Coaches on the hot seat

Before the season even begins, 25 percent of the league's coaches can feel the warmth every time they sit down in their office chair. Working our way to the coach most likely to be canned if his team doesn't perform well this year, here's a list of the eight who could be looking for work in 2009.

#8 -- Mike Shanahan, Broncos. It's extremely unlikely the Broncos would ever get rid of Shanahan, but a third straight season without a playoff berth along with signs that the team, especially the defense, isn't responding could make for an interesting winter in the Rocky Mountains.

#7 -- Andy Reid, Eagles. Last season wasn’t pretty in Philadelphia and Reid himself had to deal with off-the-field family issues. The Eagles finished 8-8 and need to find a way to build on their late season success. Philly was 5-8 with three to go and only won two division games in a tough NFC East.

#6 -- Scott Linehan, Rams. After a horrendous 3-13 season that allowed the Rams the second overall pick in the draft, St. Louis needs to show major improvement this year. Might be a good idea to get that Steven Jackson guy into training camp sometime soon.

#5 -- Wade Phillips, Cowboys. It's now the second year that Bill Parcells is gone from Dallas and that could mean trouble in Big D. Phillips is yet to win a playoff game in his career and he walked into a pretty good situation a year ago. Jason Garrett is waiting in the wings if the Cowboys come up short. How soon until the first T.O. meltdown when things aren't going as well as he thinks they should be?

#4 -- Eric Mangini, Jets. After reaching the playoffs in his first season, Mangini was the savior of the franchise, but things took an ugly turn in year two. With Brett Favre in the fold, anything short of nine wins can't be looked at positively and in the tough AFC it's going to be hard for this squad to find a playoff spot.

#3 -- Romeo Crennel, Browns. The offense erupted when Derek Anderson took over in the second week last season and the QB earned a new deal to keep Brady Quinn on the bench. After coming close to the playoffs, Browns fans expect the postseason this year. What happens if they don't get it?

#2 -- John Fox, Panthers. After a Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance, Carolina has been back in the playoffs just once and is coming off 7-9 and 8-8 seasons the last two years. Jake Delhomme is healthy again, but Steve Smith already caused problems in training camp. Bill Cowher lives in North Carolina these days. Sense anything?

#1 -- Marvin Lewis, Bengals. When Lewis first got to Cincinnati, it appeared the dreaded Bengals franchise was finally going in the right direction. After a division-winning season in 2005, Cincinnati has only won 15 games in the last two campaigns. Why didn't they trade Chad Johnson to the Redskins when they got that amazing offer? Anything less than a winning season makes it hard to imagine Lewis keeps this job.

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