Ah, another day, another article from ESPN.com about Jim Mora. This time it's a candid, heartfelt interview where the Falcons coach wonders aloud about his job security. I had suspected Mora knew his comments were going to add a lot of fuel to the flames underneath his seat, but it appears he's now putting on full damage control. To be frank, an interview where he comes across as remorseful probably isn't going to do him any good in the face of Emperor Blank, especially because Blank really, really wants this team to make the playoffs. Even though Mora himself acknowledges he's trying hard to keep his focus, Blank is only likely to note that he's giving an interview about his job security when the team is in the thick of a playoff hunt. I'm going to hazard a guess that this doesn't go over very well.
I'm not exactly sure how the interview went, but...I'm also not too impressed with the way it translated into the story. Mora is quick to cite his achievements, but I think it's hard to argue that he's been anywhere near an elite coach. He's c ertainly done a lot of good things for the Falcons in his tenure, but those are certainly mitigated a little by his tendency to ignore problems with his teams and, of course, his comments. With the benefit of a little time meditating after his comments, I decided I would feel bad if he got fired just for the comments. It's pretty likely that he'll be getting fired just as much for the last two seasons, and I can't argue with that. I'm just torn on what to think of a guy who says something like this:
On one hand, I can respect that. People do make mistakes, and this was a pretty big one. But to expect people to cut him a break because people know what kind of person he is...I'm sorry, I can't buy into that. I have no doubt that as a person, he's a great guy. As a coach, however, he's displayed tendencies toward arrogance, indifference, and downright stupidity at times. And since it's his job as coach that's at risk, all those things should and will count against him.
What do you think? Is he gone?