COACHES HOT SEAT BLOG

It wasn’t a big surprise to us that the Ravens decided to fire Billick, because you could tell that Brian had lost his football team long ago.  Watching the Ravens press conference you can see that everyone in their management was united in the conviction that it was time for a head coaching change.  As for the other coaches on the Hot Seat, Cam Cameron looks to be the next one to be shown the door, because Parcells surely wants to bring in his own man to help rebuild the Dolphins.  Miami is badly in need of someone that can put an effective offense on the field and score some points, and that man could just be the Cowboys’ Jason Garrett.  After Cameron it looks like Mike Nolan might be next on the chopping block, and who can blame for firing Nolan after he put up a pitiful 16-32 in 3 seasons with the Niners. 

It looks like Herm Edwards will be back, and the Rams’ organization is in total disarray so Linehan looks like he will get another year.  Is Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis safe after putting up a 41-38 record in 5 seasons?  Hard to believe it, but he will probably be back in ‘08.  That leaves John Fox at Carolina as one of the few coaches that might be in jeopardy of losing his job, and can you really blame the owners of the Panthers for firing Fox after two straight mediocre years?  No, you can’t.

We will see how all of these coaching changes shake out over the next couple of days and be back with our observations on the season.  Needless to say, there were some terribly disappointing seasons by football teams that expected to be challenging for playoff positions, and that has got to be irritating to owners that are pouring enormous amounts of money into their teams.

Happy New Year to everyone!

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What an interesting week for coaches on the Hot Seat as we saw some inspired play from almost all the teams with coaches in trouble.  Let’s take a quick look at our latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL:

One of the most interesting games on Sunday was Cleveland at Cincinnati.  Marvin Lewis was in deep trouble going into this game, but almost from the kickoff the Bengals seem determined to make the Browns earn their way into the playoffs.  Clearly, Lewis still has some control over this team, but will it be enough for him to hold onto his job?  Hard to say now, but you really have to wonder why the Bengals couldn’t have played that inspired the week before in San Francisco.  Now that is a head scratcher. 

Now let’s look at a few of the coaches on the Hot Seat in our latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL:

1. Brian Billick:  That 27-6 loss at Seattle by the Ravens was embarrassing.  We are starting to wonder if this Baltimore team has quit on Billick, and if they have there has to be some real concern in the Ravens’ front office that Billick may not be able to turn this team around in 2008.  A change in the head coaching position may be the Ravens only choice now.

2.  Herman Edwards:  The Chiefs played hard and lost their starting QB, but they still lost to a team that was on a 6-game losing streak.  Is this thing going forwards or backwards in KC?  From our point of view it is hard to tell, and that must really worry the owners of the Chiefs.

3.  Steve Linehan:  Linehan had enough to worry about, but now he is in an a crazy argument with one of his all-star players in Torry Holt during the playing of a game.  We really wonder if Linehan has control of this team, and if he doesn’t then a change in the head coaching position will be necessary.

4.  Cam Cameron:  Cameron is the anti-Saban.  Nice guy, enjoyable to be around, human, but we don’t think he can coach a lick, at least at the head coach level.  No doubt Parcells will be looking to bring in a young up and coming offensive coordinator like Jason Garrett when the season is over, and Cameron can go back to being a very good coordinator.

5.  Mike Nolan:  As we said last week, Nolan is best when it matters least (actually someone else wrote that first), but how true it is.  One of the most stunning columns of the week was written by Nancy Gay of the San Francisco Chronicle when she detailed some of the comments made in the locker room by Nolan’s on players, “What if the 49ers go to Cleveland on Sunday and pull off the season-ending trifecta, getting a win over a Browns team that blew a chance to clinch a wild-card berth Sunday by losing to the struggling Bengals?  What should happen to Nolan then?  “Do you think he’s coming back?” two defensive starters asked point-blank. The question was startling. For obvious reasons, they didn’t want their names used.  Told that Nolan appeared safe for a fourth season, both players reacted negatively.  “This win shouldn’t gloss over anything,” one player said. “I really hope it doesn’t.”  Both players said they wanted a coaching change, citing numerous issues with Nolan they said have been setbacks for what they consider to be a strong defense: questionable personnel schemes, such as abandoning the base 3-4 scheme too often in favor of nickel and dime sub packages that left the edges and middle of the field exposed; favoritism that determines playing time; poor game and clock management; poor communication that extends beyond the Nolan-Alex Smith injury flap.  “No way we should be 5-10 right now,” another player said. “Look at the personnel we have. Something is wrong.”  By the sound of it, players would like the head coach and the staff to be fully accountable. Just as they will be.

