The 2011 NFL season is nearly over so we have a good idea of which coaches are on the hot seat and which ones are safe heading into 2012. We’ve had three coaches fired already this season and there will assuredly be more coming on Black Monday, the first day after the regular season ends.
NFL Coaches Hot Seat: Steve Spagnuolo, Norv Turner Likely On Their Way Out
Our final look at the NFL coaches hot seat has some familiar names who could be getting a pink slip on Black Monday, the day after the regular season ends.
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Our top four coaches on the hot seat remain the same as last week and we suspect at least three of them will be fired shortly after the season ends.
Here’s a look at the NFL coaches hot seat entering Week 17:
1. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams: Your final days as a head coach have to be so awkward. Everyone and their mother knows Spags is on the hottest of hot seats and it would be a complete shock at this point if he weren't fired. Yet, he still has to go to work every day and prepare for the 49ers this Sunday. But shortly after that, perhaps on Black Monday, Spagnuolo is expected to be fired. When you go from seven wins to two wins, you can't expect to keep your job. The Rams have taken a significant fall in the wrong direction in year three, which can not happen. The only question remaining at this point is whether GM Billy Devaney follows him out the door.
2. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers: This comes off as sort of a dead man walking situation, similar to Spagnuolo. Many people expect him to be fired, including the local beat writers. He's been with the Chargers since 2007 and they've been consistently inconsistent. We all know the talent they have, which was especially true before LaDainian Tomlinson's departure, yet they can't get it done in January (or September most years, for that matter). Turner has had one of the game's great quarterbacks and hasn't been able to win a championship. That's when you know you need to move on. Like the situation in St. Louis, the remaining question is whether the GM is pushed out, too.
3. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: We had Jim Caldwell ranked here last week but the Bucs lost...again. That's nine in a row and Morris and the Bucs could make it 10 this weekend. The team is young and there's a lot of talent so I can see some arguments for continuity and what not but you can't lose 10 in a row in the NFL. That's a system failure and the locals in Tampa are ready for a change. I think they'll get it.
4. JIm Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts: We figured Caldwell would be fired if the Colts went 0-16. But then won one. And then another. That's two wins for Caldwell but will it be enough to save his job? It seems no one has a good read on what will happen. On the one hand, you have credible reporters (like Peter King) predicting that the Colts keep Caldwell. On the other hand, you look at this two-win team and it's very difficult to find tangible reasons to keep Caldwell. Usually there aren't this many questions with a coach who has a two-win team but there's a chance Caldwell sticks around.
5. Interim coaches: We're looking at you Mel Tucker (Jacksonville Jaguars), Romeo Crennel (Kansas City Chiefs) and Todd Bowles (Miami Dolphins). Three head coaches have been fired this year and those are the replacements. Of those three, I think Tucker and Bowles are likely gone. Crennel has a strong chance to stay in Kansas City and would be considered the leader in the club house right now for the full time job.
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