A few weeks ago, Sporting News received some negative reaction from Patriots fans when they ranked Giants coach Tom Coughlin ahead of Bill Belichick on their NFL head coach rankings. Recently, Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly released his own coaching rankings, which provided a unique spin: rankings the coaches from 1-32 based on the "hot seat" meter.
Not surprisingly, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick ranked number one on Edholm's list (by number one, that means least on the "hot seat"):
The man who twice has lost to Coughlin in the Super Bowl - after winning it with the Patriots three times, of course - ranks higher on this list by a single notch because of his age (he's almost six years younger), his contract (he's believed to be the highest-paid coach in all of sports) and his status (regarded as the closest thing to this generation's Halas). Belichick, who turned 60 this year, had been mentioned as possibly interested in stepping down at some point, and other people have wondered out loud if he'd ever want to take on a Bill Parcells-like reclamation project with another team, maybe a final feather in his well-doffed football cap. But the security Belichick enjoys in New England is unparalleled, and his relationship with owner Robert Kraft (which only slightly was disturbed in the wake of the "Spygate" incident years ago) remains exceptionally strong. As far as everyone is concerned, they have rare faith and trust in each other.
Edholm then jokes that, in order to keep his job, Belichick will only need to "resist re-acquiring Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth." Sounds easy enough.
While I'm obviously biased, I think anyone that makes a Coughlin over Belichick argument is "patently insane."
As for other AFC East teams, Jets coach Rex Ryan ranked 28th, Bills coach Chain Gailey ranked 24th, and new Dolphins coach Joe Philbin ranked 18th. While Edholm had Ryan really high on the hot seat, I don't see him being fired even if the Jets miss the playoffs again. That is, unless the Jets were to really plummet, which I doubt as well.