WOW!  It is clear there are some serious problems in the 49ers locker room, and if the ownership of this team is actually stupid enough to bring back Mike Nolan or Alex Smith then these people need some real help in just what the game of football is all about.  Of course, the Yorks would be lucky to know how to catch a football, forget about running an NFL franchise.

Well, there you have the Top 5 from the latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL 

This should be a fascinating week of NFL football, with the Giants and Patriots getting things started on Saturday night.  The game is on the NFL Network, and we would certainly want to encourage sports fans everwhere to forget about cable and go ahead and sign up for DirecTV.  Everyone here at Coaches Hot Seat has DirecTV, and along with getting the NFL Network, we are able to see lots of college football, and there are literally dozens of sports channels between FoxSports and ESPN.  Forget cable, call DirecTV and join the rest of us in sports nirvana!

Cincinnati at Miami should be an interesting game, and it probably a job-ender for Marvin Lewis if he cannot beat the hapless Dolphins.  San Francisco at Cleveland is another fascinating game, with both Crennel and Nolan probably needing a win to keep their jobs, but Nolan is in much worse shape.  Pittsburgh at Baltimore might just be Billick’s swan song, because if he cannot get this team playing like they care about their team and city, it will be time to end the Billick era in Baltimore.  Kansas City at the New York Jets promises to be a yawner, but this game is vital for Herm Edwards and his future in KC.  Can Edwards lose to the miserable Jets and possibly keep his job?  Maybe, but why would he.

We hope everyone is having a great Christmas and we look forward to another week of NFL football!

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We have a number of interesting games coming up in Week 16, and the coaches on the Hot Seatwill be under increasing pressure to prove they still have a handle on their football teams.  Let’s look at the matchups involving the coaches on the Hot Seat according to the latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL:

1.  Marvin Lewis - Cincinnati at home vs. Cleveland:  Romeo Crennel has the Browns rolling and Cleveland’s visit to Cincinnati could not come at worse time for Marvin Lewis.  Lewis’ team has been reeling in recent weeks, and the loss to the hapless 49ers may have sealed the deal against Lewis.  This game against the Browns is a must-win for Lewis if he is to have any hope of coaching the Bengals in 2008.

2.  Brian Billick - Baltimore at Seattle:  Things have absolutely fallen apart for Billick and the Ravens this year in Baltimore, and this trip to Seattle could not come at a worse time.  No doubt Mike Holmgren has been raising hell at Seahawks’ practices this past week after their uninspired loss to Carolina.  Holmgren will want to get his Seahawks team back on track with the playoffs looming, and the Ravens will be given no quarter, and probably no chance to win this game.  Billick needs a win this weekend, and we don’t see any way in the world he gets one.  A bad loss to the Seahawks could really make things ugly in Baltimore, and might force the owners of the Ravens to reevaluate Billick’s status.

3.  Herm Edwards - Kansas City at Detroit:  Chaos is the word that comes to mind when watching the Chiefs, and unless something happens good for Kansas City soon, the offseason for Edwards is not going to be enjoyable.  Detroit has lost 6 straight games and they are probably licking their chops with the Chiefs coming to town, and Herm Edwards does not want to lose to a team that has lost 6 straight games.  If Edwards does lose to the Lions, the pressure will really increase the pressure on the Kansas City management to take a another hard look at Edwards.

