There always seem to be a few NFL head coaches on the hot seat every year, and some get canned during the year, like former Raiders coach Dennis Allen did this week on his way back from London. This carousel just never stops. It seems to get worse.
1. Rex Ryan, New York Jets
In a strange twist, the 2014 season and not the 2013 season could ambush Rex Ryan, whose fate seemed to have been already sealed before the 2013 regular season began. Ryan lashed out at reporters following a terrible preseason performance by young quarterback Geno Smith against the New York Giants. Ryan seemed to be a person with no feel for how to handle his quarterback situation. The Jets seemed disorganized to the point that the franchise was going to collapse under the weight of panic and insufficient preparation.
Yet, the Jets got through the season at 8-8, a lot better than a great majority of commentators expected. That was a good season under the circumstances. Now, though, the expectations are for the Jets to be better than break-even, and with Smith floundering in September, New York is staring at a 5-11 kind of season if things don’t improve in a hurry. Ryan would probably not survive if that turns out to be the case. He knows he has to find an answer at the quarterback spot in short order.
2. Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins
This is the other really urgent coaching situation in the NFL. Miami was enough of a magnet for controversy last season with the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin series of news stories that embarrassed the Dolphins. Philbin did not look good in the middle of that situation or in its aftermath. This year needed to be a successful one in order to solidify Philbin’s place as the Dolphins’ head coach for the foreseeable future. However, the early part of the season has shown that mediocre Miami has not turned the corner. A win over the terrible Oakland Raiders should not obscure how little quarterback Ryan Tannehill has progressed. He worked with his college coach, Mike Sherman, in Miami, when Sherman became the team’s offensive coordinator following his exit from Texas A&M. Sherman, though, is no longer with the team this year, and Tannehill has looked lost. Miami and Tannehill have to be better if Philbin is going to stick around for the long haul.
3. Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams / Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars
The third troublesome coaching situation is going to emerge from one of these two places. St. Louis could want a change at head coach if the Rams franchise moves back to Los Angeles, something that local media in St. Louis think is a very likely occurrence. The organization might want a fresh start, even though Fisher played college ball at USC in the Los Angeles area. That’s something to keep an eye on.
The other possible coaching casualty this season could come from Jacksonville, where the Jaguars don’t appear to be making any real progress. If the team sinks to 2-14, it won’t be seen as Gus Bradley’s fault, but the organization might still say that it doesn’t want to wonder if Bradley will turn the team around. It might simply give the coaching reins to another person.
