The NFL Roundup 2018: Hot Seat Edition

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

With the 2018 NFL Regular Season coming to a close, and only a few playoff spots currently up for grabs, I thought it might be high time to discuss something that’s a little different than our usual weekend preview yet is equally as important when it comes to the final week of this season; which coaches might be looking for a new job come Monday morning. For the infamous Black Monday is almost upon us in the NFL, and there are a few coaches out there fighting for their jobs come tomorrow and here are my thoughts on which franchises may be parting ways with their Head Coaches after Week 17 comes to a close.
 
Vance Joseph – Denver Broncos
When Vance was hired in Denver two years ago following the retirement of Gary Kubiak, he was called a ‘leader of men’, and well…it’s obvious that particular phrase was an incorrect assessment of his abilities. Because he’s never been able to get the best out of his players. In fact, the past couple of years for the Broncos have been an outright disaster with Joseph at the helm since the team has endured back to back losing seasons that have featured some embarrassing blowouts and while that alone is sound reasoning to relieve him of his duties, the fact that this squad has beaten some great football teams from time to time speaks volumes to how the right players are likely in place, it’s the coaching that’s failed them and that’s why I think Vance will be gone come Monday.
 
Steve Wilks – Arizona Cardinals
Oddly enough, Steve Wilks is another head coach that was brought in after a great coach bid farewell to the game with the belief that he would keep the Arizona Cardinals in successful territory. But Steve’s first year as the skipper of the Cardinals has been a complete and utter nightmare since quality players on defense have regressed in their play and Josh Rosen hasn’t grown all that much and well, this team has, for the most part, been woefully unprepared to play on Sundays and it’s clear that Steve is in over his head, which is why I think he will be dismissed on Monday, so the Cardinals can go find a coach that can nurture their new franchise quarterback.
 
Todd Bowles – New York Jets
Sometimes, when a new Head Coach arrives on the scene, they need a little time and a talent injection to show ownership they were the right guy for the job. And sometimes, they come in and wow the football world with instant turnaround and sometimes…they’re an outright flash in the pan, as is the case with Todd Bowles. Because his 10-6 campaign as the new Head Coach of the Jets in 2015 made it seem as though the franchise was headed in the right direction at last. But following that wonderful first year has come three more filled with woe since the Jets finished 5-11 in ’16 and ’17 and are on pace to finish worse than that this year, unless they win in New England tomorrow, which is not likely to happen. Which means that even with a brand new and talented QB, Bowles isn’t getting the job done and I expect the New York Jets to part ways with him simply because they’ve given him plenty of time and an infusion of talent and he’s squandered every opportunity away.
 
Dirk Koetter – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When Dirk Koetter took over in Tampa Bay in 2016, it seemed as though his dynamic offensive mind and the unique talents of QB Jameis Winston would serve as a recipe for success in Florida…but that never turned out to be the case. Winston has proven himself to be an average quarterback at best and has not grown under Dirk’s tutelage and the team as a whole…stinks. They haven’t been to the playoffs since Dirk took over, the offense is anemic at best and the defense couldn’t stop a sleepy toddler from running down the field and to make matters worse, they’ve endured back to back losing seasons as well. If anything, it’s obvious Dirk just isn’t the right guy for the job and I expect Tampa Bay to start the search for a new coach, and potentially a new QB once Sunday’s game has come to an end.
 
Ron Rivera – Carolina Panthers
What’s fascinating about Ron Rivera’s standing on this particular list, is the sheer fact that he’s actually enjoyed some measured success as skipper of the Carolina Panthers. After all, he’s been to the playoffs four times and oversaw Carolina’s Super Bowl 50 campaign. But, despite the success he’s enjoyed during his tenure, the team has been in free fall mode since they lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, because this is a team that is no longer mentally tough, and they crack and falter under pressure and the biggest culprit when it comes to that is Ron’s star quarterback Cam Newton, whose ego is bigger than the games he’s played in, and Ron has done little to manage this problem, which helped lead to an early exit from the playoffs in 2017. So, when we take into account the fact that he can’t get his guys to settle down and ball, and throw his gross mismanagement of Newton’s shoulder injury this year into the mix, because he should have shut Cam down weeks ago, don’t be surprised if Carolina’s new owner decides it is time to take this franchise in a new direction by way of a new head coach. 

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