Philadelphia canned head coach Chip Kelly on Tuesday.
Yes, it was a bit of a shock to almost everyone outside the Eagles' complex - including Kelly.
By all accounts, he had very few allies within the building, which is not unlike what Saban and Spurrier and other uber-successful college coaches experienced when trying to take their dictatorships to the world of professional football.
(Saban was a touch different in that if the Dolphins' team doctors had agreed to Saban's plan to sign Drew Brees and his surgically repaired back, Miami would be standing toe-to-toe with New England in the AFC East and Alabama would not be dominating college football. Stupid Miami team doctors.)
Kelly's methods caused him to lose the locker room and any support from management. Those methods are intriguing, and often different can be scary for those who only know another way to do things.
Yes, Philly got housed at times, but this has way more to do with off-the-field interactions than it does football.
Washington Redskins' Pierre Thomas (39) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles' Ed Reynolds (30) and Kiko Alonso (50) in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez) Kelly was 26-21 with two 10-win seasons heading into the final game of his third year. That's not great, but it's not terrible. (Side question: Is Philly running off Andy Reid the NFL version of the University of Tennessee running off Phillip Fulmer? We think they're very comparable scenarios. Somewhere, Georgia fans are forced to take deep breaths and hope for the best.)
Kelly's record is far superior to Jacksonville's Gus Bradley, who is 12-35 over the same span but is coming back next year, or Jeff Fisher, who is 27-35 in his fourth year in St. Louis. And let's not forget that Kelly's past seven seasons as a head coach ended in the Rose Bowl, national title game, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, with an NFC East title, with a 10-6 record and then 6-9 this year.
That's fine. Maybe Kelly would not surrender player personnel control. Maybe he had completely lost the locker room to the point of no return. Maybe he didn't wash his hands after going to the executive wash room.
Whatever - the NFL's a big-boy league, and coaches get got all the time. The thing that makes this one more interesting than most is the obvious question: Where will Kelly's next gig be?
Will the Titans go after Kelly and reunite him with Marcus Mariota? You have to wonder if conversations about pursuing Kelly are also happening at Texas or Texas A&M or LSU or Auburn or even Oregon, the place where he used his high-powered, space-eating offense to make his mark in the game and make the Ducks a national power.
Even with that monster move, though, there is very little intrigue left heading into the final week of the NFL's regular season.
Your fantasy season is almost assuredly done. The NFC playoff roster is set; they just need to finalize the order. The AFC picture has one truly open spot. The Jets are in with a win, or the Steelers are in with a win and a Jets loss. (Yes, the first of the 10-step scenario to get the Colts in the playoffs happened with Denver's win Monday. Still, to call it a long shot is an insult to long shots.)
So the final week will be about playing for home-field advantage and staying healthy. (Mostly about staying healthy, though.)
Power five
Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) and defensive end Frostee Rucker (92) celebrate a stop as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, gets up during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) 1. Cardinals. The most complete team in the league is led by the league's most underrated coach, at least by casual fans. Marks of great coaching: Overcoming injuries. Check. Making the most of your strengths. Check, as Arizona does a great job using its wide receiver depth and its playmakers in the secondary to dictate pace. Assembling a great staff. Double check. Bruce Arians has a great collection of coaches, including former Colts offensive guru Tom Moore. As crazy as this sounds, your Arizona Cardinals are the Super Bowl favorites.
2. Panthers. Yes, it was only one loss. But it also was a blueprint on how to slow the MVP train that has been Cam Newton. Still, that defense is great, and subtract one amazing Hail Mary catch by Julio Jones and Carolina likely wins in Atlanta despite playing its worse game of the season. Side note: How awesome is Cam, athletically? We believe he would be a Pro Bowler at five different positions. Dude is 6-foot-5, 260 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.5 at the combine. Put him at quarterback, tight end or wide receiver and he is a force. Dude would be a star playing safety or rushing the passer as well. Amazing.
3. Patriots. If we offered you New England or the field, you take the Patriots, right? Now know that one by one the injured Patriots will start trickling back into the lineup, and we'd tend to agree that while the Cardinals and the Panthers may be better teams, New England is the safest bet to get to the Super Bowl.
