When the NFL season regular season ended on January 1, there were six open head coaching positions.
If you had told me one-third of those slots would be filled by black men, I would have doubted you.
If you had told me no black coaches would be fired, bringing the total of African Americans guiding NFL teams to seven, I would have been flabbergasted.
If you reminded me that the NFL would now have eight minority coaches, including Carolina’s Ron Rivera, who is Hispanic, I would have said, “The NFL should be applauded.”
The NFL should be applauded. Its sketchy history on minority hiring should never be forgotten and the number of black coaches could plummet by this time next year – but for now a tip of the cap is deserved.
Anthony Lynn was tapped by the San Diego Chargers as head coach a day after the franchise announced it was moving to Los Angeles. Along with experience and tremendous football knowledge acquired by working for some of the NFL’s premier coaches, Lynn has two things going for him.
First, the Chargers have talent and need to stop under-achieving. Second, it won’t be difficult to fill 30,000-seat Stub Hub Stadium in Carson, California, especially if the team dramatically improves on its five-win season.
Calling his opportunity “a dream come true,” Lynn said his team will reflect his passion for the game.
“I want all of our fans to know that we’re going to start by putting together a great staff, and we’re going to put together a team with the heart and will of a champion. I know there’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m going to give everything I have to the Chargers, the Spanos family and the City of Los Angeles,” he said.
“Anthony has a commanding presence and brings a no-nonsense approach,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said.
“He is going to be a great leader, and we’re confident he’s going to lead the Chargers to great success that our fans have come to expect out of this organization.”
Lynn, who started the year as running backs coach, served as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator after Rex Ryan promoted him a month into the season. He took over as interim head coach when Ryan was fired with one game left. He had been a running backs coach for the previous 13 seasons, including the past eight with Ryan with the Bills and Jets.
He also served under Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville, Bill Parcells in Dallas and Romeo Crennel, another black head coach, in Cleveland.
The Chargers will be tenants in the Los Angeles Rams’ new stadium after its scheduled opening in 2019, but Lynn has a chance to be the king of L.A. football if he can get the Chargers back in contention for a playoff spot next year. Should they make the playoffs, look out!
The successful Denver Broncos, a member of the AFC West with the Chargers, found the need to hire a new head coach after Gary Kubiak retired. The leading name connected with the job was Kyle Shanahan, the son of Mike Shanahan, a former Broncos head coach.
However, Elway had interviewed Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in 2015 before hiring Kubiak to replace the departed John Fox. He obviously was impressed because he surprised many NFL pundits by tabbing Joseph for the job.
Unlike most of his black counterparts over the years, Joseph knows he’s in a fortuitous situation.
“For the first-time head coach to have a chance to be with a team like the Denver Broncos, that’s not broken, that’s rare,” Joseph said.
“Usually you have the opportunity of a rebuild. It’s like when Mike Tomlin took over Pittsburgh. When Mike took over, they were a year out from winning the big game.”
When asked if he is ready for the responsibility of being a NFL head coach, Joseph responded, “I think you’re ready when they give you the job. I won’t know everything about being a head coach, but obviously I’ll learn.”
Like Lynn, Joseph has worked for an impressive roster of head coaches including Mike Nolan in San Francisco, Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis, who is black, Adam Gase in Miami and Kubiak.
“Experience isn’t equal to knowledge,” Joseph said. I’ve had great experiences around great head coaches, winning guys. It’s problem solving; it’s being in the right experiences that lead to knowledge.”
Barring an unforeseen change, the NFL will kick off the 2017 season with Todd Bowles, New York Jets; Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions; Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns; Joseph, Lewis, Lynn and Tomlin as black head coaches.
No social security
Social media has again reared its ugly head, thanks to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s poorly run route. The All-Pro receiver decided to live stream coach Mike Tomlin’s speech to the team following its thrilling 18-16 victory at Kansas City last Sunday night.
It isn’t like the New England Patriots needed further incentive to defeat Pittsburgh on Sunday to advance to the 51st Super Bowl – but now they have it.
Said a fired-up Tomlin, “When you get to this point in the journey, man, not a lot needs to be said. Let’s say very little moving forward. Let’s start our preparations. We just spotted these a–h—- a day and a half. They played yesterday. Our game got moved to tonight. We’re going to touch down at 4 o’clock in the f—ing morning. So be it.
“We’ll be ready for their a–. But you ain’t got to tell them we’re coming. Keep a low profile, and let’s get ready to ball like this up again here in a few days and be right back at it. That’s our story.”
So much for that “low profile.”
Further irony is that a Steelers players is heard saying, “Keep cool on social media. This is about us, nobody else, man.”
Brown is as responsible for the Steelers being a win away from the Super Bowl as any of its players. But this time, the talented receiver dropped the ball.
Minority NHL stars shine
Nashville’s P.K. Subban will captain the Central Division squad during the four-team NFL All-Star 3-on-three tournament on January 29. St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko is also on the Central team and could be a member of the top line with Subban.
Other players of color, their respective teams and All-Star divisions are Jeff Carter, L.A. Kings (Pacific); Seth Jones, Columbus, (Metropolitan); Kyle Okposo, Buffalo (Atlantic) and Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia (Metropolitan).
Certainly there should be a place for several other minority stars, but the four teams must have six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies apiece from each NHL division. Like the MLB All-Star Game, every franchise must be represented at least once. According to USA TODAY, “those restrictions essentially guarantee an elite forward or defenseman in each division will be a victim of the numbers game.”
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows, including Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box” on KFNS. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
