Sink or Swim: Which NFL coaches survive the hot seat?
As the NFL season goes on, it becomes apparent which teams are contenders and which teams are pretenders. In turn, a handful of teams decide that they want a change of pace and fire their coaches. Some coaches get fired because they fell short of expectations, while others get fired just because their team is awful. Plenty of coaches are already on the hot seat this year. Which ones will “sink”, and which ones will “swim” for another season?
Gus Bradley, Jaguars
This was supposed to be the year. The Jacksonville Jaguars had finally assembled a roster worthy enough to compete for the playoffs. Instead of being a Wild Card contender, the Jags appear to be a top five pick contender. Much of that falls on Gus Bradley.
The Jaguars’ biggest issue has been their coaching. Bradley has little control over the locker room, and he has made plenty of awful decisions this year. Since the Jags had high expectations that fell flat, Bradley is as good as gone.
Prediction: Sink
John Fox, Bears
Doesn’t this look all too familiar, Bears fans? After their recent loss to the Buccaneers, any momentum that the Bears had has been crushed to pieces. It seems like their front office is taking notice too, because they’ve put head coach John Fox on the hot seat.
The mistakes Fox has made are very similar to the ones Marc Trestman used to make. Yeah, that Marc Trestman. Fox has done a great job with rebuilding the Panthers and Broncos. He just isn’t getting it done with the Bears. It’s unknown if general manager Ryan Pace is one to fire coaches early, but my guess is that he will.
Prediction: Sink
Mike McCoy, Chargers
The San Diego Chargers haven’t made it out of third place in the AFC West since Mike McCoy took over. Granted, the West is a tough division, but he hasn’t done much recently to change that.
Under McCoy, the Bolts are an underwhelming 26-32. They seem destined for a last place finish in the division this year. Philip Rivers doesn’t have much time left in the NFL, so they may want to push for one more playoff run. However, McCoy hasn’t been all that awful yet. My gut tells me that he stays for another year.
Prediction: Swim
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Mike McCarthy, Packers
Mike McCarthy has lead the Green Bay Packers to multiple NFC North titles, even more playoff appearances and a Super Bowl. They have been a dominant force in the NFC for many years. How could he possibly be on the hot seat?
The Packers have been spiraling out of control in recent weeks. Despite losing very little in the offseason and getting Jordy Nelson back from injury, they are 4-5 through 10 weeks. McCarthy is losing control of the locker room, and the players just aren’t energized anymore. Unless something changes quickly, he’s gonna be the Packers’ fall guy.
Prediction: Sink
Marvin Lewis, Bengals
Marvin Lewis will never die. He’s like the Queen of England, except the Queen could make it past the first round of the playoffs.
Lewis has been the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for 13 (soon to be 14) long years. He has made it to the playoffs in seven of those years. However, he hasn’t made it past the Wild Card game once. When will enough be enough? Cincy might not make the playoffs this year, which would be enough for them to fire Lewis. They’re not out of playoff contention, though. If the Bengals make the playoffs, regardless of finish, he’ll stay. If not, he’s a goner.
Prediction: Swim, for now
Chip Kelly, 49ers
Nobody expected the 49ers to be good. Nobody expected them to be good last year either. Yet, they fired Jim Tomsula last year, who was a first-year coach. That may not bode well for Chip Kelly.
San Francisco has one of the least talented rosters in the NFL today. They barely have any weapons on offense, and their defense is still porous. Chip Kelly isn’t completely to blame for their 1-8 record. However, Trent Baalke has a notable short fuse when it comes to a lack of success. Kelly should make it to next year, but his seat will be blazing.
Prediction: Swimming with floaties
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