“Black Monday” for NFL coaches is just a week away, and by the time the season is said and done with, there coach be over a dozen openings that assistants and others that weren’t leading NFL teams this year need to fill. Check out the list of coaches that we think are set to make the jump into the head coaching ranks in the 2012 NFL season.

Brian Billick: Billick led the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl a decade ago, and he really built that strong foundation that Baltimore has had since that point, but for the past few seasons, he has been working for FOX Sports as an analyst as he tries to get back into the coaching game. There are no signs that he is coming back, but an owner like Dan Snyder that is willing to throw enough money at him could get a steal.

Jon Gruden: Another man who went from the sidelines to the booth, Gruden’s name always gets tossed around as a potential head coaching candidate. Again, there is no reason to believe that this will be the year that he comes back to coaching, especially since he really does enjoy his gig with ESPN. That doesn’t mean that a job near home with the Jacksonville Jaguars or Miami Dolphins might not be appealing.

Bill Cowher: See: Gruden, Jon. It’s basically the exact same situation, just change the letters “ESPN” to “CBS.” However, of all of the coaches that are in broadcasting right now, we think that Cowher is the least likely to get back into coaching this year. Now, if the Cleveland Browns job were to open back up or if the Houston Texans job were to come open, that might be a different story… but for now, we doubt that Cowher gets back in the game.

Jeff Fisher: The Titans’ split with Fisher last year was as bloody as it gets, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the ability to jump back onto the sidelines and to fix a team that just needs some tweaking to be solid. Tennessee, in spite of a very similar record to that of last season, wasn’t nearly as good this season, and Fisher was probably at least a part of the reason for that. A team that is looking for stability like the Eagles could be a nice new home for Fisher if wants to come back to coaching.

Romeo Crennel: Crennel really deserves the job with the Kansas City Chiefs. He led QB Kyle Orton to a win over the Green Bay Packers in his first week on the job, replacing the fired Todd Haley. Crennel has ties to GM Scott Pioli from the days that both were dominating with the New England Patriots, and it would be a move that makes a heck of a lot of sense for both sides.

Tony Sparano: In our opinion, Sparano did a great job with the Miami Dolphins over the course of the last few years, and we think that he left them in a heck of a lot better shape than the lousy squad that he inherited. Someone should give Sparano a shot to shine for sure in spite of the fact that he was canned this year. He will almost certainly be the only coach fired that we think is deserving of a head coaching job once again right away.

Jay Gruden: No, you’re not reading that wrong. That does say “Jay” and not “Jon” in front of the word “Gruden.” The younger Gruden brother has had all sorts of success in the Arena Football League and United Football League as a head coach, and though he only has one season as an offensive coordinator at the NFL level, teams may be vying for his services this offseason. Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Miami… are you paying attention? Gruden’s roots are all in the Sunshine State, and he would inevitably love the come back to his home.

Rob Ryan: Someone is probably going to offer Ryan a lot of money in hopes that he can bring the same level of success to their franchise that his brother, Rex did for the New York Jets. That being said, we really weren’t all that impressed this year with what Ryan did for the Dallas Cowboys’ defense, and we’re really not all that sure that it is going to be a wise hire for a team that is hoping for a jolt. That being said, Ryan is clearly one of the hottest coaching commodities out there to become a head coach, and this is probably the season that he gets a look.

Gregg Williams: In spite of the fact that Williams really failed as a head coach with the Buffalo Bills a decade ago, there is no denying the fact that he has been a great defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. He’s got experience and a decent background of late, so someone will probably make the relatively “safe” hire for Williams, and then wonder why they need to fire him again in four years…

Perry Fewell: Fewell was the interim coach for the Bills a few years ago, and he did a respectable job. However, he really wasn’t that hot of a commodity then like he is now, as many love the way that he has handled that this New York defense, which has had a slew of injuries this year and has still proven to be a solid unit.

Brian VanGorder: All together now: “Who???” VanGorder is the man that has really made the Falcons a much more viable defensive team, and there is going to be a coach that wants to bring his intensity to their sidelines as well. He was the coach at Georgia Southern for awhile, so at least he does have some level of coaching experience at the top, unlike names like Josh McDaniels and Raheem Morris who were given jobs as head coaches foolishly before him, and don’t be surprised if he turns out to be one of those hires in the 2012 NFL season that you had never heard of before, sort of like Pat Shurmur with the Cleveland Browns.

