2-MINUTE DRILL
RANK & FILE A LINEUP OF SPORTS TIDBITS
THE HEAT IS ON
A nasty swath of winter weather has done nothing to cool NFL hot seats, which have burned Jeff Fisher and Gus Bradley over the last week. Don’t be surprised to see more dismissals soon as other unhappy teams look to follow the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars by getting a jump on finding successors. Here’s the latest installment of USA TODAY’s weekly hot seat rankings:
1. Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills: Even when his team wins in impressive fashion, he’s addressing the latest report about his job security (or lack thereof) postgame rather than explaining what happened between the lines. Not a good sign. This damning fact, pointed out by ESPN, sums up Ryan’s two-year reign in Buffalo: Of his 15 wins with the Bills, two have come against playoff teams (Texans in 2015 and Brady-less Pats in 2016).
2. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals: It’s a poor reflection of his program when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat you in Cincinnati (again), then say afterward that they basically expected the Bengals to implode ... which they did (again). Lewis’ perennially undisciplined team committed penalties on four consecutive plays in the fourth quarter, leading to four first downs and the touchdown that cinched Pittsburgh’s victory.
3. Todd Bowles, New York Jets: He’s learned it’s better to underachieve in your debut season and then follow it up by exceeding expectations rather than vice-versa. Another dispiriting loss Saturday was overshadowed Sunday as Bowles fielded questions about his locker room as the latest escapades of defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson came to light on social media. This team was always overrated, perhaps a credit to Bowles’ performance in 2015. 4. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers: There’s no salvaging this season, though a loss to the winless Cleveland Browns on Sunday would add an indelible stain to a wounded (and probably, at this point, distracted) team playing out the string.
5. John Fox, Chicago Bears: The team will finish in the NFC North cellar for the third straight season, twice under Fox. And unless Chicago wins one more game, this will become only the second club in nearly a century of Bears football to lose 13 times. But give them credit for another valiant effort after they nearly completed a comeback Sunday against the hated Green Bay Packers on a frigid day when it would have been easy to fold after going down by 17 points in the second half.