10 Coaches Who Made Themselves Impossible to Root For

Urban Meyer's 13-Game Disaster

Urban Meyer arrived in Jacksonville with a résumé that filled three pages: two national titles at Florida, a perfect Big Ten tenure at Ohio State, and a reputation for ruthless discipline. In the NFL, that reputation lasted exactly thirteen games. Hired by Shad Khan to rescue a Jaguars franchise that had missed the playoffs for a decade, Meyer was fired after a 2-11 start. The loss column told only part of the story. He reportedly called his own assistant coaches losers during a staff meeting. Then kicker Josh Lambo accused him of kicking a player while stretching on the sideline. Meyer denied it, but the damage was done. He brought a college system built on absolute control, and it collided with veterans who refused to be scolded. The Jaguars quit on him, and the front office spent the off-season undoing his moves. For all his trophies, Meyer's NFL legacy is one of embarrassment and wasted opportunity.

Bobby Petrino's Written Goodbye

Bobby Petrino's Atlanta Falcons tenure ended without a single word spoken to his players. The team was already a mess - franchise quarterback Michael Vick was suspended for his role in a dogfighting ring, and the Falcons stumbled to a 3-10 record. With three games left in the 2007 season, Petrino resigned by leaving a short handwritten note taped to each player's locker. No meeting, no explanation. Players learned about their coach's departure from a piece of paper. Petrino was subsequently labeled a coward, and that reputation followed him back to college football. He went on to coach at Arkansas and other schools, but the way he abandoned Atlanta remains the defining moment of his pro coaching career. The Falcons never recovered that season, and Petrino's NFL dream ended in disgrace.

The Worst Overtime Decision in NFL History

Before taking charge of the Detroit Lions, Marty Mornhinweg had built a solid reputation as an offensive assistant. His units routinely finished in the top 10 of the league, and he had coached five Pro Bowl quarterbacks, including Brett Favre and Steve Young. That success did not carry over to his head coaching tenure. Over two seasons, he managed only five wins, and Lions fans quickly turned on him. The moment that came to define him was an overtime decision: after winning the coin toss, he chose to kick off. It was a choice that would be second-guessed endlessly, because it handed the ball to the opposing offense with the game on the line. The move had no obvious benefit, and it came from a coach known for offensive creativity. He never got another head coaching job after leaving Detroit. The kickoff call, rather than any victory, became the lasting image of his time as a head coach. It is still cited in discussions of poor game management.

The Coach Fans Nicknamed 'Rich Kotex'

Rich Kotite coached the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, but his most enduring legacy is a draft mistake. In 1995, with the Jets selecting, he took tight end Kyle Brady ahead of defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who went on to become a Hall of Famer. The choice set the franchise back years and turned Kotite into a laughingstock. Fans, fed up with his losing ways, gave him the nickname “Rich Kotex” - a reference to a tampon brand. The moniker stuck, and after the 1996 season he walked away from NFL coaching entirely. Unlike most failed coaches, he never returned to college or a coordinator role. He simply disappeared from football, leaving behind a reputation as one of the most inept decision-makers in league history.

The 0-16 Coach Who Benched His Franchise QB

Hue Jackson's tenure as Cleveland Browns head coach was a disaster. He won just three games total, including a perfect 0-16 season in his second year, a level of futility that defies comprehension. When the Browns drafted Baker Mayfield first overall, Jackson made the young quarterback the backup to Tyrod Taylor, a decision that baffled fans and analysts alike. The mechanism of his failure was simple: he refused to trust his franchise quarterback, sticking with a veteran who couldn't move the offense. The start of his third season was so miserable that he was finally given the boot after just eight games. His defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, took over and promptly won five of the last eight games, nearly making the playoffs. Jackson's decision to keep Mayfield on the bench became the defining mistake of his coaching career, a cautionary tale for any coach who ignores the future.

The Only Coach to Go 0-16

Rod Marinelli's place in NFL history is secure: he was the head coach of the only team to finish a season winless since the league expanded to 16 games. The 2008 Detroit Lions went 0-16, and Marinelli took the blame. His head coaching was nothing short of a disaster. What makes the story stranger is that Marinelli was a brilliant defensive line coach. He had won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of a dominant defensive front, and he continued to succeed as a defensive assistant for other teams. But the Lions' epic failure cost him any chance at another head job. Detroit fans will never forget his name, and the 0-16 season is a permanent scar on his coaching legacy.

The Bounty King of New Orleans

Sean Payton's 2009 Super Bowl victory came with a brilliant onside kick to start the second half, a moment that changed the game against the Indianapolis Colts. But his legacy is defined by Bountygate. The NFL proved that Payton knew about a bounty program run by his defensive coaches that paid players for injuring opponents. In 2012, he was suspended for an entire season, the first time a head coach had been suspended for conduct related to player safety. The suspension painted Payton as a coach who looked the other way to win. He returned to the sideline and remained effective, but the stain never washed off. For a coach with a Super Bowl ring, Payton will always be associated with the bounty scandal as much as the title.

The Coach Who Backed Out on the Colts

Josh McDaniels earned his spot in NFL infamy without ever coaching a game for the Indianapolis Colts. In February 2018, the Colts announced McDaniels as their new head coach. A day later, he changed his mind and remained with the New England Patriots as offensive coordinator. The last-minute reversal turned him from a promising candidate into a pariah. It followed a disastrous head coaching stint in Denver, where he went 3-9 in his second season and drafted Tim Tebow in the first round. McDaniels's reputation as a brilliant coordinator has kept him employed in New England, but his head coaching career is likely over. The Colts moved on to Frank Reich, who led them to the playoffs. McDaniels's betrayal is still a talking point for NFL fans who value word as bond.

The College King Who Flopped in Miami

Nick Saban entered the NFL as the most sought-after college coach of his generation. His two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, though, were a disaster. Players refused to listen to his authoritarian style. They called him “Nick” to his face because they knew he preferred “Coach” - a small act of rebellion that drove him crazy. His first season was decent, but by the end of the second, he had clearly lost the locker room. When Alabama came calling, Saban resigned, leaving the Dolphins without a real answer at quarterback. He went on to win multiple national titles at Alabama, but his NFL failure remains a cautionary tale. The gap between college and pro coaching is enormous, and Saban learned it the hard way.

The Hoodie Villain of New England

Bill Belichick might be the greatest coach in NFL history, but that doesn't stop the rest of the league from hating him. With five Super Bowl titles and a reputation for secrecy, he became Darth Belichick, the leader of the Evil Empire. The hoodie, the curt press conferences, and the steady stream of scandals - Spygate, Deflategate - all fuel the animosity. He wins relentlessly, and fans of 31 other teams root for his downfall. Even his most famous players get credit for their own talent, but Belichick's system is often seen as cold and ruthless. There's no denying his brilliance, but there's also a reason he's the most polarizing coach in the sport. For two decades, he has given everyone outside Foxborough a reason to despise him.