2002: 4-12
2003: 4-12
2004: 1-15Wins Needed: 6Jason Arnold's Jaguars met their mark in week 6 after starting the season with 6 consecutive wins. They've lost their last 2, but his job is safe for another year. The team is actually in great position to potentially make the post-season and give himself even more breathing room. Jacksonville is currently leading the division but it's a tough AFC South and anything could happen in the second half.
2002: 9-7
2003: 2-14
2004: 3-13Wins Needed: 6Gary Cohen's off-season of acquiring playmakers has paid dividends so far. He's only 1 game away from hitting the benchmark to save his job for next year and is currently 1 game back in the division behind the Jaguars, whom they play next week. They face the Jaguars twice, Colts once and Texans once more and the rest of their games against the 49ers, Seahawks and Dolphins are good matchups for them. Cohen is definitely safe and is in the same position as Jason Arnold with a potential playoff berth and further GM contract extension in his future.
2002: 8-8
2003: 6-5
2004: 5-11Wins Needed: 6Brandon Lindgren is currently sitting at 4-4. Playing .500 ball at the midpoint is a step in the right direction and he also looks like he will be safe. His schedule actually gets easier after he's faced the Patriots and Jets once as well as the Raiders and Falcons. He has to take on the Jets and Patriots again and both are having great seasons, as well as the Bengals. He's got a couple gimme games against the Chiefs and Broncos which
should get them to the mark even if he loses the rest of the games.
2002: 2-14
2003: 4-12
2004: 3-13Wins Needed: 6The hot seat has inspired several teams to really go after it and saved their spots. The Lions were one of the few that actually stood their ground and trusted what they had, aside from that Michael Vick acquisition. The team was in really good shape and they were wise for taking that approach. Having hit 6 wins on the year, they're safe for another season and tied with the Vikings for 1st in the AFC North. Like the Jaguars and Titans, they have a shot at the post-season to give themselves even more breathing room.
2002: 10-6
2003: 8-8
2004: 8-8Wins Needed: 9Paul Criswell has drawn the short end of the stick with the GM hot seat feature. He had a 10 win season followed by two .500 seasons. When you compare the success of Tampa Bay to the other franchises listed, they're head and shoulders above the other in performance. Yet the bar is much lower for those other teams and much more difficult for the Buccaneers. After Brad Johnson retired, it really made the obstacle much more challenging. After an off-season and the start of the regular season making moves to try to avoid being fired, it looks like Paul is going to be out as the Tampa Bay GM, unless nobody else gets fired, which is a real possibility. Tampa is currently 3-5 and needs to win 6 of his last 8. On top of that, he has two games against the Falcons and a game against the Patriots. He has to steal one of those games and win out against the Redskins, Bears, Saints twice and Panthers. I think that is actually quite realistic, but a lot has to go their way.
2002: 9-7
2003: 6-9-1
2004: 6-10Wins Needed: 7Leonard Harvey's Eagles started out 3-1 and looking like they were poised to take the division. With the Giants in what appeared to be a rebuilding mode, the Redskins clearly in one and the Cowboys struggling, the stars aligned for Philadelphia, but they lost 3 winnable games in the last 4 weeks. Losses against the Cowboys, Chargers and Redskins puts them at 4-4. A .500 season would be enough to save Leo's job as he only needs to get 7. He has some tough games though, as he has the Giants twice, Packers, Rams and Cardinals as well as divisional games against the Cowboys and Redskins, both of which were losses last time.
2002: 7-9
2003: 6-10
2004: 5-11Wins Needed: 6Rock Hewko is a surprise on the hot list. It wasn't even until the draft that he apparently realized he was on the list. I think that's the biggest obstacle for the Seahawks, having that activity to get the ship in the right direction. This season has gone better so far as the Seahawks are sitting at 4-4. They lost 2 real tough games to start the season before going on a 4 game win streak but dropped the last 2. They still have the struggling 49ers twice which would save Rock's job by winning just those 2 games. They've got some tough games in the Rams, Giants, Eagles, Titans, Colts and Packers, but like I said just winning those two 49ers games will be enough. Even if they don't, they could steal a game or 2 elsewhere.
