Coaching Changes Are Inevitable

The first coaching change of the NFL season has been made, with the Miami Dolphins' Dave Wannstedt resigning Tuesday and being replaced on an interim basis by his defensive coordinator, Jim Bates.

But that undoubtedly was only the first of many. The other coaching dismissals likely won't come until the final few weeks of the season or after the season, but change already seems inevitable in some NFL cities. At least five other coaches around the league are sitting on toasty seats as their teams enter the second half of the schedule:

Jim Haslett. At 3-5, the New Orleans Saints again are one of the bigger disappointments and there were widespread rumblings that Haslett could be dismissed during the club's bye week if the team hadn't won at Oakland on Oct. 24. The Saints won, and Haslett stayed. But the club emerged from its bye with another lackadaisical performance in a 43-17 loss Sunday at San Diego. Haslett was the coach of the year in his first season in New Orleans in 2000, when he won what was then the NFC West and the team won a playoff game. But after going 10-6 that season, the Saints are 27-29 in 3-1/2 seasons, and they're well on their way to going a fourth straight season without reaching the playoffs. Haslett already has begun to answer questions about his job security, and seems to know what his fate could be.

Butch Davis. He spent the offseason consolidating his power in Cleveland, emerging as the Browns' sole football decision-maker when Carmen Policy stepped aside as team president and Ron Wolf was ousted as a front-office consultant after his advice was ignored. The problem is, with all the power comes all the blame when things go wrong, and things certainly have continued to go wrong in Cleveland. The Browns are 3-5 after going 5-11 last season as a follow-up to their playoff appearance in the 2002 season. They are 24-32 in 3-1/2 seasons under Davis, and owner Randy Lerner appears to be growing impatient. He reportedly has had at least one testy exchange with Davis this season. The club's rampant injuries, including the broken leg that ended the rookie season of prized first-round draft pick Kellen Winslow Jr., might save Davis's job as coach, but Lerner seems increasingly likely to cut into Davis's authority by hiring a general manager.

Mike Martz. The "Mad Scientist'' routine could be wearing thin in St. Louis. Yes, the Rams are 47-25 in the regular season under Martz, reached the Super Bowl in his second season (2001) and were 12-4 last season. But they lost an NFC semifinal at home to the Carolina Panthers in overtime after Martz played for the tie rather than for the win at the end of regulation, and they're only 4-4 this season. They've lost two of their last three games at home after a 15-game regular-season home winning streak, and they lost to New England at home Sunday even though the Patriots were missing starting cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole and lost fill-in starter Asante Samuel on the game's second play. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel out-schemed Martz, and New England made the Rams look unprepared with a touchdown off a fake field goal. Martz scolded his players publicly for that play, saying they should have been more alert, but those kinds of lapses reflect on coaches just as much as on players.

Dennis Erickson. It was an odd hiring when the San Francisco 49ers replaced Steve Mariucci before last season, and they've gone 8-16 since -- including 1-7 this season. It isn't Erickson's fault, as the 49ers again put themselves into an unfavorable salary-cap situation. But he certainly hasn't demonstrated an ability to have his team's performance exceed its talent level. He's in his sixth season as an NFL coach in Seattle and San Francisco and has yet to have a winning season. There have been reports linking him to the University of Washington job and claiming that he has told friends that being fired might not be the worst thing. But he has three seasons remaining (after this) on a five-year contract, and he said during his news conference after Sunday's loss to the Seahawks that he had no intention of exiting.

"No, no, no, shoot no,'' Erickson said. "I'm going to finish this thing. I see a lot of improvement to be made in this organization over the next three years. I want to be a part of it.''

Mike Tice. One day, it seems Minnesota Vikings owner Red McCombs is saying he will pick up the club's $1 million option on Tice's contract for next season and negotiate an extension with him. The next, he's saying that no decision will be made on Tice until after the season. The Vikings are 5-3 and might be the NFC's second-best team when wide receiver Randy Moss is healthy. Tice is the league's lowest-paid coach, with a $750,000 salary this season, and it's unlikely that McCombs would oust him. But if there's another collapse like last season, when a 6-0 start gave way to a 3-7 finish and an agonizing playoff near-miss, anything could happen, and Tice didn't help his cause when he allowed Moss to keep trying to play for two games with a partially torn hamstring that should have kept the star wideout sidelined until he was fully healthy.

Some in the league wonder if the increasingly frustrated Bill Parcells would consider walking away from the Dallas Cowboys or if Dick Vermeil would contemplate retiring from the Kansas City Chiefs if their teams' downward spirals continue. And as the season progresses, other coaches perhaps will be added to the list of those in jeopardy of being fired.

But owners must remember that coaching changes rarely produce instant turnarounds. The seven new coaches in the league this season -- the Washington Redskins' Joe Gibbs, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Atlanta Falcons' Jim Mora Jr., the Arizona Cardinals' Dennis Green, the Chicago Bears' Lovie Smith, the Raiders' Norv Turner and the Buffalo Bills' Mike Mularkey -- have a combined record of 26-31. Only two teams with new coaches, the Falcons and Giants, have winning records.

