There was time, remember, when Boston coaches seemed to have it all figured out. Bill Belichick. Alex Cora. Brad Stevens and Claude Julien – or, if you prefer, Bruce Cassidy. Winning makes you look smart. Losing can make you look like you’re completely off your rocker.
So why bring this up now?
Well, save for Joe Mazzulla, who just won a championship with the Celtics, Boston’s manager and coaches seem in a relative state of flux, which is putting it kindly. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo currently looks overmatched. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is a lame duck. And while Red Sox manager Alex Cora is about to begin a new, three-year contract, one can’t help but wonder how much his heart is really in the job anymore, a sentiment that seems to reflect the entire state of the Red Sox organization.
Simply put, with the exception of Mazzulla – and even that could be debated – Boston’s coaches just don’t seem to have the cachet they used to. Some of that might be purely because Belichick’s 24-year tenure is now over, and we all know that Belichick was an extreme outlier in terms of longevity in the Boston market. At one point, in fact, Belichick was flanked by Julien, Terry Francona and Doc Rivers, each of whom won at least one championship. Those titles all prompted a level of public trust that was, in a word, unusual, especially in a culture where former Celtics coach (and epic Boston failure) Rick Pitino once referred to sports talk radio in Boston as “the fellowship of the miserable.”
So what are we getting at? Well, the coach’s perch in Boston now generally seems as unstable as ever, albeit for various reasons. And so, alphabetically by team name, we thought now might be a good time to assess what each club sitting on the hottest seats in town.
Bruins
Jim Montgomery
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 30: Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery speaks to the media after the Florida Panthers defeat the Bruins 4-3 in overtime of Game Seven of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Entering tonight’s game in Colorado, as incredible as it seems, this remains true: now in his third season behind the Bruins bench, Montgomery has the highest winning percentage (.744) of any coach in Bruins history. So why have the Bruins allowed him to enter the final year of his contract without an extension? The answer: the playoffs. In three career playoff series with the Bruins, Montgomery is 1-2. Both losses, of course, have come against arguably the best team in hockey over the past two seasons, the Florida Panthers, who have been to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning the most recent one. In a vacuum, there hardly seems any shame in that. But Boston’s first defeat to Florida came after the Bruins posted the single greatest regular season in history, then claimed a 3-1 series lead against the Panthers before folding like a cocktail umbrella. Montgomery undoubtedly had a hand in that – who didn’t? – but let there be no doubt: if he’s on the hot seat, it’s because the Bruins have put him there. In the NHL, the playoffs are really all that matter. And despite Montgomery’s historically good winning percentage, he has been allowed (forced?) to enter the final year of his contract without an extension in place. Unless the coach’s job is in jeopardy, that is rarely done. So draw your own conclusions.
Celtics
Joe Mazzulla
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 17: Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics yells while lifting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after Boston’s 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Crazy Joe Mazzulla isn’t exactly Crazy Joe Davola, but he does have a combative nature and mad-scientist quality that can’t help but make you wonder what’s going on between those ears. What does Mazzulla believe in? Three-point attempt percentage, which is another way of saying analytics or, as he himself noted years ago, “I like math.” The Celtics are to basketball what the spread offense is to college football, which is to say they like to shoot you right out of the building. And if you think the Celtics took a lot of 3-pointers last year – and they led the league with an average of 42.5 attempts per game – well, we’d suggest you prepare for approaching tsunami that may come when they the hit floor in defense of their championship for the season opener next week. During the offseason, Mazzulla revealed that his favorite animal is the killer whale, or orca, which hunt in packs. So what have Mazzulla and the Celtics done this preseason? They’ve upped the ante. Through last night’s games, the Celtics have averaged a whopping 52.6 attempts a game from 3-point distance, a 24 percentage increase over last season. In their first game of the preseason, the Celtics attempted a mind-numbing 62 shots from 3-point range, which made it look like Mazzulla was playing Missile Command. The message? If you thought I was crazy last year, you’re going to need a straight jacket for me now. By the way, based on where his teams rests in its league hierarchy, he has the best job security of any Boston coach.
Patriots
Jerod Mayo
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 06: Head coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots looks on during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
The most unenviable job in sports? It’s the guy after The Guy. After Bill Parcells, there was Pete Carroll. After Tom Brady, there was Cam Newton (or, depending on how you look at it, Mac Jones.) After Belichick, there is … Jerod Mayo. Now, is it too early to make any definitive judgment on Mayo? Of course. But if you watched Sunday’s postgame following a 41-21 defeat at the hands of Houston Texans, Mayo looked exasperated. After an encouraging Week 1 victory at Cincinnati, the Patriots now look like a team that can’t block, can’t tackle, can’t stop the run and can’t even line up. The Patriots look so inexperienced on so many levels – Mayo had zero experience as an official NFL defensive coordinator or head coach before he was hired – that one might actually wonder if owner Robert Kraft is purposely tanking … but slap yourself in the face. They’re not. Look, we know it’s early. But the Patriots don’t just look like a team without talent – they look ragtag. Like the new quarterback, Mayo will almost certainly get a second year to see if he can put his imprint on the franchise. And if that imprint it looks anything like what we’ve seen so far, there won’t be a third year..
Red Sox
Alex Cora
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox is held back by umpire Alan Porter #64 after he got thrown out of the game for arguing after the umpires ruled a Red Sox infielder had blocked the base trying to tag a Minnesota Twins runner out during the first inning of game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park on September 22, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Remember when Cora was hired and immediately took the Red Sox through a 108-win regular season and their most recent world championship? It’s been downhill ever since. The Red Sox have essentially been a .500 team over the last six years, though Cora actually missed one of them as the result of suspension stemming from his significant role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. He spent much of 2022 and 2023 taking jabs at Chaim Bloom for what has been a lackluster roster, then entered the final year of his contract (a la Jim Montgomery) under Craig Breslow this year. To most everyone’s surprise, he then re-upped on a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension through the 2027 season. So what’s the problem now? Well, it’s hard to take Cora seriously anymore after he gave every indication that the 2024 season would be his last in Boston.
In fact, when he agreed to terms with the Red Sox on his new contract, Cora basically admitted that he deliberately deceived the media (and public) in the months leading up to his re-signing. So is the contract all that ever mattered to him? And if so, that’s fine. But from that point forward, it became fair to wonder when, if ever, Cora is actually telling truth and when he is just conniving and manipulating for his own personal benefit. Among Boston coaches and/or managers over the last several years, nobody else’s reputation has taken a bigger hit.