Mike Zimmer: It’s high time that Zimmer gets a job as a head coach. He has done a great job with a Cincinnati defense that was absolutely atrocious before he got there. Now, he has done it again, and he should really get a spot on the sidelines for a team that has a bit of a defense in place that doesn’t quite have the right scheme.

Dirk Koetter: We’re actually a bit surprised that the Jags tabbed Mel Tucker as their interim head coach and not Koetter. Of course, the fact that he hasn’t been able to mold QB Blaine Gabbert into a starting signal caller could be bad news for him, just like it is probably going to be bad news for McDaniels that he couldn’t get anything going with QB Sam Bradford and the Rams this year. That being said, Koetter’s name continues to come up from time to time as a potential coaching candidate, and he just hasn’t gotten the nod yet.

Chuck Pagano: Any time you are the coordinator for a defense that is as big and bad as that of the Ravens, you deserve your name in the head coaching pool. Pagano did a nice job this year keeping this unit together in spite of the fact that LB Ray Lewis has missed time, and the end result might be that he gets hired to try to fix some poor team’s defense.

Pepper Johnson: Another defensive coach off of the Bill Belichick tree… Coordinators for the Pats become head coaches more often than any other team, and Johnson is young and is leading a defensive line that is anchoring an otherwise poor defense. Johnson will draw some looks for sure, and he could be a perfect fit for the likes of Kansas City or Arizona.

The NFL betting campaign is heading into its final week of the year, meaning that Black Monday is nearly upon us for coaches. Take a look at the coaches that have already been canned, and the ones that could be on their way out the door when this season is finally said and done with.

Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars – Del Rio was canned a month ago, and it was merciful the way that it happened. The Jags haven’t really made all that much of a move in the right direction over the last few years, and the failure of raising QB Blaine Gabbert as a rookie really didn’t help his case any in a year in which owner Wayne Weaver said that it was playoffs or bust for Del Rio. Now, Weaver has sold the team, and Del Rio has been canned. The only question is whether interim coach Mel Tucker is going to be around to see how next season pans out. We tend to doubt it.

Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers – Turner was announced as a goner at the end of the year just days after Del Rio was fired. Turner was allowed to stay on until the end of the season to see if he can get this team into the playoffs. The postseason hopes came to an end with a loss at the Detroit Lions last week, and now, Norv and his staff are coaching their final game this week at the Oakland Raiders, and they have merely been reduced to potential spoilers in yet another very average season.

Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins – Sparano was let go a few weeks ago in a move that came as absolutely no surprise to anyone. The Fins flirted with the idea of bringing in Jim Harbaugh before ever firing Sparano, and though Harbaugh didn’t come to South Beach, Sparano was still basically stuck with the job. He did a decent job this year and is deserving of a coaching gig immediately as far as we are concerned, but with the Dolphins moving into a new stadium next season, they needed a new direction to go in.

Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs – Thanks to some spats with ownership, players, and fellow coaches, Haley was relieved of his duties when it was assumed that the Chiefs’ playoff hopes were said and done with. Interim coach Romeo Crennel is expected to be a candidate for both this job and other jobs this year, and he really bolstered his case by beating the Green Bay Packers at home in his first game in charge of the team. Haley got a bit of a raw deal getting fired a year after taking the team to the AFC West title, especially knowing that this season became impossible without QB Matt Cassel, S Eric Berry, and RB Jamaal Charles for the majority of (or entirety of) the season, but it was clear that GM Scott Pioli wanted to go another direction with his team.

Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts – Caldwell has probably saved his job over the course of the last couple of weeks, as the Colts have beaten the Titans and Texans at home in back to back encounters. However, if the team decides that it is going to use the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on QB Andrew Luck, owner Jim Irsay may want to bring in a new coach to lead the ship in Indianapolis as well, since it is clear that the team is in need of a major overhaul.

