Anybody who was paying attention saw this coming. I even wrote a couple of stories about Jack Del Rio being fired before the regular season even started. Now eleven games later the Jacksonville Jaguars have made Del Rio the first coaching casualty of the season.

Owner Wayne Weaver said before the season started that Del Rio would have to make the playoffs or he would be fired. With the Jaguars now 3-8 it was apparent that Jacksonville would not be making the playoffs this year so Weaver pulled the trigger and relieved Del Rio of his coaching duties. Weaver also took the time to announce that he would be selling the team.

So as the Jaguars are in the process of changing ownership and begin the search for a new head coach, one has to wonder who the next coaching casualty will be. There are a few more coaches on the hot seat that may be receiving pink slips between now and the first week of January.  

Norv Turner has been receiving a lot of heat for the poor play of the San Diego Chargers. They are tied last in their division with the hapless Kansas City Chiefs after losing six straight games. The Chargers are way too talented to be playing as badly as they have been playing.

But the Chargers aren’t the most disappointing team; that distinction goes to the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending so much money during the offseason on big name free agents, the Eagles are also tied last in their division. Fans were calling for coach Andy Reid’s head as his team was being manhandled by the New England Patriots last Sunday.

With Peyton Manning out due to a neck injury, the Indianapolis Colts were expected to struggle this season. They weren’t expected to be winless eleven games into the season though. The ineptitude displayed by this team has many wondering if Jim Caldwell will be around in 2012.

Miami Dolphins’ coach Tony Sparano was rumored to be on the hot seat before his team was able to reel off three wins in a row. He’s still not in the clear with his team sitting dead last in the AFC East with a 3-8 record but he may have done enough to at least be allowed to finish out the season.

The last coach feeling the heat is also sitting at the bottom of his respective division. Steve Spagnuolo has the St. Louis Rams sitting last in the NFC West at 2-9. This is Spanuolo’s third year coaching the Rams and he only has ten wins to his credit. He has one more year left on his contract but the Rams may feel the need to go in another direction.

Although he was the first you can best believe that Del Rio won’t be the last coaching casualty this season. If Vegas set odds on coaches being fired the odds on one or more of these coaches being fired by season’s end are pretty high. Care to place your bet on who’s next?

Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.

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