5 NFL Coaches That Must Win In The Playoffs
Written by Adrian Gregory Glover // June 4, 2012 // Feature, Lists, NFL // No comments
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The term must-win means a lot of things. Coaches are hired to lead their teams to the playoffs and ultimately championship games.
Going into the 2012 season, some coaches are in must-win situations to keep their jobs. Some are in must win situations as the window closes on their current group. Others have to get it done because their fan base simply needs to have their faith justified after decades of desire.
Each situation is different but they all have one thing in common: winning is the only cure.
#1 Mike Smith-Atlanta Falcons
“Smitty” has lifted the Falcons to heights that they have never seen before. On the surface he’s loved by the players but he doesn’t enable them like Jim Mora Jr. did. He’s passionate on the sidelines but he’s not a freak like Jerry Glanville was.He keeps his composure but he’s not out-of-touch like Dan Reeves came to be.
The one thing that these coaches have that he doesn’t is a playoff win. All of the back-to-back-to-back winning seasons don’t mean anything if the Falcons don’t advance in the playoffs.
In the off-season after another one-and-done playoff loss to the Giants, the team parted ways with both their offensive and defensive coordinators.
For the foreseeable future, owner Arthur Blank has no plans to make any further changes as he told CBS News’ Pete Prisco. “He will be fine. He will be here for a very long time.”
Blank is and always has been about bringing a Super Bowl to the city. He’s also pitching a new stadium to a town that has never hoisted a world championship banner into it’s rafters. The Falcons are stacked offensively and are strong enough defensively to make a deep playoff run. If that doesn’t happen in 2012 after embarrassing outs in 2011 and 2010, the push for a new stadium gets even harder.
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