Chris Palmer Fired; Why Not Jerry Gray?

Mike Munchak shocked pretty much everyone last night by firing offensive coordinator Chris Palmer. It is not that Palmer didn't deserve to be fired, but it is shocking because most people didn't think Munchak would drop the hammer during the season. He showed last night that he is willing to do that, and Jim Wyatt is reporting this morning that the call was Munch's- not Bud's.

So a lot of people this morning are asking the question, why wasn't Jerry Gray fired first? Statistically, his unit is under-performing more that Palmer's. I think the answer to that is two fold:

1. There is no one to replace him on this staff. It is no secret that people in the organization really like Dowell Loggains. It was just a matter of time before he got a shot- here or somewhere else. There is not an "up and coming" guy on the defensive side of the ball.

2. The defense has actually played better in the last couple of weeks. Sure, they are still missing tackles like there is no tomorrow, but Gray has made some schematic changes that have paid off. He has really changed the way he uses Akeem Ayers and Zach Brown, and the results have been really good.

It is not like Gray is safe at this point, but he has done enough over the last few games to deserve to keep his job. He faces a tough test on Sunday.