‘Sobering, frustrating’: Being a first-time NFL head coach can be tough; just ask these 4
Almost immediately after describing his team’s play as “soft” following its sixth straight loss Oct. 20, New England Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo learned a lesson about the impact of a head coach’s words.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick was one of many former coaches and players who pushed back on Mayo using that adjective.
“I’m kind of hurt for those guys,” Belichick said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “They’re not soft.”
But after beating the New York Jets on Sunday, several Patriots players said they didn’t take Mayo’s description as a personal insult, but rather, they it as a challenge.
Perhaps it was part of a learning process for Mayo, one of four whose first game as an NFL head coach was Week 1 of this season. Tough lessons also have come on the field as the Tennessee Titans’ Brian Callahan (1-6), Carolina Panthers ‘ Dave Canales (1-7) and Mayo (2-6) are a combined 4-19. The Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald is 4-4. That gives this group a .258 win percentage, which is on pace to be the worst for first-time head coaches since 1990 (.250).
There are other coaches, such as the Los Angeles Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh, Washington Commanders’ Dan Quinn and Atlanta Falcons’ Raheem Morris, who are with new teams but have been head coaches previously. The Las Vegas Raiders’ Antonio Pierce had his interim tag removed after guiding the team for nine games in 2023. And the New York Jets have an interim coach in Jeff Ulbrich.
But for coaches whose first game in charge was Week 1, this has been a challenging season, and history suggests it won’t get easier. Since the 1970 merger, 48 coaches had a .250 win percentage or worse in their first season as a head coach, and the average number of games coached for that group is 50, or just over three seasons.
That’s a lot of pressure on coaches who, in the case of this quartet, took over situations because their predecessors were fired. But it’s a challenge all four understood when they pursued the job.
Hall of Fame coaches, such as Bill Walsh (8-24 his first two seasons) and Bill Parcells (3-12 his first year), have struggled in their early years, so there’s plenty of time for the three struggling rookie head coaches to turn things around, either this season or next.
Our NFL Nation reporters who cover the four first-timers break down the reasons for optimism and concern.
Brian Callahan, Titans
Record: 1-6 (lost three straight)
Preseason over/under win prediction: 6.5
Point differential: minus-76 (second-worst in the NFL)
Prior to this season: Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator 2019-2023
Biggest challenge has been: Figuring out what to do at quarterback. The Titans hired Callahan to maximize second-year quarterback Will Levis’ potential, but the Titans have to decide if Levis is their franchise quarterback going forward. Levis has been inactive the past two weeks because of a right shoulder injury.
“Everything about what we were hoping to get out of the season was a really solid, concrete evaluation of Will as a starting quarterback,” Callahan said.
So far, the results haven’t been good. Levis is 29th among 30 qualified quarterbacks in QBR at 26.1. The Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson is 30th at 22.8.
Reason for optimism: This isn’t the first time Callahan has been part of a franchise that needed to reverse fortunes by getting the most out of the quarterback. Callahan’s experience with the Bengals and Joe Burrow is something he’s relying on now.
Cincinnati went from 2-14 in 2019 to a Super Bowl appearance two years later, with the selection of Burrow at No. 1 overall in 2020 a big step in that process.
“Having gone through those experiences gives me the hope I can handle it,” Callahan said. “I’ve seen it before, so I have at least some roadmap to what that might look like.”
Reason for concern: Frustration is starting to boil over. After a 52-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, outside linebacker Arden Key said: “We’re not good enough for the defense to play well, the offense to play OK and the special teams to play bad. We have to play complementary football.
“I tell the guys, ‘That tape is your résumé.’ We have to continue to put good things on tape.”
In Callahan’s words: “We’re just trying to play better football. That’s my focus. … We fight, our team plays hard, but we’ve got to do things a lot better.
“Right now, it’s not a product that people are excited to watch, and that’s the way it is. We’ve got to do something about that.” — Turron Davenport
Dave Canales, Panthers
Record: 1-7
Preseason over/under win prediction: 4.5
Point differential: minus-147 (worst in the NFL)
Prior to this season: Offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, quarterbacks coach for Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and Seahawks assistant from 2010 to 2022
Biggest challenge has been: Injuries. The Panthers were thin, particularly on defense, to start the season. Then they lost their best player, defensive lineman Derrick Brown (knee), for the season in the opener. Then came veteran inside linebacker Shaq Thompson (Achilles).
They’ve been without as many as five defensive starters. Offensively, there was the benching of starting QB Bryce Young after an 0-2 start. He returned as a starter in Sunday’s 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos and was 24-of-37 for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. With a 76.9 passer rating, he might have shown improvement, but he also has a long way to go.
Reason for optimism: Players getting healthy. Outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum should be ready in a few weeks to play opposite Jadeveon Clowney and create much-needed QB pressure. Rookie running back Jonathon Brooks, who will add a dynamic flair to the offense, also is close to returning. Then there’s Young, who seems to have grown from time on the bench.
Reason for concern: The schedule gets tougher the second half of the season with games against the Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys and Buccaneers. But the biggest concern has to be the future at quarterback, because a seventh straight losing season appears inevitable.
