Gooch
E-Dog
- Messages
- 745
- Reaction score
- 204
The Hot Seat Rankings
1. Rod Marinelli, Detroit -- No way, no how the Lions sell tickets for 2009 with Marinelli still around. Time to put Matt Millen's final coaching hire out of his misery. A historic 0-16 season wouldn't even require an explanation, just a firing and a press conference.
• Pink slip potential: 99 percent.
2. Jim Haslett, St. Louis -- After those hopeful first two wins over Washington and Dallas after he took over for Scott Linehan, Haslett's Rams have laid down and died like dogs, dropping six straight. Most of them in the ugly blowout fashion. Look for the Rams to try and land a high-profile defensive coordinator like Spagnuolo, Schwartz or Rex Ryan.
• Pink slip potential: 95 percent.
3. Romeo Crennel, Cleveland -- League sources I talk to say it's 50-50 that Browns owner Randy Lerner blows up the whole thing and starts over in Cleveland with a new general manager and a new head coach. But those odds are on both Savage and Crennel to be fired together. When you ask around regarding just Crennel, it approaches a foregone conclusion that he's gone.
• Pink slip potential: 90 percent.
4. Wade Phillips, Dallas -- To be sure, the Cowboys' season-saving three-game winning streak has lightened the pressure on Phillips -- for now. But it's still all about playoff success, or bust, in Dallas this season. Since the Cowboys are going to have to go the wild-card route -- if they go at all to the playoffs -- that makes it a very difficult road to ride.
• Pink slip potential: 75 percent.
5. Herm Edwards, Kansas City -- That win at Oakland on Sunday was only Kansas City's second in its past 21 games, and there's not many coaches who could survive a 2-19 run in the NFL. But Edwards could be one of them, if -- and it's a big if -- Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson returns. I just don't know how owner Clark Hunt sells another season of Peterson and Edwards to the frustrated fans of Kansas City.
• Pink slip potential: 55 percent.
6. Mike Singletary, San Francisco -- If the 49ers could split their last four games, after winning Sunday at Buffalo, that late-season momentum might be enough to turn the tide in favor of Singletary getting the interim tag removed from his title. It's a fluid situation, but after a shaky start, Singletary has a shot to survive.
• Pink slip potential: 55 percent.
7. Norv Turner, San Diego -- I really don't believe that Chargers general manager Smith wants to fire Turner, who led San Diego to those two long-awaited playoff victories last January. But he might find himself feeling forced to make a move if the wheels continue to come off for the Chargers in the season's final month. As we said above, New England offensive coordinator McDaniels might be an intriguing option.
• Pink slip potential: 50 percent.
8. Tom Cable, Oakland -- The Raiders could easily fire Cable, of course, but the question in Oakland is who does Davis get to take the job at that point? Cable could stick around, because Davis is said to see a bit of young John Madden in him, and he has had the Raiders playing hard in recent weeks. For Davis, that win at Denver alone is worth considering Cable for the full-time gig.
• Pink slip potential: 50 percent.
9. Gary Kubiak, Houston -- Texans owner Bob McNair has always struck me as a reasonable and largely patient man, and that's probably going to work in Kubiak's favor regarding a fourth season in Houston. Also, don't underestimate the importance of the Texans' big home win over Jacksonville in their first-ever Monday Night Football game. An egg-laying in that one could have really doomed Kubiak.
• Pink slip potential: 35 percent.
10. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati -- If Lewis was coaching anywhere else, his team's 1-10-1 record this season would be a death sentence. But he's working for an owner in Mike Brown who holds his nose at the thought of paying off a coach to disappear. Brown, who still owes Lewis at least $8 million over the next two years, came out this week and praised Lewis for doing "an incredibly good job'' this season.
• Pink slip potential: 30 percent.
11. Brad Childress, Minnesota -- The Vikings and Childress don't have any reason to get comfortable just yet, but they are 7-5 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. A 9-7 record and a division title is probably what it's going to take to make Childress entirely safe. The Vikings have to win at Detroit this week, then get one more W out of the tough final three weeks: At Arizona, then home against Atlanta and the Giants. Fortunately for Minnesota, the Cardinals and Giants will probably have already clinched.
• Pink slip potential: 30 percent.
12. Andy Reid, Philadelphia -- It's not out of the question that a change is in the offing in Philly, but my gut tells me that that Eagles management will give Reid the benefit of the doubt in this, his third non-playoff season in four years. But with three games remaining in the rugged NFC East, the story could still take a downward spiral for the Eagles in December.