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles – The season came to a crashing halt last week for the Eagles before they ever took the field, as they were knocked out of the playoffs thanks to a win by the New York Giants. Now, it’s true that Reid’s Eagles have played a lot better of late, winning three straight games and threatening to finish .500 in a season in which very little went right, but we don’t know whether the media pressure in the City of Brotherly Love is going to allow the most tenured coach in the league to keep his post for another season. We tend to doubt it, and we think that Reid, either peacefully via a resignation or forcefully via a firing will be removed on January 2nd.

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants OR Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys – Owner/GM/Czar Jerry Jones has said that Garrett is the man that he is going to trust as his head coach for the future, but we aren’t so sure that an 8-8 season and missing out on the playoffs are going to keep him safe. Remember that the Cowboys, in spite of all of their injuries, have lost three out of four games, including dropping to the Arizona Cardinals and these Giants down the stretch. There have been plenty of questionable coaching moves this year in losses, and if the Cowboys lose on Sunday, Garrett might take the fall. Coughlin always seemingly has his back against the wall in the Big Apple, and it seems as though a loss at home will finally be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Then again, the last time Coughlin was in this spot, the Giants won the games that they had to win and ended up winning the Super Bowl, so we know not to count Big Blue out until they are really, truly out.

Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins – The Redskins’ loss at home on Sunday to the lowly Vikings might be more than owner Daniel Snyder can really take. Shanahan just hasn’t had any success here with the ‘Skins, and his lack of ability to settle on a quarterback and an offensive scheme has really hurt him. Washington is so mediocre and not so bad that it might not be able to settle on a quarterback for the future this year either, and Snyder is probably going to at least force Shanahan’s hand to make up his mind. Knowing Shanny, he may just decide that he has had enough and walk away from the job if Snyder doesn’t fire him next week.

Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams – The Rams were really, really bad this season, and that wasn’t what the franchise really wanted to see a year after just missing out on the postseason. There were some promising games, notably the home win over the Saints, but St. Louis was just never really able to build upon it. The question is there whether or not QB Sam Bradford is really the man that can lead this team, and if QB Andrew Luck ends up sitting on the board for the Rams, they might have to take him. If they do that, will Spagnuolo get a chance to rebuild this team a second time? We really don’t think so.

Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris wasn’t really on the hot seat for the majority of the season, but a few weeks ago, that steam picked up, and now, he is probably all but gone. It’s not that the Bucs have been losing games, it’s how they have been losing them. All that the team needed to see this year was a bit of progression on the field. Making the playoffs would have been the next step, but not a requirement. Now, the team is one of the worst in football, it has a 10-game losing streak going, and it is probably going to end up removing Morris as a result, especially after a lot of the four TD+ losses that this squad has had to endure down the stretch.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears – Someone is going to take the fall for the fall from grace that the Bears have had, and though we think that it is going to start with GM Jerry Angelo, a new GM might want Smith and has staff out. It’s really not Smith’s fault that he really didn’t have a quarterback or a running back to work with down the stretch, but the bottom line is that this team had a two game lead on a Wild Card bid a month ago, and it was eliminated from the postseason on Christmas night. To say that that isn’t all that good is a bit of an understatement, and Smith could get the blame.

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals – We keep Lewis on the hot seat for now, because failing to make the playoffs might be enough to cause owner Paul Brown, who notoriously does things that go against the grain, to give him the boot. The Bengals are going a new direction, and Lewis started the team that way with QB Andy Dalton calling the shots, but that doesn’t mean that Brown is going to want to keep Lewis even if the team finishes 9-7 and out of the postseason. It would be a questionable firing at best, but in order to stay safe for absolutely certain, we recommend to Lewis to beat the Baltimore Ravens this week and lock up a playoff spot.

Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals – We tend to think that the solid play down the stretch has been enough to give Whisenhunt one more go around with the Cardinals, but we’re not sure that ownership is going to go with that either, especially if one of the big time head coaches that have been sitting on the sidelines is showing some interest in the job. Finishing at that psychological barrier of .500 with a win over the Seahawks this week will probably be enough to take the heat off of Whisenhunt, at least for one more season.

We are starting to wind down the 2011 NCAA football schedule, but here at Bankroll Sports, we are starting to get concerned with a lot of head coaches on the hot seat. Check out the coaches that we think are in a heck of a lot of trouble if things don’t turn around for the rest of this season.

