The Fat: Five for Firing

Mike Singletary. The 49ers promoted Mike Singletary at the midpoint of the 2008 season to give a listless team a jolt, and it worked. Mike led the 'Niners to a 5-4 finish, but fell flat in 2009, finishing 8-8 in his first full year. At 1-6, and after handing Carolina their first win, the 49ers find themselves at the bottom of both a weak NFC West and the entire league. That four of their losses are by a combined 11 points is telling; it means that the little things are making the difference for the 'Niners in too many of their games. Further boosting the organization's right to fire Singletary is the fact that he spent the first month of the season with an offensive coordinator that couldn't get the plays to his quarterback. That's a flat tire for an offense, and an issue that should've been addressed immediately, if not in the preseason.

Chan Gailey. Unlike Jimmy Raye, Chan Gailey was correctly dismissed as offensive coordinator by Chiefs' head coach Todd Haley just three games into the 2009 preaseason. In NFL head coach candidate terms, that's like being handed a lifetime ban. Enter the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo took a real chance hiring a man whose only success as an NFL head coach came with the ready-made Cowboys (who didn't win a playoff game under his guidance), and whose career at Georgia Tech can best be described as mediocre. At best. The Bills had two possible directions after Dick Jauron, neither of which were Chan Gailey. They could have handed the franchise to an established coach like Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden, or stayed with their own coaching prospect, Perry Fewell. For many Bills fans, Perry was the one to "Fewell the renewal" in western New York, but after going 3-4 as interim coach (and after shaping the Bills' defense into one of the best in the league) he was fired and took the Giants defensive coordinator job about five minutes later. The hiring of Chan Gailey along with other puzzling personnel decisions, and the team's Toronto address one week per season is evidence that a Major League-type maneuver may be underway.

Norv Turner. When the San Diego Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer and hired Norv Turner, they replaced the coach who couldn't win in the postseason with the coach who couldn't get there. Norv's resume includes one playoff berth in seven seasons in Washington and 5-11 and 4-12 seasons in Oakland, yet somehow was enough for Chargers' management to hand him their 14-2 team. Inheriting a playoff team instead of having the all-too daunting task of building one, Norv has found the road to MartyBall-- he hasn't gotten out of the AFC after three straight division titles. A first-round loss to the Jets after going 13-3 was like a badly re-cast sequel to the 14-2 and out season that got Marty axed, but instead of the gun, they gave Norv the cannoli. He signed an extension through 2013 just weeks later, which makes firing Norv a big financial hit, but one worth taking for the 2-5 Bolts.

Brad Childress. In order for a head coach to be fired, he has to be the head coach first, right? Wrong. Brett Favre calls the shots in the Vikings' huddle, on the practice field, in the training room, at the bar, on the sex boat (some traditions can't be broken), and that was proven over and over Sunday night. Vikings' "head coach" Brad Childress felt unable to warm up Tarvaris Jackson when Brett came up gimpy, even with the consecutive starts streak already kept alive. The streak appears paramount to the league as well, who have yet to issue a suspension of any length for either his admitted use of painkillers during his MVP seasons in Green Bay or the revelation and text messaging of his pennis (sic!). The scandal, coupled with nagging injuries, has made the Brett Favre will-he-or-won't-he a weekly saga. In pure football terms, the 2-4 Vikings have wins over 1-win Detroit and 1-win Dallas with Brett at quarterback, and the underhand throw that was not one of his three interceptions was enough to get anyone benched. If Chilly's unwilling to sit Favre, then he's unwilling to win, as a hobbled gunslinger should not dominate an offense that features the best running back in the game. The Vikings' trip to New England next week should force the issue, as falling to 2-5 will beg the question: is it the Minnesota Favre or the Minnesota Vikings?

Wade Phillips. Wade and Norv are like two sides of a bad penny. One side is an offensive coordinator that should have stayed one, and the other a defensive coordinator who should've done the same. Whether it's a pocked neck and disappointing offense or an open-mouthed gape and bad defense, Chargers and Cowboy fans deserve a change. Wade has actually had the more successful head coaching career (making the playoffs in Denver, Buffalo and Dallas) but if the Cowboys lose to the Giants and move to 1-5, Jerry Jones will have no choice.