USA TODAY International Edition
Lewis, Bowles join hot seat rankings
Chairs might be cooling for certain NFL coaches who seemed to be on shaky ground recently. Of course, that means things aren’t going as planned in other NFL cities. Here’s the latest installment of our weekly hot seat rankings:
1. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers:
The beleaguered coach is being undermined by a punter who shanks 16- yarders from deep in his own end before going all Tony Romo while flubbing the snap on a game- tying field goal attempt with two minutes left. McCoy can certainly identify with original Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay, who, when asked about his team’s woeful execution, famously quipped he was “all for it.” But with a Thursday night visit from the wounded Denver Broncos, who will attempt to send the Chargers to an 11th consecutive AFC West loss, McCoy’s headcoaching demise soon might be at hand.
Last week: 1 2. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars:
It’s back into the breach for Bradley, who got relief from a Week 4 win in London but saw his idle team sink to the bottom of the AFC South standings during the bye week. Maybe a visit to the reeling Chicago Bears will allow the Jaguars to start stacking wins.
Last week: 3 3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals:
Lewis is in his 14th season with the Bengals. But his 0- 7 playoff record, including oneand- done showings in the past five postseasons, has led to four consecutive one- year contract extensions for Lewis, who is signed through the 2017 season. But the last time the Bengals ( 2- 3) were below .500 after five games was in 2010, the year before quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A. J. Green arrived. If Lewis fails to get this underachieving club — Cincinnati trailed the Dallas Cowboys 28- 0 at one point Sunday — into the playoffs, owner Mike Brown’s patience with this regime might finally dissipate.
Last week: unranked
4. Todd Bowles, New York Jets:
Perhaps his loyalty to scattershot quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick can be forgiven, especially given the lack of viable alternatives. But defense is supposed to be this coach’s bread and butter, and the Jets are getting consistently sliced and diced despite the money and draft picks invested into that side of the ball. It’s only Year 2 for Bowles, but it’s feeling like a significant regression.
Last week: unranked 5. Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills:
Give him credit — the Bills are 3- 0, winning those games by a combined 79- 37, since Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Ro- man after the team’s 0- 2 start. Still, Ryan almost certainly still has a large magic number ( nine or 10 totals wins?) to punch Buffalo’s first playoff ticket this cen- tury and gain 2017 job security for himself. Last week: T4 Cooler seats ( for now): Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions; Mike Mularkey, Tennessee Titans.