Written by: Tyler Deakin
Summertime in the NFL means that it’s time to check in on the heat index around the league. Certain coaches are feeling more pressure to perform this year than others due to a variety of factors including past performance, team structure, & team expectations. The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” type of business, which means that temperatures rise when immediate success is not met. That being said, coaches are usually held responsible for their team’s success & are thus held accountable for handling changes in temperature of the team. Without further ado, here is my list of coaches who are feeling the temperatures rising this year.
Warming up
Mike Tomlin; Steelers, Pete Carroll; Seahawks, Mike McCarthy; Cowboys
Mike Tomlin’s facing some serious pressure to win this year with an aging QB in Ben Roethlisberger who has no heir apparent on the roster. The Steelers haven’t finished below .500 during Tomlin’s tenure, but is time running out for them to make a Super Bowl run? Pete Carroll is in a similar situation to Tomlin in that his future is tied to Russell Wilson, who might not be around for very much longer. Carroll’s Seahawks were supposed to be the NFL’s next great dynasty team, but they only have the one Super Bowl ring to show for it thus far. Mike McCarthy’s tenure in Dallas has only just begun, but fans of America’s Team expect them to win the Super Bowl every year. QB Dak Prescott returns this year to face middling competition from the rest of the NFC East, giving the team a chance to rebound from a mediocre 2020 campaign.
Feeling the heat
Mike Zimmer; Vikings, Jon Gruden; Raiders, Zac Taylor; Bengals
Mike Zimmer is the longest-tenured active head coach without a Super Bowl win. This can be read as both a positive & a negative criticism of him; he’s been successful in the league for a long time, but his teams haven’t performed well in the big games. Jon Gruden signed a 10-year contract with the Raiders in 2018, and the team has a 19-29 record since then. The Raiders need to show signs of improvement this year in order for Gruden to keep his job. I’m not sure what to make of Zac Taylor at this point in his coaching tenure. He’s got one of the worst records in the NFL over the past 2 seasons (6-25-1); however, the team wasn’t exactly set up for instant success upon his arrival. This is obviously a make-or-break season for Taylor moving forward.
On the hot seat
Matt Nagy; Bears, Vic Fangio; Broncos, Kliff Kingsbury; Cardinals
I’m surprised that Matt Nagy wasn’t fired this offseason, but this means that Nagy gets one more chance to right the ship in 2021. Justin Fields needs to play as soon as possible in order for this team to win, regardless of what the team says publicly about Andy Dalton. Vic Fangio is 12-20 as the Broncos HC since being hired in 2019, and the team hasn’t made the playoffs since their 2015 Super Bowl run. The Broncos also hired new general manager George Paton this offseason, so another disappointing season could spell the end for Fangio’s tenure in Denver. Kliff Kingsbury has a unique way of falling “up the coaching ladder” so to speak. He had a negative record at Texas Tech (35-40) despite having Patrick Mahomes on the roster for 3 seasons, and yet he got the Cardinals HC gig where he has a 13-18-1 record so far in the NFL. Another disappointing season for the Cardinals could lead to Kingsbury getting shown the door.
Comments