NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Which Coaches are Earning their Paycheck?
In yet another edition of the Power Rankings for Week 8 in the NFL, it's time to take a look at what coaches are actually earning their keep this season.
All too often, it seems that pro football fans only discuss head coaches when they're in danger of getting the axe. And for the most part, that's what we're going to do here.
Sure, we'll get into the coaches who can be proud of the job they're doing to put the bacon on the table, but we're going to start with the other guys.
The Utter Failures
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32. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
People were already skeptical of Childress's abilities as a head coach, his own players among them.
Here's a hint: If you want people to take you seriously, don't throw your Future Hall of Fame quarterback under the bus after a loss, even if he did deserve it. You're the one who looks like a jackass right now, not him.
31. Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers
Singletary managed to buy himself some time with a win over the Raiders, and it looked like things were going to continue to get better with San Francisco's game against the winless Panthers.
Instead, the Niners lost again. He may not deserve all the blame, given Alex Smith's injury, but wasn't the defense supposed to be studly under his watch?
30. Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys may have been overrated at the start of the season (and last season, and the season before that), but failing to do better than a 1-5 start is simply baffling.
Jerry Jones said today that he is going to stand by Phillips, but the axe is going to fall on his head sooner or later. Since Dallas' season is already lost, Jones probably figures he may as well wait things out.
29. Norv Turner
He hadn't done anything to prove himself worthy as a head coach before he got the San Diego job, and this season is yet another exhibit in the case against Turner.
With the kind of weapons his team has on both sides of the ball, the Chargers have absolutely no excuse for their 2-5 record. Because of that, this is pretty clearly Norv's fault.
The Not Quite As Bad
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28. Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills
It's hard, when you think about it, to place too much blame on Chan Gailey for the Bills' woes.
Heck, the Bills have been perpetually lousy for years now. They're lousy again this year, and it is very difficult to find a single player on Gailey's roster that is worth shelling out your hard-earned bucks to watch.
27. John Fox, Carolina Panthers
Remember when Fox took the Panthers to the Super Bowl? Man, that was a while ago.
He did himself a huge favor by beating San Francisco. Sure, they beat an absolutely miserable team, but at least they beat a team.
Fox's defense is halfway decent, but his offense is atrocious. They're the lowest-scoring team in the NFC, which is pretty ridiculous given some of the players they have.
Jimmy Clausen doesn't look like the answer, if he ever was supposed to be in the first place.
26. Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions
Schwartz is yet another coach who was unfairly tasked with fixing a train wreck.
This year, he got only 11 passes out of Matthew Stafford before he was hurt, and his defense can't stop anybody. Regardless, the Lions look like the Lions.
Again. If Schwartz gets fired, his job will get handed to yet another poor sucker.
25. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals should be better than their 2-4 mark.
They had two full weeks to prepare for the Falcons, and while they played well, they simply couldn't finish in the fourth quarter. This is Lewis' eighth season at the helm in Cincinatti, and if the Bengals carry on like they have so far, the Bengals' brass might consider making a change.
The Hanging In There
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24. Jack Del Rio
The Jags have been spectacularly crushed in each of their last two games to drop their record to 3-4.
Del Rio's team has regressed significantly since their last playoff appearance in 2007, and the Jaguars just don't stack up against the other teams in the AFC South.
It might be time for him to go.
23. Eric Mangini
His status looked pretty dire before his team somehow beat the defending champs on Sunday.
Nevertheless, he had little to do with it, unless he told David Bowens to go out there and get two pick-sixes. Colt McCoy has also made him look pretty good.
22. Ken Whisenhunt
Less than two years removed from their Super Bowl appearance, the Cardinals are a mess.
They have no quarterback, no rush attack, and a defense that can't stop anybody. Is it more of a personnel problem than a coaching problem?
Probably, but nobody is going to blame the players.
21. Josh McDaniels
Remember how well things started for McDaniels in Denver?
But more importantly, do you remember their 2-8 finish last season? And did you see yesterday's 59-14 loss to the Raiders?
Did you see him refuse to give Tim Tebow reps when the rout was on? Case rested.
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Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Rams dropped a heartbreaker in Tampa, but Spagnuolo still deserves credit for the way the Rams have turned things around this season.
Their record could be as good as 5-2 if they had made some plays in Oakland and in Tampa.
How He Could Blow It
Let the Rams return to the same state that saw them win a total of six games in the last three seasons.
Potential Potholes
Bradford is doing well now, but you never know with rookie quarterbacks, especially those with injury histories.
