Who's Next? With Wade Phillips Out of Big D, These 7 Coaches Are on the Hot Seat
Finally. That seems to be all football fans across the globe are saying in the wake of Jerry Jones firing Wade Phillips from the Dallas Cowboys head coaching position. With a 1-7 record following an absolute trouncing on national television, it was all Jones could do to mercifully end the Phillips tenure during a disappointing season.
I’m not going to lament about how Phillips wasn’t the right fit or what the Cowboys could have done differently to support their coach. Instead, I’m looking towards the future at seven other NFL head coaches who are on the hot seat for one reason or another.
In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons to keeping each of these individual head coaches and see who makes the grade, and who is simply NEXT.
Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills
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For Chan Gailey, he must feel like he’s a million miles removed from his days in the Georgia Tech system. In his first NFL gig on over a decade, Gailey has been suffering defeat after defeat as the lowly Buffalo Bills are stuck with the league’s only winless record.
Why he shouldn’t be next
Despite an abysmal 0-8 record, the Bills have lost their last three games by only three points each, twice going to overtime. With the exception of their losses to Green Bay and the New York Jets, all of Buffalo’s game have been relatively close affairs on the scoreboard.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has shown he can be a top flight NFL quarterback and the Bills wide receiving core seems to have found stability thanks to a comeback from Lee Evans and the emergence of Steve Johnson. The Bills’ pass defense is also among the league’s best, ranking sixth despite facing quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler.
Why he should be next
The Bills are 0-8, one of the worst starts in franchise history. Buffalo has become a notoriously bad franchise that can never seem to break out of the funk and while their upcoming schedule has a few winnable games, anything outside of 3-13 would be unreasonable.
The log jam at running back is no closer to solving itself, as C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson seem incapable of carrying the ball for long gains. Shipping out Marshawn Lynch helps, but Buffalo’s most consistent runner has been the quarterback Fitzpatrick.
Buffalo’s rush defense, on the other hand, can’t stop anyone. On average, opposing teams are racking up 178.3 rush yards against the Bills in a single game. In a pass heavy NFL, you can’t win when you can’t stop the run.
The Verdict
The positives don’t outweigh the negatives by too much, but what expectations did Buffalo have that warranted anything better than a losing season? At least a number one draft pick could be in the future, and Gailey deserves one more year to prove he’s progressing.
John Fox, Carolina Panthers
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After a few seasons of dominance integrated with seasons of mediocrity, the Panthers are hitting rock bottom with a 1-7 record. Despite finishing 12-4 just two seasons ago, many of the key pieces are gone and the Panthers are looking like they may not even win four more games this year.
Why he shouldn’t be next
Fox has had his fair share of troubles with an ever-changing franchise in the NFC South. Injuries to his starting quarterback position and the departure of Jake Delhomme has left the offense in a scramble. Jimmy Clausen is still a rookie QB and is playing an awful lot like one.
Meanwhile, without Julius Peppers anchoring the defense, it too seems to have lost the identity that made it a fierce monster. The Panthers are also playing in an exceptionally good division this year, with the Saints, Falcons, and Buccaneers all showing they are capable of being playoff teams.
Why he should be next
The Panthers don’t ever seem to be close in games they play this year, winning only one of their first eight while being blown out of the water. They’ve scored 88 points all year, good for only 11 per game and the league’s worst mark.
Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, once a fearsome duo, seems to have all credibility stripped away with only two rushing touchdowns thus far. Facts are facts: Carolina can still play a serviceable form of defense, but they turn the ball over on offense far too often to get in a groove. Even when they aren’t giving it away, the yards simply aren’t piling up out there.
The Verdict
Fox remains the best coach the Panthers have ever had, and with the recent departures from his Super Bowl team, he may be given the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn’t, but many others, including Carolina upper management, likely will.
Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos
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Since starting the 2009 season 6-0, McDaniels is a resounding 4-14 and the Broncos are far out of the AFC playoff picture. Despite keeping things close in many of their games this year, the wheels have seemingly come off in Denver and several are asking for McDaniels head in the wake of such catastrophe.
