FanPost

Coaches on Hot Seat (Not Shanny)

An article i found on foxsports.com nfl page.

 

It's around this time every year when a list comes out with NFL coaches on the hot seat. With competitive balance, parity and the pressure to win, it seems like more and more coaches are coming under fire.

Let's separate fact from fiction.

Here's Schein's list of coaches who shouldn't fret about their job security, regardless of how 2008 turns out.

 

Mike Shanahan: — Shanahan won a recent power struggle with ousted general manager Ted Sundquist. It's a pressure-packed year in Denver, but even if the Broncos win eight games or less, Shanahan's head won't roll.

Whenever you are debating whether or not to fire a coach, an owner always asks if the club can do better. Fact is, it is impossible to do better than Shanahan. He's 130-78 in 13 seasons. Shanahan has the two Super Bowl championships. That's what you call a Hall of Fame-type resume. And I don't want to hear that he had John Elway back then and it was Elway who delivered Shanahan his rings. Shanahan got Elway to realize the team went through Terrell Davis. And I don't want to hear people question what he's done since Elway. Shanahan has chalked up four of his seven double-digit win seasons since No. 7 retired. Shanahan is one of the brightest minds in all of football.

While Denver owner Pat Bowlen talked about how important 2008 was when the club axed Sundquist, Shanahan recently told me he feels no extra pressure. And he shouldn't. Shanahan will be the coach as long as Bowlen owns the team.

It isn't Shanahan's fault that Brandon Marshall continues to show immaturity. And while you can question some of his moves as the head of personnel (Maurice Clarett was a terrible idea, as was the entire Browns defensive line), make sure to also give Shanahan credit for the trades that equaled Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, plus the golden 2006 draft of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil, Tony Scheffler, and Marshall, who despite his off-field issues has the makings of a future Pro Bowl receiver.

Andy Reid: — Whenever I get e-mails (video style) here on FOXSports.com or phone calls on my Sirius NFL Radio show from Eagles fans who want to fire Reid, I shake my head and laugh.

Do you remember how gruesome your franchise was before Reid?

Do you honestly believe you can find someone better than this top-10 NFL coach?

I don't want to hear about Reid being distracted when his kids had personal problems. Were you in the house? You have absolutely no idea.

 

I don't want to hear about his play selection/time management in the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots. It wasn't great, I grant you, but let's look big picture.

Every single year you know that if the club stays healthy, you are going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl. You don't trash something like that.

He's a whopping 86-56 in his Eagles career, and that includes a 5-11 1999 season when he had to clean up a mess from a prior regime.

In his next eight seasons, he won double-digit games six times, making the NFC title game four times.

Andy Reid doesn't deserve hot-seat status. He deserves a statue erected outside the stadium.

Marvin Lewis: Surprised to see Lewis on the 'totally safe' list? Here's the deal — Marvin Lewis is an excellent football coach. You can make the case that he helped create the Chad Johnson situation by having a set of rules for Chad and another for everyone else. However, everyone in Cincy is applauding how he has drawn a proverbial line in the sand this offseason when dealing with Johnson.

The Bengals won't fire Lewis. The only question is whether Lewis, who is so well respected across the league, will look to leave for a place with more sanity.

Eric Mangini: — In 2006, he was "Man-genius," expertly guiding the Jets on a stunning and unpredictable march to the playoffs in his first year in New York. In 2007, well, let's just say he wasn't "Man-genius" as the Jets slumped to an underachieving four-win season.

But Mangini is a good, solid football coach who has the respect of owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Now, the stakes are most certainly raised in New York with Tannenbaum spending Mr. Johnson's money wisely and actively this offseason. However, unless there is a complete player revolt, Mangini won't lose his job after three seasons, even if the Jets finish behind the Patriots and the Bills in the AFC East.

 

ItBs going to be a long season in Kansas City, but Herm Edwards gets a pass because the Chiefs are in rebuilding mode. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Herm Edwards: — If I did a power ranking for the upcoming season, my biggest debate would be whether or not to make the Chiefs the No. 31 or 32 team. It's going to be a long season in Kansas City.

While Edwards has his faults, like his inability to properly manage a clock despite the presence of time-management guru Dick Curl, his players play incredibly hard for him. And his results as a coach speak for themselves.

Kansas City — the clear cut winner of the 2008 NFL draft — is in full-fledged rebuilding mode. Chiefs president Carl Peterson hand-picked Edwards. Even when the Chiefs struggle to win four games, Edwards gets a free pass as this club looks to 2009 and 2010. And Herm will be around for those years, too.

Brad Childress: — Hide the women, children, and Sports Illustrated writer Dr. Z. When the good doctor picks your team to make the Super Bowl it is considered the ultimate jinx. And that's exactly what has happened to Minnesota. Expectations are rightly sky high with the Vikings this year after a sensational offseason, highlighted by the pickups of Jared Allen and Bernard Berrian. And Childress is tied directly to his young gunslinger Tarvaris Jackson, who I believe will thrive this season being coached up by the offensive master. You have to give the quarterback and coach time to grow together. There is also a thought that Brad Childress must deliver on the preseason hype to stay around past this season.

Look — Childress is a very savvy coach. As Darren Sharper has told me twice over the last few weeks, he's grown as a leader of men. Childress, like Mangini, is a task master. That can rub some players the wrong way. But even if the Vikings turn out to be the 7th best team in the NFC this year and fall short of the postseason, cooler heads will prevail.

Schein's hot seat list

The hot seat list is relatively easy — Scott Linehan, Mike Nolan, and John Fox are obvious (for the record, I think the world of Fox as a coach and I think Nolan will survive if Alex Smith shows progress). Wade Phillips is in a Super Bowl or bust season. That officially became a fact when Jerry Jones paid Jason Garrett a king's ransom to run his offense. Jim Zorn was originally hired to run the offense. Dan Snyder fired Marty Schottenheimer after one season. Zorn's seat, fair or unfair, is very warm.

Reminder: The always popular Schein-box (video-style) is back this week with a slew of reader e-mails, so keep sending them in!

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