NFL 2011 Week 17 - NFL Football Firings

Indianapolis, IN

There's a price to pay after poor seasons, and that is the case for both the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. The Colts dismissed vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the team's GM.

Indianapolis won just two games this past season, and "won" the rights to the No. 1 pick in the next NFL Draft.

"I was stunned, I was surprised, I was saddened and just disappointed that it all happened this way," Manning told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen by telephone. "I was actually meeting with Bill in the training room and we were talking about my rehab schedule, what I could and couldn't do in the facility under the new (collective bargaining agreement) and my checkpoints when he was summoned to see Irsay. He actually chuckled and said, 'We'll see.' "

The Bills, meanwhile, axed defensive coordinator George Edwards after a 6-10 season in which they crumbled after a 5-2 start.

Dave Wannstedt will replace Edwards, it was announced Monday.

"We're in a production business, that's the bottom line,'' Bills coach Chan Gailey said, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. "We need to get better production. George is an extremely smart guy. It's not all him and it never is. We lost some good players (to injury, including Pro Bowl nose tackle Kyle Williams and linebacker Shawne Merriman) and it's tough on anybody, but I think if you need to head in a different direction, then you have to do what you have to do.''

Tampa Bay fires head coach Raheem Morris and entire coaching staff

Tampa Bay, FL

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Raheem Morris Monday.

The rest of the coaching staff was fired as well after the Buccaneers went 4-12 this season after posting a 10-6 record in 2010.

Tampa Bay lost its last 10 games of the season in 2011 to finished in the basement in the NFC South. The losing streak was the franchise's worst in-season stretch since the 1977 club dropped its first 12 games.

Morris posted a 17-31 mark during his three seasons as head coach in Tampa. His tenure ended with a 45-24 loss to NFC South rival Atlanta in the season finale Sunday. It was Tampa Bay's seventh straight loss by 16 or more points.

Among the candidates likely to be considered for the job are former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, and former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

Rams set to fire coach Spagnuolo, GM Devaney

St. Louis, MO

The fallout from a disappointing season appears to be coming soon in St. Louis.

According to a report, the St. Louis Rams will fire both coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney.

According to a team source, ESPN is reporting that the firings could be announced as early as Monday and no later than Tuesday.

The Rams finished their 2-14 season with a 34-27 loss to the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.St. Louis finished the tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the worst record in the NFL.

Last season the Rams showed signs of improvement, but this season was a disaster almost from the start with injuries and the losses piled up.

St. Louis was 1-15 in Spagnuolo's first season but jumped to 7-9 last year and seemed to be on the verge of competing for the NFC West title. But the 2011 season was a huge disappointment and it left Spagnuolo just 10-38 in three seasons in St. Louis.