The NFL Roundup Week 17 - Coaches Hot Seat Edition

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Week 17 in the NFL is always a tough time for me as a fan. After all, once Sunday has come and gone, that's it, the regular season turns into the playoffs and while that makes for great football...it means the season draws ever closer to its end. But before that dark day arrives, we still have games to celebrate this weekend, and plenty of stories to discuss and for this edition of the NFL Roundup, since there is only one playoff spot left to grab, we thought we would look at something a little different and discuss what Head Coaches and Executives might be without a job come Monday. 


Mike Pettine - Cleveland Browns
It's been a disastrous second year for Mike Pettine in Ohio. After finishing a respectable 7-9 in his first year as Head Coach, everything came off the rails in 2015 since the Browns are now in the running to have the first overall pick in the 2016 Draft. It doesn't matter what exactly went wrong or when...the bottom line is that Mike has lost this team completely. They have no fight on the field, no sense of unity and his "star" quarterback simply does whatever he wants and cannot be controlled. A head coach's job goes beyond just winning games, he needs his boys to follow him and believe in what they do, and it's clear he's not capable of inspiring his squad and for that reason I think Sunday is his last game in Cleveland.

Chuck Pagano & General Manager Ryan Grigson - Indianapolis Colts
It's a well known fact now that these two men simply have not worked well together during their time with the Colts. That's a big problem in football because chemistry is everything in this sport and when there are power struggles like these two men have had in Indy, the end result is an awful football season and while the talk is that Grigson is safe, I don't think he is in the slightest. Owner Jim Irsay has no problem blowing things up and starting over and I think both men are done with the Colts. Pagano for not making anything magical happen with the cards he was dealt and Grigson for his piss poor choices in the draft and free agency. Expect the next regime to be selected based upon their plan to build a team around Andrew Luck. 

Jim Caldwell - Detroit Lions 
This is perhaps one of the strangest head coaching situations around the league and Owner Martha Ford and her interim General Manager Sheldon White may take their time in making a decision on whether or not to retain Jim Caldwell. I say that because this is a tale of two teams. Early on in the season the squad had yet to win a single game and seemed to be barreling toward a one or two win season. Then Martha stepped in, fired all the executives and in turn Jim fired his Offensive Coordinator and then surprise, surprise, the team started winning again. Jim will have a lot to answer for when the season ends, specifically, why not make the OC change sooner and why not have a sense of urgency regardless of who is in charge. Those answers may determine whether or not he stays in Detroit.

Tom Coughlin - New York Giants
This is a name that pops up every so often when it comes to head coaching changes at the end of the year and usually Tom comes back thanks to his impressive resume with the Giants...you know, a pair of Super Bowl Championships. But the team continues to miss the playoffs, including this year, plus they blew several solid leads this season and that never looks good on a head coach, and it's entirely possible that ownership may feel the message is being lost and that it is time for a change. I honestly hope Tom stays with the Giants, simply because he knows this squad and he has the mentality to coach in Gotham but it's clear that fans and no doubt the Maras have been patient long enough.

Jim Tomsula - San Francisco 49ers 
I feel bad for Jim Tomsula. He was hand picked to lead this prestigious franchise after Jim Harbaugh and Jed York couldn't handle their differences and while at first it seemed like Tomsula would have a bevy of talent at his disposal, disaster struck. Player after player retired from the squad, Colin Kaepernick regressed at his position and this has ended up being one of the worst years in Niners history. I honestly think this is a guy who was thrust into a bad situation and deserves another year, but knowing Jed York and his dysfunctional ways, it wouldn't shock me to see him fire Jim to place the blame on someone and unfortunately the team's record and poor play on the field this year makes that kind of a decision, easy.

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OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
John and Scotty - New York Jets

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
John and Scotty - New England

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
John - Atlanta / Scotty - New Orleans

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
John - Baltimore / Scotty - Cincinnati

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
John and Scotty - Pittsburgh

Jacksonille Jaguars at Houston Texans
John and Scotty - Houston

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
John - Indianapolis / Scotty - Tennessee

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
John and Scotty - Washington

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
John - Philadelphia / Scotty - New York Giants

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
John and Scotty - Detroit

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
John - Tampa Bay / Scotty - Carolina

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
John - Oakland / Scotty - Kansas City

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
John and Scotty - Denver

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
John and Scotty - Arizona

St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers
John and Scotty - St. Louis

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
John - Minnesota / Scotty - Green Bay

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