Moss To Stay On Shelf

Moss probably will sit out his second straight game when the Vikings play at Green Bay on Sunday. He missed the first game of his NFL career in Monday night's loss at Indianapolis. . . . Minnesota might re-sign Travis Dorsch, who was with the club in training camp, as a kickoff specialist after Aaron Elling broke his right ankle trying to make a tackle on a kickoff Monday night. . . .

Dolphins President Eddie Jones announced that he intends to retire after the season, a move that has been long anticipated. Longtime NFL executive Jim Steeg has interviewed for the job, but indications now are that he might not get it. . . . The Dolphins waived kicker Bill Gramatica, who missed an extra point in Sunday's one-point loss to the Cardinals. . . . Miami guard Jeno James underwent knee surgery Tuesday and likely will miss three to four games. First-round draft choice Vernon Carey, selected to play right tackle, could fill in, or the Dolphins could go with Rex Hadnot or Greg Jerman. . . . A.J. Feeley probably will take over for Jay Fiedler as the Dolphins' starting quarterback now that Fiedler's biggest booster in the organization -- Wannstedt -- is gone. . . . The Dolphins say they won't activate safety Shawn Wooden, who's been sidelined all season by a back injury, from the physically unable to perform list. . . .

The Browns placed guard Kelvin Garmon (torn knee ligaments) and defensive back Leigh Bodden (torn pectoral muscle) on the injured reserve list and signed offensive tackle Javiar Collins. . . . Cleveland signed punter Ryan Dutton to its practice squad as competition for Derrick Frost, whose seven-yard punt out of the Browns' end zone in the fourth quarter Sunday night in Baltimore set up the Ravens' go-ahead touchdown. . . .

The New York Jets placed safety Derek Pagel on the IR list because of an ailing left calf, waived tackle Brent Smith and signed safety Oliver Celestin off the Vikings' practice squad. . . .

The NFL suspended San Diego fullback Andrew Pinnock for four games for reportedly violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. The second-year pro has not played in a game this season. . . .

Philadelphia defensive tackle Sam Rayburn was released from a hospital Tuesday after being treated for head lacerations suffered in a two-car accident early Tuesday morning. His status for Monday night's game at Dallas was not immediately clear.

Rayburn reportedly was given a citation for leaving the scene of the accident after leaving his vehicle nearby and walking along a street, but authorities left open the possibility that he was disoriented because of his head injury. He faces a $115 fine for the violation. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the accident, according to police.

Rayburn signed a five-year contract extension with the Eagles last weekend.

Rattay Keeps Playing

San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay canceled an appointment Monday to have his sore right forearm examined by doctors. Rattay doesn't want to undergo surgery until after the season, and apparently is feeling good enough that he doesn't want to know if doctors think surgery is necessary. . . . .

The 49ers say they expect to have center Jeremy Newberry back within the next two weeks. He underwent knee surgery in September. . . .

The Cincinnati Bengals don't know if right tackle Willie Anderson will be ready for Sunday's game against the Redskins at FedEx Field. Anderson made his 72nd straight start for the Bengals in last Sunday's triumph over the Cowboys against the recommendations of doctors. He needs to undergo knee surgery. He couldn't finish the Dallas game, and the Bengals don't know how his knee will respond this week. . . .

The Giants activated Lorenzo Bromell from the PUP list to provide depth at defensive end behind Osi Umenyiora and Lance Legree, their new starters now that Michael Strahan and Keith Washington are on the IR list. . . . The Giants say they won't activate guard Rich Seubert from the PUP list. . . .

Jacksonville waived defensive tackle Willie Blade, who had been suspended for a game last month by Jaguars Coach Jack Del Rio for conduct detrimental to the team. . . .

KUSA-TV in Denver reported that the Broncos fired defensive backs coach David Gibbs on Tuesday. Gibbs is the son of former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, now with Atlanta. Neither is related to Joe Gibbs. If so, the Broncos likely would promote Jimmy Spencer, their assistant defensive backs coach. It would be a curious move, since Denver ranks second in the NFL in pass defense. The Broncos have a bye this week. . . .

Broncos tailback Quentin Griffin, who's on the IR list, underwent knee surgery Tuesday for his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Manning On The Horizon?

Kurt Warner has been answering questions this week about whether he soon could lose the Giants' starting quarterback job to top overall draft choice Eli Manning after throwing two interceptions -- matching his total from the first seven games of the season -- in last Sunday's defeat to the Bears.

"The funny thing is that you can have one game that's not up to par, and all of a sudden talk starts,'' Warner told reporters Monday. "I don't know too many places around the league where that situation would occur. . . . You know everyone was waiting for that to transpire, for something to happen so they could talk about that controversy. But so what? I've got a job to do, and I'm going to go out and do it.''

Warner has acknowledged since he signed with the Giants in June after being released by the Rams that Manning would play when he was ready to play.

"Obviously Eli is waiting in the wings,'' Warner said Monday. "He's the future, and everybody had the question from day one. So it doesn't surprise me. You were going to have less room to have a poor game here because of that situation. I think it's easier because I came in with those expectations.''