The biggest obstacles down the road appear to be home games against Atlanta and Kansas City, and road tilts with New Orleans and Seattle.
Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
He led his team to the highest-scoring win in Raiders history and did it against their most hated rival.
How He Could Blow It
The Raiders could start playing like the Raiders again.
Potential Potholes
Much of the Raiders' success on Sunday revolved around the oft-injured Darren McFadden.
Without him, the Raiders' offense is pretty tame. They played a great game on defense against Denver, but it's the kind of game that is too good to be true.
They're also the Raiders.
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
He won the Super Bowl last year, but this season is quickly becoming a disaster for the defending champs.
What happened to the offense?
How He Could Blow It
Payton probably isn't in danger of losing his job anytime soon.
But he needs to fix the offense. Their defense is not going to hold too many teams.
Potential Potholes
They have a tough game against Pittsburgh coming up this week, and they have to travel to both Baltimore and Atlanta in back-to-back weekends in December.
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
His team has won two in a row, and three out of four. They're first in the NFC West, much to everyone's surprise.
How He Could Blow It
A better question would be, "How much longer can he keep it going?"
Indeed, it's hard to pinpoint where Seattle's success is coming from. That may be a testament to their overall team effort, or it could simply say something about the level of competition.
Potential Potholes
This week's game at Oakland suddenly doesn't look all that great.
His team has to face the Giants after that. They might be 4-4 very soon.
The good news is that their division is too awful for them to fall behind.
Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
His team pulled off a nifty last-second win against St. Louis and is sitting pretty at second in the NFC South.
How He Could Blow It
The Bucs are definitely overachieving right now, and they probably aren't too far away from regressing to last season's 3-13 form.
Nevertheless, Morris probably isn't on the hot seat given the kind of talent he's been able to succeed with so far.
Potential Potholes
Two games still to play against Atlanta are going to be tough ones for the Bucs.
Ditto a trip to Baltimore in late November and another to Washington in December. Also, is Josh Freeman as solid as he's shown so far?
Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Washington loss is not his fault.
His team had no business losing to the Skins, but the losses do tend to come when your players turn the ball over six times.
His starting quarterback is looking more and more like a bust every day, but the Bears defense should be good enough to overcome Jay Cutler's bungling in most games.
How He Could Blow It
He has no choice but to keep running Cutler out there, so hopefully that won't be his downfall.
Potential Potholes
The only game that should really scare Smith at this point is the game at New England in early December.
That and his starting quarterback, as you well know by now.
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
With a little help from the officials, McCarthy and the Packers got a much-needed win over Minnesota in primetime on Sunday night.
How He Could Blow It
Many people picked the Packers to be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC, and they have done little to live up to those expectations.
If they keep barely edging opponents in their wins, and losing games they should win, he will blow it.
Potential Potholes
Tough game at the Jets this week, and they still have trips to Atlanta and New England coming up.
Also, he absolutely needs Aaron Rodgers to show no post-concussive symtoms and stay healthy the rest of the way.
Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Skins won a sloppy game at Chicago on Sunday.
Luckily for him, Chicago was the team responsible for most of the sloppiness. There's no denying that he's helped turn the Washington franchise around, which should be good for enough points to last him a while.
How He Could Blow It
You just wonder how many more of these close games the Redskins can keep winning.
Potential Potholes
Tough games at Tennessee and the New York Giants, but other than that, the Skins have plenty of winnable games on their schedule.
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Dolphins probably should have beaten the Steelers on Sunday, and picked up their first home win in the process.
Sparano knows as well as anyone that his team got screwed.
How He Could Blow It
He needs to start winning some home games, because the road is not going to be that kind forever.
Potential Potholes
Trips to Baltimore, the New York Jets and New England are going to be tough for the Dolphins' unbeaten road record.
They also have to host Tennessee in a couple weeks.
Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
He didn't this past week.
The Eagles got stomped by Kerry Collins and Kenny Britt. They've gone 2-2 since starting 2-1.
How He Could Blow It
He's making the right decision in starting Michael Vick in the Eagles' first game after their bye. So, in a sense, he has already avoided blowing it for the time being.
Potential Potholes
Indianapolis is going to be a tall test, but Reid has two weeks to get his team ready for them.
If they lose to Indy, it might become apparent that the Eagles are merely mediocre this year.
Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans
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How He Earned His Paycheck
Fisher has been doing work at Tennessee since 1996, and he got it done on Sunday against the Eagles as well.
