The 2015 NFL regular season is scheduled to kick off Thursday night when the New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seven teams have new head coaches heading into the 2015 season since John Fox, Rex Ryan, Mike Smith, Jim Harbaugh, Tony Sparano, Mike Smith and Dough Marrone are no longer with their former teams. Multiple head coaches will probably be fired at the end of the 2015 season as well. With that in mind here are three coaches, in no particular order, who are on the hot seat heading into this this season.
THREE NFL COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT HEADING INTO THE 2015 SEASON
MARVIN LEWIS, CINCINNATI BENGALS
True, the Cincinnati Bengals were not worthy of respect in the 1990s, and since Marvin Lewis took over in 2003, they have been much more respectable. Under Lewis the Bengals have a winning record (100-90), and they have been to the playoffs six times, including the last four seasons. But the issue with Lewis is the lack of playoff success. With Lewis at the helm, Cincinnati has failed to win a single playoff game. Seriously, they haven’t won a single, solitary playoff game in 12 years and six postseason trips.
The Bengals’ lack of playoff success is not all on their head coach. Quarterback Andy Dalton and ownership certainly have their share of the blame too. But if Lewis wants to return to Cincinnati next season, after receiving only a one-year contract extension (expires at the end of the 2015 season), he needs to get the Bengals to the playoffs, and then figure out how to win at least one game in the postseason. If he fails to do so, there is a very good possibility Lewis will not be the head coach in the Cincinnati in 2016.
JAY GRUDEN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS
The dysfunction the Washington Redskins showed this offseason reached almost epic proportions. Some of it is certainly not Jay Gruden’s fault (i.e. the disgraceful tweets of Jessica McCloughan, the wife of general manager Scot McCloughan), but some of it is most definitely of Gruden’s doing.
The head coach’s handling of quarterback Robert Griffin III was less than ideal to put it mildly. After all of the nonsense that went on with RGIII this offseason—including the former Baylor quarterback suffering a concussion, being cleared to play, but then not being cleared to play—Gruden got what he ultimately wanted, which was Kirk Cousins as his starting quarterback. RGIII has definitely had his share of struggles since playing well in his rookie season, but various coaching staffs have severely mishandled him. Coaches have rushed him back too early from injury, and they have failed to tailor an offense to his skillset.
Cousins looked like the better quarterback in the preseason, but he is also 2-7 as a starter in his NFL career. And Gruden his hitching his wagon to Cousins, after the Redskins “improved” from a 3-13 record to 4-12 in 2014, Gruden’s first as the head coach in DC. If Gruden is wrong about Cousins, and the Redskins struggle to another last place finish in the NFC East (very possible), it is seriously doubtful that Gruden is still in DC come 2016. Plus, owner Dan Snyder loves firing head coaches.
LOVIE SMITH, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Lovie Smith is probably the best coach on this list, having taken the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, and having won three playoff games during his career. Smith is 83-77 in his head coaching career, which includes a 2-14 record with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014, his first with the Bucs. But let’s face it, the Bucs expect way more than the abysmal record they posted last season.
Tampa Bay hasn’t won a playoff game since they won the Super Bowl in January 2003, so the bar was set pretty low when the former Bears head coach arrived in town. But if quarterback Jameis Winston, who was the first pick in this year’s draft, fails to perform (which is what I think will happen), and the Bucs fail to win six plus games, Smith’s time in Tampa Bay could be short lived.
What do you think? Which coaches do you think are on the hot seat heading into 2015?
