by George Stranz

Created on: December 27, 2010

The San Francisco 49ers fired Head Coach Mike Singletary after a 25-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams. The dismissal was the fourth this NFL season as Dallas’ Wade Phillips, Minnesota’s Brad Childress, and Denver’s Josh McDaniels were let go earlier this year.

Even with all of these in-season firings, it’s very likely that there will be several more coaching vacancies. A number of teams that were considered playoff contenders have performed miserably and the men in charge should be polishing up their resumes.

John Fox, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers weren’t considered a threat to make the postseason with all the veteran players they let go this past off-season. However, no one expected John Fox to do such a poor job of coaching. Between his constant shuffling of quarterbacks to his reluctance to play young personnel, Fox has seemingly gone through the motions while collecting a paycheck. Standing at 2-14 with questions at almost every position, the Panthers will undoubtedly be interviewing for a new head coach.

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans

While the Dallas Cowboys won’t be in the playoffs this year, that’s little consolation to the Houston Texans’ fans. Houston hasn’t been to the playoffs under Gary Kubiak’s charge, and they won’t be going again this year, even after a hot 4-2 start.

Despite having one of the league’s most proficient offenses, led by Pro Bowlers Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, the Texans have floundered. The team’s porous secondary is the biggest reason for the dismal performance, but the players can’t take all the blame.

It’s often said that a football team takes on the image of its head coach. Houston’s image is one of a team that always finds a way to lose. The team’s recent 24-23 loss to Denver showcases this as Houston blew an early 17-0 lead, only to lose in the final minutes by giving up a 6-yard TD run to rookie Tim Tebow.

With another losing season and a 36-43 overall record, the Texans have to strongly consider showing Coach Kubiak the door.

Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins

Even though Tony Sparano runs a tight-knit, well-disciplined ship, he’s been unable to get Miami’s offense out of the mud. Despite having explosive offensive players like running back Ricky Williams and wide receiver Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins are ranked 29th in scoring offense after 16 weeks.

Chad Henne is a big reason why the Dolphins aren’t

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