It seems like each year some coach in the NFL gets the boot for starting out poorly. It has become a trend in the NFL over the past decade; some coach on the hot seat fails to live up to season expectations and their owner has enough.
So which coaches should be feeling the heat from their seat to begin the 2012 season? Here are four that I believe could receive his pink slip before the year ends.
4. Pete Carroll – Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll is making his second run at coaching in the NFL and has had two 7-9 seasons with the Seahawks. Now that he’s convinced the franchise to invest a huge contract into Matt Flynn, the pressure is on to produce. Carroll warned the public that his version of a turnaround could take a long time, but his unwillingness to provide the team with a true franchise quarterback could be his undoing. It would likely take a disaster, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Carroll gone mid season.
3. Mike Shanahan – Washington Redskins
Although the Redskins made a huge trade and moved up to take Robert Griffin III, don’t be surprised to see owner Dan Snyder can Shanahan if they start poorly. The expectations are that the Redskins should be competitive in 2012. They brought in RGIII along with a host of weapons to help him, and if they cannot put together at least a couple of wins to start out, Shanahan’s past success would not save him.
2. Mike Smith – Atlanta Falcons
Although Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan have enjoyed regular season success, fans are growing tired of the lack of playoff success. The Falcons were exited in the first round the past two years in blowout fashion. They could not even manage to score points on offense against the New York Giants in the 2012 playoffs. With the New Orleans Saints in disarray and the Carolina Panthers still needing to find a defense, the Falcons should be the favorites to win the division. If they fail to live up to those expectations, Smith could be gone.
1. Norv Turner – San Diego Chargers
This should come as no surprise. Turner has never had playoff success in any of his stops as a head coach in the NFL, and the theme has continued with the Chargers. It is honestly a surprise he stuck around this long in San Diego, as they’ve had high expectations every year and failed to live up to those expectations. Turner took over a team that was 14-2 the year before and he’s got nothing to show for it. He is the most likely candidate to be fired in the middle of next season should the Chargers continue to fail on the field.
Jeff is an NFL Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. He contributes mainly to the New York Giants and NFL Rumors pages. He also will occasionally touch on the NBA and humorous videos involving all sports.
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