Why he shouldn’t be next
McDaniels is still very green to the head coaching gig and will need more time to mature. What was the honest expectation coming out of Denver this year? In a weaker than usual AFC West, many expected Denver to compete for an 8-8 record, which may have been good enough to win the division.
That said, McDaniels has taken all he’s learned from Bill Belichick and applied it by producing an incredibly proficient pass offense helmed by Kyle Orton. Denver’s top four receivers are receiving for better than 11 yards per catch, a mark that seems more characteristic of the Indianapolis Colts than the Denver Broncos.
Denver’s rough patches with the run game can be attributed to injuries for players like Knowshon Moreno and the introduction of several other backs who don’t fit the system. That said, Tim Tebow has two rushing touchdowns, impressive considering many believed he wouldn’t even see the field this year. And again, Denver just missed a few golden opportunities to be 5-3 instead of 2-6.
Why he should be next
The Broncos are pitiful defensively and can’t stop the run at all. They struggle to sack quarterbacks and generate enough pressure for a quality pass rush, likely due to the injury of Elvis Dumervil.
Denver’s run game is the league’s absolute worst, and the offensive play packages intended to incorporate Tim Tebow are incredibly lackluster. Despite his two touchdowns, Tebow has been used in a very miniscule role this year and has yet to throw a single NFL pass. Remember, he’s a quarterback and was drafted to be the future quarterback of the franchise.
It should also be noted that as long as McDaniels coaches the Broncos, he managed to drive out both Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, a dynamic combination that could have ruled the division under this pass-heavy system.
The Verdict
Denver would be in quite the financial headache if they fired McDaniels, especially since they’re still paying off Mike Shanahan. One more year, and a lot of patience, are necessary for McDaniels to truly be evaluated.
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Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers
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On paper, San Francisco looked like the surefire pick out of the NFC West to go to the playoffs. But that’s why games aren’t played on paper. Mike Singletary’s squad stumbled out to an 0-5 record before winning two of their last three en route to a tough struggle against the bye week.
Why he shouldn’t be next
Singletary’s brash style may draw a lot of criticism, but it still could inspire a lot of work out of his players. Michael Crabtree is just starting to wake up this season. Backup quarterback Troy Smith may well be ready to take over at the helm and is looking primed to make an impact at the NFL level.
In a division based on mediocrity, 8-8 could still steal the division and the 49ers have an easy enough schedule to go 6-2 in the second half. Frank Gore is still a prolific rusher and if the defense can keep generating stops against opposing rushers, it’ll be a struggle until the final gun.
Why he should be next
The players honestly stopped listening to Singletary early on. Alex Smith is going down as a grade-A draft bust and San Francisco’s inability to win on the road has proven costly.
The quarterback issues only begin with A-Smith and move to T-Smith in the coming weeks, taking on several teams on the verge of playoffs or bust this year. And in the lowly NFC West, going 2-6 just doesn’t cut it.
The Verdict
Finishing 8-8 could save his job, but one would have to imagine he can’t survive another losing campaign.
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
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Bengals fans have always been patient with Marvin Lewis at the helm, and after a few years of par for the course football, the Bengals emerged with a playoff berth. It would take four more seasons to get back there, but the appearance was forgettable and now the Bengals are back at the bottom and Lewis is running low on excuses.
Why he shouldn’t be next
The T.O.-C.O. experiment has paid off greatly, with Terrell Owens playing comeback player of the year football and sharing his time (but not his touchdowns) with Chad Ochocinco. The passing offense is among the league’s best and the Bengals are still competitive throughout their games, suffering only one legitimate blowout at the hands of New England in week one.
In fact, the offense all around has been decent and the defense is still towards the middle of the pack. In no way have they been completely inept and they tend to force more turnovers than they give up.
