While I can't say that I'm surprised at any of the NFL head coach firings to date, I will say that I feel somewhat badly for Dick Jauron and Dave McGinnis. Not that either man is blameless for the lack of success that led to unemployment, but neither has sole culpability, either.

The problems with the Arizona Cardinals defy enumeration. There's also a history of poor play, which doesn't help matters. I don't know how much of their ongoing misery is due to McGinnis and how much comes from upstairs, but I do see a pattern with this team. They've not had a coach last five full seasons since Jim Hanifan, who was head coach from 1980 to 1985 - when the team was still in St. Louis.

It's not that they should just stick with coaches for the hell of it, but there's a pretty clear cycle of hiring and firing without any improvement in record. When that happens, it's time to look at what's been the constant during this run of futility - and that leads straight to the Bidwell family, owners and administrators of the team. A new stadium slated to open in 2006 is supposed to help with revenue, but it's not like they haven't opened their checkbooks before (hello Emmitt Smith and Dexter Jackson). Perhaps they'd have been better off keeping David Boston.

For Jauron, you'd have to think that trying to win with the likes of Jim Miller and Kordell Stewart would buy him some time. But when you only win 11 games in the two seasons following a 13-3 campaign, getting pink slipped isn't all that surprising. Oddly enough, the Bears will probably be pretty good thanks in part to Jauron playing a lot of younger guys. Grossman, Thomas, Booker, and Terrell combined have fewer years in the league than Chris Chandler.

I wouldn't feel so badly about this if it didn't mean more opportunities for teams to poach Romeo Crennel or Charlie Weis from the Pats.