Note: I started writing this post before the firing of Scott Linehan, so there's no revisionist history going on here. Pretend you're reading this while all the coaches who started the season still had their jobs.

When the going gets tough, the head coach often goes to the unemployment line. As several teams have gotten off to starts that fall below their organization's expectations, we'll likely be seeing a few NFL coaches get the ax this season. Which coach is most deserving of immediate removal though? Let's look at the prime candidates:

Brad Childress, Minnesota. The Vikings entered this season with high hopes, but their record is 1-3. Childress has been criticized for running a conservative, predictable offense and poor communication and leadership skills. Childress is currently signed through 2010.

Romeo Crennel, Cleveland. After just missing the Playoffs last year the Browns were expecting to make it this year. Before this week's win over the lowly Bengals, they'd been off to an 0-3 start. The Browns' once-prolific offense hasn't scored more than 20 points this season, and Crennel has received criticism for his play-calling and his decision to start Derek Anderson over Brady Quinn. Crennel is currently signed through 2011.

Herman Edwards, Kansas City. The Chiefs are currently 1-3, with that one win an upset over the Broncos this week. The Chiefs were 4-12 last season. Edwards has been criticized for predictable game plans, poor clock management and his stubborn refusal to make Damon Huard the starting QB. Edwards is currently signed through 2009.

Lane Kiffin, Oakland. Kiffin is in his second year coaching the Raiders, and he has a 5-15 record to show for it. The Raiders made several big-name acquisitions in the offseason, and Al Davis was expecting to win immediately. Rumors have already circulated that Kiffin was going to be fired, and it didn't help his cause that the Raiders blew a 15-point lead to the Chargers this week. Kiffin is currently signed through 2009.

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati. When Lewis took over the Bengals in 2003 they were a perennial loser, but they've won at least seven games in each of his first five years at the helm. Since leading them to a long-awaited Playoff berth in 2005 the team has gone steadily downhill. Several players have run into off-field problems, and Lewis has been unhappy dealing with the distractions. Lewis is currently signed through 2010.

Scott Linehan, St. Louis. The Rams have gotten off to an 0-4 start following a 3-13 season. This is Linehan's third year as the Rams' coach, and several players have openly expressed dissatisfaction with his decision to bench Marc Bulger. The Rams have been outscored 147-43 in their first four games, and many are speculating that Linehan is already on his way out. Linehan is currently signed through 2009.

Rod Marinelli, Detroit. Marinelli is in his third year as the Lions' coach, and the team has gone 10-25 under his leadership. There was some early excitement last year when the Lions started 6-2, but it only led to a final record of 7-9. Marinelli is currently signed through 2009.

While all these coaches are on the hot seat, I think some deserve to keep their jobs for at least the remainder of the season. Let's look at their situations in reverse order of how much they deserve to be fired:

7. Marvin Lewis. Lewis isn't the problem in Cincinnati, owner Mike Brown is. Lewis has said publicly that he doesn't want to deal with problematic players, but Brown re-signed troubled receiver Chris Henry against Lewis' wishes. The Bengals cut several prominent veterans this offseason, didn't do enough to improve on defense, and were without Carson Palmer for their weakest opponent so far this season. Firing Lewis isn't the solution to any of the Bengals' problems.

6. Lane Kiffin. His situation is similar to Lewis'. Al Davis is the real problem with the Raiders, not Kiffin. It would seem unfair to fire Kiffin after only one and a quarter seasons, but he hasn't done much to distinguish himself, whereas Lewis has earned the benefit of the doubt.

5. Brad Childress. While the team hasn't lived up to expectations so far, they've also played a fairly tough schedule. Childress had the good sense to bench Tarvaris Jackson, and there's still enough time and talent on the roster for the Vikings to rebound.

4. Romeo Crennel. Crennel hasn't done much to help a bad situation, but like the Vikings, there's still time for the Browns to turn it around. If Cleveland's losing ways continue Crennel's seat will probably get a bit hotter.

3. Rod Marinelli. This season is already a lost cause for the Lions. Recently-fired GM Matt Millen bears more responsibility for the Lions' problems than Marinelli does, so firing Marinelli would only be a symbolic gesture to the Detroit players and fans.

2. Herman Edwards. Kansas City looked like one of the NFL's worst teams in the first three weeks, but when Damon Huard got a chance to play the entire game they gave the Broncos their first loss. If Edwards sticks with Huard for the rest of the season it may be enough for him to hold onto his job, even if he's clearly not taking the Chiefs anywhere. If he continues with his usual incompetence, he deserves to be shown the door before the end of the season.

1. Scott Linehan. Linehan has so much opposition from the fans and the players right now that he's in a no-win situation. The Rams have nothing to gain by keeping Linehan, so they may as well get the inevitable firing over with. Indications seem to be that Linehan will be fired this week, so it looks like the coach that most deserves it will in fact be the first.

Postscript: Congratulations, NFL executives. You got it right.

Baseball season ended less than two weeks ago and already I'm going through withdrawal. I've found myself playing Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on the Super Nintendo just to fill the void in my life. There's no other sport that captivates me like baseball does. Without it the world is a much duller place. Nonetheless, I'll try to give some sort of take on the other sports I follow.

