Is Rex Ryan Really On The "Hot-Seat"?

Yahoo Sports presented a well reasoned argument today in relation to NFL Head coaches who may find themselves on the Hot Seat this coming year. Yahoo sports ranked the 32 head coaches in reverse order of comfort. So According to Yahoo, Rex Ryan is the 5th least comfortable head coach in the NFL:

Too high? Don’t forget who and where we are talking about. There are different rules with this team. Ryan, predictably, has remained confident when asked about whether he would last. Many argue he should with two AFC title game appearances in his first two seasons before last season’s slip to 8-8, and it probably would take another tumble for Ryan to lose his job

New York is a different environment to a lot of places, however earlier in this article Yahoo pointed out that since 2006 an average of 5.6 coaches have been fired each year, and only five teams still have the same head coach now as they did in 2006. While speaking about New York, they mention Tom Coughlin as one of the most comfortable head coaches in the business, and you can expect that after a Superbowl campaign. Being on the Hot-seat rarely means anything, However Tom Coughlin was 6-10 in his first year, 11-5 in his second with a play-off loss and 8-8 in his 3rd year, after that .500 season I remember a lot of heat for Tom, luckily he came out and won a Superbowl in 2007. This pretty much gives you at least three more years.

So does Rex Ryan have to win a Superbowl to stay safe? Yahoo doesn't think so and neither do i:

What Ryan needs to do to keep his job in 2013: Continuing to be a thorn in the Patriots’ sides is one thing, but the Jets can’t fall too far behind in the division. A wild-card playoff appearance probably keeps Ryan safe, and a competitive run down the stretch (without making the playoffs) might be enough to buy him another year. But below .500? All bets would be off. And if things get crazy — crazier, that is — with Tebow and Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes, a lack of locker-room control could doom Ryan even if they did sneak into the playoffs and lose the first game.

A Play-off appearance definitely saves him, a competitive run in with the Patriots for the division saves him too, I'd even be willing to bet that a 7-9 record may be good enough to. 6-10 or 5-11 and we start to wonder, anything below and the sharks are circling. I think the point should be that every head coach should be judged on context and expectation. Rex Ryan exceeded expecations in year one, matched expectations in year two, and fell short of expectations in year three. What are the expectations for year four though?

Are we a complete team capable of challenging for the Superbowl? A lot will rest on the shoulders of the Quarterback. Rex Ryan was going to live and die with Mark Sanchez, it was his first pivotal move as head coach of this franchise. Rex Ryan is new to head coaching, he is going to make mistakes with clock management and openly admits the mistakes he makes. Sometimes franchises need to stick with head coaches and try and maintain a sustainable environment for success. 2011-2012 Superbowl winner, the New York Giants with longtime coach Tom Coughlin who they stuck with through some problems. 2010-2011 Superbowl winner, The Green Bay Packers with longtime coach Mike McCarthy who had two .500 or below seasons in his first four.

As you can see, I always favour stability and I think a little patience can pay off in the long run. It would take a complete melt-down in New York for me to support Rex Ryan getting shown the door.