Firing Line? A Breakdown of the Impending NFL Coaching Shuffle

Mike Martz lost his job in St. Louis basically because fans and management grew tired of his playcalling, and what seemed to be his ignoring of the running game. If not he's not careful, Andy Reid may suffer the same fate in Philadelphia. Of course, it's hard to fire a coach with the track record of Andy Reid—but the Eagles' franchise has become stagnant as of late, and with the likely impending loss of Donovan McNabb, perhaps it's time to start over.

Even if the Eagles do start over though, it's hard to argue that Andy Reid doesn't deserve to be a part of it. There is no denying the success he's had, more than any other NFC coach in the past decade. The knock on Reid, as mentioned, is his playcalling, and his overlooking of Brian Westbrook in the offense far too often. However, when McNabb isn't under center, Reid seems to focus more on Westbrook. Thus perhaps McNabb's departure is just what Reid and the Eagles need. I don't believe Reed and McNabb together will recapture any past Philadelphia success—but apart, Reed is still capable of leading a solid team. With Jim Johnson running the defense, the Eagles will always be competitive because their defense will be stout.

There isn't a worry that the Eagles will sink to the bottom run of the NFL. Even this year's 5-8 record is somewhat misleading, thanks to the fact they are probably three or four plays over the past month away from being 8-5. Such is the way of life in the NFL though, and Andy Reid has been here for quite a while and understands this. The wildcard in this situation is of course the personal situation of Reid with his family. If Reid is not the coach of the Eagles next fall, the reason will be precisely that, and not related to what goes on on the field.

The most likely coach not to be back with his team next season is Mike Nolan of the San Fransisco 49ers. This was supposed to be the year the 49ers took the next step. Frank Gore's injuries and overall decline from a year ago is a major reason the 49ers have struggled mightily this season, but that's not the only problem in San Fransisco. Alex Smith has regressed to the point where many wonder aloud if he's really the answer at quarterback. You wonder now if, following Aaron Rogers' performance against Dallas a couple of weeks ago for Green Bay, 'Niners fans are wishing they'd gone that route as opposed to Smith. Injuries to Gore and Smith have hurt this offense, as they've never really had both on the field at 100% at the same time.

Defensively, the Niners haven't been bad—and they've got a real stalwart to build around in Patrick Willis. On that side of the ball they are good enough to make the postseason. So should Nolan get another crack next season and hope his main cogs in his offense can stay healthy? The team obviously needs a real threat on the outside to help the offense prosper, and Nolan certainly would like the chance to team Smith and Gore with a legit receiver for the first time in their careers. In all reality, Nolan probably deserves one more year, as in many cases the third year is THE year. However, due to the high expectations this season, Nolan may not be afforded that luxury. He should be, and more likely than not, he will be. However, if he's not, it won't be very surprising.

Next to Nolan, the next likeliest coach to be shown the door is Marvin Lewis—though you really haven't heard too much out of Cincinnati in regards to his job being in jeopardy. It should be though...the honey-moon is over. Ever since Carson Palmer went down against Pittsburgh in the playoffs, the Bengals

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?