4 NFL HCs who were released without completing a single season in-charge

A Rams helmet seen in 2015 (Photo: Getty)

George Allen, LA Rams (1978)

Perhaps one of the most underrated bosses in NFL history, Allen guided his teams to winning records in each of his dozen years as head coach. His first such endeavor saw him take the Los Angeles Rams to three straight 10-plus win seasons.

After seven seasons in Washington, Allen was re-hired by the Rams in 1978; he was seen by many as a missing piece in the team's Super Bowl puzzle. Los Angeles had won each of the last five division titles but had trouble advancing past the semifinal round. Amazingly, however, Allen lasted a mere two preseason games: clashing with star players as well as Rams management and bidding farewell weeks before the 1978 season began. He'd never coach in the NFL again, though he'd last two seasons in the USFL.

Bobby Petrino as seen during his brief NFL tenure (Photo: Getty)

Bobby Petrino, Atlanta (2007)

Having wowed the nation with the University of Louisville, Petrino joined the Atlanta Falcons on a five-year deal. It came mere months after he signed a ten-year contract with the Cards.

Petrino's NFL tenure was doomed from the start: brought in to supervise the Falcons' potent offense, his hiring coincided with franchise Michael Vick's arrest and imprisonment for operating dogfighting rings in Virginia. Thus doomed to a lost season, Atlanta struggled to the tune of a 3-10 record. Petrino swore his NFL loyalty to team owner Arthur Blank, but, hours after that promise, Petrino, like Holtz before him, resigned with a 3-10 mark to accept the head coaching position at Arkansas. His lasting NFL legacy came in the form of a generic, impersonal four-sentence letter he left in each player's locker, failing to address the team directly before going back to school.