NFL Hot Seat: Gauging Every Head Coach After Week 6

Following Week 6's action, we now have six coaches on the Hot Seat and two coaches who managed to get upgraded out of the Hot Seat.

The 2012 season has been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. It seems the second you anoint a team as the best in the league, they go ahead and fall on their face the following week.

Seven coaches are sitting nice and cozy after Week 6, but as we've seen numerous times this season, no status lasts forever—unless, of course, your name is Bill Belichick.

When you consider the average tenure of an NFL head coach is only about 3.25 years, it's clear that things change fast in this league. That is why this Hot Seat temperature needs to be updated every week.

Here's a temperature reading, from hot to warm to room temperature to cool to cozy, for every head coach in the NFL.

Chan Gailey

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot

Yeah, the Bills pulled off the upset against the Cardinals in overtime, but Chan Gailey is going to have to pull off a few more impressive wins before he finds himself off the Hot Seat, considering they were blown out in all three of their losses this season.

Buffalo fans won't tolerate these performances for long, considering the higher-than-normal expectations heading into the 2012 season. Gailey and the Bills defense will need to turn things around quickly, or else he'll be sent packing. Sunday's win was a great step in the right direction.

Jason Garrett

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot

Jason Garrett and the Cowboys really needed this win against a tough Ravens ballclub. Unfortunately, they just fell short of the win and now are below .500 (2-3) six weeks into the season.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones summed up his thoughts following the game (h/t Tim MacMahon of ESPN): "I am sick about losing this game!"

Now, Garrett is the skipper of a sinking ship, and Jones will need to find someone to blame, considering he won't fire himself.

Garrett does deserve a great deal of responsibility for the poor play in Big D, and he may not make it to the end of the season.

One of the major issues for Garrett, beyond his record, is the perception that he’s too passive and afraid to really take control of the egos in the Dallas locker room. After all, some men make better coordinators than they do head coaches.

Perhaps it's time to leave the head-coaching duties to a guy who can stand up to Jones.

Joe Philbin

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Room Temperature

Miami can make a legitimate argument that it could have won the last four games of the season. Instead, it dropped two games in overtime in Weeks 3 and 4. Now, the Dolphins are finding ways to win the close ones while Philbin is off to his first winning streak as the head coach.

Even with some growing pains from rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the Fins have managed to go 3-3. Patience may not be a luxury Philbin can afford when you consider the tension building since Bill Parcells took a less active role as a consultant and general manager Jeff Ireland assumed full command in September 2010.

Lack of success on the field and an inability to recruit key free agents have put Ireland on a short leash. This likely will limit the time given to Philbin, considering Ireland handpicked him. But for now, he should have some comfort, considering his room-temperature status.

But things in Miami could change quickly.

Tom Coughlin

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool

Not many people expected the Giants to come into the 49ers' house and completely dominate them in every phase of the game. But that happened, and now the Giants are looking good at 4-2 and in first place of the NFC East.

Tom Coughlin and the Giants are looking more and more like a complete football team as the 2012 season unfolds.

Given his age (66) and questionable history with player relations, don't expect his seat to get cozy any time during the regular season. At the least, he will need to go deep into the playoffs for that status to be warranted.

Bill Belichick

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

Despite the loss to Seattle, job security shouldn't be an issue in this town for a while. My words from Week 1 are just as applicable today, so I'll post them again: No coach in the NFL has more job security than Bill Belichick.

He likely will coach the Patriots as long as he wishes, which at this point could be for a long time.

The man we often see tucked away in his hoodie on the sidelines sets the bar for all other active coaches in the NFL. He has acquired complete control over football operations in New England.

Belichick is one of the most successful and influential football minds in the history of the league and likely is the most coveted individual, either player or coach, in the NFL.

He could go for it on every single fourth down in a game while wearing a dress and smoking a Cutler-brand cigarette on the sideline, and he still wouldn't get fired. I think it's safe to say he'll be around for a while.

Andy Reid

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot

Back-to-back losses for a coach already on the Hot Seat could spell big trouble for Andy Reid and his career as the Eagles head coach. In all honesty, though, little of what Reid does in the regular season this year will matter for his job security.

If Reid fails to win some playoff games, his days in Philadelphia are all but over.

