Black Monday: Jets, Bears, Falcons fire head coaches

Jets fire Rex Ryan, John Idzik

The New York Jets have fired coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

With the Jets (4-12) failing to make the postseason for the fourth straight season, owner Woody Johnson opted to clean house Monday and start fresh with a new coach and GM.

Ryan was 50-52, including 4-2 in the postseason in his six seasons with the Jets. His first few years were filled with guarantees, bold statements and two consecutive trips to the AFC title game. But in the end, there were not enough wins to back up all the big talk.

Idzik lasted just two seasons after replacing the fired Mike Tannenbaum in 2013. He was heavily criticized this year for questionable personnel decisions in the NFL Draft and free agency.

Bears fire Marc Trestman, Phil Emery

The Chicago Bears fired general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman on Monday, making sweeping changes after missing the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.

Trestman is out after going 13-19 in two seasons, while Emery lasted just three years. The Bears went 5-11 in a mostly miserable season, never challenging for the NFC North lead after the first few weeks as quarterback Jay Cutler and the rest of the offense struggled mightily.

“I want to thank Virginia, George and the McCaskey family, Phil Emery and Ted Phillips for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears,” Trestman said in a statement released by the team. “I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous respect for this organization.”

Falcons fire Smith

Mike Smith was fired as the Atlanta Falcons’ coach Monday, one day after the end of his second straight losing season and a 34-3 rout by the Carolina Panthers before booing fans at the Georgia Dome.

The team scheduled a morning news conference.

Atlanta had a 66-46 regular-season record with Smith and won two NFC South titles. But this season ended at 6-10.

“Smitty’s contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement released by the team. “His accomplishments on the field made him the most successful coach in the 49-year history of the Falcons, and we are grateful for the foundation he has laid for us for the future.”

Smith joined the Falcons with general manager Thomas Dimitroff in 2008. Quarterback Matt Ryan was the new management team’s first draft pick, and the three combined for instant success with five straight winning seasons.

Before Smith was hired, the Falcons never had back-to-back winning seasons. He immediately raised expectations with an 11-5 finish in his first season. The Falcons won 10 or more games in four seasons under Smith, including 13-3 finishes in 2010 and 2012. Smith reached 50 wins in only 71 games, the third-fastest pace since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Smith, however, had a 1-4 record in the playoffs. Following a trip to the NFC championship game in 2012, the Falcons have fallen to 10-22 the last two seasons.

Before he was hired by the Falcons, Smith was the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-07. He was a defensive assistant with Baltimore from 1999-2000.

This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Black Monday: Jets, Bears, Falcons fire head coaches."