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https://www.nj.com/jets/2019/05/nfl...mlin-cowboys-jason-garrett-any-surprises.html
NFL Coaches Who Will Be on the Hot Seat Entering the 2019 Season
As you get ready for the 2019 NFL season, let’s take a look at our early head coach hot seat rankings. These go from coolest seat to hottest seat, as things look right now.
11. Bill O’Brien, Texans: The biggest long-shot entry on this list. The Texans won 11 games last year, but they lost in the wild-card round. O’Brien has made the playoffs in three of his five seasons in Houston, but he has two one-and-done trips, and is 1-1 in the other appearance, 2016, when he bowed out in the divisional round.
10. Sean McDermott, Bills: This is just his third season with the Bills. And in 2017, he won nine games and broke a 17-year playoff drought. That counts for a lot in Buffalo. We think it’s unlikely he gets fired after 2019. But quarterback Josh Allen will need to improve. The Bills went 6-10 last season, in his rookie year.
9. Doug Marrone, Jaguars: He will need to show improvement in 2019, now that the Jaguars have upgraded at quarterback by replacing Blake Bortles with Nick Foles. Marrone, after all, is an offensive-minded head coach. This is Marrone’s third year in Jacksonville. He went to the AFC Championship Game in Year 1, but stumbled to five wins last year.
8. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers: Will he be able to win more if Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy? That’s the big question for Shanahan in 2019. He is 6-2 in games Garoppolo has started, compared to 4-20 in games he hasn’t. After six and four total wins in Shanahan’s first two seasons, it’s time for some progress in Year 3.
7. Dan Quinn, Falcons: Atlanta was disappointing last season — 7-9. But the Falcons did win 10 and 11 games in the previous two seasons. In 2016, they lost in the Super Bowl. In 2017, they went 1-1 in the playoffs and lost in the divisional round. Matt Ryan’s championship window isn’t getting any bigger, though. Quinn needs to produce results in 2019.
6. Mike Tomlin, Steelers: If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs in 2019, Tomlin could be a goner. The bar has simply been set too high for success in Pittsburgh. Last season’s no-playoffs 9-6-1 result won’t cut it. Yes, Tomlin made the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons, in which he won 13, 11, 10, and 11 games. But he failed to reach the Super Bowl during that stretch — and reached the AFC title game just once.
5. Jason Garrett, Cowboys: Jerry Jones has been exceedingly patient with Garrett, but the 2019 Cowboys have a tremendous amount of talent, and they need to make some serious waves in the NFC. Garrett is a lame-duck coach, entering the final year of his contract. He is coming off a 10-6 season and has reached the playoffs in three of the past five years, with a divisional round loss each time. It’s probably NFC title game or bust now.
4. Matt Patricia, Lions: A brutal debut season for him in Detroit last year, as the Lions went 6-10 and he didn’t make many friends in the media or fanbase with how he handled himself. Could the Lions cut bait after just two seasons? Considering what they’re paying quarterback Matthew Stafford, they should expect a lot better than six wins.
3. Mike Zimmer, Vikings: Another guy whose quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is making a ton of money. After reaching the NFC title game without Cousins in 2017, the Vikings went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs with him in 2018. Not nearly good enough, especially considering they went 13-3 in 2017. If the Vikings miss the playoffs again this year, Zimmer is probably gone.
2. Jay Gruden, Washington: Will he get a mulligan if he starts a rookie quarterback, Dwayne Haskins? Well, that didn’t exactly work out for the Jets’ Todd Bowles last season. Gruden went 7-9 in each of the past two seasons. He has one playoff trip in five seasons with Washington. If he replicates what Bowles did with Sam Darnold last year (4-12), expect Gruden to get canned. Maybe not fair, but that’s how things go in today’s NFL.
1. Ron Rivera, Panthers: He has an established quarterback, Cam Newton, but hasn’t done enough in the past three seasons — seven wins last season and six in 2016. In between, he won 11 games in 2017 and lost in the wild-card round. The 15-1 season of 2015, which ended with a Super Bowl loss, feels like a distant memory now.