• Pink slip potential: 25 percent.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/12/02/coaches/index.html
1. Rod Marinelli, Detroit -- No way, no how the Lions sell tickets for 2009 with Marinelli still around. Time to put Matt Millen's final coaching hire out of his misery. A historic 0-16 season wouldn't even require an explanation, just a firing and a press conference.
• Pink slip potential: 99 percent.
2. Jim Haslett, St. Louis -- After those hopeful first two wins over Washington and Dallas after he took over for Scott Linehan, Haslett's Rams have laid down and died like dogs, dropping six straight. Most of them in the ugly blowout fashion. Look for the Rams to try and land a high-profile defensive coordinator like Spagnuolo, Schwartz or Rex Ryan.
• Pink slip potential: 95 percent.
3. Romeo Crennel, Cleveland -- League sources I talk to say it's 50-50 that Browns owner Randy Lerner blows up the whole thing and starts over in Cleveland with a new general manager and a new head coach. But those odds are on both Savage and Crennel to be fired together. When you ask around regarding just Crennel, it approaches a foregone conclusion that he's gone.
• Pink slip potential: 90 percent.
4. Wade Phillips, Dallas -- To be sure, the Cowboys' season-saving three-game winning streak has lightened the pressure on Phillips -- for now. But it's still all about playoff success, or bust, in Dallas this season. Since the Cowboys are going to have to go the wild-card route -- if they go at all to the playoffs -- that makes it a very difficult road to ride.
• Pink slip potential: 75 percent.
5. Herm Edwards, Kansas City -- That win at Oakland on Sunday was only Kansas City's second in its past 21 games, and there's not many coaches who could survive a 2-19 run in the NFL. But Edwards could be one of them, if -- and it's a big if -- Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson returns. I just don't know how owner Clark Hunt sells another season of Peterson and Edwards to the frustrated fans of Kansas City.
• Pink slip potential: 55 percent.
6. Mike Singletary, San Francisco -- If the 49ers could split their last four games, after winning Sunday at Buffalo, that late-season momentum might be enough to turn the tide in favor of Singletary getting the interim tag removed from his title. It's a fluid situation, but after a shaky start, Singletary has a shot to survive.
• Pink slip potential: 55 percent.
7. Norv Turner, San Diego -- I really don't believe that Chargers general manager Smith wants to fire Turner, who led San Diego to those two long-awaited playoff victories last January. But he might find himself feeling forced to make a move if the wheels continue to come off for the Chargers in the season's final month. As we said above, New England offensive coordinator McDaniels might be an intriguing option.
• Pink slip potential: 50 percent.
8. Tom Cable, Oakland -- The Raiders could easily fire Cable, of course, but the question in Oakland is who does Davis get to take the job at that point? Cable could stick around, because Davis is said to see a bit of young John Madden in him, and he has had the Raiders playing hard in recent weeks. For Davis, that win at Denver alone is worth considering Cable for the full-time gig.
• Pink slip potential: 50 percent.
9. Gary Kubiak, Houston -- Texans owner Bob McNair has always struck me as a reasonable and largely patient man, and that's probably going to work in Kubiak's favor regarding a fourth season in Houston. Also, don't underestimate the importance of the Texans' big home win over Jacksonville in their first-ever Monday Night Football game. An egg-laying in that one could have really doomed Kubiak.
• Pink slip potential: 35 percent.
10. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati -- If Lewis was coaching anywhere else, his team's 1-10-1 record this season would be a death sentence. But he's working for an owner in Mike Brown who holds his nose at the thought of paying off a coach to disappear. Brown, who still owes Lewis at least $8 million over the next two years, came out this week and praised Lewis for doing "an incredibly good job'' this season.
• Pink slip potential: 30 percent.
11. Brad Childress, Minnesota -- The Vikings and Childress don't have any reason to get comfortable just yet, but they are 7-5 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. A 9-7 record and a division title is probably what it's going to take to make Childress entirely safe. The Vikings have to win at Detroit this week, then get one more W out of the tough final three weeks: At Arizona, then home against Atlanta and the Giants. Fortunately for Minnesota, the Cardinals and Giants will probably have already clinched.
• Pink slip potential: 30 percent.
12. Andy Reid, Philadelphia -- It's not out of the question that a change is in the offing in Philly, but my gut tells me that that Eagles management will give Reid the benefit of the doubt in this, his third non-playoff season in four years. But with three games remaining in the rugged NFC East, the story could still take a downward spiral for the Eagles in December.
• Pink slip potential: 25 percent.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/12/02/coaches/index.html
