The Top 10 NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat

Coaching in the NFL is a tedious task. It is hard to manage egos, game plan, and out coach the opposing team on a week to week basis. There is a high turnover rate for head coaches in the NFL. Some coaches are in lose lose situations and some coaches have the tools to lead their teams to the championship, but they may lack the coaching instincts that can build a Super Bowl team. When being fired as a NFL coach it does not mean that someone is a bad coach. For example Tony Dungy was fired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then he later found success winning a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts. Jon Gruden was let go by the Oakland Raiders and ironically he defeated the Raiders in the Super Bowl as the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coaches such as John Fox and Jack Del Rio are long tenured coaches that have enjoyed successful years for their respective teams. Things have changed and both of those teams are re-building, but they are not bottom of the barrel teams in the NFL. Coaches such as Jim Schwartz and and Eric Mangini are apart of the re-building process for their respective teams and they may be in a no win situation. The NFL is a " what have you done for me lately" kind of league. There is not much loyalty when it comes to head coaching in the NFL. There are several coaches that are on thin ice this season. The coaches that are mentioned could use a playoff birth that can extend their life as a NFL Head Coach.

Wade Phillips

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SAN DIEGO - AUGUST 21: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys during the pre-season NFL football game against San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on August 21, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys have a video game like roster. Can Wade Phillips put it all together? Jerry Jones will have Phillips bags packed if the Cowboys do not win the Super Bowl.

Lovie Smith

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CHICAGO - AUGUST 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears watches as his team enters the field for warm-ups before taking on the Oakland Raiders during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 21, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Raiders defeated

The Lovie Smith regime may coming to an end in the Windy City. Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz may be waiting to replace Smith if the Bears do not shape up. The Bears have a promising defense, Jay Cutler, and Matt Forte are looking to have bounce back seasons. It does not help that the Bears play in the tough NFC North. The Bears haven't been much since their Super Bowl season. Will a simple playoff birth be enough to keep the Chicago faithful happy?

John Fox

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CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 21: Head coach John Fox of the Carolina Panthers reacts to a call during a preseason game against the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium on August 21, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Mary Ann Chastain/Getty Images

The Carolina Panthers have regressed over the past few seasons. Losing Julius Peppers will be hard to replace. The Panthers drafted promising Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, but he may not see the field depending on the play of quarterback Matt Moore. John Fox did take the Panthers to their only Super Bowl in team history, but that was many years ago.

Jack Del Rio

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PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 13: Head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jack Del Rio looks on from the sideline against the Philadelphia Eagles during their preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 13, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by

Jack Del Rio is on a short leash in Jacksonville despite leading his team to the playoffs a few seasons ago. The erratic quarterback play of David Garrard may get Del Rio the axe. The Jaguars are not improving and the AFC South is becoming even better. It has been a great run in Jacksonville, but I think your days are numbered.

Jim Schwartz

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DENVER - AUGUST 21: Head coach Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions leads his team against the Denver Broncos during preseason NFL action at INVESCO Field at Mile High on August 21, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Lions defeated the Broncos 25-20. (Photo by

Jim Schwartz is in a lose lose situation with the Detroit Lions. This off-season the team improved by drafting Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best, and signing Wide Receiver Nate Burleson. The team has a lot of young talent in Calvin Johnson, Louis Delmas, and Matthew Stafford along with consistent veterans Julian Peterson and Kyle Vanden Bosch. The roster that the Lions feature will not be enough to compete in the NFC North and that may lead to an exit for Jim Schwartz.

Eric Mangini

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CLEVELAND - JANUARY 03: Eric Mangini head coach of the Cleveland Browns leaves the field after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Mangini experiment may come to an end under the Mike Holmgren regime. Mangini's Browns are in a brutal division and the Browns are an inexperienced team. The Browns will play with more pride this season due to their veteran acquisitions such as Sheldon Brown and Jake Delhomme. The city of Cleveland will need a sports outlet since Lebron left town, and it looks like it will not be the Browns.

Gary Kubiak

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NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 21: Head coach Gary Kubiak of the Houston Texans watches a play during the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on August 21, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Texans 38-20. (Photo by

The Houston native has been the staple of 8-8 seasons. Can Kubiak get the Texans over the hump? The offense is high powered, but the defense needs work. It does not help that Dunta Robinson left the Texans for the Falcons. The bad thing is that the Texans play in the same division as the Colts. If the Texans fail to make the playoffs this season who will be at fault ?

Raheem Morris

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TAMPA - MAY 01: Head coach Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches his team during the Buccaneers Rookie mini camp at One Buccaneer Place on May 1, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

Raheem Morris is a young promising coach with an inexperienced roster. The Buccaneers are not expected to improve of last seasons disappointment. Even though this will be Morris's second season he will have to show some type of improvement to keep his coaching job. The Buccaneers are depending on quarterback Josh Freeman to emerge to get them out of the dumps. Is it to soon to pull the plug on Morris?

Josh McDaniels

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ENGLEWOOD, CO - AUGUST 18: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos addresses the media prior to during training camp practice at Dove Valley on August 18, 2010 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

There is no question that Josh McDaniels is a great football mind. The Broncos got off to a fast 6-2 start and faded down the stretch of the latter part of the season. During the off season the Broncos surprisingly drafted former Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow in the first round. This came to a surprise by many, because Tebow is not your prototypical NFL quarterback. The Broncos also lost All-Pro Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall to the Dolphins. The past two off seasons the Broncos have lost two promising stars in Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall due to their relationship with coach Daniels. The Broncos best player Elvis Dumervile is out for the season and his impact will be hard to replace. I know this is McDaniels second season, but he can't continue to lose quality players every off season. It will catch up to him eventually.

Chan Gailey

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DETROIT - SEPTEMBER 02: Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey watches the action during the fouth quarter of the preseason game at Ford Field on September 2, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Bills 28-23. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey is not on the " Hot Seat" as of now but his seat will be boiling by seasons end. The Bills have no quarterback, but they do have great players such as Marshawn Lynch, Darius Byrd, C.J. Spiller, Donte Whitner and Lee Evans. This team was terrible last season with every team in the AFC East making major improvements it is hard to see Gailey succeeding in Buffalo.