Some may choose to blame Vick or the underperforming defense. However, Reid has been the mastermind behind just about all the key decisions, including a pass-happy offense that puts Vick at risk of both injury and turnovers as well as the odd hiring of Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator, despite no previous NFL experience on that side of the ball.

Rex Ryan

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Warm

The Jets pulled off a needed win against the Colts despite a series of key injuries to the roster. New York advanced to 3-3 on the season following the surprisingly one-sided 35-9 victory.

Rex Ryan deserves credit for his ability to rally his team when most in New York were losing their faith in the season.

It's highly questionable whether the Jets will be able to rebound from the injuries incurred over the last two weeks and the poor play of Mark Sanchez. If they make a habit of accumulating non-competitive losses, it's not out of the question for Jets owner Woody Johnson to clear house from the GM to the quarterback.

Mike Shanahan

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Cool

Things are getting a lot cooler for Mike Shanahan in Washington following the team's 38-26 victory over the Vikings. The Redskins are right in the mix in the NFC East with a respectable 3-3 record.

Most of their success this season can be directly linked to the chemistry between Shanahan and rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. The former has done a fantastic job creating an offense tailored specifically to the unique abilities of RG3.

It would take a pretty poor season to get Shanahan fired, and I don't see that as a likely scenario. If the Redskins are scraping the bottom of the division by Week 12, though, expect Shanahan to be on the hot seat.

John Harbaugh

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

The win against the Cowboys this week wasn't pretty, but it was a win nonetheless. The Ravens are now 5-1 and heading in the right direction.

Harbaugh has done a great job winning the games he's supposed to win. The best part about their wins early in the season are they are without the reigning defensive MVP Terrell Suggs.

Winning nearly 69 percent of his regular-season games over four years, Harbaugh’s job status is stable and will be unaffected by the outcome of any one game this season.

Lovie Smith

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool

Lovie Smith has done a nice job as head coach of the Bears, winning 56 percent of his games in 12 years of service (75-58). But considering there's a new general manager in Chicago this season with a green light to fire Lovie Smith should he choose to, there's some added pressure to perform this year.

For this reason, it would be tough for Lovie's status to advance to "Cozy" for at least a while.

For the time being, Lovie has done everything right in Chicago and put the brakes on panic talk after some sideline drama caught on prime-time television involving QB Jay Cutler. Smith has managed to field a consistently competitive team and is not in any immediate danger of feeling warmth.

However, should signs emerge that his locker room is out of control, that could change quickly for Smith and his Bears.

Marvin Lewis

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Warm

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals suffered a pretty bad upset on Sunday to the Cleveland Browns. This makes their second straight loss as they fall to 3-3 on the season.

Only Andy Reid and Bill Belichick have coached their current teams longer than Marvin Lewis has coached the Bengals. Lewis has a career head-coaching record of 72-76 in Cincinnati.

Lewis has been given a lot of time to create a champion. Owner Mike Brown has even given Lewis a lot of control over personnel decisions, but now, his window of opportunity is closing if the Bengals fail to improve on last year's success.

Jim Schwartz

Last Week: Warm

After Week 6: Warm

In 52 games as head coach of the Detroit Lions, Jim Schwartz has gone 19-33. This is a pretty substandard win percentage of only 36 percent. Schwartz's saving grace has been his ability to constantly improve each year. But has he done enough in his career, thus far, to survive a setback season, despite making the playoffs the year before?

Thanks to a big Week 6 win against the Eagles, Schwartz and the Lions improved to 2-3 on the season.

A 2-3 record is not exactly how the Lions envisioned starting out the 2012 season. As a result, Schwartz must now face the added pressure of keeping his job.

He may want to do himself a favor and replace his special teams coach Danny Crossman. Special teams play has been a major reason for the team's struggles this year.

Pat Shurmur

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Warm

The Browns ended an 11-game losing streak against a young, talented Bengals squad.

After two years and nine tries against AFC North opponents, Pat Shurmur overcame a big hurdle Sunday by finally winning a divisional game.

Brandon Weeden has been making strides at QB this season while the Browns are steadily improving as a team.

Shurmur does have some nice tools with which to build, but one thing that must pan out for his regime to continue is the positive development of Weeden. Twenty-eight-year-old rookie quarterbacks are not afforded the same patience as the more common 22-year-old variety.

Even though Weeden didn't play badly on Sunday, Shurmur is 100 percent responsible for the QB situation.

