There are two weeks remaining in the regular season and we've already seen Mike Nolan, Lane Kiffin and Scott Linehan lose their jobs for varying degrees of incompetence. But more heads will roll in the coming months, and some bone-headed decisions made yesterday will go a long way in cementing the fate of the less fortunate.
Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills:
A crappy economy might be the only thing to save Jauron's job, because after jumping out to a 4-1 start, the Bills are now sitting at 6-8. And the last two minutes of yesterday's game against the Jets was a microcosm of their season.
With Buffalo leading 27-24 and trying to run the last 240 or so seconds off the clock, somebody thought it would be great fun to let J.P. Losman throw a pass on second-and-five from the Bills' 27. Predictably, he fumbled, the Jets' Shaun Ellis recovered, and 11 yards later, that's your ball game.
To his credit, Jauron took full responsibility for thinking Losman would do something positive with the ball in his hands, so in terms of moral victories, the Bills are 9-5.
Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins: It's hard to make the argument that Zorn had too much success too soon because, well, that's the idea: to win football games. But after a 6-2 start, the 'Skins are 7-7 and coming off a truly demoralizing defeat to the Bengals. Which should only lead to more of this.
Given that Washington was fighting for their postseason lives yesterday, and Zorn has one of the best running backs in the league on his roster, this sequence of events early in the third quarter with the 'Skins trailing 17-10 was stupefying:
1-1-CIN 1 - 17-J.Campbell pass incomplete short right to 86-F.Davis.
2-1-CIN 1 - 45-M.Sellers right guard to CIN 1 for no gain (51-C.Mays).
3-1-CIN 1 - 45-M.Sellers up the middle to CIN 1 for no gain (51-C.Mays, 59-B.Johnson). FUMBLES (51-C.Mays), RECOVERED by CIN-51-C.Mays at CIN 0. Touchback.
Meanwhile, Clinton Portis was on the sidelines wondering where it all went wrong. I suppose Zorn could have a reasonable explanation for why he preferred Sellers to Portis (not acceptable: spite), but as long as a house-cleaning is underway, The Danny might as well be thorough.
Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs: It's hard to blame Edwards for a dropped Dwayne Bowe touchdown pass or a Patrick Surtain blown coverage, but the Chiefs blew a three-touchdown lead and are currently staring at 2-12. For what it's worth, Edwards called it the most difficult loss in his 29 NFL seasons as a player coach or scout, which is a sentiment echoed by most folks losing to Norval Eugene Turner, who, despite the win, could also be looking for work soon.
Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars: I can't comment on whether Del Rio has lost the locker room because I'm not in there. It sure seems that way, though. I know, the Jags had more injuries to key players to start the season than most teams face in a three-year stretch, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that his bunch has monumentally underachieved. Luckily, they faced the hapless Packers yesterday, an outfit obviously missing the leadershipin' skillz of Brett Favre.
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers: Okay, McCarthy's not on the ol' hot seat -- he just signed a contract extension at the beginning of the season -- but defensive coordinator Bob Sanders could be pink-slipped for gross incompetence. I mean, when a nameless Packers fan who writes for FanHouse declares that if he sees this defense "blow another high-school level coverage scheme" he may go Natural Born Killers (my words, not his), it's a clear sign Sanders might not be very good at his job.
Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns: Crennel hasn't done anything this week to merit losing his job, but that's only because the Browns play tonight. It's coming, trust me.
Honorable mention:Wade Phillips (because there's no way he's keeping his job), Rod Marinelli (duh), Marvin Lewis (won't happen because Mike Brown's too lazy to search for his replacement), and Jim Haslett (thanks, Scott!).
Asiento Caliente: Some NFL Coaches Who Might Be Experiencing a Burning Sensation originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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