FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 27: Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts in the third quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 27, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

On Sunday, following a loss that dropped the Jaguars to 2-14 this season, Jacksonville fired head coach Gus Bradley.

In just less than four seasons under Bradley, the Jaguars went 14-48. That comes out to a .226 winning percentage, which happens to be the second worst of all-time (min. 50 games), ahead of only a guy who last coached in 1941.

That begs the question: Is Gus Bradley the least successful (we’ll be kind and avoid the word “worst”) coach in NFL history? Let’s evaluate.

The case that Gus Bradley is the least successful coach in NFL history:

Well, by winning percentage, this is a pretty easy case to make. Only Bert Bell holds a worse career mark (He went 10-46-2, for a .179 winning percentage), and given that he coached from 1936-41 it’s hard to really evaluate him.

JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 11:  Head coach Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars watches the action during a game against the Green Bay Packers at EverBank Field on September 11, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida.  (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 11: Head coach Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars watches the action during a game against the Green Bay Packers at EverBank Field on September 11, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Under Bradley, the Jaguars never even sniffed the playoffs. In his best season, he coached Jacksonville to a 5-11 record. At several points during Bradley’s tenure, the Jags were a trendy pick to steal a wild-card spot or at least put together a respectable record. But no matter what the roster looked like or how weak the division was, Jacksonville sucked wind.

It’s not like the Jaguars had traded all their draft picks or anything. They picked No. 2 before Bradley’s debut season, then No. 3, No. 3 and No. 5. But all those talented young players resulted in losses on losses on losses. Much of the blame here falls on general manager David Caldwell, but Bradley deserves his fair share as well.

The case that Gus Bradley is NOT the least successful coach in NFL history:

There have been a lot of unsuccessful coaches in NFL history!

There’s that guy Bert Bell, whose Philadelphia Eagles teams went 10-46-2, then won two NFL championships under his successor.

There’s David Shula, who got his job because of his last name, then went 19-52 from 1992-96.

There’s Marion Campbell, who holds the record for most career games under .500 (46), and there’s his contemporary John McKay, who ranks second (44).

There’s Dom Capers, who coached for eight seasons despite a career record of 48-80.

There’s Norv Turner, the only coach to last more than 210 games while owning a career record under .500.

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 30:  Head coach Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers on the sidelines during a 24-21 win over the Oakland Raiders to end a 6-10 season at Qualcomm Stadium on December 30, 2012 in San Diego, California.  (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers on the sidelines during a 24-21 win over the Oakland Raiders to end a 6-10 season at Qualcomm Stadium on December 30, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

There Marty Schottenheimer, whose teams somehow went 5-13 in the playoffs.

There’s Joe Bugel, whose teams, in an era of five-team divisions, finished fifth, fifth, fifth, fourth and fourth in his time at the helm.

There’s Rod Marinelli, who went 10-38 in three seasons, a worse winning percentage than Bradley, and was fired after his Detroit Lions team went 0-16.

And we could certainly go on.

Point is, Bradley has a lot of competition. But while he might not be absolutely at the bottom of the all-time coaching list, he’s certainly near the bottom.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.