FanHouse Nfl Coaching

The five stages of grief are being played out in NFL-mad Denver, where Broncos fans -- teased into believing a stunning 6-0 start had canceled out the challenges of a first-year head coach, new quarterback and assorted volatile team personalities -- are well into the process of re-evaluating a season gone horribly wrong.

Broncos players, many of whom came away from Sunday's disheartening 32-3 AFC West home loss to the San Diego Chargers embarrassed, confused and bickering, know they have to regroup in a hurry.

This was a short week, and a Thanksgiving Day game at Invesco Field looms against the revitalized New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET). Both teams are 6-4, a game behind their division leaders, the Cowboys and the Chargers, respectively.

With the Chicago Bears struggling through a season which began with such lofty expectations, many names are bound to be connected to the Bears. Most notably, people will start speculating about head coaches, defensive coordinators (to take pressure off Lovie Smith) and offensive coordinators who could replace the maligned Ron Turner.

A name that would make sense is Mike Martz -- who was head coach when Smith was the defensive coordinator in St. Louis for three seasons earlier this decade. Martz presently works as an analyst for the NFL Network, but -- according to the Chicago Sun-Times -- he would welcome being hired as the Bears' offensive coordinator.

The 'Mike Shanahan to Buffalo' talk is heating up.

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan met for seven hours in Denver with Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

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As the clock struck zero in the Lions-Browns game, there was a pass interference penalty called on Cleveland in the end zone. In the aftermath of the play, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford laid on the field injured. The officials called an injury timeout for Stafford. Also, Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini took a timeout to seemingly do nothing more than lambast the officials for what appeared a pretty obvious interference call.

Tampa Bay rookie head coach Raheem Morris has been unhappy with the performance of his team's defense, so he's decided to deal with the situation head-on. Morris removed Jim Bates from his role as defensive coordinator Monday, according to the St. Petersburg Times, and will take over the position himself. Bates will remain with the team as a consultant.

Tampa Bay, 1-9 on the season, ranks 31st in the NFL in average points allowed at 29.4 per game -- ahead of only Detroit. The Buccaneers are last in the league against the run.

Morris will reportedly return the Bucs to a Tampa-2 defense, a scheme that became prominent during Tony Dungy's days as the Bucs' head coach.

"We made a lot of cultural changes. You don't come in with everything already firm. I thought this would be one of those rare chances. I didn't think I would be like (Bill) Parcells or (Dick) Vermeil where I was going to get multiple chances and shots.''

One could forgive Cleveland wide receiver/return man Josh Cribbs if he was upset with the Browns coaching staff for extending Monday night's game against Baltimore long enough to land him on a stretcher, despite the fact that the Browns were down 16 points with just seconds to play.

But Cribbs, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer by way of PFT, has a different account of the final play of the game: the decision to keep the ball alive was made by Brady Quinn (as opposed to head coach Eric Mangini).

Mike Shanahan has been contacted by the Buffalo Bills as a potential candidate to fill the tiny shoes of Dick Jauron, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter -- although the report indicates that Shanahan was not the only candidate contacted.

Among those additionally listed as possibilities are former NC State offensive coordinator and current CFL coach Marc Trestman, as well as Jim Haslett, who simply refuses to disappear from any coaching search, and Giants OC Kevin Gilbride. Schefter did indicate, however, that interim head coach Perry Fewell would be given an "every opportunity" to secure the full-time gig.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Bill Belichick defended his decision to go for it on fourth down as criticism mounted Monday of the call that led to the New England Patriots stunning loss. The coach hailed as one of the NFL's best was a target of columnists, talk radio callers and two of his former players. Why, they all wondered, did he gamble with a six-point lead and just over two minutes to go against the Indianapolis Colts?

The gamble failed and the Patriots lost 35-34 after leading by 17 points in the fourth quarter Sunday night.

"The same thing I said after the game," Belichick said at his regular Monday news conference. "I thought it was our best chance to win. I thought we needed to make that one play and then we could basically run out the clock. We weren't able to make it."

According to Internet polls, phone surveys, insulted ex-players and media analysts, Bill Belichick just sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

His decision to go for it on fourth down against the Colts was the dumbest move in Boston, if not world history.

"Belichick Gaffe Unrivaled" declared the Boston Globe.

Call me stupid, but I'd still rank it below the Red Sox selling Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000. And with all due respect to those who think Belichick should be involuntarily committed, I wouldn't even call what he Sunday night did a gaffe.

It was the right move for the simplest of reasons.

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