4.  Mike Nolan - San Francisco at home vs. Tampa Bay:  Mike Nolan may be in a lot more trouble than he realizes, and you know he hates to see Jeff Garcia and the very hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to the city by the Bay.  Nolan is 4-10 this year, and is 15-31 (.326) in 3 seasons in San Francisco, and by any standard that should not be good enough to keep your job at a place like the 49ers.  A loss to Tampa Bay could tilt the balance against Nolan, and the 49ers really need to come out and play hard like they did last week against Cincinnati.  A bad loss and Nolan might do well to start packing up his office.

5.  Scott Linehanlost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night:  The terrible loss to the Steelers on Thursday night sums up pretty well what has been going on in St. Louis this season.  Linehan now at 3-12 this year, and 11-20 (.355) in 2 seasons, and that is not very good at a place like St. Louis, whose owners believe that the Rams should be in the playoffs every year.  In recent weeks the Rams management has said they are going to bring back Linehan for 2008, but after the bad loss to Pittsburgh, that is something they might want to reconsider.

Also on the Hot Seat heading into this weekend.

Eric Mangini- Badly needs a win, but has to go on the road to Tennessee.  That is terrible news for Mangini and the Jets, and probably means another loss.

Dick Jauron- Jauron is 14-16 (.467) in 2 seasons at Buffalo, and that isn’t too bad in a place like Buffalo, but a win against the Giants this weekend is very important to get some momentum back for his team.

Tom Coughlin - Tom looked safe two weeks ago, but some terrible play has put him right back on the Hot Seat.  A win against Buffalo is a MUST!  A loss and all bets are off on Coughlin returning in 2008.

Rod Marinelli- Marinelli has taken the blame for the Lions 2007 season, and he should after 6 straight losses.  The Lions have the ability to beat Cincinnati this weekend, and Marinelli badly need that win.  The losing coaching in this game will be in deep trouble.

Cam Cameron- With the Tuna coming to town, Cameron probably knows he is headed out the door.  Could there be a worse time to be visiting Belichick and the Patriots?  No, and we wonder if Cameron really knows how much trouble he is in.

John Fox-Fox got a much needed win last week against the Seahawks, but the Dallas Cowboys are coming to town after being embarrassed against the Eagles.  The Panthers management say they are behind Fox, but a bad loss Saturday night might open the door up for Bill Cowher, who no matter what he says, would more than likely take the Carolina job if offered.  Can Carolina really pass on Cowher is he wants the job?  NO!

Well, there you have the 11 coaches that we believe are currently on the Hot Seat.  Several of these coaches are badly in need of wins, and it should be a fascinating week to watch how these coaches perform when they are really under the gun.

Have a great weekend!

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After a short week, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are playing a huge game tonight against the reeling St. Louis Rams.  The Rams have lost 3 of their last 4 games, and we have Scott Linehan #4 on our latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings, so all things should be pointing towards a Steelers victory.  Not so fast!  The Steelers have lost two straight games and are now on the verge of getting overtaken by the Cleveland Browns in their division.  Beyond the Browns, the Tennessean Titans loom as a possible challenger in the Wild Card race, so this is a huge game tonight for Mike Tomlin.  Overall, Tomlin has done a good job of putting some fire back into the Steelers this year, but there are a few cracks in the dam Tomlin has built in the Steel City, and the entire thing could burst tonight if Roethlisberger and company cannot handle the 3-11 Rams.

Tonight: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the St. Louis Rams, 5:15 PST on the NFL Network.  Should be an entertaining game.

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We sure picked a good week to start the Coaches Hot Seat NFL, because we got to see two of the Hot Seat coaches up close and personal on Saturday night when Mike Nolan of the 49ers and Marvin Lewis of the Bengals got together in San Francisco.  In what was a very thin Monster Park crowd, Mike Nolan proved that as Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has written “is best when it matters least.”  We couldn’t agree more, and a win over the Bengals did nothing to get Nolan off the Hot Seat, and the only thing that might save him is the chaos in the 49ers front office which is raising stupidity to a new level, even for the NFL.

