Vacchiano: Seats heating up around the league

With three games left in the regular season, the NFL’s coaching carousel was set in motion last night when Bobby Petrino abruptly quit his job as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. With the exception of the odd timing, no one was really surprised.
 
Even though he was in his first NFL season after bolting from Louisville, Petrino was on one of the hottest seats in the NFL. He inherited a mess in Atlanta, thanks in large part to the fact that the franchise quarterback he thought he had is now in prison. But he appeared to have no plan to fix it and he was already grating on his players.
 
He may have been a very good college coach and a well-respected offensive mind, but appeared to be a very bad match for the NFL.
 
And he’s not alone, because when the final gun is sounded on the 2007 regular season, the firing squad will be assembled in several cities. Right about now, the wheels are already in motion in several front offices around the league to make a coaching change that will either invigorate or depress their franchise.
 
Here’s a look at the other coaches who are sitting on some of the hottest seats in the league:

Cam Cameron, Miami Dolphins – It’s an extremely dangerous thing to fire a coach after just one season, but the 0-13 Dolphins might have no choice – especially if they finish off the first winless, 16-game season in the history of the NFL. A year ago they hired Cameron away from San Diego because they believed in him and his offensive mind. They even knew this was going to be a tough year and were willing to be patient. But how patient can they afford to be? This hasn’t been a tough year, it’s been a disaster. And given the talent level on the Dolphins, it’s not going to get much better anytime soon.

Brian Billick, Baltimore Ravens – He says he’s certain that he’s coming back next season, and that’s certainly possible. He’s built up a lot of loyalty from the Ravens for winning them the Super Bowl in 2000. He’s also shown a remarkable ability to get the Ravens to bounce back after a tough year. But what puts him in jeopardy are two things: 1. His incredible inability to coax any offense out of the Ravens, year after year after year. And 2. The way the Ravens self-destructed in their near-upset of the Patriots showed they are one of the most undisciplined teams in the league. Dumb penalties were only the start of it. But when players are waving arms and tossing helmets after a coach calls an ill-advised timeout, and when they are confronting officials or tossing flags into the stands, you can’t help but wonder: Is anyone there in charge?

Joe Gibbs, Washington Redskins – Dan Snyder would never be stupid enough to fire a Redskins legend, but there is suspicion around the league that together they are going to decide that it’s time for Gibbs to step aside. He looks disengaged on the sidelines sometimes. He certainly looked that way two weeks ago when he blew a game by calling back-to-back timeouts. Most people assume that his assistant coaches are really running the show anyway. Next year, it’s possible that his defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, really will be running things himself.

John Fox, Carolina Panthers – A lot of people thought he was on the hot seat last year, but he’s definitely there after two seasons of not being able to get the Panthers into a mediocre NFC playoff chase. He’s another one who has built up a lot of good will in the organization for a miracle Super Bowl run a few years ago. He’s also among the most respected coaches in the league and Panthers ownership knows if they fire him, Fox will become one of the hottest coaching candidates in the league. At 5-8 and fading, though, that might not be enough to save him this time around.

Mike Nolan, San Francisco 49ers – His owners spent more money on the free-agent market than any other team and the expectations were extremely high. What they got for their multi-million dollar investment so far is 3-10. On top of that, Nolan is now engaged in a public feud with the franchise quarterback. That’s a battle coaches rarely win.

Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams – Another coach who has crumbled under weighty expectations. The playoffs were predicted for what was supposed to be an offensive juggernaut. Instead, they are sitting at 3-10 after a miserable 0-8 start that nearly cost Linehan his job at midseason. If he sticks around, that means ownership feels Linehan was undone by injuries to two of his star players (QB Marc Bulger and RB Steven Jackson). That’s true, but it might not be enough.

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