As Week 13 comes to a close with a Monday night battle between the Cowboys and the Redskins, the NFC East division race remains a confounding, unpredictable mess.
No one knows what to make of these teams except they're pretty bad and habitually inconsistent. Whoever finishes atop the standings at the end of the regular season gets an opportunity to be demolished in the playoffs. And whoever places second, third and fourth could be looking to dump the captains of these listing ships. Let's assess the job security of the four NFC East coaches by ranking them in order of where they stand in the firing line.
Chip Kelly, Philadelphia: Kelly earned his biggest victory of the season Sunday, defeating the New England Patriots. It was a shocking result considering how far gone the Eagles appeared to be following resounding defeats to Tampa Bay and Detroit in consecutive games. But if the New England win is an anomalous outcome, which it seems to be at this point, then Kelly figures to be on the chopping block. Kelly assumed more control of personnel in the offseason and then hedged his bets on quarterback Sam Bradford while ditching LeSean McCoy. The moves haven't worked out like he hoped and the buck stops with him. In three seasons, Kelly is 25-19 and has largely failed to revolutionize the NFL with his hurry-up offense and his attempts to marry technology with practice performance. Rumors have persisted that Kelly could leave for a new job in 2016. But at this point, why would Philadelphia necessarily want him back?
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants: It's strange that a man who guided a franchise to two Super Bowl victories could be pushed out the door. But this is New York - a city with a short memory and little patience. That was seen in previous seasons, when Coughlin's job security was questioned. Now outsiders wonder again if Coughlin's position is safe. Three straight losses have sent the Giants careening off track. And they're now in third place - the same spot they finished each of the last two years. Coughlin has been a good steward of the franchise, and as of late has been saddled with underperforming players handpicked by general manager Jerry Reese. But sometimes things grow stale and a change is necessary to spark better results.
Jay Gruden, Washington: Before the season, it seemed certain that if any NFC East coach was going to be axed at the end of 2015 it would be Jay Gruden. The Redskins looked flat-out dysfunctional, which has become customary since Daniel Snyder has owned the club. In the preseason, Gruden benched and did his best to humiliate Robert Griffin III, a player favored by Snyder. In turn, he gave Kirk Cousins the starting job at quarterback. Since then, Cousins, Gruden and Washington have won enough games to claim first place in the division. Whether that's enough to ensure Gruden gets another year is unclear. His fate rests in the hands of Snyder, a fickle man. As of now, Gruden appears to be in good standing.
Jason Garrett, Cowboys: Of all the coaches in the NFC East, Jason Garrett owns the worst record. But he has the greatest job security. In January, he signed a five-year deal worth more than $30 million - a pact that showed owner Jerry Jones is invested in Garrett and the idea that he could be the franchise's next Tom Landry. Jones, as he is prone to do, can rationalize that the failures this season are attributed to the collarbone injuries suffered by Tony Romo. Romo, of course, has long been Garrett's life preserver - both on the field and off it. It's far-fetched to believe the Cowboys would terminate Garrett and dump his offense with Romo in the twilight of his career. That could potentially damage Romo - the Cowboys' most prized asset. And the Jones Family doesn't want to jeopardize Romo's future after witnessing how the team has performed without him in 2015.
No one knows what to make of these teams except they're pretty bad and habitually inconsistent. Whoever finishes atop the standings at the end of the regular season gets an opportunity to be demolished in the playoffs. And whoever places second, third and fourth could be looking to dump the captains of these listing ships. Let's assess the job security of the four NFC East coaches by ranking them in order of where they stand in the firing line.
Chip Kelly, Philadelphia: Kelly earned his biggest victory of the season Sunday, defeating the New England Patriots. It was a shocking result considering how far gone the Eagles appeared to be following resounding defeats to Tampa Bay and Detroit in consecutive games. But if the New England win is an anomalous outcome, which it seems to be at this point, then Kelly figures to be on the chopping block. Kelly assumed more control of personnel in the offseason and then hedged his bets on quarterback Sam Bradford while ditching LeSean McCoy. The moves haven't worked out like he hoped and the buck stops with him. In three seasons, Kelly is 25-19 and has largely failed to revolutionize the NFL with his hurry-up offense and his attempts to marry technology with practice performance. Rumors have persisted that Kelly could leave for a new job in 2016. But at this point, why would Philadelphia necessarily want him back?
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants: It's strange that a man who guided a franchise to two Super Bowl victories could be pushed out the door. But this is New York - a city with a short memory and little patience. That was seen in previous seasons, when Coughlin's job security was questioned. Now outsiders wonder again if Coughlin's position is safe. Three straight losses have sent the Giants careening off track. And they're now in third place - the same spot they finished each of the last two years. Coughlin has been a good steward of the franchise, and as of late has been saddled with underperforming players handpicked by general manager Jerry Reese. But sometimes things grow stale and a change is necessary to spark better results.
Jay Gruden, Washington: Before the season, it seemed certain that if any NFC East coach was going to be axed at the end of 2015 it would be Jay Gruden. The Redskins looked flat-out dysfunctional, which has become customary since Daniel Snyder has owned the club. In the preseason, Gruden benched and did his best to humiliate Robert Griffin III, a player favored by Snyder. In turn, he gave Kirk Cousins the starting job at quarterback. Since then, Cousins, Gruden and Washington have won enough games to claim first place in the division. Whether that's enough to ensure Gruden gets another year is unclear. His fate rests in the hands of Snyder, a fickle man. As of now, Gruden appears to be in good standing.
Jason Garrett, Cowboys: Of all the coaches in the NFC East, Jason Garrett owns the worst record. But he has the greatest job security. In January, he signed a five-year deal worth more than $30 million - a pact that showed owner Jerry Jones is invested in Garrett and the idea that he could be the franchise's next Tom Landry. Jones, as he is prone to do, can rationalize that the failures this season are attributed to the collarbone injuries suffered by Tony Romo. Romo, of course, has long been Garrett's life preserver - both on the field and off it. It's far-fetched to believe the Cowboys would terminate Garrett and dump his offense with Romo in the twilight of his career. That could potentially damage Romo - the Cowboys' most prized asset. And the Jones Family doesn't want to jeopardize Romo's future after witnessing how the team has performed without him in 2015.
