Black Monday

The hammer has fallen on a number of coaches one day after the regular season has ended.  Most of the decisions should come as no surprise.  Those fired include:

1. Andy Reid - this decision has been discussed for weeks and should come as a surprise to no one.
2. Pat Shurmur - thought he had his team playing better in the latter part of the team but with new ownership they probably wanted their guy.
3. Romeo Crennel - it was a tough year with Belcher's murder/suicide and there were much higher expectations with the Chiefs and they proved to be one of the worst teams this season so not too big of a surprise.
4. Chan Gailey - similar to Crennel, the Bills had higher expectations with some offseason acquisitions but the Bills ended up being the same old Bills and after three years Gailey needed to go.
5. Norv Turner - solid career in SD but like Reid, his time is up.  They haven't gone to the playoffs the last three years and it's time for a new voice/direction. 
6. Lovie Smith - after starting the season 7-1, the Pears finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs.  He may have been saved if they had gotten to the playoffs but similar to Reid and Turner, it's time for a new direction.  To be 7-1 and miss the playoffs is unacceptable.  Adding to Lovie's record in Chicago was that he struggled to beat Green Bay. The Bears have lost eight of their last nine against the Packers and six straight.  The other big issue was the Bears' poor finishes under Smith. Chicago lost seven straight December games since 2010 before snapping its skid with a Week 16 victory over the Cardinals. During Smith's nine seasons, the Bears were 17-19 in December. 

Looks like Rex Ryan will stay on for the Jets.  Mike Mularkey and Ron Riviera are a couple of other coaches who may get the axe.