On the Hot Seat

NFL Sunday has come at last, and already several coaches on the hot seat have either improved or worsened their situation. Here's a blow-by-blow account of these coaches and what this week, if anything, went their way.



Rod Marinelli (Detroit Lions)- Since Matt Millen took over as the General Manager of the Lions, he's had his fair share of head coaches. First came Marty Mornhinweg (dubbed Marty "Moron"-weg by the press) with an overall record of 5-27. Then came Steve Mariucci with an overall record of 15-28. Mariucci was fired during the 2005 season and Dick Jauron took over as the interim head coach, although the team didn't do much better, going 1-4 in five games. Now Marinelli is at the reigns of this sinking franchise (actually, its tough for the team to be sinking when they're continuously bad), and after Sunday's loss against the Falcons, his record stands at 10-23, and boy did his team look pitiful. This is a game in which the Lions were favored (that won't happen much this season) and their defense (Marinelli's specialty) got run over. Whether the Falcons were running or passing, the Lions couldn't stop them. If the way the Lions played today is indicative of how they'll play the rest of the season, Marinelli, and possibly Millen, will be leaving the Motor City by the end of the season.



Scott Linehan (St. Louis Rams)-Why did the Rams hire this guys again? The Rams have gone from a respectable franchise that won Super Bowl XXXIV to a 3-13 season in 2007. In their 38-3 loss to the Eagles, the Rams couldn't seem to do anything right. Sure, some of St. Louis's problems are not Linehan's fault, but in the NFL, that doesn't matter. In week 2, they have to play the Super Bowl Champ Giants, and it will not get any easier for them as they play Dallas, Buffalo, New England, and the Jets. I wouldn't be surprised if Linehan doesn't last past the bye week.

Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders)- We already know owner Al Davis, who regularily hires and fires coaches (only one has lasted more than two years since 1994), wanted to fire Kiffin at the end of last season. However, who coaches this team might not matter. In the 41-14 loss to Denver, the Raiders looked pitiful on all levels. Even though Davis has spent money on draft picks and free agents like a drunken sailor, it seems to be to no avail. Kiffin looks very likely to join the many who have been fired from the least safe job in the country (except for Chicago Bears quarterbacks).

Mike Nolan (San Francisco 49ers)- Even though San Francisco lost 23-13 to the Cardinals on Sunday, their offense looked better than the pathetic excuse for an offense that showed up last season. They were actually a few plays away from making the game a lot closer. However, for Nolan, who is in his fourth season, being better may not be enough. He needs to win more games to save his job.

John Fox (Carolina Panthers)- This is actually a good coach who took a team from 1-15 to the Super Bowl in two years but who has struggled as of late due to injuries to his quarterback. This Sunday though, the Panthers showed they still have some style. They managed a last-second victory over the highly-ranked San Diego Chargers without wide receiver Steve Smith. While Fox probably needs to make the playoffs to save his job, that seems more likely now than it did during the preseason.

Marvin Lewis (Cincinatti Bengals)- I can't say why this coach is so widely admired. Cincinatti's defense (Lewis's specialty) has ranked close to last in all of the five years he has coached the Bengals. On Sunday, they deserved a last ranking in their 17-10 loss to Baltimore, especially after rookie QB Joe Flacco (who is 6'6'') rushed for a forty yard touchdown. Their offense, led by pro-bowl QB Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad "Ocho Cinco," didn't look much better. Why Bengals owner Mike Brown, who had no hesitation letting Forrest Gregg (who took the Bengals to a Super Bowl) go to Green Bay or firing Sam Wyche (who took the Bengals to a Super Bowl) hasn't fired Lewis yet is a mystery worthy of the CSI crew. Maybe this year Brown will see the error of his ways.

Some people might note that Mike Shanahan (Denver Broncos), Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles), Herm Edwards (Kansas City Chiefs), and Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings) aren't on this list. That's because as of now, there is no evidence to say that any of them are on the hot seat, though Childress's job could be in jeopardy if the Vikings perform drastically below expectations. Also, there tends to be at least one coach not on the hot seat at the beginning of the season who gets fired at the end of the season (e.g. Brian Billick and Marty Schottenheimer). However, all of these coaches are generally accepted to be on the hot seat, and most of them this week showed us why they are.