Mike Stoops – Arizona Wildcats: The Wildcats have already parted ways with Stoops after the team started off at 1-5 this season. Arizona had lost 10 straight games against FBS schools until it fired Stoops, and then it turned around the destroyed the UCLA Bruins in its next game. And that brings us to…

Rick Neuheisel – UCLA Bruins: Neuheisel should have already been fired this year to tell the total truth. His team was absolutely annihilated in that game against Arizona on national television, and there was an ugly skirmish that took place just before halftime as well. In fairness to Neuheisel, he hasn’t been able to keep a quarterback healthy for the past few seasons, but there is still no excuse. He came to Los Angeles vowing to put the Bruins back on the map and out of the shadows of the USC Trojans. The Men of Troy have been on probation these last two seasons, and UCLA is still irrelevant. The only way that Neuheisel ends up safe is by beating the Arizona State Sun Devils this coming week and getting into the Pac-12 Championship Game. Even then, we’re not totally sure.

Jeff Tedford – California Golden Bears: The Golden Bears were back on the map for awhile, but these last two seasons have been mighty frustrating. The team has never won more than 10 games in a year with Tedford calling the shots, and this is going to be the fifth season in his nine at the post in which this team has finished with a sub-.500 record in the Pac-12 (old Pac-10). Last year’s 5-7 seasons was brutal without a bowl game, the first time that that was the case since Tedford’s first year in 2002. Cal has two home games against Washington State and Oregon State over the next two weeks, and Tedford badly needs to win those two games and get this team back to a bowl game, or his days might be numbered in Berkeley.

Paul Wulff – Washington State Cougars: And the Pac-12 raid continues… Washington State hasn’t really had a good season in quite some time, and Wulff is about out of time to try to turn things around in Pullman. This team has lost four in a row, and without some momentum at the end of the season, we just don’t know if Wulff is going to survive. The Cougs have allowed 42 or more points four times this year and a whopping 21 times since 2008.

Mike Riley, Oregon State Beavers: We feel a bit bad for Riley, because he just doesn’t have the resources that Oregon does up the road in Eugene. His team went just 5-7 last year, and it is 2-6 this season, and things are clearly going in the wrong direction. The truth of the matter is that the Beavers really became relevant in the mid-2000s when they were finishing with nine or 10 wins virtually every year, but that time has come and gone. But, with USC, Stanford, and Oregon so dominating over the past few years, time is running out for basically all of the coaches in the Pac-12.

Houston Nutt – Ole Miss Rebels: Think that Nutt regrets that decision to leave Arkansas to go to Ole Miss? With the Hogs, he built a program that included three SEC West titles and eight Top 25 finishes. Now, he took over at Ole Miss and just was not able to rebuild after the wheels fell off for QB Jevan Snead in 2009. His team is going to miss a bowl game for a second straight year, and with a 1-15 record over two seasons in the SEC looming, the Rebels might be looking to make a change.

Neil Callaway – UAB Blazers: Coaching UAB has to be one of the most difficult jobs in the entire country. The school is tucked away in the middle of nowhere in Birmingham, and there is no way that it is ever going to be able to compete with Auburn and Alabama in recruiting. Since coming to the Blazers though, Callaway is only 16-44 without a bowl game, or a finish in the top half of the East Division in Conference USA. The time is clearly coming for UAB to head another direction.

Ron Zook – Illinois Fighting Illini: The thought was that the Zooker was off of the hot seat when he got the Illini off to a 6-0 start to this season and a Top 20 ranking in the country. However, after three straight losses, we’re just not all that sure. We tend to think that recruiting QB Nathan Scheelhaase will at least earn Zook one more season, but there is a point that this program really needs to improve. The only really notable season was the 9-4 Rose Bowl year in 2007. However, aside from that, Zook only has one other bowl bid, though we’re assuming that the Illini are going to go bowling this year even if they do only go 6-6.

Mark Richt – Georgia Bulldogs: Richt is really at best a fringe candidate to get fired at the end of this season, but if he survived the 0-2 start to this season, he has to be considered relatively safe right now. Richt scored a big, big win over the Florida Gators on Saturday, and that both ensured that the Bulldogs will be bowling and that Richt should be in good shape. If UGA ends up winning the SEC East this year, as it looks like it very much so could, we can’t see how it would fire its coach.

