The NFL is a cruel business that can stomp out a blooming bud before it has a chance to flower.
The cold fact was no more evident than in Week 1, as each team aiming for a fresh start with a new coaching staff stumbled.
Teams with new head coaches went 0-7 in Week 1, the worst record by a group of new head coaches in NFL history, per NFL Research. The previous worst was on 0-6 Week 1 in 2001.
Of the seven, four of those losses were by 10-plus points, including both Monday night tilts.
Let's run down the sadness:
Steve Wilks, Arizona Cardinals, 24-6 loss to Washington: The Cardinals got run over by Adrian Peterson, and Sam Bradford looked terrible.
Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears, 24-23 loss to Green Bay: Nagy's offense dried up in the second half, and Aaron Rodgers returned from injury to do Aaron Rodgers things.
Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions, 48-17 loss to New York Jets: The Lions failed in all three phases, couldn't slow a rookie quarterback and watched its $100 million signal-caller throw picks like there was a 2-for-1 sale going.
Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts, 34-23 loss to Cincinnati: Andrew Luck looked good. The QB didn't get enough help, though, and a Jack Doyle fumble-touchdown destroyed a comeback attempt.
Pat Shurmur, New York Giants, 20-15 loss to Jacksonville: Eli Manning threw a pick-six that ended up being the difference.
Jon Gruden, Oakland Raiders, 33-13 loss to Los Angeles Rams: The Raiders took a 13-10 halftime lead on a smart offensive game plan. Then they did nothing in the second half.
Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans, 27-20 loss to Miami: In a game remembered most notably for its series of delays, the Titans not only lost Vrabel's first game, but it also saw Delanie Walker, Taylor Lewan and Marcus Mariota get injured. Woof.
Fifteen NFL teams lost in Week 1 and two tied, so the above seven coaches were not alone in their early-season misery. Now each will attempt to dust themselves off and right the ship before falling further in the hole.
For any historians, the new coaches back in 2001 that each tumbled were: Gregg Williams (Buffalo Bills), Butch Davis (Cleveland Browns), Dick Vermeil (Kansas City Chiefs), Herm Edwards (New York Jets), Marty Mornhinweg (Detroit Lions) and Marty Schottenheimer (Washington Redskins).
The last two seem particularly interesting: A new coach in Detroit and a former TV analyst returning to the sideline. Sound familiar?