4. Broncos. Amazing defensive showing Monday night to top the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime. And yes, the Brock Osweiler-Peyton Manning storyline will be the talk of the playoffs. If the Broncos beat San Diego this week, they will secure a first-round bye to give Manning more time and everyone more opportunity to hear the discussion.
5. Chiefs. Shhhh, but Kansas City is quietly the hottest team in the NFL not in Arizona. And how about that Alex Smith? Dude just does things quietly and effectively, right? In truth, Smith has been much better than that this year and for his career. Smith's stats this season: he's 293-of-446 (65.7 percent) for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions, leading the league in interception percentage with 1.1 per 100 throws. In his three years in Kansas City, Smith has completed 63.8 of his throws for 9,908 yards, 59 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. And for the ultimate stat, he's 29-16 as a starter with the Chiefs. Impressed, right?
Powerless five
FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2015, file photo, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins’ latest loss has prompted a Twitter tirade from the wife of cornerback Brent Grimes directed at Tannehill. Miko Grimes, who has 10,000 Twitter followers, has criticized Tannehill before. But her reaction to Sunday’s 18-12 loss to Indianapolis was particularly vehement. (AP Photo/Joe Skipper, File) 28. Dolphins. OK, if losing to the imploding and quarterback-less Colts was not bad enough, now the Dolphins have a defensive player's wife going all Twitter bombardier on quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Here are some of the shots Brent Grimes' wife, Miko, fired: "I knew this QB stunk the minute we signed to this team but I tried to keep quiet so I didn't discourage Bae from believing in his team." "I should've known we gonna lose when I heard we didn't complete a single pass in two minute drills this week against the practice squad defense." And, "My Column: how many people does Ryan Tannehill have to get fired before you realize he's the problem." Well, OK, Miko, how do you really feel? (To be fair, Miko was picked up earlier this year for assaulting a police officer, though those charges were dropped. You stay classy, Miami.)
29. Cowboys. Don't give us injuries as an excuse for these Cowboys, who trotted out former Boise State legend Kellen Moore in a 16-6 floater against the Bills last week. Every team in the league has handled injuries. Every single one. Some better than others, and all of them better than the Cowboys, who will have a top-10 draft pick and a healthy franchise quarterback in 2016. Here's betting Dallas figures out a way to add Derrick Henry to the mix next year - after Henry runs for 200-plus yards against Michigan State tonight in Jerry World.
30. 49ers. This is how bad it is for the once-proud San Francisco bunch: The 49ers appear to be talking themselves into an idea that Blaine Gabbert could be the answer at quarterback. E-gad. If that's the case, well, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula better figure out a way to do impressions or make those odd noises with his hand under his armpit during press conferences next year, because this team will be dreadful.
31. Browns. Another week, another story about a party video of Johnny Manziel - and another round of questions about his status as QB1 for the Browns. OK, let's cover the basics before we offer a question. There are so many difficult things about being even a solid NFL quarterback. There's the preparation. There's the practice. There's the poise. There's the pressure. And that's just in the "P" category. Despite all that, Johnny Football still tries to make it harder on himself by not respecting the responsibility, the role and the opportunity. Add in all the distractions and all the things that are beyond anyone's control, and you understand why of all the people on the planet, there are really only 20 or so above-average or better NFL quarterbacks. Think about that percentage. There are 7.3 billion people on the planet. If you subtract females and only look in the United States - because, well, the Pop Warner leagues in Uganda are a little underfunded - there are more than 151 million American men. And we can only manage about two dozen quarterbacks we can trust. Forget the toughest job in sports or focusing on brain surgeons; quarterback may be the toughest job to do well in the world. That or president. And we feel pretty certain Trump can't do either. With each growing controversy, we feel pretty certain Johnny Football can't either.
32. Titans. Tennessee allowed 34 points to Houston this past Sunday, when the Texans were quarterbacked by Brandon Weeden. Read that again. Now if you are the Titans, you have two mandates this week. First, under no circumstances should Marcus Mariota and his strained knee be on the field. Second, you have to find a way to lose to Indianapolis. The No. 1 overall pick for Tennessee could be a chance to a) add a defensive difference-maker like Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa; b) add a much-needed offensive line anchor, such as Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil or c) trade down and address arguably the worst roster in the league. What does this mean? Well, because it's the Titans, they'll probably win by two touchdowns.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter @jgreesontfp.