The hot seat. Every coach finds himself on it at some point in his career. Some persevere, while others fold under the pressure. This year in the NFL, there are a number of coaches that are facing potential do or die situations. Check out who those coaches are, why they’re in trouble, what we can expect of them this year, and their odds to win the Super Bowl.

Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills (+10000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): Bottom line: When you’re not a good coaching hire in the first place, you’re always on the hot seat. Gailey was an awful coach at virtually every stop along the way in his career, and this is probably going to be no exception. It looks like he has decided that QB Trent Edwards is the man to try to take his team from the ranks of the worst in the league to respectability. No chance. Edwards is, at best, the fifth best quarterback in this division, and he is clearly not the answer. Gailey will probably survive regardless, but this year has the potential to be a bloody one. We’ve seen coaches dismissed after one year before. Gailey might be the next in line.

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans (+3000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): Playoffs or bust. That’s the ultimatum that has been handed down from owner Bob McNair to Kubiak this year for the Texans. This is the only franchise in the NFL that has never tasted the playoffs, and by now, the fourth year of his rule in Houston, the Texans should be making the playoffs, particularly with the type of talent that the team has. The only problem is that the schedule is an absolute nightmare this year. Houston has also already lost its second round draft pick and projected starting RB Ben Tate, which really only leaves RBs Arian Foster and Steve Slaton. This could be a bad situation if Foster doesn’t pan out. Still, the top rated passing attack in the NFL from last year is only getting better with every pass that QB Matt Schaub throws. Every year this team gets better and better. Last year was the squad’s first season above .500. This should be the year that the playoffs are reached.

Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars (+10000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): Here’s a man that probably should have already been fired. Jacksonville has drafted poorly in recent years, and it is really catching up. The team simply isn’t that great. The decision to make QB David Garrard the starter a few years ago paid off in the short term but has crippled the franchise now that it really needs its boost, as the Jags are threatening to move to Los Angeles if ticket sales don’t pick up. Unless RB Maurice Jones-Drew intends on having a year like Chris Johnson did last season in Tennessee, don’t expect Del Rio to be heading anywhere but the unemployment line once the year is out.

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (+3000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): It’s hard to think that the Eagles would part ways with Reid after all of the playoff years that this franchise has had, but this is the same team that just dumped QB Donovan McNabb unceremoniously to a divisional rival in exchange for a bag of peanuts and a box of footballs. Reid needs to at least finish .500 this year with new QB Kevin Kolb, or he might be out the door. The Eagles are searching for a new direction, and the fact that Reid only brought the team to one Super Bowl and never won the big one could ultimately cost him. If the standard of his job is going to be measured on the playoffs, the City of Brotherly Love will be watching the last season of Reid on the sidelines in green.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears (+5000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): The Bears made the biggest splash of the offseason last year when they acquired QB Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler failed miserably, and the team flat out stunk last season. Now, Chicago was back at it again this year, picking up DE Julius Peppers, the best free agent that the open market has seen in years in the NFL. An 0-3 start to the preseason with just 36 total points scored isn’t a good start if you’re looking to put good mojo into your team for your make or break season. Somehow, Smith, just like Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, finds a way to keep saving his job with one good year every so often. This could be that “every so often” year in the Windy City… but if it isn’t, it is high time that Smith goes.

John Fox, Carolina Panthers (+6000 to win Super Bowl XLV at JustBet Sportsbook): The Panthers know that this is probably going to be a down year, but Fox is just as much putting them on the hot seat as they are putting him there. The team did go out and dump QB Jake Delhomme after so many failed seasons, and they even brought in his eventual successor, QB Jimmy Clausen in the NFL Draft. However, Fox doesn’t want to wait for some rookie to groom. He wants to win and win now. The rushing attack is great with both RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart capable of rushing for 1,000+ yards. However, the defense lost the aforementioned Peppers and has a lot of work to do to return to respectability. The Panthers are clearly the third best team in this division, and the end result could be a long, long season in which Fox either gets fired before its conclusion, or tells the team that he is not renewing his contract at season’s end.