NFL coach hot seat rankings after Week 5: Urban Meyer standing on a land mine, Joe Judge needs turnaround

It was one other wild and loopy week within the NFL, and never merely due to the craziness that befell on the sphere. For whereas the video games themselves have been a carnival journey of enjoyable, the laughs stopped in Las Vegas, the place Jon Gruden has now resigned as head coach in mild of an electronic mail scandal that despatched shockwaves by way of the group and league alike. And whereas Wealthy Bisaccia, the team’s special teams coordinator turned interim head coach, works to climate a storm by no means earlier than witnessed by the membership, it bears mentioning that Gruden won’t be alone in searching for one other job in 2021 — albeit for various causes.

Enter City Meyer, who owned headlines for his controversial decision to not fly house with the Jacksonville Jaguars following their Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, as a substitute remaining in Ohio to attend an occasion that noticed him getting too pleasant with a lady who is not his spouse; and that is not the place his issues start or seemingly finish.

Some coaches who entered the 2021 season on the recent seat have discovered a approach to take away themselves from it, e.g., Mike McCarthy, however not less than one has discovered his method again to it after escaping it two weeks in the past.

Let’s check out the most recent NFL teaching sizzling seat rankings.

Control: Matt Nagy, Bears

The very fact stays that Nagy just isn’t a nasty coach, not less than not normally. Nevertheless it typically takes greater than like to maintain a wedding going, and issues are getting a bit skinny within the Windy Metropolis air, largely on account of Nagy’s stubbornness within the face of apparent solutions on the quarterback place. To be honest, Nagy didn’t draft Mitchell Trubisky, nor did he make a commerce for Nick Foles, so do not put these in his lap. He’s accountable, nonetheless, for sticking with Trubisky because the starter for longer than he ought to’ve, and he would’ve executed the identical factor in 2021 with Andy Dalton — if not for Dalton struggling an damage early within the season. 

The damage successfully pressured Nagy into beginning rookie first-round choose Justin Fields, however Nagy was nonetheless drooling to get Dalton again into the beginning place earlier than ultimately caving to the plain and naming Fields the starter for the rest of the season. There may be nonetheless a lot to sharpen for and with Fields, however the transfer at QB would possibly save Nagy in 2022 — the irony being it took an damage to probably save him from himself. Keep tuned on this one as a result of the event of Fields this yr continues to be key for Nagy.

Subsequent 5: Packers, Buccaneers, 49ers, Steelers, Ravens

3. Joe Choose, Giants

It is powerful to argue that many are on a warmer seat than Choose proper now, relying on the way you view the temper of proprietor John Mara, though he left little room for interpretation going into the season. Mara famous this offseason that “everyone is on the hot seat” in New York — from Choose to common supervisor Dave Gettleman to himself. Together with himself was cute and all from a PR standpoint, however everyone knows homeowners do not hearth themselves; they hearth everybody else. And contemplating the wild and whacky coaching camp the Giants had, one which included a rash of swift and sudden retirements and at least one practice brawl, Choose is not precisely off to an impressive begin in his second yr as an NFL head coach. 

Add within the rash of preseason retirements, a 1-4 begin and the latest antics of rookie first-round choose Kadarius Toney within the Cowboys‘ throttling of the Giants in Week 5 and, properly, you need to marvel if Choose is dropping a deal with on issues in New York. Issues aren’t going to get any simpler for him going ahead, with Daniel Jones getting into concussion protocol and each Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay struggling accidents within the loss to the Cowboys. And with their subsequent 5 video games together with the Rams, Chiefs and Buccaneers, it would not be stunning to see the “impatient” Mara start stirring in his proprietor’s chair because the season rolls alongside.

Subsequent 5: Rams, Panthers, Chiefs, Raiders, Buccaneers

2. David Culley, Texans

Culley was capable of finding the fireplace escape on this listing after a powerful win to open the common season, however the Texans are as soon as once more again to their abysmal methods. It is not totally his fault, seeing as he has been with out quarterback Tyrod Taylor because the Week 2 loss in opposition to the Cleveland Browns on account of damage. However with Taylor sitting on injured reserve, it is Culley’s job to educate up the following man to win video games, and that is the place it does grow to be his fault. The Texans have now misplaced 4 in a row, and whereas credit score is due for being aggressive in opposition to the New England Patriots in Week 5, when push got here to absolute shove, Culley’s group could not get the job executed to land a much-needed upset over Invoice Belichick and Mac Jones.

That got here on the heels of the Buffalo Payments obliterating them, and sure the Payments are admittedly in a special class of staff proper now, however to muster no factors in anyway in 4 quarters of soccer won’t ever be OK. It is Culley’s first season ever as an NFL head coach, and he knew what he was strolling into when he accepted the place — from the scandal surrounding Deshaun Watson to the fracture between the locker room and the entrance workplace — which suggests, honest or not, he wants to start out displaying indicators pretty shortly of some semblance of a turnaround in Houston. Nevertheless, his subsequent three video games may pressure him into 1-7 earlier than that occurs.

Subsequent 5: Colts, Cardinals, Rams, Dolphins, Titans

1. City Meyer, Jaguars

If there is a blueprint for tips on how to do all the things proper when taking the reins as a first-time NFL head coach, you’d need to presume there’s an antithesis that lists steps for just about guaranteeing you will be fired earlier than you get a shot at 12 months 2. If the latter did not exist earlier than, it does now, and Meyer is the creator. Something Meyer may do fallacious after becoming a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, he is both executed it, is doing it or will in all probability get it executed within the subsequent a number of weeks. The aforementioned occasion controversy is solely one other feather in his manure-dipped cap, however the dysfunction started with the hiring, protection of, and instant firing of Iowa power and conditioning coach Chris Doyle — a person with a historical past of racist accusations in opposition to him.

Issues have continued to spiral uncontrolled from that time to now, because the Jaguars sit at 0-5 on the yr with rookie first-overall choose Trevor Lawrence displaying extra composure in the course of the winless stretch than his personal coach. Meyer is making issues worse for himself with postgame quotes that word he “does not micromanage who’s on the sphere” and that management of the staff “falls on the gamers” versus the pinnacle coach employed to steer them. He has additionally come under the probing of the NFLPA after a media gaffe whereby he admitted he elements COVID-19 vaccination into roster selections. 

All of this may be unacceptable conduct for a good coach, not to mention one with no wins and whose offense and protection each rank towards the underside of the league. Meyer has already been placed on discover by proprietor Shad Khan, and his subsequent mistake will seemingly be his final in Jacksonville.

Subsequent 5: Dolphins, Seahawks, Bills, Colts, 49ers

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