Wake-up Call: The NFL ax falls on Marinelli, Mangini, Crennel

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Week 17 did a lot more than complete the picture of the NFL playoffs. It also brought pink slips to three of the league’s head coaches.

This morning, the Lions, after the first 0-16 season in NFL history, sent Rod Marinelli packing. Here’s one commentary, though, that placed the blame for this woeful season beyond Marinelli’s office.

The New York Jets, after a loss to Miami left them at 9-7 and out of the playoffs, showed Eric Mangini the door. The great experiment with Brett Favre had mixed results, and Favre apparently isn’t sure whether his NFL career will end with that 24-17 loss to a team led by the quarterback he replaced in New York.

In Cleveland, the Browns said goodbye to the Romeo Crennel era, and Bill Cowher took himself out of the running as a replacement.

In Dallas, Jerry Jones gave Wade Phillips another vote of confidence, saying there would be no coaching change despite a season-ending 44-6 thumping at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, though there aren’t a lot of happy Cowboys fans in Big D.

-- Mike James