GM Fired
Romeo Mendez - Giants
The legacy of GM Romeo Mendez's time in New York will be built on the rise and fall of Matt Schaub. Mendez made waves through the league when he reached above the in-city rival Jets to select Schaub and looked like a mad genius when Schaub turned on the heat immediately. Unfortunately, he cooled and the rest of the roster wasn't able to make up for poor play from their quarterback. Mendez will have a job next season, but not in the Big Apple.
Job in Jeopardy
Norbert Huszti
If you ask Norbert, he's done everything right -- but the resounding opinion around the league is that the Ravens' GM was too loyal to his initial beloved Ravens roster and that his blindness to the teams' deficiencies (mostly looking at individual player stats over team wins/losses) will be his downfall. Fortunately for him, the last two games are against a Cowboys squad with nothing to play for and a Jaguars squad playing a young quarterback. It's likely he keeps the team one more season (only needing to win one game), but unless he changes how he evaluates talent, next year will likely be his last.
Tim Miller - Pittsburgh Steelers
A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed that Michael Vick, whom GM Tim Miller paid 100,000 activity points to turn back into a scrambler, would be the player giving his GM another season in Pittsburgh. But Vick has revitalized the roster, going 3-2 and bringing the Steelers within a victory of a GM contract extension. The bad news? Those games are against both Tennessee and Cleveland, who will not be playing easy on Pittsburgh.
Olivier Ratajczak - Denver Broncos
The GM in the most precarious position as of the writing of this article, Oli finds himself needing two victories to extend his contract next season. The good news? Denver plays the Bills and Chargers, the worst two teams in the league, per the Power Rankings. However, Denver has lost games they shouldn't all year. They have zero room for error.
Bill Ryan - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay looked primed to coast to an improved record this year (namely 6 wins), but then starting quarterback Marc Bulger went down at the most inopportune moment. Still, Tampa Bay is in good position, only needing to win one of their final games in order to save their GM's job. Their best bet is week 16 against the Chargers, as week 17's matchup is with a very tough Oakland squad that will show no mercy.
On the Hot Seat in 2009
Nicolas St. Marie - Atlanta Falcons
What is going on in Atlanta? The roster is better than their record and with the Saints showing signs that they aren't the early season powerhouse we believed them to be, you have to wonder how Atlanta and Tim Couch didn't take advantage. Regardless, they have one more season to figure it out or GM St. Marie may be leading another team in 2010.
Fighting to Stay Off the Hot Seat
William Cook - Dallas Cowboys
The transition from 2007 to 2008 was not kind to Dallas, as they made several necessary changes to their squad. They got hot late, but it was too little, too late, as the 0-4 start killed their chances of even a wild card playoff birth. They now find themselves in a difficult position for 2009, almost needing to make the playoffs in order to save their GM's job, unless they win their final two games, against Baltimore and a tough Philadelphia squad.
Peter Fenger - San Francisco 49ers
The late season injury to Kyle Orton gave the 49ers little hope of being able to make a playoff push, as he is the heart and soul of their roster. San Francisco likely lands on the hot seat next season, but could avoid it with two upset victories against St. Louis and Washington, both of which seem unlikely as both are in tight division races that may decide the playoffs.
Brent Lachapelle - Chicago Bears
The Brian Griese injury was a godsend for the Chicago Bears, who find themselves out of the playoff chase, but a win away from keeping their GM off the hot seat. Their last two games are against the Packers and Texans, two very talented squads. However, with the injury to the Houston QB, a win seems much more likely there now, though I'm sure GM Lachapelle would love to play spoiler in week 16 first to the Packers.
