4 NFL coaches on the hot seat: Is Pete Carroll washed? Mike McDaniel sure is

We're not even halfway through the NFL season and already there are a handful of coaches who are facing the chopping block. How many of them will even make it to Black Monday? If things keep going this way, we'll see a steady string of firings before we even get to November.

Being an NFL head coach is a tough gig. Some guys just aren't cut out for it, at all or anymore, as these teams have clearly found out this season.

Whose seat is the hottest? Let's talk about it.

Pete Carroll, Raiders

Pete Carroll is one of the greatest coaches in the history of football. He's a Super Bowl winner at NFL level and a national champion in college. I personally credit the man for helping me fall in love with football. So I write this with absolutely no joy: It's time for him to hang it up.

His youthful energy can trick you into forgetting that he's 74 years old. He's officially the oldest head coach in the history of the league. Time comes for us all and unfortunately it looks like it's come for Carroll. His Raiders just aren't at the races this year. They certainly weren't anywhere close to it on Sunday, losing 31-0 to the Chiefs.

Geno Smith had 67 yards passing. The Raiders as a team had 25 yards rushing. Kenny Pickett replaced the starting QB and promptly lost a fumble. Sure, the Chiefs have bounced back from their rough start to the season, but they're not a defensive juggernaut this season. Every team bar the Giants had managed to put up 17 or more points on them. Getting blanked by Kansas City is rough.

Defense has been the hallmark of Carroll's teams but this one is a wreck. This is the third time this year they've given up more than 30 points. And the Chiefs did them a favor by pumping the brakes late, happy to bleed clock for most of the fourth. They could have pushed for 40 if they wanted to.

I don't think Carroll is going to get fired any time soon, but performances like that have to turn up the heat on a coach's hot seat. It's one thing to lose. It's another to be embarrassed so thoroughly.

Brian Daboll, Giants

Brian Daboll has been walking an employment tightrope for a while now. I'm not sure how he survives this week's meltdown.

The Giants had a 19-0 lead over the Broncos going into the fourth quarter. After a brainless Jaxson Dart interception, a defensive implosion and a missed extra point, they lost 33-32.

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen shouldn't be allowed on the plane back home, but the buck has to stop at the top. Daboll owns this one as much as anyone. He went for two in the third quarter while up 19-0 and failed to convert. He slowed down his offense and got too conservative in hopes of preserving his lead. He coached not to lose and it backfired. In the end, the Giants kicking woes also fall on his shoulders.

How does a coach survive blowing a 19-point fourth quarter lead? That 2022 Coach of the Year honor is starting to sit further back in the rearview mirror. Daboll's Giants haven't had a winning record since his first season. It's impossible to predict what they'll come up with this season. This is a team that's managed to beat the Eagles and Chargers while losing to, of all teams, the Saints.

Mike McDaniel, Dolphins

If vibes controlled hiring decisions, Mike McDaniel would have been out in Miami weeks ago. The Dolphins head coach has lost his roster. That's undeniable at this point. His demeanor on the sideline and in press conferences is nothing short of defeated.

That's the look of a man who knows the clock is ticking down towards his execution. And why shouldn't it be scheduled already? The Dolphins are 1-6 with one win over the Jets, the only team in the NFL in a bigger shambles than they are.

Sunday's 31-6 loss to the Browns (the Browns!) felt like rock bottom. Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and was benched for Quinn Ewers. Miami gave up 31 points to a team that hadn't scored more than 17 this year.

McDaniel had the Dolphins on the rise in 2023. He's fallen off a cliff since then. They went 8-9 last year and they're definitely not going to come close to matching that showing this time around.

No one in Miami believes it's going to get better. Not this year or next. Tua Tagovailoa is regressing and his relationship with the head coach appears beyond repair.

Aaron Glenn, Jets

I will honestly be surprised if Aaron Glenn is still employed on Monday afternoon. The Jets are a big ol' mess and it only feels like it's going to get worse. The Jets already can't score and now they're dealing with an injury to Breece Hall and the fallout of Justin Fields' benching in favor of an equally ineffective Tyrod Taylor.

When I say the Jets can't score, I mean, they might be the most pitiful offense I've ever seen take the field in the NFL. They haven't scored a touchdown in two games. They haven't reached the end zone when they weren't already trailing by two touchdowns since the season opener against the Steelers. Literally nothing has gone right for OC Tanner Engstrand and by extension Glenn.

There's only one reason to keep Glenn around: His defense has a pulse. As a former defensive coordinator, that's to be expected. The Jets could actually do something if they had even the semblance of an offense.

But it's not just that. Glenn looks out of his depth managing the game or inspiring his team as a head coach. We already knew he was a good DC. He looks like anything but a good head coach.

Unless something changes, we're looking at a team capable of going 0-17. It's a mercy their remaining strength of schedule is relatively manageable. Short of drastic improvement overnight, Glenn's firing is inevitable.