9 NFL Coaches Feeling the Hot Seat Early in the 2014 Season

As the midway point of the 2014 NFL season is upon us, fans and the media have been able to distinguish the best, middle-tier and worst teams by now. The worst teams generate discussions by the media, but it usually involves the head coach and his future with the team.

Anytime teams have a hard time pulling out wins, the head coach is held accountable as general managers are faced with a challenging decision to either keep the head coach or part ways. When a team struggles, especially early in the season, coaches know their job security goes down as they inch closer to the hot seat.

In this slideshow, we will go over nine head coaches who are on the hot seat as some of them may lose their job either during or after the season.

Rex Ryan, New York Jets

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Despite opening up the 2014 season with a win over the Oakland Raiders, the New York Jets have gone winless since and currently stand at 1-5.

In Rex Ryan’s first two seasons with the Jets, he guided the team to back-to-back AFC Conference Championship appearances. With a stout defense, the Jets were one of the hardest teams for offenses to go up against.

Now, the Jets find themselves in a hole, as they have allowed at least 24 points in all of their losses this year. Offensively, the team is not getting it done either. The most it scored in a game was the 24 points it posted in a loss to Green Bay.

The 1-5 start is the franchise's worst in the Rex Ryan era. With the Patriots, Bills, Chiefs and Steelers coming up in the next four weeks, New York’s losing streak is likely to continue.

At this rate, it is hard to make a case as to why Ryan will return to New York after this season.

Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles showed some promise against the Tennessee Titans this past week. However, at the end of the day, the Jaguars were limited in scoring once again while still seeking their first win of the season.

Even in his second year in lifting the franchise, Gus Bradley is responsible for the team’s disastrous start. The Jaguars are second to worst in the league in scoring as their season-high for most points in a game was against the Eagles during the team's season opener with 17. The Jaguars were blown out in each of their first four games this year.

Nearly in the bottom of the league in every category, the Jaguars don’t appear as if they will find a win anytime soon, even against some of the other bottom-tier teams.

Bradley may be given a third year, but it shouldn’t come off as a surprise if he gets the pink slip after this season.

Tony Sparano, Oakland Raiders

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In Tony Sparano’s first game as the interim head coach of the Oakland Raiders, the team put up a good fight against the San Diego Chargers.

But the fact is, the Raiders are 0-5.

Although Sparano was not the head coach for the first four games, his job security is in question due to the fact that Dennis Allen, who he is replacing, hired him. When a head coach does not do well, he and his assistants generally are let go together.

Whether it is trying to remove the interim tag or return in Oakland, Sparano and the rest of the assistants have a reason to be worried if the Raiders decide to clean house and bring in a new coaching staff the following season.

Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints

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Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints are coming off a much needed bye week. The Saints have surprised many fans this year after starting 0-2 and dropping three of their first four contests.

Drew Brees and the offense have been sound and solid this year, but the team as a whole has not played well. New Orleans’ defense has been a culprit this season, allowing more than 28 points per game on average.

The Saints faced a similar start in 2012 when the team started 0-4 and finished 7-9.

Even if the Saints finish below .500 for the second time in three years, it may not result in a termination yet for Payton. However, if the Saints follow that with another bad season under his watch, that could be the end for him in New Orleans.

Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers

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The rumors surrounding San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh have been a household topic for the national media the past few weeks as all signs point to Harbaugh leaving the team after the 2014 season.

NFL Network’s Deion Sanders said on a Sept. 28 edition of NFL GameDay Final that 49er players want Harbaugh out and went on to say the players are not on the same page as their head coach.

When Harbaugh was asked about Sanders’ comments, he responded by saying he thinks it is “a bunch of crap,” according to Lindsay Jones of USA Today on Twitter.

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that even if the 49ers win the Super Bowl, Harbaugh would not return to San Francisco. Jed York, CEO of the 49ers, tweeted “Jim is my coach,” to try to put an end to all the talk about Harbaugh being fired after this year.

Even coming out victorious in back-to-back weeks, the fact that the rumors continue to circulate ensures Harbaugh's name making this list. Although the 49ers have tried to flush these rumors, the speculation has not stopped, and Harbaugh is expected to have a new job after this season.

Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans

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After opening the season with a big road win in Kansas City, the Tennessee Titans went on to lose four straight. They snapped the losing streak against the Jaguars at home.

The Titans have a couple of winnable games throughout the season, but want to step it up and become more competitive.

Ken Whisenhunt, who is in his second go-around as a head coach in the league, won’t be terminated after the season. However, he knows the 2-4 start could be part of the reason for a future departure if things don’t get adjusted soon.

Most first-year head coaches are not expected to make a major splash, but a bad start hurts their stance too.

Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams

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After spending 17 seasons with the Oilers-Titans franchise as the head coach and taking a year off, Jeff Fisher returned to coaching after being hired by the St. Louis Rams in 2012. As he continues his third season with the team, however, Fisher is not making any progress in St. Louis.

Coming off consecutive seven-win seasons in 2012 and 2013, the Rams are off to a 1-3 start this year. Prior to the regular season, quarterback Sam Bradford tore his ACL, which hurt St. Louis as it has captured only one win so far.

The bad start might not spell the end of Fisher, yet. But with two seasons under .500 and a rough start to 2014, Fisher knows he has little time left in trying to turn the Rams around.

Lovie Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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After the Chicago Bears made a surprising move by firing Lovie Smith at the end of 2012 coming off a 10-6 season, Smith returned to coaching this year.

His season debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not looking good, though.

The Buccaneers are 1-5 going into the bye week. Two of their losses were major blowouts. Following Smith from Chicago, the Josh McCown experiment has been a disappointment so far, as an injury has kept him on the sidelines.

Given Smith’s track record, he surely won’t lose his job after one season. But if the team can’t dig itself out of the basement of the NFC South and remain one of the worst teams, it could translate into a future termination for Smith.

Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons

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Mike Smith coached the Atlanta Falcons to winning seasons in each of his first five years after taking over as head coach in 2008. Four of those seasons ended with double-digit wins.

Today, the Falcons face plenty of issues on the field. Coming off a 4-12 season, the Falcons are off to another slow start in 2014, as they currently sit at 2-4.

After fielding one of the NFC's most competitive teams during his first five seasons in Atlanta, Smith now finds himself fighting to keep his job as the Falcons have captured just six wins in their last 20 games.

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