NFL Hot Seat Watch at the Season's Quarter Mark

Do you smell something burning? Can you see the smoke starting to billow in the distance?

We've reached the quarter mark of the 2014 NFL season, and seats are starting to warm up, with some threatening to burst into flames.

When surveying various teams around the league, it's easy to see who is in danger of losing their jobs. Whether it's a head coach, general manager or quarterback, changes are bound to be made, and the writing could be on the wall for everyone listed in this column.

Those selected here were chosen for a variety of factors. Some have presided over years of losing and have reached their last gasp, while others have been stricken with bad luck and could pay the price with their jobs. And in one situation, new ownership looms large in a potential decision to fire everyone.

There's still time for seasons to be turned around, but right now, it's clear that the jobs of these men are in jeopardy.

Here is the NFL's hot seat watch at the season's quarter mark.

Jets HC Rex Ryan and QB Geno Smith

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Forget about the seats for New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Geno Smith being hot.

At this point, they're currently drenched in kerosene and aren't far away from bursting into flames.

After squeaking out a Week 1 victory over the horrific Raiders, the Jets have dropped three straight decisions and don't have the look and feel of a playoff team. And if Gang Green continues to struggle, it could spell the end of Ryan and Smith.

Let's start with Smith, the team's second-year quarterback. He's already thrown five interceptions this season and has turned the ball over multiple times in three games. And in a media market as heavily scrutinized as New York, it appears he's beginning to crack under pressure. He cursed out a fan at MetLife Stadium this past Sunday and bristled at media questions concerning backup passer Michael Vick.

In the humble opinion of this author, Smith deserves the opportunity to remain the Jets quarterback. At this point in his career, Vick is no longer a viable option. But Ryan might soon have no choice but to bench Smith in favor of Vick.

And if he does, it would be in a desperate attempt to save his job.

Since back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game in his first two seasons on the job (2009 and 2010), Ryan's Jets have failed to make the postseason in each of the last three years. Make no mistake about it: It's playoffs-or-bust for Ryan this year. He'll surely be fired if the Jets don't qualify.

If Smith plays poorly this Sunday against the Chargers in San Diego, Ryan might have no choice but to insert Vick into the lineup, which will all but seal his fate. In a few months, there's a realistic chance Jets fans will look back on this Week 5 clash as the true beginning of the end for both Ryan and Smith in New York.

Rams HC Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Optimism abounded in St. Louis after the Rams hired coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead prior to the 2012 season.

Unfortunately, the positive vibes haven't carried over into the win column, as Fisher and Snead have only managed a record of 15-19-1. 

And with the 2014 season potentially slipping away, it's fair to question if the two men will be given a chance to right the ship in 2015.

In some ways, it's unfair to posit that Fisher and Snead could be on the hot seat. The Rams play in an outrageously competitive division (the NFC West) and watched their franchise quarterback, Sam Bradford, tear his ACL twice in the last calendar year including this past preseason, which ended his 2014 campaign before it started.

But Fisher and Snead do deserve a ton of blame for bringing Bradford back in the first place. The Rams could have parted ways with the oft-injured (and ultimately unimpressive) Bradford this offseason and used one of their two first-round selections on a quarterback, but Fisher and Snead remained obstinate in their support of Bradford.

In a related story, an undrafted free agent named Austin Davis was named by Fisher as the Rams' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Good luck with that.

It's extremely likely that the Rams will miss the postseason for the third straight year under the stewardship of Fisher and Snead. And if the organization completely bottoms out this fall, there's a chance that the two men will lose their jobs.

The smart money is on them being retained, but to suggest their collective seat isn't growing warmer would be folly.

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie

Ben Margot/Associated Press

In his two-plus seasons as general manager of the Oakland Raiders, Reggie McKenzie has proved to be both hopeless and overmatched.

His hand-picked head coach, Dennis Allen, was fired this past week after garnering an 8-28 record over two-plus seasons. In fairness to Allen, it's not as if he he'd been working with the 2007 Patriots roster, and that falls squarely at the feet of McKenzie.

The talent level on the team just isn't up to NFL standards, as there are teams in the SEC that would produce more fantasy football starters than the Raiders. There's just no way that the Silver and Black, as currently constructed, can compete with the big boys in the NFL. Hell, they can't even compete with the league's bottom feeders, much less the middling squads.