Mike McCarthy

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cozy

After a brief status slip to "Cool" last week, Coach McCarthy and his Packers finally tapped into the potential everyone expected.

Aaron Rodgers threw six touchdown passes in their dominating 42-24 win over the previously undefeated Houston Texans.

Most expected the 2012 version of Green Bay to be even more dangerous and complete than last year, but the final product of a roster loaded with talent and led by a proven head coach has yet to be unveiled.

McCarthy is still a good coach, and Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the NFL, so expect the Packers to be major players in the postseason. Don't expect Mike McCarthy's seat to get hot this year.

Mike Tomlin

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cool

One thing the great teams are able to do is find a way to win. The Steelers have been one of those teams for a long time. But a Thursday night loss to the struggling Tennessee Titans does have many people wondering about Pittsburgh's future.

This may be the year they find themselves without a playoff spot.

Either way, Tomlin is almost guaranteed to return as head coach, and the Steelers are only a few pieces away from contention once again. This should minimize the fact that Tomlin was the first coach to fall from his cozy status a few weeks back, and his status has gone back and forth from "Cozy" to "Cool" ever since.

There's plenty of time for Tomlin to sit pretty again, but the question remains whether or not this is just a temporary hiccup or the beginning of a downward trend toward mediocrity.

Leslie Frazier

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool

Even though Minnesota lost Sunday to the Washington Redskins, Leslie Frazier has done a fantastic job this season as the coach who has made the most dramatic change in his coaching status.

After their Week 2 loss to the Colts, I had Frazier on the Hot Seat. These days, he has moved all the way up to "Cool." He may end up proving he can be the Vikings coach for the long haul.

Frazier seems to have found the guy who can not only save his job but also be built around in Christian Ponder.

The question now becomes: Are these Vikings for real?

Considering they sit comfortably with a 4-2 record on the season, this is not the time to demote him from "Cool" status. My hat's off to Coach Frazier for being a contender for Coach of the Year.

Gary Kubiak

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

Green Bay may have handed them their collective backsides Sunday night, but the Texans are still looking like the most complete team in the NFL this year.

Kubiak has slowly built a Super Bowl-caliber team in Houston. At 5-1, the Texans still have to best record in the AFC and should be a force to be reckoned with if they can remain healthy.

The system and style of coaching that Kubiak implements has been invaluable to the Texans' success, so don't expect a move to replace him any time in the foreseeable future.

Given the team’s consistent improvement through the years, Kubiak has bought himself a lot of leeway for an NFL head coach. His seat is cozy and should remain that way for quite some time.

Mike Smith

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

The Atlanta Falcons are the only undefeated team left in the NFL, at 6-0. Mike Smith and his "Dirty Bird" entourage have consistently found a way to win this season, making the Oakland Raiders their latest victim in a hard-fought 23-20 victory at home.

Coach Mike Smith has never had a losing season during his tenure in Atlanta, but what he still needs to prove is that he can win games in the postseason.

In four years of calling the shots, he has won 67 percent of his games (via Pro Football Reference) and brought a level of consistent success that the Falcons organization has never had before. Smith's job security is cozy and should remain that way for at least the next few weeks.

Chuck Pagano

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Room Temperature

Chuck Pagano found himself in a unique situation a week ago dealing with life-threatening issues far more severe than the outcome of any football game. He was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this season and is now forced to take a leave of absence.

Pagano, who is just getting started at Indy, should remain in the room-temperature range for the duration of his inaugural season as head coach.

However, if the team racks up a ton of victories without him in what's supposed to be a rebuilding year, we may have to question his true value to the team aside from being a rallying cry. Or, we may have to get Bruce Arians a head-coaching job in 2013.

Ron Rivera

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot

A Week 6 bye was just what the doctor ordered for a struggling Panthers team. Last week, Coach Rivera became a shameful member of the Hot Seat Club for the first time of the season.

Rivera is on pace to have the same type of season he had last year, which isn't saying much in terms of his job security. To his credit, he was a few inches away from pulling out a victory against the undefeated Falcons, but a Cam Newton fumble prevented them from converting a game-winning first down.

Rivera's biggest disappointment so far this year has been the team's struggles defensively. Considering he's a defensive-minded coach, the confusion on that side of the ball is becoming disturbing to say the least.

