12 Coaches Who Should Fear the Reaper
No one said that being a head coach of a sports team would be easy, so when times get hard for a guy, speculation swirls and fans get antsy.
That's when the rumors begin and the arbitrary backing from an owner or higher-up who "fully supports" that head coach comes, which, of course, rarely has much value anymore—as so many coaches have found out in the past.
And, as always, there will be more head coaches receiving a pink slip—with these being the ones who should be most worried of that happening sooner than later.
David Blatt (Cleveland Cavaliers)
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Is it necessarily fair that Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt is on this list? Not at all, considering the guy led the team to the NBA Finals in his first season at the helm.
Welcome to the wonderful world of coaching the world's best player, two other All-Stars and a team that has a title-or-bust mentality.
While Blatt had tough times in his first year coaching in the NBA after great success in Europe, he tightened the ship and turned things around for the Cavs around mid-January and into the playoffs, when the Cavs' defensive efforts were at championship level.
Unfortunately, because Blatt wasn't the handpicked guy of LeBron James prior to James announcing his return to Ohio last summer, there will always be speculation about his head coach's job status—although Blatt should have silenced all doubts with last season's NBA Finals run.
Tom Coughlin (New York Giants)
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It might be hard for some to imagine, but, like previous seasons, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin continues to be under fire in the Big Apple.
Of course, those who are speculating that Coughlin might get canned might be forgetting all that he's done in his 12 years leading the Giants, which has included grooming Eli Manning and winning two Super Bowls with him at quarterback.
However, even a 96-82 career record in New York might not be enough to save Coughlin this season, as the G-Men continuously blow fourth-quarter leads and make silly mistakes.
He might be known for his no-nonsense demeanor, but in many times since arriving in 2004, Coughlin's Giants teams seems to lack focus at critical moments in too many games.
Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors)
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After an impressive 24-7 start to the 2014-15 season for his Toronto Raptors, head coach Dwane Casey found his job being in question following the team getting swept out of the first round of the playoffs—even after winning its second-straight Atlantic Division title.
Rather than get rid of Casey, though, the Raptors made some serious changes to the makeup of their roster, trading offense for defense and grittiness that, hopefully, will lead to more wins and a deep playoff win.
Of course, that all depends on how the team adjusts to the new strategy, as Casey is being told to run a different system than he initially implemented—a tough proposition for any head coach.
With Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri not responsible for hiring Casey, there is even more pressure on the guy to perform—even after the team re-upped the coach with an extension in 2014—making this a sticky situation any way you spin it.
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Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis Colts)
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This all comes down to one man and one man only: Andrew Luck.
With other quarterbacks in his 2012 draft class getting big-time money from their respective teams, the Indianapolis Colts are on the clock to give the former No. 1 overall pick anything and everything he wants, rolling out the red carpet (h/t SB Nation) for the budding superstar.
Does head coach Chuck Pagano factor into that decision? You bet he does.
No one is discrediting the success Pagano has had in Indy, guiding the team to the postseason in each of his three years, though his first season was cut short due to his battle with cancer. But getting to the playoffs and winning in the playoffs are two different things, and Pagano is under the microscope with each decision he makes.
Hurting himself by criticizing Luck's recent performance, Pagano backtracked to praise his signal-caller—but that could just be the beginning of the end if the Colts don't improve.
Tom Crean (Indiana Hoosiers Men's Hoops)
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Remember when the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball program was considered royalty?
You know, with guys like former head coach Bobby Knight, former point guard Isiah Thomas and the whole aura of those damn candy cane-like striped warmups. Seems like a long time ago now, doesn't it?
While there have been a number of factors for that, naturally, the head coach is often the first one to get criticized—and, rest-assured, Tom Crean has received plenty of that.
Hoosiers fans are used to competing for national titles, not just sneaking into the NCAA Tournament. So if Crean has any chance at succeeding in Bloomington, he'll have to turn some of the solid recruits he's scooped in the past few years to produce, otherwise it's bye-bye.
With a 121-111 record at IU since taking over in 2008, Crean's seat is fiery hot.
Lloyd McClendon (Seattle Mariners)
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For a team that was predicted by Sports Illustrated to reach the ALCS in 2015, the Seattle Mariners sure have failed at expectations.
