There's a month left in the NFL season. That means some teams are positioning themselves for what they hope will be deep playoff runs. Others are hoping to put themselves in a position to keep playing into January. And still others are just playing out the string in a lost season. Some coaches are coaching for their jobs, while others will inevitably be fired. While some have warmer seats than others, there are a number of coaches that can't exactly feel comfortable about their standing with five games remaining.
Marvin Lewis, Bengals-I feel bad putting Marvin Lewis in this category. Because he's not on the hot seat. Everyone, probably including Marvin Lewis, knows he's going to get fired. He's probably already started cleaning out his office. Lewis was most likely gone unless Cincinnati managed to actually win a playoff game. Well, they're not even going to make the playoffs. His fate is sealed. Although, don't feel to bad for him. This might be a situation similar to the one with Andy Reid, where it was just time for him to move on from the Eagles, only to land in Kansas City days later. There will probably be plenty of openings, so Marvin Lewis likely won't be out of a head coaching job for very long.
Gus Bradley, Jaguars-Jacksonville actually showed signs that they were on their way to being competitive towards the end of last season. They even looked somewhat competitive early in this season. And, don't get me wrong, things in Jacksonville aren't as much of a lost cause as they were a year or two ago. But they've still got a long way to go. Bradley got a vote of confidence last year, and he very well may again. They're not making any progress, though. If I were making the decision, I'd head in another direction and start another rebuild.
Hue Jackson, Browns-To be clear, NOTHING that has happened in Cleveland this year is Hue Jackson's fault. The team just isn't any good. And they haven't given up, either. I watched most of the game yesterday, and they played their butts off. But Jackson might end up being collateral damage if the Browns do manage to pull off the second 0-16 season in NFL history.
John Fox, Bears-John Fox got fired in Denver because he didn't win the Super Bowl, only to see the Broncos win the year after he left. He immediately latched on in Chicago, where he reunited with Jay Cutler and was going to bring the Bears out of their recent doldrums. Well, it hasn't happened. Instead, it seems like they've regressed. I wouldn't be shocked if they gave Fox one more year, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cut him loose, either.
Chip Kelly, 49ers-His system didn't work in Philadelphia. It hasn't worked yet in San Francisco, but they're not gonna give up on it after one year. I think it's more likely the 49ers will do a complete personnel overhaul. Because, let's face it, the team isn't good. Not only are all of their best defensive players hurt, it's been an uphill battle all season because of that Kaepernick national anthem nonsense during the preseason. Once they release Kaepernick and Kelly gets the QB he wants we'll really get to see if he can cut it in the NFL or he's just a really good college coach.
Todd Bowles, Jets-The seemingly annual discussion of the job status of the New York Jets' head coach. Like many of these other coaches, Bowles isn't the Jets' problem. Except he might not be the solution either, which makes his situation one of the most interesting. I can easily see Woody Johnson blaming Bowles for the team's struggles, even though the roster he has to work with isn't the best. I can also easily see Woody keeping him around for another season. This one's really a toss-up.
Jeff Fisher, Rams-Relocating a team isn't an easy thing to do. This is the second time Jeff Fisher has done it. The Oilers struggled their first couple years in Tennessee after moving from Houston, but it wasn't too much later that Fisher had them in the Super Bowl. The Rams know that. That's why they made sure to keep Fisher around when they moved from St. Louis to LA. They've got a bright future with Jared Goff and that gorgeous new stadium in America's second-largest city. The Rams will be closer to contending in the NFC West with Jeff Fisher as coach than without, and they know that. He's not going anywhere.
Mike McCarthy, Packers-One bad season is not going to cost Mike McCarthy his job. Not with an organization like the Packers. Especially with the amount of success he's had in Green Bay. They've made the playoffs each of the last seven seasons. Yes, they haven't lived up to expectations (a lot of people had them in the Super Bowl). But this seems like it's more of a one-year glitch than an indication of bigger problems.
If I had to guess, I'd say Bradley, Jackson and Fox are in the most jeopardy. Again, Lewis doesn't count. He's getting fired.
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