NFL first coach fired odds: Adam Gase, Dan Quinn on thin ice
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When Matt Patricia is a distant third in the odds to be the NFL's first coach fired, you know it's been a rough start to the season. That's how bad things have gotten for a couple of coaches through the opening two weeks, which is already enough time for historic choke jobs and blowout losses.
To nobody's surprise, Adam Gase is the early favorite to get canned after two embarrassing defeats for the Jets, though Dan Quinn isn't far behind following the Falcons' epic collapse Sunday. Don't forget about Patricia, whose Lions have already blown two games in as many weeks.
Here are the odds for the first coach fired and the best bets to earn the dubious honor.
| COACH | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Adam Gase | +150 |
| Dan Quinn | +200 |
| Matt Patricia | +600 |
| Doug Marrone | +700 |
| Mike Zimmer | +700 |
| Anthony Lynn | +900 |
| Bill O'Brien | +900 |
| Vic Fangio | +1400 |
| Kevin Stefanski | +2500 |
| Matt Nagy | +2500 |
| Frank Reich | +3300 |
Adam Gase, Jets (+150)
This was a bad marriage from the start, and it's only getting worse. After a 10-point loss to the Bills that never felt that close, the Jets lost by 18 points to a 49ers team relying on backups at nearly every key position after a rash of injuries.
As bad as Gase has been in his head-coaching tenure, he isn't the best bet here for three reasons. It's only his second season in New York; owner Woody Johnson is a fervent defender of Gase and likely wouldn't pull the plug before the season ends; and the price is too short to bet given the other options on the board. It's enticing, but the value is elsewhere.
Dan Quinn, Falcons (+200)
This still isn't a great price, but it's hard not to take a shot after Sunday's collapse, which is historically bad every way you slice it. Since 2012, teams leading by 20 points after the first quarter were 21-0 in the regular season, and teams scoring at least 39 points with zero turnovers were 444-0 all-time. And yet, as only the Falcons can, they blew it.
Quinn's name has been floated in this market for years thanks to his team's inability to escape mediocrity despite one of the NFL's highest payrolls. That last part should be particularly irksome to ownership, which may decide it has seen enough of Quinn if Atlanta falls out of the playoff race.
Matt Patricia, Lions (+600)
Given how hilariously bad Patricia's team has been at holding the lead this year, it's amazing he's still holding onto a job. In Week 1, the Lions led by 17 points heading into the fourth quarter and lost. Last week, they had an 11-point lead after the first quarter and lost.
It's the first time a team has done that in consecutive weeks since Sports Database started tracking NFL data in 1989. Those were Patricia's fifth and sixth double-digit leads blown since the start of last season; no other coach has more than three.
Patricia was the favorite in this market for most of the summer, and he's done little to earn more respect through two games. The best way to get a ticket out the door is to tease the upside of your roster before squandering it with bad coaching, and Patricia has done that twice already this year. At this price, he's easily the best value on the board.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.