout topped 100 … and won when he tallied 19 and 22 yards against the Giants.
∎The Chiefs (11-1) became the first NFL team this season to clinch a playoff berth after squeaking out a win against the Raiders on Friday, but another concern was magnified amid the effort. Patrick Mahomes was sacked five times for the second consecutive game, with left tackle Wanya Morris further exposed to the point that he was ultimately benched. On Friday, the Chiefs shifted left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle, with Mike Caliendo inserted in Thuney’s spot. Next up? Recently signed veteran D.J. Humphries, coming off a torn ACL suffered last season with the Cardinals that threatened his career, has been practicing for a week. Stay tuned.