And without his starting quarterback, to boot.
How He Could Blow It
Tennessee is definitely in the playoff hunt right now, but they could easily fall out of it given the strength of their division.
Potential Potholes
Their game at Houston in a couple weeks is going to be a pretty good litmus test.
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
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How He Earned His Paycheck
The Texans took a 4-2 record into their bye week, fresh off a late win against Kansas City.
They're currently tied with the Colts for second in the AFC South.
How He Could Blow It
Kubiak has a lot of people thinking the Texans are for real. All he needs to do is keep getting his team to play like they've played so far.
Potential Potholes
As with Tennessee and Jeff Fisher, Kubiak has a tough fight on his hands in winning that division. It's been Indy's kingdom for a long time now.
Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts
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How He Earned His Paycheck
Caldwell and his troupe also enjoyed a post-victory bye in Week 7. The Colts have won four of five after dropping their opener.
How He Could Blow It
The Colts don't look as strong as they have in recent years (obviously), and Dallas Clark's injury could end up being huge.
Potential Potholes
Once again, his division. The Texans might be the better all-around team at this point and have beaten Indy once already.
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Falcons are going into their bye with a 5-2 record, and are on top of the NFC South.
How He Could Blow It
He needs to avoid losing winnable games, which the Falcons already flirted with against San Francisco earlier in the season. But for now, they look pretty good.
Potential Potholes
The only game on Atlanta's schedule that looks tricky at this point is a game against Green Bay in late November.
Other than that, New Orleans just doesn't look dangerous enough to threaten the Falcons when they visit Atlanta in the penultimate game of the season.
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
He just barely avoided dropping pretty far down this list with his team's performance yesterday.
The Ravens are too good to be taking teams like Buffalo to overtime.
How He Can Blow It
People thought the Ravens were the best team in the league a couple weeks ago.
Now many are wondering whether they're even one of the best teams in the AFC, which is loaded this year.
Potential Potholes
The Ravens should be able to finish with a strong record, but they're not going to win the division if Pittsburgh keeps on keepin' on.
Either way, Harbaugh's job is definitely safe.
Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
Other than taking the Kansas City Chiefs to the top of the AFC West, what indeed has he done?
Good win for his team against Jacksonville. They proved they can blow people out.
How He Could Blow It
How much longer can he get his team to overachieve?
Is the defense really that good? Is Cassel going to be that consistent?
Potential Potholes
There are very few challengers in the West right now, but you just never know with San Diego.
If they manage to un(bleep) themselves, the Chiefs could be in for a dogfight.
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Giants have won four in a row, have risen to the top of the NFC East, and are looking like they're easily the best team in the NFC altogether.
'Nough said.
How He Could Blow It
The Giants started 5-0 last year, and finished 8-8. He needs to avoid dropping the ball like that again.
Potential Potholes
Dallas obviously isn't going to threaten them with Jon Kitna under center, but he should beware Michael Vick and the Eagles going forward.
The division isn't theirs quite yet.
Rex Ryan, New York Jets
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
The Jets have won five in a row since dropping their opener in embarrassing fashion.
Ryan deserves credit for taking the training wheels off Mark Sanchez. He also has the perfect attitude for his team.
How He Could Blow It
The Jets have managed to win plenty of people over to their side, and are once again favored as a Super Bowl contender.
But that opening game should not be forgotten. They looked terrible and need to avoid looking like that ever again.
Potential Potholes
New England and Pittsburgh. The Pats are going to keep pace with them in the division, and the Jets have to visit Pittsburgh later this season.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
His team pulled out yet another tight win in San Diego, and it's pretty obvious that running Randy Moss out of town was the right idea.
He's still the smartest coach in football.
How He Could Blow It
It looks doubtful that the Pats are going to plummet back to earth anytime soon, but winning the last two games by a combined six points should raise a red flag or two.
The Pats could be 3-3 if a few things hadn't gone their way.
Potential Potholes
Their only loss was to the Jets, so the Pats need to beat them if they want to be seen as the better team, much less win the division.
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Why He Earned His Paycheck
Tomlin's team caught a break in Miami, but he is still the head coach of one of the best teams in football, if not the best.
Nothing gets past their defense, he knows how to run the ball effectively and having Big Ben back has helped them already.
How He Could Blow It
Well, he needs to keep getting lucky. But it's hard to look at their schedule and find games in which he's going to need luck.
Potential Potholes
The Jets and Patriots.
See above. Wash, rinse, repeat.
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