NFL Week 17 Predictions: Coaches Sure to Get the Axe on Black Monday

'Tis the season for NFL head coaches to suddenly become unemployed. The regular season is coming to an end, and that means Black Monday is right around the corner.

We've already seen three head coaches get the axe during the regular season. Jack Del Rio was canned by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tony Sparano was sacked by the Miami Dolphins and Todd Haley was fired by the Kansas City Chiefs. In all likelihood, they will soon be joined by several prominent NFL head coaches.

I can think of five coaches in particular who are practically guaranteed to get fired on Monday. They did their best to produce results in 2011, but they ended up falling well short of expectations. Their time with their respective teams has run out.

Let the countdown begin.

5. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams

On the one hand, I almost feel sorry for Steve Spagnuolo. His team performed terribly this season, but it doesn't have much talent to begin with, and it has been killed by injuries.

That being said, you can only rationalize a 10-37 record over three seasons so much. The Rams are a bad team, but Spagnuolo has had enough time to make them good again.

The Rams could choose to keep Spagnuolo around, but that won't sit well with a fanbase that hasn't exactly been coming out in droves to see the Rams play this season. Per ESPN.com, the Rams are second-to-last in attendance this season.

The best thing for the Rams to do is cut Spagnuolo loose and see if they can't pick up a big-name head coach who is intrigued with the idea of developing Sam Bradford.

Spagnuolo hasn't exactly gotten a fair chance to develop Bradford on his own, but the Rams just can't have a two- or three-win season coming two years after a 1-15 season.

4. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This time last year, it looked like the Bucs had something special in Raheem Morris. He led the undermanned Bucs to a 10-6 season, and the future seemed to be bright.

In fact, Tampa Bay's future seemed to be bright earlier this season, as they held a 4-2 record at one point.

They haven't won a game since.

Though it would be convenient to pin the Buccaneers' failures on one player in particular (i.e. Josh Freeman), the truth is that their collapse has been a team-wide effort. The offense has been horrible, and so has the defense.

For the majority of their nine-game losing streak, the Bucs haven't even managed to be competitive.

Given how badly Tampa Bay's ship has broken down, it's impossible not to blame Morris. He's dealing with pretty much the same team he had in 2010, but he hasn't gotten the same results.

That's on him, and he's going to lose his job as a result.

3. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

If the Cowboys beat the New York Giants on Sunday night, Jason Garrett will get to keep his job.

But if the Cowboys lose, Garrett will be out of a job shortly thereafter.

Sure, Jerry Jones said on Friday (see the Dallas Morning News) that he has no plans whatsoever to axe Garrett, but I for one wouldn't trust Jones if he told me the sky is blue.

When the Cowboys lose to the Giants on Sunday night and thus miss out on the playoffs, it's simply going to be too difficult for Jones to ignore just how badly his team screwed up under Garrett's watch.

As it is, Garrett can be directly blamed for two of Dallas' losses, as his poorly-timed timeout against the Arizona Cardinals cost the Cowboys a win, and so did his poor play-calling against the Giants in early December.

Those are two losses that loom large at the moment, and they will loom even larger if the Cowboys lose to the Giants on Sunday night.

So despite the fact Jones is playing nice, you have to think Garrett's job security is hanging by a thread.

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts

If we learned anything about the Colts this season, it's how good Peyton Manning really is.

We also learned just how mediocre Jim Caldwell is. Even without Manning, you'd think the Colts would have enough talent to avoid going 0-13. 

Caldwell does deserve credit for righting the ship with a two-game win streak, and he can only help himself if he runs Indy's win streak to three games in a row at Jacksonville on Sunday.

Nevertheless, the writing is on the wall that it's time for a change. The Colts need to consider their future beyond the Peyton Manning era, and the fact of the matter is that Caldwell is a guy who was hired to ensure the continuation of the Peyton Manning era. That doesn't mean he needs to be on the sidelines long-term.

If you don't want to listen to me, you can listen to Don Banks of SI.com, who wrote this week that he is "almost certain" Sunday's game will be Caldwell's last as Indy's head coach.

Even if he runs Indy's record to 3-13, Sunday's game should be Caldwell's last dance with the Colts.

1. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers

This one's almost too obvious. Norv Turner has been given plenty of chances to prove himself as a head coach, but he insists on disappointing.

Turner's 2011 season with the Chargers is just the latest example. The Chargers should have won the AFC West with ease this season, but they all but sealed their fate with a six-game losing streak in the middle of the year. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16.

This makes it two years in a row that the Chargers have missed out on the playoffs. After winning the division in his first three years at the helm, it's clear now that the Chargers are actually regressing under Turner.

There's no reason for the Chargers to stand for that, and they should know that this is not a coincidence. Turner has a long history of underachieving, and that history has caught up with the Chargers.

It's time for the Chargers to try their luck with a new head coach.