5 Head Coaches on the Hot Seat and How They Can Save Their Job

The hot seat for NFL head coaches has been a dangerous place over the last two seasons. 

Since the start of the 2011 campaign, the NFL has averaged 7.5 new head coaches to start each season. Eight new head coaches started 2011-12, seven started 2012-13. That's almost a quarter of the league with turnover at the head coaching position in each of the last two seasons.

Overall, 15 of the 32 NFL teams have a different head coach today than they did at any point during the 2010 season. That number is quickly approaching the 50 percent mark for the entire league.

Coaches aren't safe during the season, either. There hasn't been a season in which at least one NFL coach didn't get canned during the campaign since 2006.

At least five NFL coaches are starting to feel the heat under their seats in the 2012 season. In the following slides, we break down how each NFL head coach can save their current job from becoming another statistic. 

Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers

Why the Hot Seat?

The San Diego Chargers' historic second-half collapse on Monday night represents the low-point in Norv Turner's tenure as head coach of the team.

Leading 24-0 at halftime and playing in San Diego, the Chargers allowed 35 points and had six total turnovers in an eventual 35-24 loss to the AFC West rival Denver Broncos.

Turner was retained after last season's disappointing 8-8 finish, and a 2-0 start in 2012 helped quiet some of his very vocal critics. However, a 1-3 mark over the Chargers' last four games has the cries for his dismissal reaching all-time volumes in San Diego.

When asked in his postgame press conference about the Chargers fanbase wanting him gone, Turner responded, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Surely, he does.

How to Save His Job

Another 8-8 finish should mean Turner's time as the Chargers head man is over. If San Diego falls too far back in the division race, owner Dean Spanos could (and should) give Turner the boot in-season. 

Saving his job not only includes turning this season around and making the postseason, but doing something once he gets there.

The Chargers have won in the regular season before. There's simply been too much talent on Turner's team over the past two or three seasons for this club to consistently underachieve. 

Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

Why the Hot Seat?

The heat was racketed up on Jason Garrett's job when the Dallas Cowboys mostly botched their late-game handling of Sunday's 31-29 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Kicker Dan Bailey was forced into kicking a 49-yard field goal after the Cowboys let precious time run off the clock, despite having a timeout in the queue.

Bailey missed his ensuing kick to the left and the Cowboys fell to 2-3, last in the NFC East. Garrett has struggled with game management at times, and it's cost the Cowboys wins.

How to Save His Job

Garrett might have the least worry of any of the five head coaches on this list. Jerry Jones has historically held on to coaches too long, rather than pulling a quick trigger on the fire button.

That said, a win-now and at-any-cost owner like Jones might not be so willing to keep Garrett around if the Cowboys again miss the playoffs. The more the years go by with Jones not getting what he wants (a Super Bowl contending football team), the more impatient he'll get with the men leading his franchise.

Pat Shurmur, Cleveland Browns

Why the Hot Seat?

In 22 career games as the Cleveland Browns' head coach, Pat Shurmur has just five wins.

By any measure, that is unacceptable. The Browns haven't had much to work with personnel-wise during those 22 games, but coaches have done more with less before. Play-calling on offense, something Shurmur controls, has been an issue at times.

The Browns are also in the midst of a major change within the structure of their organization, so it's conceivable that new management (owner, president) would want their own guy as the head coach down the line.

How to Save His Job

Shurmur is likely going to have the next 10 games to prove to new owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO/president Joe Banner that he belongs as the head coach of the Browns.

His football team will need to show progress during those 10 games, even if the improvement doesn't show up in the win-loss column. A second 4-12 season is likely acceptable, as long as the Browns appear on the right track.

Another important factor will be the continued progression of 2012 first-round pick Brandon Weeden, who may also be playing for his spot over the next 10 games. 

Romeo Crennel, Kansas City Chiefs

Why the Hot Seat?

The Kansas City Chiefs are a football team that is much more talented than their 1-5 record indicates, and that's a reflection of the head coach.

The defense, Crennel's specialty and a unit he runs in Kansas City, has been a disaster for most of the 2012 season.

The Chiefs have also been outgunned and outexecuted in the first and third quarters (outscored 113-13 in the two quarters combined), which couldn't be a worse statistic for a head coach who devises game plans and makes halftime adjustments.

How to Save His Job

The Chiefs have to turn this lost season around. Crennel was given a chance after showing late last season that he can win games at the helm of this team, including a victory over the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers in Crennel's first game as the interim coach.

The Chiefs were 5-8 when he took over Todd Haley's team, and the Chiefs finished 7-9. Might Kansas City have to finish in the 7-9 range for Crennel to hold onto this job?

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

Why the Hot Seat?

Andy Reid made it crystal clear on Tuesday that his job as Philadelphia Eagles head coach is reaching a breaking point.

After his Eagles blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Detroit Lions at home, Reid canned much-maligned defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, while also claiming that more changes could be in the cards later on.

Reid's Eagles are a disappointing 3-3 this season, and a year ago, the self-proclaimed "Dream Team" Eagles finished with just eight wins. The offense Reid runs has been a turnover-laden circus, too. 

How to Save His Job

Reid still has some leeway in the organization, and rightfully so. He's won big, while countless times overcoming the adversity that comes with the job in Philadelphia. This is a big challenge, however.

The Eagles need to make the playoffs this season for Reid to be secure with his job past 2012. Another 8-8 season would likely be his undoing in Philadelphia, with an in-season firing in play if the Eagles fall completely out of the playoff picture.