Steve Spagnuolo’s nightmare season just got worse. Not because the Rams sucked (though they did), not because his franchise QB looked lost (though he did), not because he lost more guys to injury (though he did), and not because he faces a looong flight to a home that may not be his home for much longer (though he does).
Yes, all of that happened. What made it worse was that, through a scheduling gaffe at ESPN that no doubt resulted in multiple firings, the whole world was watching. (Those that hadn’t already flipped the channel, that is, to House re-runs or whatever else is on Monday nights.)
Moreover, after the firings of Jack Del Rio last week, and Tony Sparano and Todd Haley this week, there is blood in the water, and fans of bad teams like the Rams are in a frenzy. Spagnuolo is a deeply rooted man who coached under Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin, two famously stoic men with iron clutches on their jobs. But the Rams’ roots may not run so deep, and Spags could soon be joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Blazing hot: Can he survive the season?
1. Steve Spagnuolo, St Louis Rams (2-11). The question when evaluating Spagnuolo is where do you draw the line? Few coaches could have sqeezed more wins out of the talent-deprived 1-15 roster, but a more experienced or daring one most likely would have ridden the wave of momentum from Bradford’s rookie year past seven wins and into the playoffs. One with a more stable system would have resisted the Josh McDaniels hiring, which in hindsight has been nothing short of disastrous.
Now that a plague of injuries has reduced this team to shambles, each loss becomes more or less inevitable, regardless of who’s at the helm. The record won’t change whether they fire Spags or not. But the plan, the direction of the team certainly will.
2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts (0-13). You’ll always have that fourth quarter against New England, Dan Orlovsky. Other than that, this is a team in complete quit mode, and a coach in name only.
3. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9). Two weeks ago, Raheem Morris was apparently given an ultimatum: show some improvement, or your job will be on the line. In those two weeks, the Bucs got doubled up by Carolina and blown out of the water by Jacksonville, two teams with a combined eight wins on the season. Oh, and he threw one of his own players out of the game. This is a bad team getting rapidly worse, and with few cornerstone injuries to blame.
Red Hot: Can he save his job?
4. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers (6-7). I’m beginning to think that, under his weathered exterior, Norv Turner is a serious thrill junkie. Bungee jumping and sky diving don’t do it for him any more, now he’s into cooking his own meth from cough syrup and old band-aids and doing coyote runs across the Mexican border in broad daylight.
There’s no other way to explain his bipolar approach to coaching, waiting until the executioner’s blade is a half inch deep in his neck before he wakes up and whips his team into shape. Especially when the answers are right in front of him: give the ball to Ryan Mathews. Throw it to Antonio Gates. Play a little defense. It’s really not that hard.
Lukewarm: Safe unless someone better comes along
5. Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins (4-9). The only reason why Mike Shanahan’s seat might be cooler than it should: who else is going to coach here in Washington? Since Daniel Snyder took over in 1999, the Redskins have become a place for careers to die. Only one of the six men who have coached the team since then has found gainful employment elsewhere: Norv Turner.
6. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (5-8). Even if the Eagles avoid a losing season, this has been a lost season. And if reports from Pro Football Talk are to be believed, Reid has been issued an ultimatum: make changes on your staff (read: Juan Castillo, defensive coordinator) or lose your job.
7. Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings (2-11). I am not sure what ties Leslie Frazier to this job, other than that the Wilf family is notoriously patient. Even with a young defensive-minded coach of a team that cannot, to save its life, play defense.
8. Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals (6-7). Honestly, few men might be safer in their jobs than Whisenhunt, whose team has undergone a stunning turnaround behind John Skelton since starting the season 1-6 under Kevin Kolb. There are serious questions about the quarterback position, but the fact is Whiz is winning, and doing it with far less than some of the other coaches on this list.
