Week 15 of the National Football League, despite showing every indication of being a yawner of major proportions, served up a few savoury morsels to keep things at least semi-interesting.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, holders of a 2 – 12 record, could not wait for the post-season to fire their head coach, instead dismissing him following a 21 – 20 loss to the Houston Texans with two games remaining on the schedule. Gus Bradley had the top job in Jacksonville for 62 games, during which the Jaguars won 14 and lost 48. How he managed to survive as long as he did is as mysterious as can be.
At least Bradley did not suffer the ignominy of being fired in the middle of the game. That did happen to Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler, who has the distinction of having experienced that disgrace in two consecutive seasons. Last year, Osweiler, who had stepped in for Peyton Manning, literally on his last legs with the Denver Broncos, was pulled in the third quarter when his ineptness became too much for Broncos coach Gary Kubiak to bear.
Sunday past, it was the Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien who could no longer stand the stench of Osweiler’s play, and benched him following the first half of the game against the dismal Jaguars after he completed six of 11 passes for a paltry 48 yards whilst throwing two interceptions.
