7 NFL Head Coaches on the Hot Seat in 2016

Jeff Fisher, Los Angeles Rams

Jeff Fisher is the maven of mediocrity, the earl of the even record, the lord of lackluster football. Yet, none of these nicknames truly fit a head coach who hasn’t had a winning season since 2008, and yet somehow remains employed; he’s the “Calphalon man”.

Yes, despite a .432 win percentage since his 2008 Titans made the playoffs, Jeff Fisher has remained nearly untouchable in the head-coaching world. Tennessee did let him go after the 2010 season, but he’s stagnated the Los Angeles Rams’ franchise at a 7-9 record for the past four years and has seen no hint that his job is in peril. The Rams of today are much better than the Steve Spagnuolo and Scott Linehan tenures that had two of the worst NFL season by nERD ever, which indicates expected point differential compared to a league-average team, but a -0.53 average nERD season is nothing to be proud of.

After trading up for the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Rams selected quarterback Jared Goff, who appears to be just what they needed under center to stabilize this franchise. Add in running back Todd Gurley, and there is a great offensive tandem to work with for them; now they just need receivers. The defense is actually in a good spot, too, finishing eighth in the NFL in Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points (NEP) per play in 2015 -- and that was with top pass-rusher Robert Quinn and linebacker Alec Ogletree injured.

Seat Heat: 1 “Scorchio” out of 5. Fisher’s reputation and this team’s promise make him unlikely to be canned after the 2016 season. The Rams wanted Fisher to help them transition through the years following the move to Los Angeles, but a strong first few seasons on the coast could encourage them to let him stay on for more.