Tom Brady gets another defensive coordinator fired; Chiefs part ways with Bob Sutton

Despite his “aw shucks”-persona, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a cold hearted killer — at least when it comes to destroying the careers of coaches in the NFL. Just look at the AFC East, where dozens of coaches have come and gone since the future Hall of Famer took over as the Patriots’ starter in 2001. Brady’s presence and the success it brought along has turned the division into a coaching graveyard.

Now, he has claimed his next victim — one that did not work in the AFC East but still had to go against Brady and the Patriots’ offense twice this season: Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, who was relieved from his duties earlier today as the team announced. The move happened just two days after New England scored 37 points against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

While Kansas City’s offense had a spectacular season, Sutton’s defense struggled and was ranked among the league’s worst in points and yards allowed. And despite leading the league in sacks, it struggled against the NFL’s premier offenses — just like the Patriots’ which scored 43 against the group in the first matchup and 37 in New England’s win on Sunday.

The AFC title game in general was a low-point for Sutton’s unit: Kansas City gave up 524 yards and allowed the Patriots to convert on 13 of 19 third downs, all while failing to take Brady down even once. And even though the Chiefs registered two interceptions, they were unable to stop the Patriots when they had to: in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Now, Sutton had to pay the price for the performance.