Let’s get to to the Top 5 in latest the Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL:

1.  Marvin Lewis - What can you say when you are on the Hot Seat and you lose to one of the worst teams in the NFL in the 49ers, except that the Hot Seat just got that much hotter!  Lewis is 40-38 (.513) in 5 seasons at Cincinnati, and the one of the questions the people running the Bengals organization must be asking:  Is mediocrity acceptable to the Cincinnati Bengals?  If it is then you have your man in Marvin Lewis.  If winning football games and championships is important to the Bengals then they almost have to make a change in the head coaching position.

2.  Brian Billick - The Ravens front office, which includes Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, has said that they are committed to Billick in 2008.  Really?  After that debacle against the Dolphins on Sunday we have to wonder if Billick will have the ability to turn the Ravens around in 2008, and we cannot imagine that anyone the Ravens might draft or pick up in the free agent market could have a significant impact upon this team.  The Ravens almost surely will draft a QB with their 1st pick, but very few rookie QBs have an immediate impact in the NFL, and Billick needs someone that will make an immediate impact.  If Billick is back in ‘08, then he will be on the Hot Seat from day one.

3.  Herm Edwards - Herm has put his coaching career on the back of Brodie Croyle, and judging from the way Croyle played against the Titans on Sunday, Edwards head coaching career may not be a long-term proposition.  Edwards is now 13-17 (.433) in two seasons in Kansas City and his career winning percentage is .473, and we cannot imagine why the people running the Chiefs organization believe this is going to turn out good for Edwards in Kansas City.  It looks like Edwards will get a 3rd year in Kansas City to prove his chops, but a playoff appearance in ‘08 will be a necessity to hold onto to his job.

4.  Mike Nolan - Nolan must be regetting the fact that the people running the San Francisco 49ers are barely qualified to run the midnight shift at the local 7-Eleven, because if these people had a clue they would have never hired Nolan without a strong general manager in place to keep an eye on this first time coach, because Nolan might not be on the Hot Seat right now if he had someone watching over him.  Even with the poor ‘07 season, the geniuses running this organization will not pick in the NFL Draft until the No. 30 spot.  All of that would be bad enough, but on Saturday night against the Bengals, Shaun Hill the 3rd string QB looked light years better than both Smith and Dilfer, and Nolan evidently didn’t have the sense to give Hill a shot before he absolutely had to.  The real question here is:  Is anyone running the San Francisco 49ers?  The answer:  Yes, but they haven’t a clue to what they are doing.

5.  Scott Linehan - Linehan is now 11-19 (.367) in his 2nd season in St. Louis, and the following question must be asked:  Are the St. Louis Rams better off than they were before Linhan took over?  That is a very difficult question to answer, and that speaks volumes about Linehan’s future in St. Louis.  The owners of the Rams have said they are going to give Linehan another year, but much like Herm Edwards, a playoff appearance in 2008 will be a necessity to continue Linehan’s career past next season.

Well, there you have the Top 5 in our latest Coaches Hot Seat Rankings NFL.  We have followed the NFL this year, but not as close as college football, but there are a few stunning things about the NFL and their head coaches, and one of those fascinating things has to be Tony Dungy’s record at Indianapolis.  Dungy is 72-22 (.766) in 6 seasons with the Colts and that has got to be one of the most incredible accomplishments in the history of the NFL.  To give some perspective to Dungy’s record, Belichick is 89-42 (.679) in 8 seasons with the Patriots.  That .766 winning percentage by Dungy is amazing in an age of relative parity in the NFL, and with Peyton Manning at QB we don’t the winning in Indianapolis changing anytime soon.

