2013 NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat: Coaches That Could Be Fired
September 19th, 2012 by | Posted in NFL Football Comments Off on 2013 NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat: Coaches That Could Be Fired
The 2013 NFL season is only in its infant stages, and we have a lot of coaches that are already starting to sweat some bullets as to whether they will have jobs coming through the end of the season or from the point that the campaign is over with. Check out the list of the NFL hot seat and the coaches on the hot seat through a couple of weeks in the 2013 NFL season.
Rex Ryan, New York Jets – Like it or lump it, Rex is on his way out at the end of the year if he doesn’t get this team to the postseason. GM John Idzik was more or less stuck with Ryan as the head coach of this team, and it is clear that he doesn’t want Ryan there any longer. For now though, ownership has told Idzik that he’s stuck for at least this season, and Ryan is once again proving that he has a defense that is capable of winning games. But does he have an offense that is capable? QB Geno Smith at least is a bit of an upgrade over QB Mark Sanchez as we see it, and that could help out the team, but the rest of the talent surrounding Smith is awful. It’s time for a change in the Big Apple.
Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Had you asked us at the beginning of the season, we would have told you that Schiano would get at least one more season after this one to prove that he is the man that can really take this team to the next level. That said, the disdain that his players have for him is growing, and both QB Josh Freeman and DB Darrelle Revis have taken issue with Schiano. That’s not good for a man that is already looked upon as a hyper aggressive coach that overcoaches his players. Schiano wants more control of the team. GM Mark Dominik isn’t giving it up. In the end, situations like this usually end with the head coach getting canned.
Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys – Why? Because the head coach is always on the hot seat in Dallas. GM/Owner Jerry Jones isn’t going to tolerate another one of these 8-8 type of seasons that ends in Dallas watching the playoffs, and after taking playcalling duties away from Garrett, the next step is sending him packing. We get the feeling that Garrett is a good enough head coach to make this work, and he very well could have the best team in the NFC East this year. But even getting into the playoffs and crashing out in the first round would have JJ gritting his teeth quite a bit. The line has been drawn in the sand. QB Tony Romo is staying. Garrett might be going if he can’t make Romo work.
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans – We aren’t crazy to think that Kubiak’s job could be in some danger this year. Yes, he has finally gotten the team over the hump and gotten it to two straight AFC South titles, and this year should be a third. But if the Texans can’t figure out how to get past one of these big time teams in the AFC, there is a chance that the team might ultimately go the route of the Chargers, who canned Marty Schottenheimer after a number of great regular seasons and no playoff success. We think that the Texans would be crazy to fire Kubiak, and we do think that there is a real sentiment of continuity being important in this franchise, but GM Rick Smith isn’t going to wait forever. The window is only open so far in Houston, and eventually, it’s going to shut.
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers – Again, this might be another one where we are stretching just a bit. The Steelers are in bad shape right now, and they aren’t even going to remotely contend for a playoff spot if they can’t get their offensive line in order. This is another one of these teams that preaches continuity, as the Steelers never, ever fire their head coaches. However, a disaster of a 3-13 season a year after missing the playoffs might have Tomlin at least worrying a little bit about his job. We think that he’ll find a way to win five or six games this year and ultimately be alright, but the seat he is on is getting a little toasty.
Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers – Rivera’s seat is going to be the hottest in the game is his Panthers lose on Sunday to the Giants. Starting at 0-3 isn’t going to cut it again for a man that was tasked to get this team into the playoffs. This is the third year that Rivera has had control of this team, and between his arrival and the emergence of QB Cam Newton as a real franchise changer, the playoffs shouldn’t be an unreal expectation. Unfairly to Rivera though, the NFC South is an awesome division, and getting into the playoffs in the NFC as a whole is going to be extremely tough. We’d bet that this season is the last that we see of Rivera on Tobacco Road.
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions – It’s tough to fire the guy that brought you to your first postseason in eons, but the Lions are going to have to make a move if they end up being a 5-11 type of team once again this year. QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, and RB Reggie Bush are just too talented to be wasting away like this, but the real sign of bad coaching turns up in all of the penalties that Detroit takes that aren’t the aggressive types of holding or pass interference penalties. Far too many offsides. Far too many false starts. Far, far, far, far, far too many personal fouls. Schwartz has done well turning around a team that had just finished 0-16, but there is a lot of work for someone else to do if Schwartz can’t get some of it done over the course of the next four months.
Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans – If the Titans keep showing the grit that they did in Weeks 1 and 2, Munchak will be fine for another season. The expectation is not to get the Titans to the playoffs this year, but to position them to get into the postseason in 2014. So far, things look okay, and the team might arrive a year earlier than scheduled with the way that the AFC is looking. With this revamped offensive line and DC Gregg Williams running a tight ship on that side of the ball, this could be a team that is fundamentally ready to challenge in the AFC South.
