Under Fire: Five NFL Coaches

(Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

Steve Mariucci, Andy Reid, and now Phillips have been revealed to not be good enough to lead teams to the promise land. They may have had successful records in the regular season and may have found some success in the playoffs, but none of them have a Super Bowl ring as head coaches.

Phillips better hope for a successful season; otherwise, he can pull a number for the unemployment line.

3. Dick Jauron—Buffalo Bills

Jauron has been fired before which already leaves room for concern.

Why coaches who get canned always seem to find work as a head coach for another team baffles me. If you're an owner and still ready to give him a shot, you better be confident in your ability to provide him with superstar players.

The Bills have gone 7-9 every year Jauron has been the coach. It's the best losing record you can have in football, but it is a losing record nonetheless.

For Buffalo, TO brings a small glimmer of hope for their fans. But, with it, Jauron may have set himself up in a do-or-die scenario.

His firing would be fine by me, since he has done nothing special in the NFL. He is as unique as a piece of sand on the beach.

Jauron will not be able to bring this team over the hump this season by using his schemes. Jauron's only hope for job security is that his team finds a way to win in spite of him, and Tom Brady has another season-ending injury.

Jauron's job is under fire if this season results in a 7-9 record yet again.

4. Gary Kubiak—Houston Texans

Kubiak is in a similar situation as Jauron. Kubiak is entering is fourth year with the Texans, none of which has produced a winning season. Also, like Jauron, Kubiak has to show a competitive push forward in order to keep his job, making him under fire.

The difference between Kubiak and the others I have listed so far is that I actually like this coach.

Kubiak brings that Shanahan-style of offense with the one-cut-and-done running game along with a prolific passing game.

He actually makes the Texans exciting to watch. However, being exciting to watch and coming away with a championship are two very different things.

Kubiak needs to get his staff ready to develop that young defense quickly if he expects better results.

If Kubiak lets his team take a step back this season from their forward progress, he should be shown the door.

5. Josh McDaniels—Denver Broncos

McDaniels probably won't lose his job this year regardless of positioning, but this is my list of who should be under fire this season.

McDaniels better prove he knows what he is doing and prove it this year. His immediate response to receiving the new job was to trade away the franchise's star quarterback—idiot.

The only reason he would do this is that he would rather have players that fit his system than have the best players and fit his system around them.

These coaches who are all about their system better find a way to start getting creative because sometimes you have to abandon your system in order to win games.

Then, if trading away the star quarterback wasn't enough, he has his star receiver wanting out as well.

Whether or not Marshall's request for a trade has anything to do with McDaniels or not, he should be the one to take the fall when the Broncos fail to meet expectations.

I think it's a bunch of bull when people try to say McDaniels inherited a team in disarray. The reason for the disarray was first generated by McDaniels when he shopped Cutler around.

If Cutler is still on that team, I would bet all the money in Fort Knox that Marshall does not request out of Denver. The entire team would be coming together and looking forward to a season that once showed promise.

I know Kyle Orton fits the mold McDaniels wants to create in his offense, but as coach, you should want the best players on your team, and Orton is not that player.

I understand the whole wanting to establish your order as the new head coach, but you can do that without turning the team upside down.

If Broncos don't make a playoff appearance (which they would have accomplished with Cutler), then I hope the Denver fans run McDaniels out of town for his stupidity.

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