Not only has McKenzie not turned the Raiders into anything resembling a future winner, but he's also failed to change the negative culture that has permeated the Raiders since Rich Gannon quarterbacked them to Super Bowl XXXVII. His reign has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.

Does McKenzie deserve a modicum of credit for steering the Raiders out of the salary-cap hell left behind by the former regime? Yes, he does. But he's also failed in opportunities to improve the roster, and again, he was the one who hired the hapless Allen as head coach.

Now, Tony Sparano takes over as interim coach, and it should surprise no one if the atrocious Raiders become the second team in NFL history to author an 0-16 campaign.

At Tuesday's press conference announcing Allen's firing and Sparano's promotion, McKenzie dropped this gem upon the assembled media, saying, "I will hire the next coach," per Marc Sessler of NFL.com.

If McKenzie is allowed to hire the next coach, Raiders owner Mark Davis should be removed from the team facility in a straitjacket. 

What head coach worth his salt would come to a franchise that employs McKenzie as the general manager? He hasn't shown a keen eye for talent, and with the mercurial Davis calling the shots, he could fire McKenzie at any moment.

A new general manager would surely want to hire his own coach. It simply makes no sense to keep McKenzie around.

Davis needs to do the right thing and dismiss McKenzie. A thorough housecleaning is in order in Oakland, and it's the only way for the franchise to once again correctly preach a true commitment to excellence.

Bills HC Doug Marrone and GM Doug Whaley

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It might seem odd to place a head coach and general manager who have been on the job for less than two full seasons on this list, but as it concerns Doug Marrone and Doug Whaley of the Buffalo Bills, it's absolutely warranted.

And that's because a new ownership group is headed to Buffalo, headed by local billionaire Terry Pegula.

Marrone and Whaley have seen this coming for some time and have surely speculated that 2014 represents a make-or-break season for their continued employment in Western New York. 

Several factors lead into this train of thought, starting with this past May's draft-day trade with Cleveland that netted rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins. In exchange, the Bills gave up their first-round pick this year (the ninth overall selection) and first- and fourth-round picks in next year's draft, which is a massive risk. Marrone and Whaley clearly made the move with visions of playoffs and sugar plum faeries dancing in their heads.

And then there's the benching of second-year quarterback EJ Manuel in favor of veteran Kyle Orton, a move announced by Marrone earlier this week. While Orton is a more competent option than the disappointing Manuel (6-8 as Buffalo's starter while completing less than 60 percent of his passes), the Bills tabbed Manuel as their quarterback of the future when they selected him with the 16th overall pick of the 2013 draft. Now, Manuel will be firmly tethered to the bench as Orton tries to lead the club to the postseason.

Marrone and Whaley have to know that one single, solitary playoff appearance would be all that's needed to save their jobs. The Bills haven't made the postseason since 1999, and Pegula would be hard-pressed to dismiss the two men most responsible for returning the Bills to January football.

The recent actions of Marrone and Whaley—mortgaging the future for a rookie receiver and benching the supposed "franchise" quarterback—smack of two men who are firmly ensconced in job-saving mode. 

If the Bills don't make the playoffs, forget about Marrone and Whaley. It'll be up to a new coach and general manager to pick up the pieces and deal with the aftermath.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Despite making it to two Super Bowls in his time in the Steel City, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin could be on the hot seat.

And if he's not, he absolutely should be.

Tomlin's Steelers haven't qualified for the postseason since 2011 and are 18-18 in their last 36 games. For a franchise that prides itself on being championship=caliber, that record isn't good enough. And the performance thus far this season has left a lot to be desired.

The Steelers have only been impressive in one game—Week 3's nationally televised beatdown of the Carolina Panthers. Their only other victory came in nail-biting fashion at home against the Browns in a game they nearly yakked away. The other two contests have been brutal losses: a blowout at the hands of division rival Baltimore and a stunning home defeat to the previously winless Buccaneers this past Sunday.

The loss to Tampa Bay was stunning and has come to represent the new normal in Pittsburgh. In the past, a Tomlin-coached and Ben Roethlisberger-quarterbacked Steelers team would have never choked away a home game in the manner it did this past Sunday. But alas, this isn't the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XLIII and advanced to Super Bowl XLV under Tomlin's watch.

