Coaching football is one of the more challenging professions and consistently gets threatened and questioned each day. The constant managing of players and their emotions, a staff that leans on your leadership and direction, and a fanbase that ultimately wants a Championship every single year, despite how sometimes that is next to impossible given the team makeup. What I just described is not only the reality for NFL coaches, but the reality for coaches at the high school and college settings.

Just recently, nine local school districts near me had their high school football coaches resign and/or retire from the game. I’ve been coaching since 2017 and as a younger coach, I have never witnessed as many head coaching openings in our valley, if ever. Many of the men who resigned from their positions detailed that it was to “spend more time with their family.” The real reason is more complex than this simple statement, echoing a trend that has floated its way to the professional scene over the last several years.

There are two simple realities when it comes to coaching football – coaches are not appreciated enough for the time and effort they put in, or the other part is that coaches are not given enough time to build their program and put their stamp on it. Both of these scenarios occur in high school, college, and even the NFL. They are actually starting to become a big problem.

As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I have been fortunate to have experienced three Super Bowl appearances in my lifetime. I’ve also seen two Lombardi Trophies being hoisted by the franchise’s best players at the time. Throughout my life, I have really only known two coaches for the Steelers – Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, both of whom are solid leaders of men, despite what some may think. Cowher’s leadership skills have been vetted along with Tomlin’s but their win to loss record and lack of more Championships are always brought up, and rightfully so. It is on the fan base to keep expectations high; however, are these coaching expectations too high in certain situations?

Just recently, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has had some buzz surrounding his name as a potential candidate that could be on the hotseat IF the Eagles lose their Wild Card matchup. Is this fair? We are talking about a head football coach who has posted double-digit wins in the last three seasons with the franchise. He is also a football coach who made the Super Bowl in his second season, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 35-32. The Sirianni questioners are the ones who do not like how he acts on the sidelines and his personality that rubs the fans the wrong way. But should this matter when he wins?

Head football coaches everywhere are struggling. They are giving it everything they have on a daily basis and it is still not enough. Even though the NFL is filled with professional athletes, there are still teams that beat others based not on the coaching but sometimes on the talent itself. I’ve been a part of teams where the competition is much better than we are. No matter how many X’s and O’s one draws on the whiteboard, it is about the athletes and their abilities.

Another key argument is that coaches are not given enough time to build their programs.

There has now been a one-and-done head coach in each of the last four years:

— 2024: Jerod Mayo
— 2023: Frank Reich
— 2022: Lovie Smith & Nathaniel Hackett
— 2021: David Culley & Urban Meyer

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was a one-and-done as head coach. Is this fair? Mayo won four games this season, but his final victory lost the team the number one overall pick in this upcoming draft. The potential difference between the Patriots and Lions could be the ownership and the patience of trusting the process.

Lions owner Shelia Ford Hamp went on record in 2022 when the team was 1-5 and told reporters how she is not giving up on general manager Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell and their vision. The team won down the stretch, barely missing the playoffs and securing the first winning season since 2017. Ford Hamp believed in the process and in 2023 the Lions made it to the NFC Championship game before falling to the San Francisco 49ers. Should Campbell have been fired for the mistakes he made in that Championship?

Ultimately, the pressure on coaches at all levels is immense and often unrealistic. The focus on immediate results overshadows the long-term development of the team. The “win-now” approach creates a toxic environment that creates fear, anxiety, and short-term thinking among coaches, athletes, and the fans. We need to make a shift in this thought process from short-term to a more long-term approach. Only then can we truly celebrate the dedication, hard work, and resilience that coaching demands in this day and age.