Philadelphia — And then there was one. The litmus test for the NFL isn't that the firings of Tony Dungy and Dennis Green leave Herman Edwards as the league's only African-American head coach.
The measurement will be how long the New York Jets coach remains a solo act.
This time around, none of the old and tired excuses will work, because Dungy and Green meet all of the criteria for being rehired immediately as NFL coaches.
You want to discuss experience?
Before his firing from Minnesota on Jan. 4, Green had 10 years with the Vikings and three with Stanford University on his resume. This is the first time in 30 years he has not been involved in football.
Dungy just completed his sixth season with Tampa Bay before the Buccaneers fired him Monday night. Before then, he was a coordinator, an assistant coach and a player in the NFL.
You want to talk about track records?
In 10 seasons in Minnesota, Green guided the Vikings to a 97-62 regular-season record; went to the playoffs eight times, won the NFC Central in 1992, '94, '98 and 2000 and went to the NFC Championship Game in 1998 and 2000. His only losing season was his last.
Dungy became the winningest coach in Bucs history by posting a 54-42 record. Before he went there in 1996, Tampa had been 48-111 the 10 previous seasons. He took the Bucs to the playoffs four times, including the last three seasons. He reached the NFC Championship Game in 1999. His only losing season was his first.
Experience and success. Aren't those usually cited as the two most coveted qualities in a coaching search?
This isn't to say Dungy and Green should not have been fired. Both became casualties of their own success.
Once a coach starts winning consistently, the goal becomes winning a championship. Neither Green nor Dungy did that, and the debate over whether they would have was legitimate.
And while it's hard to remember the last time a coach got fired after leading his team to the playoffs for three straight seasons, it's difficult to argue with Tampa owner Malcolm Glazer's logic when Bill Parcells is likely to be the new coach.
Dungy was 2-4 in the playoffs. Parcells is 2-1 in Super Bowls.
To me, Dungy's firing was equivalent to Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder's sacking Marty Schottenheimer after an 8-8 season so he could hire former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.
Some guys look so good, you'd fire your own mother to hire them.
Even owner Red McCombs' replacing Green with the inexperienced Mike Tice is hard to argue with because Tice is a loyal assistant who worked his way up the ladder and finally is getting his due.
That's fair. That's what you want. That's what you wish also would happen for African-American assistant coaches and coordinators. That isn't to say Glazer or McCombs fired someone because of the old boys network.
They were not bothered by the color of Dungy's or Green's skin when they hired them.
Still, the numbers don't lie. There is only one African-American head coach in the NFL.
It'll be interesting to see what the excuses will be if Herm Edwards remains a party of one.
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