If not for a last-ditch effort in the past month to at least be respectable in the win-loss department, the M's would have, more than likely, canned manager Lloyd McClendon a month or so ago—and no one would have blamed them for the decision.
Only in his second season in Seattle—with his first one delivering 87 wins—McClendon's seat isn't scorching, but 2016 will be a telling one. Get off to a bad start and he may not last until the All-Star break.
Fortunately for him, the manager, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, does have the support of the team's president—for now.
Bret Bielema (Arkansas Razorbacks Football)
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Although the Arkansas Razorbacks football team was "only" ranked No. 18 in the AP preseason poll, there were plenty of pundits who actually saw Pig Sooie as a dark-horse contender in the SEC and College Football Playoff race.
However, less than one month into the season and Bret Bielema's team has gone and ruined all that optimism.
The blame can't be put squarely on the broad shoulders of Bielema, but, well, maybe it can. After all, this is the same guy whose team seemed underprepared to take on the Toledo Rockets earlier this season, losing at home to the mid-level MAC school.
Beilema's exit from Wisconsin in 2013 to take the Arkansas job was a surprise to begin with, and he lasting until 2016 might be even more shocking if his team keeps up its poor play.
Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues)
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Speculation about Ken Hitchcock's job status was swirling toward the end of last season, but, lucky for him, the St. Louis Blues figured he's still the man for the role.
That doesn't mean the leash isn't short, though.
Even with success in his three-plus seasons—which have included two division titles and a playoff appearance in each—Hitchcock will still be under the gun to produce more once the postseason begins.
That is, of course, should he last that long into the 2015-16 campaign, as NHL teams aren't shy in axing a coach early in a season without much time to prove himself.
The Blues have won just one playoff series in the past 12 years, so the pressure is on Hitchcock to break that streak.
Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints)
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Boasting a .650 winning percentage in his eight-plus seasons with the New Orleans Saints, which includes numerous playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title, head coach Sean Payton's job can't possibly be in question, can it?
Even for a team as traditionally bad as the Saints, it most certainly is.
While Payton has had more success than any man at the helm in Saints' history, his team has gone 3-7 in the past 10 games—which stretches back into last season—and has been a shell of itself on the offensive side of the ball.
Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have always seemed to be a package deal; however, that could change quickly if Payton doesn't do a better job at getting victories.
Al Golden (Miami Hurricanes Football)
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For all intents and purposes, I would think that Miami Hurricanes head football coach Al Golden may be without a job after this season.
It's not that I'm not rooting for the guy—I did meet him at a Miami event this summer, and he was a real nice dude to talk to—but he hasn't done enough in trying to restore the Canes' program to prominence, which fans have noticed.
Carrying just a 31-22 record at Miami and in his fifth year at the school, Golden's team is 3-0 in 2015, but diehard supporters are already calling for his head, flying banners above stadiums to persuade decision-makers to fire him.
Only time will tell if the administration actually pays attention to the pleas.
Matt Williams (Washington Nationals)
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What a difference a year makes for a guy, huh?
After leading his Washington Nationals to a playoff appearance and winning the NL Manager of the Year Award in 2014, manager Matt Williams has seen his team dip out of the playoff race, fall short of expectations and is in risk of losing his job.
The Nats, who spent big money on pitching last offseason and have seen Bryce Harper blossom into the superstar everyone thought he would become, know that a change at the helm might be the best, err, only, way to restore justice in the nation's capital.
Many have already declared Williams as good as gone once the season ends, so there's a good chance he, too, expects it to happen.
Charlie Strong (Texas Longhorns Football)
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Putting Texas Longhorns head football coach Charlie Strong atop this list doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the first to go of all these coaches, but I do think that he's at the most risk of losing his job over anyone else.
Strong can't be blamed for the bad marriage and strange divorce between Texas and its now former athletic director, Steve Patterson, who resigned early this football season.
However, Strong can be blamed for embarrassing the burnt orange so far in the 2015 season, losing in horrid fashion on the road against Notre Dame—prompting play-calling changes on the coaching staff—and then getting attention for losing at home because of a missed PAT by his kicker.
His players might be the ones not executing on the field, but as we all know, it's the head coach who always gets the blame when that happens—and Strong's D-Day will likely come soon because of it.
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