If you have been reading previous articles in the series, you will know we have been looking at individual coaches rather than divisions but seeing as this is the worst division in the NFL, everyone involved with the teams should be in danger of losing their jobs. This division is so bad the NFL will have no choice but to seriously consider adding more teams to the playoffs, as it stands there will be a winning team excluded in favour of a potentially 6-10 team.
Hot Seat Coaches: NFC South
Mike Smith
Atlanta Falcons
Overall Record: 65-44
Season Record: 5-8
When the Falcons featured on Hard Knocks earlier this year, one of the things Smith preached was tackling hard and not being known as a ‘weak team’… that ship has sailed and Atlanta find themselves along with the rest of the NFC South, a laughing stock. Ranked dead last in total yards allowed per game and with a defense that has failed to get started most of the season. Improvements in the second half of the season has seen the team improve from 2 to 5 wins but only one win has come outside of the division. Smith was given a 1 year extension at the start of the season, so clearing house come the seasons end will not see the Falcons suffer a financial burden when moving on. The writing may be on the wall for Mike Smith, even thought the Falcons sit atop the poor NFC South he may require a deep playoff run to save his neck.
Sean Payton
New Orleans Saints
Overall Record: 78-47
Season Record: 5-8
If Sean Payton is getting fired, he is not going without a fight! Just this week Payton cut Wide Receiver Joe Morgan and benched Safety Kenny Vaccro he also had 10 players line up outside his office to discuss their play on an individual basis, this all in the shadow of a 41-10 blowout against the Carolina Panthers, at home. Payton has been one of the most successful coaches in Saints history, bringing them their first Super Bowl and cementing Drew Brees as one of the best Quarterbacks to play the game. He has also overseen the bounty gate debacle during his tenure and went as far to help cover it up, which saw him banned for the entire 2012 season. While the Saints ownership stuck with him during this period, New Orleans was expected by many to make a Super Bowl run this year and after 5 years of winning records (excluding 2012) this season may be a bitter pill to swallow. Payton will in all likelihood survive the post season cull, bolstered by the fact that he is only 2 years into a 5 year contract, which sees him as one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL but make no mistake he will be on a short leach. Expect Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to take the brunt of the blame for a poor season, in which the Saints rank in the bottom 3 in all statistics.
Ron Rivera
Carolina Panthers
Overall Record: 29-31-1
Season Record: 4-8-1
Rivera has been with the Panthers 4 years and 3 of them have been losing seasons, last year being the exception, for every step forward the Panthers take they take two back, Cam Newton has regressed and the Offensive line is a mess. Rivera was voted the Associated Press Coach of the year last season and was given a 3 year contract extension earlier this year. While Carolina have been terrible, going 7 games without a win at one point, a strong win against the Saints last week along with the bizarre incident involving Cam Newton, where his Truck flipped 3 times in a crash last Tuesday will see Rivera given a do-over year. Like Payton, Rivera will be on a short leach and improvements needed on both sides of the ball, where the team sits middle of the league.
Lovie Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Overall Record: 2-11
Smith is in his first year as head coach at Tampa, hence only the Overall Record. Coming from Chicago where he was fired on an 8-8 record, he was given a four year contract, it would be unusual to list a head coach as being in trouble after one season (outside of Washington) but Tampa Bay have been that bad that it warrants inclusion. Tampa invested heavily at the start of the season, spending big money on DE Michael Johnson and Alterraun Verner, the coaching staff was expected to shore up a leaky Defense, and improve over last years record. That has not happened and now they currently hold the number 1 overall pick in next years draft, this might be a blessing as they are in need of a young quarterback as Josh McCown is a bust but as the team were in a win now mode at the start of the season the idea of rebuilding might be unpalatable. Indeed the team may have been willing to part ways with Smith as early as the trade deadline day, when they held somewhat of a fire sale, shifting several players for draft picks. Smiths coaching style has proven to be antiquated and unless he is willing to embrace both his rookies and new coaching ideas he will find himself out of the league soon enough.
In a division that has been this poor no job is safe, wholesale changes on every team will be expected come the end of the season, there could be up to 3 coaches losing their jobs come seasons end but in all likelihood only Mike Smith will be let go, the rest of the teams will stick with their coaches for one more year.
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