2018 NFL Head Coach Predicted: Updated Fired and Hired

The 2018 nfl head coach landscape figures to undergo some significant changes within the next calendar month as jobs are lost and filled.

So it’s time to get right down to it. Two questions will be answer on the upcoming list. Which teams will fire their head coach by Black Monday this January? Who will fill those vacancies in the ensuing month to follow? Some will be a surprise. Others no so much. What it will come down to is the end game for each franchise. What they’re seeking for their futures and how they intend to get there. Rest assured no plan will be the same.

FIRED

Steve Spagnuolo (New York Giants)

This is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Spagnuolo is doing the Giants a favor by taking over for Ben McAdoo but almost everybody knows he has no prayed of keeping it. Not unless the team makes some sort of remarkable final run down the stretch. He’s merely keeping the seat warm for whomever comes in to replace him.

John Fox (Chicago Bears)

The Allies had a Bridge Too Far during World War II. It would seem Fox went a team too far in his head coaching career. He probably should’ve called it quits after Denver. Like any competitor though he wanted one last shot to get it right. Unfortunately he wasn’t up to the task the rebuilding Bears were shaping up to be. Now with a third-straight losing season, he’s done.

Hue Jackson (Cleveland Browns)

There are four games left in 2017 for the Browns. Jackson still has just one win with this organization. There is no way they can justify keeping him another year. It’s not possible no matter what happens from here. It’s hard to say if Jackson was the problem or if he was undercut by the front office but the fact are he hasn’t won enough.

Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis Colts)

It’s hard to understand why people hate Pagano so much. Sure he’s made his share of mistakes in Indianapolis, but the fact is 2017 will be his first losing season for the Colts. Remember he started coaching them in 2012 and made the playoffs three times. Given the state of the roster he was saddled with by former GM Ryan Grigson, it doesn’t seem fair. Sadly that’s business.

Dirk Koetter (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Favor for Koetter has evaporated in a hurry. The expectations for the Buccaneers were sky high coming into 2017. They’d just gone 9-7 and looked to be ascending. Now they’re 8-4 and sit in last place in the division. Jameis Winston is hurt. The defense just got beat by Brett Hundley. It’s a mess. Maybe he gets one more year, but that’s doubtful.

HIRED

New York Giants:  Josh McDaniels

This is one of the few organizations that can consistently land the big names if they wished. The Giants are a highly prestigious franchise. If any team would be able to pry Josh McDaniels away from New England, it’s them. They’re about to bring in a new quarterback too. He’d be able to squeeze another year out of Eli Manning and then develop their next franchise guy.

Chicago Bears:  John Morton

The odds are strong that GM Ryan Pace, presuming he keeps his job, will still close to his own connections for the next coach. John Morton was an assistant in New Orleans in 2006 when Pace was a scout there. He also returned to work under Sean Payton again as wide receivers coach in 2015 and 2016. He’s now getting tons of success from what should be a below average Jets offense.

Cleveland Browns:  Jim Harbaugh

They tried the analytics route and it blew up in their face. This time the Browns might be better served just getting the best football guy they can find and handing him the reins. Jim Harbaugh will want money and personnel control to leave Michigan. Cleveland can offer both. He’s an Ohio native too so this job could mean something to him.

Indianapolis Colts:  Dave Toub

Rumors have persisted that GM Chris Ballard will target Toub when he decides to make the change. The two go way back to their days in Chicago through to Kansas City. There’s a familiarity and comfort level that an executive and head coach would need to have in order to function. Ballard knows how Toub coaches and Toub knows the type of team Ballard wants to build.

Next: 2017 NFL Playoff Predictions: Laying Out The NFC Bracket

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Jim Schwartz

What are the two problems facing the Buccaneers? They have a struggling defense and a former #1 pick at quarterback who’s playing inconsistent. Jim Schwartz has seen this before. He attacked both problems during his first head coaching stint in Detroit. In three years he took them from 2-14 to 11-5 and in the playoffs. The guy brings juice, and that team needs some juice.