On the Fox Sports Pre-Game show on Sunday Jimmy Johnson proved once again why he is one of the best coaches to ever walk a sideline in the college or in the NFL.  Johnson and Barry Switzer were discussing Petrino’s tenure at Atlanta and Johnson made a terrific point that NFL players are just young guys with lots of money and that college players are young guys with no money.  Johnson said that in college you have to coach the players up and generally deal with them on a team level,  but in the NFL you have to coach the players up and deal with the players on an individual basis, even calling them into the office on a one-on-one basis regularly to see how everything is going.  Jimmy Johnson could not be more dead on.  When you are managing an organization that is filled with prima-donnas, which every NFL team has there share of, you have a large number of players that not only have large egos, but people that need a lot of one-on-one conversations that revolve around letting them know how important they are to the team.  There is no way any organization that is filled with “stars” can run effectively unless all of the stars know their importance to the organization, and it is the job of the manager (the NFL coach) to make sure every star, and every bit player for that matter knows how important he is to the achieving the goals of the organization.  Jimmy Johnson knows a lot about football, but the real reason he has been so successful is that he knows a lot about people. 

We have Chicago at Minnesota on Monday Night and this is a very important game for Brad Childress of the Vikings to keep the momentum going that he has built up over the past 4 weeks.  It should be a great Monday Night Game.

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It seems that covering college football coaches here at Coaches Hot Seat was just not enough for us.  We sat around for a week wondering why in the world college football was not in the middle of a playoff tournament, while watching a lot of NFL football games, and decided that with all this free time we needed to turn our eye towards NFL coaches.  Just amazing the kind of money these NFL coaches are making (NFL Coaches Salaries), and it is easy to see why there is so much pressure on these coaches to win football games.  Obviously, some of these NFL coaches have mastered the professional game, Belichick, Dungy, and Holmgren are a few that come to mind, but there are still a lot of NFL coaches that do not understand what it takes to motivate guys that are often making anywhere from to 3 to 10 times what the head coach does.  That relationship is just very odd, and it takes a very special person to handle that issue personally, but also to find a way to motivate players that are making enormous sums of money that sometimes removes their most basic internal drives and motivation.  We do think there are some eternal truths on how to motivate professional football players, and we will attempt to feret out some of those truths in the coming weeks.  Now on to a coach that had a very serious problem adapting to the pro game….

Bobby Petrino.  Petrino’s departure from Atlanta to take the head coaching job at Arkansas sure seemed to get a lot of people in the national media riled up.  Many of the same people in the media that were agast at Nick Saban’s departure from the Dolphins last year were on TV again this year calling Petrino everything from a “scumbag” to a “quitter.”  What is so striking about many of these people in the media is that they take Petrino’s decision so personally, almost as if Petrino had stuck a knife in their back.  How so very strange.  It seems that members of the media have forgotten the reasons that this country of ours was set up in the first place.  Thomas Jefferson was not kidding when he penned in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Anyone paying attention to the Falcons this season could tell that Petrino was certainly not happy as the head coach in Atlanta, and if half of what Petrino’s agent Russ Campbell is saying is true then Petrino got out of there not a moment to soon.  Of course, when you have players running around in a nationally televised game with posters and t-shirts announcing their support for a convicted dog killer, is anyone really surprised that Petrino was desperate to get out of Atlanta?  Clearly, Petrino and his family were miserable in Atlanta, but that means nothing to many of the flunkeys in the national media who roasted Petrino over a fire like a stuffed pig.  How appropriate that Petrino ended up at Arkansas!  “Woooooooooo, Pig Sooie! “Woooooooooo, Pig Sooie! “Woooooooooo, Pig Sooie!  Razorbacks!”  Take that hog call national media!

The media needs to get a grip on reality and start to question the people that are running these NFL teams, because what players end up on these teams’ rosters has a lot more to do with what the team looks and plays like than what the coach is or isn’t doing.  After all, you could send a monkey to Foxboro to replace Belichick and the Patriots would still end up in the Super Bowl. 

We look forward to following these NFL coaches through the rest of the season and into 2008.  Again, welcome to Coaches Hot Seat NFL!

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