GM Fired
Ian Coyle - Indianapolis Colts
Ian's tenure in Indianapolis may end with one big question: should the Colts have traded away Peyton Manning? The Colts have made the right moves in recent years, but have had some bad luck, from bad kicking to rookie QB Mark Sanchez getting injured on his first professional snap. All remaining hope lies in the "GM Save", where Sanchez's injury costing the team a season will likely be the main pitch.
Peter Fenger - San Francisco 49ers
There are a lot of similarities between the 49ers' season and the Nebraska Cornhuskers 2021 campaign -- almost every single loss by one possession and a lot of last second losses that just bounced the wrong way. If I was Peter, my frustration would be sky high, because I've done everything right and lost to an algorithm. When it comes to the potential "GM Save" (all three of these GMs are rooting hard against the Jaguars), San Francisco's pitch is going to be how close they were to 11-3 instead of 3-11.
Olivier Ratajczak - Denver Broncos
Life comes at you fast. At one point the Broncos were 6-2 and looking like Super Bowl champions. And then Ben Roethlisberger happened. The Broncos are now 6-8 and have announced that they're likely moving on from their GM. For the "GM Save", Olivier's argument will likely be that his hot start was dashed by a losing streak and complete loss of momentum.
Fighting For Thier Job
Brad Barber - Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville beat Indianapolis in week 15 in what was essentially an elimination game. Now, San Francisco, Indianapolis and Denver have to root hard against Jacksonville for one of the GMs to be saved, although Brad Barber can do that on his own by winning out. If he does lose the team, his "GM Save" argument will likely be hilarious: "I don't want this fucking job, get me out of here." I imagine he'd garner a few votes from league GMs, just for the memes.
On the Hot Seat in 2010
Rock Hewko - Seattle Seahawks
Rock Hewko is once again on the hot seat, which is surprising because he wins a lot of games he shouldn't, be loses all the games he should be winning. This isn't new territory and a Seattle squad on the hot seat is one of the scariest things in this league, so if I'm fans in Seattle, I'm not too worried.
Fighting to Stay Off the Hot Seat
William Cook - Dallas Cowboys
Once again, an 0-4 start may send GM William Cook onto the hot seat. Despite a 7-3 record since the poor start, the Cowboys are in need of a playoff berth or a 9-7 record to keep their GM off the hot seat, which looks difficult with games against Arizona and Philadelphia left.
Scott Gardiner - Detroit Lions
In order to keep GM Scott Gardiner off the hot seat, the Detroit Lions have to beat both the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. While a win against the Dolphins looks plausible this season, the Vikings game will be more difficult. Minnesota appears to be out of the playoff race, but they never back down from a divisional game. I mean, who could imagine the Vikings ever losing the the Lions? Breck....thoughts?
Norbert Huszti - Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore was the #1 seed in the AFC last year, but they've come a bit down to Earth. The good news is one more win keeps their GM off the hot seat. The bad news is those games are against division rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati where Tom Collins and Brady Tinnin would love nothing more than to get GM Norbert Huszti sweating. It's literally two battles for relevance.
Brandon Lindgren - Buffalo Bills
I think it would take close to a miracle to keep GM Brandon Lindgren off the hot seat. The best the team can do is 8-8, so they're looking at having to win out and hope for a lot of losses at other places in the AFC in order to make the playoffs. It's possible that such a situation isn't even available. It looks like Buffalo will very likely be putting their GM on the hot seat.
Romeo Mendez - New York Giants
On the flip side of Buffalo, it would take the biggest meltdown ever to keep GM Romeo Mendez on the hot seat again next season, where he is currently sitting. The Giants would have to lose out, the Eagles would have to win out and then the Giants would have to lose the NFC Wildcard race. Extremely unlikely, especially at the level they have played this season. Mendez should be safe.
Tim Miller - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Michael Vick experiment continues and it's extremely interesting to watch. But....Pittsburgh may be putting GM Tim Miller back on the hot seat if he doesn't win out, or if he doesn't take the team to the playoffs. The division title is already out of reach, but wins against Carolina and Cleveland (who may have clinched the division by that point) are possible. It looks difficult, but it's not as crazy a situation as some other GMs are looking at.