There's still time for the Steelers to turn their season around and make the playoffs, but if they don't, it's within the realm of possibility that they'll be hiring a new head coach this offseason.

Browns QB Brian Hoyer

David Richard/Associated Press

Before all the great Cleveland Browns fans unite Voltron-style in an uproar, let's get this out of the way: Through three games, Brian Hoyer has done an excellent job as the team's starting quarterback and deserves to be the starter.

But if you think that Hoyer is not operating on a short leash, you simply aren't paying attention.

You see, there's the matter of a rookie passer that the Browns traded up to draft this past May. You might have heard of him—he goes by the name of Johnny Manziel.

Regardless of Hoyer's current status with the team, Manziel remains Cleveland's quarterback of the future, and it'll only require a small misstep from Hoyer for coach Mike Pettine to turn the reins over to Manziel.

Again, Hoyer has earned his starting opportunity. He's thrown three touchdown passes against zero interceptions and nearly piloted the 1-2 Browns to a 3-0 mark. 

But he's not Manziel, and eventually, the Browns are going to have to play their heralded greenhorn.

The next five games will be critical for Hoyer's job security, as the Browns get set to take on the Titans, Steelers, Jaguars, Raiders and Buccaneers. The combined record of those teams is 4-16. If Hoyer doesn't play well over that stretch, he will undoubtedly be removed from the lineup.

That might not be fair, but hey, life (especially in the NFL) isn't fair. Look for Manziel to take over when and if Hoyer begins to stumble.

Titans QB Jake Locker

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Ever since the Tennessee Titans selected quarterback Jake Locker with the eighth overall pick of the 2011 draft, things haven't gone according to plan.

The Titans haven't managed a single postseason appearance in Locker's time in the Music City, and the fourth-year passer has shown a startling inability to stay healthy, missing 15 of the past 36 games due to various maladies.

And when Locker has been on the field, it's not like he's been the second coming of Steve McNair, accumulating a 9-12 record as the team's starter. In three starts this season, Locker is completing only 56 percent of his passes and has thrown three touchdown passes against four interceptions.

This past offseason, new Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt and the organization declined to pick up Locker's fifth-year option, essentially turning 2014 into Locker's final audition to remain the starter. And thus far, he's failing.

After winning their opener in stunning fashion (a road triumph over Kansas City), the Titans have dropped three straight games and are in danger of watching their season slip away. With a regime in place that didn't draft him and rookie sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger waiting in the wings, the onus is on Locker to start playing well now, lest he be tethered to the bench.

Make no mistake about it: Locker's career in Tennessee hangs very much in the balance. His margin for error is minuscule, and no one should be surprised if Whisenhunt makes a move sooner rather than later.

Redskins QB Kirk Cousins

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Admit it: In Week 2, when Kirk Cousins came off the bench in relief of an injured Robert Griffin III and quarterbacked the Washington Redskins to a blowout win over the Jaguars, you thought he had staked a claim to the starting job.

And after he nearly led the Redskins to a road victory over the Eagles in Week 3, you'd have thought the fine folks at the Pro Football Hall of Fame had already started carving Cousins' bust based on the amount of praise being lavished on him.

But Cousins fell back to earth last Thursday night against the Giants, as he looked liked a shell-shocked rookie in an absolutely dreadful performance that quieted the talk of him being the long-term answer in our nation's capital.

In his three-year career, Cousins is now 1-5 as Washington's starting quarterback and has thrown 14 touchdown passes against 15 interceptions. We aren't exactly talking about the second coming of Mark Rypien.

If Cousins can't elevate his level of play, there's a realistic chance the Redskins could turn back to Griffin once he's fully recovered from his dislocated left ankle. Coach Jay Gruden recently provided Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com with this prognosis on Griffin's health:

"

(Griffin is) doing a great job, and like I said, for whatever injury he has, he’s probably going to recover quicker than the normal human being, faster than anybody probably. So it won’t surprise me when he comes back. I’m sure it’ll be quicker than normal. But he’s doing everything he can to get right. What the timetable is, I have no idea. Only his body will know, and the trainers.

"

Cousins needs to perform better if he's to secure a stranglehold on the starting job. If he keeps throwing interceptions with reckless abandon, expect Griffin to be inserted back into the lineup once he's physically cleared to play.