Why he should be next
The Bengals only know how to play three quarters of football. This season alone, Cincinnati has fallen asleep in the fourth quarter one too many times and finds a way to get beaten late. Amidst five consecutive losses are games three games that were decided on late scores and two others that saw Cincinnati just come up short.
Monday’s loss to the Steelers was a great example, as the Bengals were completely outplayed yet crawled back to within a touchdown before falling on their faces in the final minutes. The Bengals are done with the easy half of their schedule (four of their next eight are against six-win teams) and couldn’t even beat Cleveland or Miami.
The Verdict
Stick a fork in him, he’s done.
Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
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The long, sad saga of Brad Childress and the Minnesota Vikings is well documented. In fact, had not it been for Wade Phillips and the 1-7 Cowboys, there wouldn’t be a bigger disappointment in the NFC than the 3-5 Vikings. Is Childress orchestrating a crusade or will the Vikings mutiny?
Why he shouldn’t be next
The numbers all add up for a successful franchise. Childress has tried to keep the peace with his legendary quarterback and the rest of the team. He made the correct decision to cut distraction Randy Moss loose, and despite his other wide receiver issues, the team is in the upper half in pass offense.
Adrian Peterson is a great runner who continues to find the holes in defense across the nation while scoring big points. And after losing their home opener, the Vikings are 3-0 in the Metrodome. And a huge, comeback victory against Arizona this week showed that the Minnesota Vikings are still a viable threat to the rest of the NFL.
Why he should be next
If you honestly believe that Childress’ conflict with Brett Favre, Percy Harvin, and anyone else who upsets him this week is over, then you’re delusional. Minnesota has a tall order coming in the next eight weeks, needing to win at least six of those games to earn a playoff spot in a hotly-contested NFC.
In fact, had not it been for a complete defensive collapse form the Cardinals, the Vikings would already be on the outs with a 2-6 record.
The Verdict
Has Brad Childress done anything right with the Vikings? Not yet, and not until he leaves will it be the right thing.
Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers
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Surprise, surprise, the San Diego Chargers started slow this season but are quickly building momentum at a below-par 4-5. With the Chiefs and Raiders still ahead of them in the AFC West standings, San Diego has a lot of work to do.
Why he shouldn’t be next
The Chargers are the best team in the league on offense and the best team in the league on defense. At least, statistically, that’s how it reads. Philip Rivers as exploded as the top quarterback in the NFL this year, finding receivers with great ease. They’re scoring a ton of points and the duo of Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews is keeping things interesting for the run.
San Diego’s defensive effort, particularly from Shaun Phillips and Kevin Burnett (12 combined sacks) are keeping opposing teams in check and the Chargers look just nasty when they get the ball on a turnover. In a fantasy world, San Diego’s defense is leagues ahead of the other 31 NFL teams thanks to huge plays and defensive touchdowns.
Why he should be next
Despite the gruesome twosome of Tolbert and Mathews, the Chargers are showing that it wasn’t LT that made LT ineffective. LaDainian Tomlinson is lighting up the field with the Jets while Turner’s stifling play calls prevent Mathews or Tolbert from dominating.
San Diego couldn’t win on the road until they beat Houston this past week, and that was only due to a last minute interception that Andre Johnson fumbled away. And if you asked Chargers fans whether or not they believed they would be 0-2 in the division after games against Oakland and Kansas City, they would laugh at you.
The Verdict
How many times is he going to get away with this? Turner is a chronic slow starter and has way too much talent on the roster to be 4-5. The Chargers play ridiculous football far too often to be considered a threat anymore, at least while Turner is calling the shots. Dump him, now.
And The Rest...
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Not to say that this list is limited to just these seven men. There are definitely a few other big names that could be shown the door if things don't improve. Here's the short list:
-Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans (4-4, how much patience does the ownership have left?)
-Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals (3-5, two years removed from the Super Bowl, the quarterback debacle isn't the only thing imploding in the desert.)
-Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4, Motivation anyone? Del Rio's only had three winning seasons in Florida.)
Who do you think is on the hot seat?
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