NFL Coaches Who Will Be on the Hot Seat Entering the 2019 Season
As you get ready for the 2019 NFL season, let’s take a look at our early head coach hot seat rankings. These go from coolest seat to hottest seat, as things look right now.
11. Bill O’Brien, Texans: The biggest long-shot entry on this list. The Texans won 11 games last year, but they lost in the wild-card round. O’Brien has made the playoffs in three of his five seasons in Houston, but he has two one-and-done trips, and is 1-1 in the other appearance, 2016, when he bowed out in the divisional round.
10. Sean McDermott, Bills: This is just his third season with the Bills. And in 2017, he won nine games and broke a 17-year playoff drought. That counts for a lot in Buffalo. We think it’s unlikely he gets fired after 2019. But quarterback Josh Allen will need to improve. The Bills went 6-10 last season, in his rookie year.
9. Doug Marrone, Jaguars: He will need to show improvement in 2019, now that the Jaguars have upgraded at quarterback by replacing Blake Bortles with Nick Foles. Marrone, after all, is an offensive-minded head coach. This is Marrone’s third year in Jacksonville. He went to the AFC Championship Game in Year 1, but stumbled to five wins last year.
8. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers: Will he be able to win more if Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy? That’s the big question for Shanahan in 2019. He is 6-2 in games Garoppolo has started, compared to 4-20 in games he hasn’t. After six and four total wins in Shanahan’s first two seasons, it’s time for some progress in Year 3.
7. Dan Quinn, Falcons: Atlanta was disappointing last season — 7-9. But the Falcons did win 10 and 11 games in the previous two seasons. In 2016, they lost in the Super Bowl. In 2017, they went 1-1 in the playoffs and lost in the divisional round. Matt Ryan’s championship window isn’t getting any bigger, though. Quinn needs to produce results in 2019.
6. Mike Tomlin, Steelers: If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs in 2019, Tomlin could be a goner. The bar has simply been set too high for success in Pittsburgh. Last season’s no-playoffs 9-6-1 result won’t cut it. Yes, Tomlin made the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons, in which he won 13, 11, 10, and 11 games. But he failed to reach the Super Bowl during that stretch — and reached the AFC title game just once.
5. Jason Garrett, Cowboys: Jerry Jones has been exceedingly patient with Garrett, but the 2019 Cowboys have a tremendous amount of talent, and they need to make some serious waves in the NFC. Garrett is a lame-duck coach, entering the final year of his contract. He is coming off a 10-6 season and has reached the playoffs in three of the past five years, with a divisional round loss each time. It’s probably NFC title game or bust now.
4. Matt Patricia, Lions: A brutal debut season for him in Detroit last year, as the Lions went 6-10 and he didn’t make many friends in the media or fanbase with how he handled himself. Could the Lions cut bait after just two seasons? Considering what they’re paying quarterback Matthew Stafford, they should expect a lot better than six wins.
3. Mike Zimmer, Vikings: Another guy whose quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is making a ton of money. After reaching the NFC title game without Cousins in 2017, the Vikings went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs with him in 2018. Not nearly good enough, especially considering they went 13-3 in 2017. If the Vikings miss the playoffs again this year, Zimmer is probably gone.
2. Jay Gruden, Washington: Will he get a mulligan if he starts a rookie quarterback, Dwayne Haskins? Well, that didn’t exactly work out for the Jets’ Todd Bowles last season. Gruden went 7-9 in each of the past two seasons. He has one playoff trip in five seasons with Washington. If he replicates what Bowles did with Sam Darnold last year (4-12), expect Gruden to get canned. Maybe not fair, but that’s how things go in today’s NFL.
1. Ron Rivera, Panthers: He has an established quarterback, Cam Newton, but hasn’t done enough in the past three seasons — seven wins last season and six in 2016. In between, he won 11 games in 2017 and lost in the wild-card round. The 15-1 season of 2015, which ended with a Super Bowl loss, feels like a distant memory now.
