Two down - and 28 to go.
No coach keeps his job forever, but some keep it a lot longer than others. Dave Shula didn't quite make it to midseason in Cincinnati - and Jim Mora beat them to the punch in New Orleans by resigning one day after his eloquent postgame report.Who's next?
Rich Kotite, come on down!
No coach qualifies for dismissal as much as Kotite. If he were President, he'd be impeached.
(Settle down, Republicans. I wasn't talking about THAT President.)
Kotite's Jets are 0-8. His "career" record with the Jets is 3-21. Throw in the seven-game losing streak that ended his run in Philadelphia and the man is 3-28.
Throw in one more loss and Kotite surpasses the Bucs' immortal John McKay for worse string in NFL history.
But the amazing thing is that Kotite works at all. Does he know something about Jets owner Leon Hess? Does he have candid photos or recorded tapes? He must have SOMETHING, because he obviously can't coach.
You know who would be perfect for the Jets?
Jim Mora.
Mora has no sense of humor, which would be an asset. He's disciplined and has proven skills. Finally, when a team is no good, he knows it.
MAIL CALL FROM LLAMA LAND: Madison and Stoughton led the way, but I also heard from Manitowoc, Portage, Blue River, Cross Plains, (You've got to be kidding) Waterloo and, my personal favorite this week, Clam Lake.
Sara Kinney of Blue River says there is a "good Jerry" who loves the Packers. Sorry, Sara.
As for the fan who sent the cheese, it didn't travel well, not well at all.
LAST WEEK: The "good Jerry" was 10-2 straight up (71-36 for season) but the "stupid Jerry" was 6-5-1 against the spread (58-47-2).
DALLAS (4-3) at MIAMI (4-3): CowConvicts favored by 3. . . . Billed as the "Commotion by the Ocean" even though you'd be hard-pressed to find a wave anywhere near the Pay-Per-View Stadium or whatever they call it. . . . If you look at this realistically, the CowFelons should win because of their defense. But I'm buying into the hype. Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino will not allow the Fish to lose. . . . In a Jimmy-and-Dan Upset Special, Fish by 3.
JACKSONVILLE (3-5) at CINCINNATI (1-6): Bengals favored by 3. . . . One month ago, Bunglers GM Mike Brown was asked if Shula's job was in jeopardy. Mike said: "It doesn't do any good to have a scapegoat. It isn't the answer." . . . Well, Mikey, if it wasn't the answer, I guess it was the solution, huh? Great break for Bruce Coslet, because the Jags can't win on the road. . . . Bunglers by 6.
TAMPA BAY (1-6) at GREEN BAY (6-1): Bucs favored by . . . (Kidding.) Pack favored by 17.5. . . . A clasic confrontation. The Bucs' "Big Orange" offense has racked up 78 points. It took the struggling Packers nearly NINE quarters to equal that. . . . Besides, the Pack have been off a week. They're probably old and fat. . . . Pack by just 1.
BUFFALO (5-2) at NEW ENGLAND (4-3): Night game. Patsies favored by 4. . . . Here's what Patsies coach Bill Parcells is saying about Bills QB Jim Kelly: "You ever see those old Western movies where they shoot the guy and then shoot him seven more times to make sure he's dead?" . . . Bills are checking with league office to see if this is legal. . . . Patsies by 7 shots.
CAROLINA (5-2) at PHILADELPHIA (5-2): Eagles favored by 4.5. . . . A good game nobody cares about. . . . Come to think of it, I don't care about it either. . . . Eagles by 9.
INDIANAPOLIS (5-2) at WASHINGTON (6-1): Native Americans favored by 2.5. . . . Colts QB Jim Harbaugh had his nose broken last week and said: "A lot of things appear to be broken." Then he chose an unfortunate word: "All we can do is come back for the next crack." . . . Ouch. That hurts. . . . N. Americans by 7.
KANSAS CITY (5-2) at DENVER (6-1): Broncos favored by 3.5. . . . Chiefs deny accusations that they have become the dirtiest team in football - and they'll hurt they next guy who says it. . . . Broncos by 6.
EAST RUTHEFORD GIANTS (2-5) at DETROIT (4-3): Lions favored by 10. . . . Giants coach Dan Reeves said he was "mad" at halftime last week and really chewed out his team. Receiver Chris Calloway cleverly called it "a wake-up call." And it worked, sort of. The Giants turned it on - and only lost by 10. I predict even a better showing this time. . . . Lions by just 8.
EAST RUTHERORD JETS (0-8) at ARIZONA (3-4): Cards favored by 4.5 in GanGreene Game of the Week. This is the big one - Jets' last chance for victory this year, maybe this century. Can they do it? . . . Nah. Cards by 9.
PITTSBURGH (5-2) at ATLANTA (0-7): Steelers favored by 5.5. . . . Falcons coach September Jones clinches this season's GanGreene Ultimate Cliche Award by saying: "Anybody can beat anybody on a given day." . . . Wrong. You can't beat the Steelers, not on any given day. . . . Steelers by 11.
ST. LOUIS (2-5) at BALTIMORE (2-5): Colts favored by 6.5. . . . Does Ripley's know that the top-rated passer in the AFC is - Ravens' Vinny Testaverde? Don't get cocky, Vinny. You could wake up back in Tampa and realize getting out there was just a dream. . . . Quote Vinny, Ravens win by just 4.
SAN DIEGO (4-3) at SEATTLE (2-5): Chargers favored by 1. . . . New Chargers QB Sean Salisbury (Steak) says: "Starting after talking about football on radio last year is kind of nice." . . . Hey, I talk about football on radio. Does that mean I've got a shot? . . . No? Oh. Never mind. . . . Salisbury by 6.
SAN FRANCISCO (5-2) at HOUSTON (5-2): 49ers favored by 5. . . . Oilers beat Pittsburgh last week and got no respect. Maybe you'll pay attention after they beat the 49ers. . . . In a Plenty-of-Bandwagon-Room Upset Special, Oilers by 4.
CHICAGO (2-5) at MINNESOTA (5-2): Monday night. Vikings favored by 6.5. . . . Hey, ABC-TV can't have a winner every week. . . . Bears loudmouth LB Bryan Cox should heed the advice of fellow LB Joe Cain, who was asked to second-guess a called play: "I'm not going to question the coaches. I've got babies to feed." . . . Vikings will feed on Bear steaks Monday. . . . Vikes by 10.
BULLETIN: The Orlando Magic deny rumors they are working out Jeff George as a backup center. But said one person close to the Magic: "He can make a free throw from 60 yards."