NFL Coach Rankings: Marvin Lewis, Gary Kubiak and Three More Troubled Coaches

With only two weeks to go, the NFL's regular season is winding to a close. For some teams, that simply means getting ready and positioning for the playoffs. For others, it means finding answers to why their season was completely lost.

Some of those teams will find their answer in a new coaching hire. The most popular way to re-energize a fanbase is to fire the head coach, after all.

Here's a look at five coaches who likely won't be manning the same sideline in 2011 if there is a football season.

Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins

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MIAMI - DECEMBER 19: Coach Tony Sparano of the Miami Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Miami, Florida. The Bills defeated the Dolphins 17-14. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

He was a Bill Parcells guy from the Tuna's days in Dallas. He was supposed to bring a tough, disciplined style to a Miami team in turmoil. He was supposed to take them back to the playoffs perennially.

He was supposed to be the new Parcells.

Instead, he's the new Dave Wannstedt.

Sparano has failed to develop quarterback Chad Henne. He's had one winning season in three. The Dolphins, as has been the case with most coaches since Don Shula, are not significantly better than they were when Sparano arrived here.

This year, the team loaded up for a playoff run. They traded for disgruntled Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, shed the dead weight of Joey Porter and looked primed for a big season.

Instead, they've got a stunning 1-6 record at home and a 7-7 overall record. That's good for third in the competitive AFC East, but not good enough for Dolphins' fans or brass, who expected much more.

Is Sparano the right fall guy? Yes and no. He's not the lone cause of trouble. He didn't draft Henne all by himself. He didn't put the roster together alone. He's not the only coach on the sidelines. But he is the head coach and it's his responsibility to motivate this team to compete every single week. He hasn't done that and in some ways, the Dolphins have regressed the last two years since the magical playoff run of 2008.

With Parcells stepping away, it's likely a new regime at the top will look to find their own head coach to rescue the Dolphins from mediocrity.

Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans

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NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 19: Coach Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans calls instructions to his team against the Houston Texans at LP Field on December 19, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Texans, 31-17. (Photo by Grant Halverson/G

Unlike the other men on this list, there's no questioning Fisher's ability to coach a team. He's the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, has one of the best track records when it comes to cultivating talent and is one of the best and most well-rounded men in the game.

The problem in the Music City is that he's on a collision course with team owner Bud Adams over one topic: Vince Young.

The trouble and enigmatic star quarterback is not among Fisher's favorite players. The two got into a verbal spat after Young was injured a few weeks back and it's clear Fisher wants Young off the Titans' roster before next season.

The problem is that Adams is an avid fan of Vince Young. He's followed him since his days at Texas and was giddy as a schoolboy to draft him for his own team. Young has spectacularly failed in the NFL, but Adams looks only at the player he wants Young to be and the player Adams believes Young actually is.

I'll save the diatribe on how ludicrous and insane Bud Adams has sounded since he drafted Young, but suffice it to say he's not seeing clearly.

Fisher will be coaching somewhere in 2011 if he so desires. It probably won't be Tennessee, where Vince Young will soon become another man's problem.

In a battle between who's more relevant and who's going to have a better overall career, I'd take Fisher.

Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers

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SAN FRANCISCO - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on December 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California.(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Singletary is not on stable ground in San Francisco. If his team played in any other division in the NFL, he'd be out of the playoffs and probably already out of a job.

In the NFC West, however, life is good. 11 teams not currently leading their divisions could qualify for first place in that division and 16 would still be in the hunt for a playoff berth should they play there. It's the league's worst division by far. The winner of it will only be 8-8 at best and could be 7-9.

At 5-9, Singletary's team should have been eliminated after an awful start. He's turned the quarterback position into a revolving door, squandered good team defense and overseen a team that's become a veritable circus.

Now, to be fair, he's a great leader and role model. He's just not a head coach yet. He's one of those Bill Belichick-type people that might be unbeatable later but just don't seem ready yet. Singletary had no coordinator or head coaching experience before coming into the job, so it's easy to see how he might be overwhelmed.

The 49ers need a lot of things, but the first is a coach who understands offense. Their defense under Greg Manusky is among the most talented in the league and usually can hang with any offense in the NFL.

Their offense, however, is a shambles and makes a waste out of talented receiver Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis to say nothing of Frank Gore.

Playoffs or not, Singletary should go. The true crime of a division crown might be that he gets a pass from owner Jed York.

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans

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HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 13: Head coach Gary Kubiak yells at the officials in the fourth quarter during a football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Reliant Stadium on December 13, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Last year, Kubiak's Texans were 9-7 and barely missed qualifying for the playoffs.

This year, they're almost qualified for a top 10 draft selection.

The Texans look awful on defense and their offense is constantly forced to play catch-up. Like Philip Rivers in San Diego, Houston's Matt Schaub is the lone gunman for his team. He shoulders the load and keeps them in most games.

With two fights this season, however, the Texans have become a bunch of immature bullies. Say what you will about the Cortland Finnegan situation and the fisticuffs this past Sunday, but it shows a tremendous lack of discipline and accountability when these things happen.

Could you see Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick or Jim Caldwell putting up with that kind of thing? I don't. All three of those coaches expect players to play within the confines of the game and control their emotions.

Kubiak was in trouble last year when the Texans barely missed the playoffs. He's got to be in boiling-hot water for this debacle. He's another coach who may someday shine, but he's most certainly not ready for the big chair yet.

With Bill Cowher rumored to be interested in the Texans as a destination for his coaching services, it's very likely Houston will waste no time in disposing of Kubiak and installing a more defense-minded coach like Cowher.

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals leaves the field after his teams win over the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Here we have the latest victim of TOD (Terrell Owens Disease)?

Lewis' Bengals won the always-tough AFC North crown last year in a tight battle with Baltimore. This year, they are in a tight battle for a top five draft selection.

Such is the way of the Bengals under Marvin Lewis: one year good, several years bad, one year good, several years bad.

This time, however, Lewis won't get the chance to turn things around. The Bengals increased their talent from 2009 and were, on paper, the most difficult team in a division that included the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

On the field, however, the Bengals were a joke. They started 2-1, which seemed to justify the faith that Cincinnati might finally have a consistent winner again. They then reeled off 10 consecutive losses to remove any doubt that they were, indeed, not for prime time.

They've shown flashes very briefly all year, but have found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at virtually every turn. They're undisciplined even without Terrell Owens' big mouth. With it, they are simply worse.

Owens will take his act elsewhere in 2011. He may not even get an offer. He was lucky to get one from the desperate-to-win Bengals. Lewis will also take his brilliant resume as a defensive coordinator somewhere. Hopefully he can recapture the magic he had with Baltimore in the early years of the millennium.