Mike Mularkey

Last Week: Warm

After Week 6: Warm

Mularkey and his young Jaguars had a bye week during Week 6 that may allow them to tie up a few loose ends and field a team much more capable of consistently executing.

Mularkey would be on the Hot Seat right now, but he still has a little bit of time left on his side, considering this is his first year as head coach. We also need to consider how many of the franchise's problems stem from the personnel.

One thing appears clear in Jacksonville: The Jags are not a good team. In Week 5, the Bears embarrassed them in a 41-3 win that had many believing the team has already thrown in the towel.

Jacksonville is 1-4 after six weeks. They don't appear to be fielding a legitimate contender this season to say the least, but if Mularkey fails to field a competitive team capable of fighting for four quarters, he is almost guaranteed to be out of a job before summer hits.

Sean Payton

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

Sean Payton's importance to the Saints is becoming more evident after each week of struggle. Even though the Saints got their first win on Sunday night in Week 5, the team is clearly lacking its mastermind with Payton being suspended for the season. The Saints are running around like an unpolished version of themselves.

This is the irony of Payton's Hot Seat update. He is best served by a poor display by the Saints, exactly the type of play we have seen for two consecutive weeks.

Considering Payton may be the second-most important person in the franchise behind only Drew Brees, the Saints may want to begin negotiating a contract extension for him as soon as possible.

Mike Munchak

Last Week: Warm

After Week 6: Warm

Munchak was just downgraded to Warm two weeks ago, and he has done enough over the last two seasons to avoid the Hot Seat, especially considering the impressive win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

However, with a 2-4 record to start the season, I just don't see enough going right in Tennessee to justify stable job security at the moment.

The Titans do not seem to be improving from last season, and they have actually regressed overall, which played a big factor in the regression of Munchak's Hot Seat status to warm.

The fate of the offensive approach could decide Munchak's future. If coordinator Chris Palmer fails to produce an effective offense, Munchak could end up on the Hot Seat sooner than many may have expected.

Greg Schiano

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Room Temperature

Schiano's Buccaneers deserve credit for fighting hard all season, and this week it really paid off. Tampa Bay dismantled the Chiefs, 38-10, and improved to a 2-3 record. Coming off a bye week with this type of performance really says a lot about Schiano's ability to make adjustments to his team midseason.

Either that, or the Chiefs are just that terrible.

This is not a team generally looked at as one that needs a lot of time to rebuild. The Buccaneers may be one of the younger squads in the league, but they also are extremely talented, with three promising rookies in Mark Barron, Doug Martin and Lavonte David. They also brought in high-profile, free-agent wideout Vincent Jackson to be the go-to receiver.

John Fox

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool, pending a win Monday night; Warm if they lose to the Chargers.

Denver looked crisp as they fired on all cylinders against the Raiders in Week 4, but in Week 5, the Patriots proved to be too talented for the Broncos defense.

With the addition of Manning, expectations are extremely high in Denver.

Fox’s squad would have to implode for him to be in trouble. Unfortunately, a 2-4 record would be the beginnings of at least a mini-implosion. Coach Fox hasn’t proven nearly enough in Denver to allow this hole to get much deeper.

For now, the Broncos sit with a 2-3 record and a coach whose seat is remaining cool for the time being.

Ken Whisenhunt

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool

After a 4-0 start, the Cardinals have now dropped two games in a row.

Whisenhunt has done the best with what's available. However, let us not forget the role he played in creating this lackluster quarterback situation by releasing Matt Leinart, bringing in Kevin Kolb with a big free-agent contract and failing to add any help in the up front this offseason.

The preseason was cause for concern for Cardinal fans. Watching their offensive line fall apart in the manner in which it did was scary and gave little hope for the near future.

The Cardinals may have a solid defense, but they have one of the worst offensive units in the NFL. Yet they started the season by beating three teams they had no business competing against. This is a good sign of solid coaching.

Whisenhunt better not lose three in a row, or his status will be downgraded for sure. But 4-2 is good enough for a share of the division lead, which far exceeds the expectations of most experts.

Jeff Fisher

Last Week: Cool

After Week 6: Cool

St. Louis only allowed 209 yards in Sunday's disappointing loss to the Dolphins, falling to 3-3 on the season.

