The National Football League’s track record with regards to advancement for Blacks in every area other than on the field has always been a mixed one, and particularly in terms of hiring head coaches. But as the playoffs begin this coming weekend, Black head coaches have acquitted themselves well in terms of getting their teams into post-season competition. Perhaps the most impressive performance was turned in by first-year head coach of the Houston Texans DeMeco Ryans. The former defensive co-ordinator of the San Francisco 49ers took over a team that had previously been at the bottom of the AFC and not only reached the playoffs in his first year but won the AFC South.
The Texans won the division by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 23-19 in their final game on the road last Saturday. When the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Texans had their first division title since 2019, and achieved the feat of going from worse to first in one season. They’d previously won only three games last season, and just four in 2020 and 2021. Another huge reason was the performance of first-year QB CJ Stroud, the number two pick in last year’s draft. He threw of 264 years against the Colts, giving him 4, 108 for the season. That’s the third highest total by a rookie QB in NFL history.
The Houston Texans went from worst to first in just one season. Houston now gets a rematch at home with the Cleveland Browns, who defeated them three weeks ago 36-22 in Houston. But in that game the Texans were without not only Stroud, but star rookie pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. and veteran linebacker Blake Cashman. Stroud Ryans became the first rookie quarterback-head coach combo to make the postseason since the Ind Colts’ duo of Andrew Luck and Chuck Pagano in 2012.
But perhaps even more improbable was the return of the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs. A few weeks ago there was lots of talk that it might be time for the Steelers to part company with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. The offense was struggling, the team had fired the offensive coordinator and everyone from national commentators to area fans were saying it was time for a change. Instead the Steelers rallied, completing their first 10-win season since 2020 Saturday with a 17-10 victory over the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore. The Steelers needed either a Jacksonville loss or a Miami win to make it, and they got the former. It’s the 11th time in the playoffs for a Steelers team coached by Tomlin, who’s never had a losing season in his 17-year tenure. This season the Steelers were 3-2 against AFC playoff teams, and 5-3 overall against teams that made the postseason. Unfortunately they go into Sunday’s wild-card game against Buffalo without their best defensive player T.J. Watt, who is injured and won’t be available for at least two weeks. Still, considering where they were just a month ago, reaching the playoffs once more rates as a major accomplishment for Tomlin. Unless they win a game or two it probably won’t silence his critics, who feel only one Super Bowl win isn’t enough, but it no doubt solidifies his place as Steelers head coach for as long as he chooses to remain in the position.
Todd Bowles won his third consecutive NFC South title Sunday as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They defeated the Carolina Panthers 9-0 and will be the number four seed in the NFC. While it wasn’t exactly a romp, the Buccaneers did win five of their final six games to post a 9-8 record. It’s also a third straight NFC South victory and fourth straight playoff appearance overall for the team, which many thought might have blown their playoff chances when they lost to the New Orleans Saints in Week 17,
“It’s great to win three straight, especially how people counted them out,” Bowles told reporters after the game, per Fox Sports. “I’m happy for the fans. I’m happy for the players, the coaches, the management, the scouting department. They worked so hard to get everything done.” Bowles was an assistant under Bruce Arians when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, but has been the head coach since their 2020 Super Bowl victory. He added that each player received a game ball following the clinching win. They’ll have a home game against the struggling Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night,
Depending on how you view it, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who identifies as bi-racial rather than Black, could also be considered part of this group. He led the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs, but their 21-14 loss to Buffalo at home Sunday kept them from winning the AFC East. Instead, they’ll be in the wild-card game Saturday night at the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, winners once again of the AFC West division.
Another intriguing story to follow concerning Black coaches is the fate of Antonio Pierce. Elevated from linebackers coach to the head job on an interim basis after Josh McDaniels was fired mid-season, Pierce led the Raiders to a 5-4 mark, including wins over AFC rivals Kansas City and Denver. Following Sunday’s final victory over the Broncos, fans chanted “AP” in expressing their wishes that owner Mark Davis permanently hire Pierce for the job. “Why wouldn’t we keep going the direction we’re going?” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby told the Associated Press. “The fact we’ve come together and done something special in such a short time is hard to do. We’ve got a guy who’s played at the highest level, won a Super Bowl, he’s been a captain, and now he’s a great coach and he’s a leader.”
“I was having fun as the linebacker coach,” Pierce added. “That was cool, right? But it is really cool being the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s really cool being in front of a room with men who buy in and believe what you’re telling, what you’re saying, how to do things. “I love football, man. I said before it’s my first love. Football never cheated on me. It doesn’t talk back to me. It’s always there.”
Though never exactly the most progressive of sports organizations, the NFL lately has been making strides, especially when compared to entities like the Southeastern Conference (zero Black head coaches). Hopefully Pierce will get to join the select group of head coaches on a fulltime basis for the 2024-25 season and beyond.
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