Jags’ Bradley feeling the heat
Thanksgiving is upon us. We’re thankful that the Arizona Cardinals’ Bruce Arians is out of the hospital and apparently well enough to coach this week. We’re thankful that none of the NFL’s coaches has been fired (yet). But the holiday spirit will only last so long.
Here’s the latest installment of our weekly hot seat rankings:
1. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars: Even the ever-ebullient Bradley, who’s now 1444, looked ready to go nuclear when DT Sen’Derrick Marks’ offside penalty Sunday essentially cost the Jags any shot at catching the Detroit Lions. Don’t worry, Gus, this group of underachievers almost surely will be someone else’s problem in six weeks. Last week: 1
2. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals: It doesn’t appear that Year 14 will net playoff victory No. 1 for Lewis, who watched his two most explosive offensive players, WR A.J. Green (hamstring) and RB Gio Bernard (anterior cruciate ligament), go down Sunday. Only five teams are worse than Cincinnati (3-6-1), and the lack of established depth is showing. Whether it’s enough for owner Mike Brown to veer from Lewis remains to be seen, especially since the injuries are a built-in excuse. Last week: 3
3. Todd Bowles, New York Jets: The (New York) Daily News reported this team might quit on Bowles if he stuck with second-year QB Bryce Petty ahead of interception machine Ryan Fitzpatrick. Bowles announced Fitzpatrick would resume his starting duties for Week 12. Not a good look when outside perception is that the inmates are running the asylum for a 3-7 team. Last week: 4
4. John Fox, Chicago Bears: Good thing Cubs vibe will last for a while, otherwise Chicagoans would be miserable. Fox might be stuck starting QB Matt Barkley the rest of the way. And rookie LB Leonard Floyd’s scary neck injury weakens the defense. This doesn’t all land at Fox’s feet, but that doesn’t mean he might not prefer to walk rather than oversee this teardown. Last week: 5
5. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers: Hopefully he got the chance to enjoy San Diego’s delights during the bye, because it might be his last chance. He could be the last NFL coach to call San Diego home, which is part of the challenge he’s trying to navigate. Last week: 2
6. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers: He has won more games in Green Bay than Vince Lombardi, so it’s a good bet McCarthy will stick around. Probably. And though injuries have helped sabotage this team, his coaching staff could use significant alteration on both sides of the ball. Last week: 7
7. Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills: Let’s give his team credit. The Bills play solid defense, run the ball better than anyone and don’t turn the ball over. That’s what Ryan has always preached and could be construed as progress for this .500 outfit. Still, is that enough improvement for a club that must leapfrog four teams to snag the final wildcard spot in the highly competitive AFC? Last week: 6