If Young doesn’t show he can be the franchise quarterback he was expected to be when drafted No. 1 in 2023, then the team will have to start over at the most important position.
In Canales’ words: “I just know hard times create perseverance. Perseverance builds character. I look around at the staff, I look around at our guys, and I just see a bunch of people just going back to work and really just chasing those moments, these opportunities that we have.
“For me to see that, it encourages me. I know that we will come out stronger from this. And to see guys coming back [from injury]. So there’s a lot of good things and positive things happening as well. But it’s a challenge to balance them both.” — David Newton
Mike Macdonald, Seahawks
Record: 4-4
Preseason over/under win prediction: 7.5
Point differential: minus-5
Prior to this season: Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator 2022-2023
Biggest challenge has been: Injuries on defense. Uchenna Nwosu (thigh), Seattle’s best edge defender, has played in one game and won’t be back until late in the season. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins (hand) and nickelback Artie Burns (toe) recently joined him on injured reserve. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy (hamstring), Seattle’s first-round pick, missed three games, while cornerback Riq Woolen (ankle) and outside linebacker Boye Mafe (knee) each missed two.
Implementing a new scheme is challenging enough, and Seattle has had to do it while being nowhere near full strength on defense.
Reason for optimism: The Seahawks’ trade with Tennessee for Ernest Jones IV gives them a much-needed upgrade at inside linebacker. Jerome Baker’s poor play was among the reasons the Seahawks had allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game. Jones is known as a strong run defender, and he’ll add a physical, attacking style of play that Seattle wasn’t getting from Baker.
General manager John Schneider made an earlier trade with Jacksonville for Roy Robertson-Harris, which upgraded Seattle’s defensive line depth.
Reason for concern: The Seahawks are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals atop the NFC West, but the 49ers have a head-to-head win, and the reigning NFC champions are a hurdle Seattle has yet to clear.
The 49ers have won six straight matchups by a combined score of 184-96 after their 36-24 victory in Week 6, when Seattle benefitted from a missed call that likely cost San Francisco at least three points. The 49ers didn’t have star running back Christian McCaffrey in that game. They could have him back for the rematch in Week 11, but they’ll be without star receiver Brandon Aiyuk after his season-ending knee injury.
In Macdonald’s words: “We talk about stacking wins around here, and when you’re going on and off, back and forth, it’s frustrating. You want to be able to build on the good things that we’re doing so we can get our program to where we want it to go.
“When you take steps back like [in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills], it’s very sobering, frustrating. But this is the NFL. If you don’t bring it and have your best against good teams, you’re not going to win those games. Our guys know that. As coaches we’ve got to prepare our guys the best we can. We’ve got to call great games. This whole thing has to keep coming together. Time is ticking as we say. We are about halfway through the season now. But you take a step back, I mean, right in the thick of it in the division, and this game coming up [against the Los Angeles Rams] is going to be a big one.” — Brady Henderson
Jerod Mayo, Patriots
Record: 2-6
Preseason over/under win prediction: 4.5
Point differential: minus-73
Prior to this season: Patriots linebackers coach 2019-2023; Patriots linebacker 2008-2015
Biggest challenge has been: Seven different starting offensive line configurations through the first eight games. The instability has been a result of injuries, ineffective play and missed personnel evaluations on free agent signings Chukwuma Okorafor (reserve/left squad) and Nick Leverett (released).
Overall, the Patriots entered the season knowing they still had a significant gap to close in stocking the roster with starting-caliber talent, and so losing defensive tackle Christian Barmore (blood clots), inside linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn pectoral muscle) and safety Jabrill Peppers (commissioner exempt list) augmented an already tenuous situation.
Reason for optimism: Rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The No. 3 pick was elevated to the starting role in Week 6 and has created a spark for an offense that had been averaging 119 passing yards per game and 12.4 points per game through the first five weeks of the season.
The 22-year-old Maye is evolving into a leadership role for a team that is committed to developing younger players and building for the future — with him as the central piece.
Maye had a setback Sunday when he suffered a concussion in the first quarter. He’s currently in concussion protocol.
Reason for concern: Regression. Since a 16-10 season-opening win at the Bengals, which was the largest Week 1 upset in the NFL since 2018, the Patriots had been on a downward trajectory, until Sunday’s win over the Jets.
Two key issues have been the lack of a running game and the inability to stop the run. Many within the organization expected growing pains for a first-year coach and young roster, but self-inflicted wounds continue to pile up and create a roadblock in achieving the desired weekly improvement. They hope Sunday’s win is the start of a turnaround.
In his words: “You can look around the league at what we would call established coaches at this current time, but there was a time in their career early on where they probably were getting killed, too.
“I think about [Detroit Lions coach] Dan Campbell. I think about [San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle] Shanahan. I think about all those guys that had to weather the storm, and that’s what we’ll do. It starts with me. I’ll weather the storm. … I ignore the noise, and my responsibility is to put a winning team together — not only for now, but also in the future.” — Mike Reiss