Jeff Fisher has the Rams headed in the right direction so far in his first year as head coach. The close 17-14 loss to Miami unfortunately prevented them from tying the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals for first place in the NFC West.

Luckily, the Rams have their franchise QB in Sam Bradford and can build around him for the next 10 years. All indications seem to point toward Fisher being a big part of that process, so his Hot Seat status will remain relatively safe.

Romeo Crennel

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot

If there was a category titled "Red Hot" as an option in the slideshow, Crennel would qualify undoubtedly. The Chiefs lost yet another non-competitive game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Things are getting pretty ugly in Kansas City, and Matt Cassel's absence proved that the problem is much bigger than the quarterback position.

Scott Pioli and the Chiefs organization expected immediate success in Kansas City this season, given the obvious talent on the roster. Unfortunately, starting the season off with a 1-5 record that consists mostly of blowout losses already has Crennel's job under fire.

The last thing you want to see from a team with the talent level of Kansas City is losses that aren’t even competitive.

It seems a winning record is the only outcome at this point that can save Crennel's job for 2013. As of right now, his seat is very hot, and he's in immediate danger of not finishing out the season.

As for Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, this is likely the last head coach he will hire in Kansas City.

Jim Harbaugh

Last Week: Cozy

After Week 6: Cozy

Before Sunday, San Francisco had won their last two games by a combined 79-3 margin—pretty good by most standards. But in a big-game playoff rematch against the Giants, the 49ers came out flat and were both outcoached and outplayed by Tom Coughlin's G-Men.

Alex Smith had one of his worst games in the last two seasons, throwing for three interceptions and no touchdowns. He'll definitely need to avoid games like this down the road if he hopes to lead his team to the ultimate prize in February.

Regardless, Harbaugh's job status remains unchanged. Getting the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last year in his first season as head coach and creating a distinct identity for his team as a tough group with an old-school mentality has him completely safe.

Harbaugh’s turnaround and general style of coaching are hard to ignore. He will have to endure a series of terrible losses for anything to change in his status this year.

Dennis Allen

Last Week: Warm

After Week 6: Warm

The last thing Raiders fans want to endure is another season as the most dysfunctional team in the NFL. This group looked to be headed in that direction before winning big at home two weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The good news is the Raiders look like they're playing smart, disciplined football, fighting all the way to the end—at least, most of the time.

The Raiders are 1-4. Regardless of the record, Allen will be judged on his ability to make the team competitive in every game while showing improvement as the season progresses.

His job status will be more reflective of this premise rather than wins and losses. So a three-point loss to an undefeated Falcons team won't qualify Allen for a demotion to the Hot Seat this week.

Pete Carroll

Last Week: Room Temperature

After Week 6: Cool

Defeating the New England Patriots and advancing to a tie for first place in the division is absolutely cause for a status upgrade for Pete Carroll and his youthful, talented ballclub.

The Seahawks seem ready to contend for the playoffs this year, and Carroll is proving more than willing to do what it takes to get them there, even if it means benching the big free-agent QB acquisition in favor of the shrimpy third-round rookie because of his impressive play in the preseason.

Carroll has also built perhaps the league's most feared secondary.

As long as Seattle wins more than it loses, Carroll should be fairly safe for at least a few more years. After six games, the Seahawks are one of the better teams in the league with a 4-2 record.

Carroll's seat is now cool, but this really needs to be a playoff year if he wants job security for the 2013 season.

Norv Turner

Last Week: Hot

After Week 6: Hot, regardless of Monday night's outcome

Norv Turner's job is all but lost, despite winning his first two games of the season.

The only way he can keep his job at this point is if he gets to an AFC Championship Game; anything less, and it’s "Adios, Mr. Turner." If the Chargers can keep winning games, there is a good chance his seat could cool down before long.

As of right now, the seat doesn’t get much hotter for a head coach who is 3-2. Turner has nearly worn out his welcome in San Diego and was only retained after last season because of desperate pleas by Philip Rivers, who lobbied heavily to give him one last chance.

Just making the playoffs won't cut it in San Diego this year. The organization has completely lost its patience and is all but set for a complete overhaul from the top down.

This means that, even if the Chargers play in a playoff game this year, Turner's status will likely be either hot or warm heading into that game. Should he fail to win a playoff game, we should assume there will be a head-coaching vacancy in San Diego days after the season's end.

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