The NBA season has gotten off to an interesting start. Some of the predictions from my last post already look like they'll be wrong. Then again, anyone who follows sports knows that the way a team starts isn't much to go by. My Bulls just beat the Pistons tonight for their first win after a 0-4 start. Having a 1-4 record isn't ideal, but so what? There's still plenty of season to go. Last year they started 3-9. The season before that they were below .500 most of the year, and even had a 29-39 record at one point. The season before that they got off to a 2-13 start in which they lost their first 9 games. If you've been following the NBA during that stretch, you know they ended up in the Playoffs each of those years. Right now that 1-4 record doesn't look too bad. This Bulls team just finishes better than they start.

My "other" NBA team, the Clippers, is off to a 4-0 start. Color me surprised. With injuries to Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston I didn't expect much out of them this year. Then again, a good start can be just a deceptive as a bad one. In 2000-01 the Cavaliers started out 15-7. Their final record? 30-52. That's right, they got half their wins for the season in their first 22 games. Anything can happen at this point. I'm not going to rush to any conclusions about any teams yet. All I can say is that I hope the Clippers continue to play well and that the Bulls can get back on track after tonight's win.

I'll just skip the NFL since the Lions' 6-2 start and the Browns' 5-3 start have been the most interesting parts of it for me. With my Bears struggling, the only enjoyment I've gotten out of this season is watching the underdogs win. What other sport is there to talk about, you ask? My profile says I only follow baseball, basketball and football. Well, I've started to become more conscious of another sport this season: hockey.

I've always had a weird relationship with hockey. When I was growing up they used to show Blackhawks games on SportsChannel (remember that, Chicagoans?), but at the time I was all about baseball and basketball. I would read the articles in the Chicago Tribune criticizing the Blackhawks' management and analyzing their trades, but between school and following my main sports there wasn't much room for me to be a real hockey fan. Over the past few years I've developed an interest in hockey, because one of the reasons I love baseball seems to apply to hockey as well: the guys who play it have a true passion for the game. That's not to say that athletes in other sports don't have passion, but guys can become basketball players just because they're tall, and guys can become football players just because they're big or fast. Baseball and hockey require more specialized skills, plus you have to go through the minors to make it to the top. If you see an MLB or NHL game you know it took a lot of hard work for those guys to get there. That's the kind of sport I can appreciate. I guess you could say I've always wanted to be a hockey fan but found it hard to do so.

One big problem, especially these days, is that it's hard to find a hockey game on TV. I recently discovered though, that there's an NHL Network on digital cable. I've actually enjoyed watching some of the old games from the 80's that they show. I've heard that hockey was more exciting in those days, but even if the game isn't quite as high-scoring today I can see its appeal. The Blackhawks have been a pretty bad team in recent times (only one Playoff appearance in the past ten years), but they have some young guys coming up that give them hope for the future. They currently have a winning record and look like they have a shot at the Playoffs this season. Perhaps now is a good time for me to become a real hockey fan. Call me a bandwagoner if you wish, but I take pride in any team that represents Chicago. If the Blackhawks ever win another Stanley Cup someday I want to be able to say I was a part of the experience.

I could talk about baseball and all the offseason player movement, but I don't have much to say about it. The only thing I will say is that I hope the White Sox aren't planning on having Juan Uribe start at shortstop next year. I hope the only reason they exercised his option was to have a backup plan. If he's our starter in 2008 we're going to have a big hole in our lineup. Neither the Cubs nor the Sox have made any major moves yet, so until they do I have no particular expectations for next season.

This may be the first post I've made on this blog that covered all four major sports. I guess I'm legit now.

If every week is like this one, then I'm already not looking forward to the rest of the NFL season. Like most fans, there are teams I like and teams I hate. It seems that this week all the teams I hate decided to win and all the ones I like decided to lose. Let's look at the results:

Chiefs 13, Vikings 10. OK, this one's not too bad. I don't really care about the Chiefs, and the Vikings are in the Bears' division, so I guess I'm happy here. Result: Good

Buccaneers 24, Rams 3. I don't really care about either of these teams. Result: Neutral

Steelers 37, 49ers 16. I hate the Steelers. Result: Bad

Eagles 56, Lions 21. While I kind of like the Eagles, I was rooting for the Lions in this game. Yeah, they're in the Bears' division, but they have an underdog appeal that I can't help but appreciate. Still, this does help my team in some way, so I'll say... Result: Neutral

Colts 30, Texans 24. I'm pulling for both teams this year. One of them had to lose. Result: Neutral

Packers 31, Chargers 24. I hate the Packers. I like the Chargers. The Packers are now in sole possession of first place. The Chargers' firing of Marty Schottenheimer looks more stupid every day. Result: Bad

Patriots 38, Bills 7. I despise the Patriots. They're evil. Result: Bad

Jets 31, Dolphins 28. I don't really like either of these teams, nor do I completely hate either one. Eh, whatever. Result: Neutral

Ravens 26, Cardinals 23. I don't really like the Ravens, but I'm not one of the many people who roots for the Cardinals on the side either. Still, one team has a lot more underdog appeal than the other. I guess I'll have to go with... Result: Bad

Seahawks 24, Bengals 21. Again, I don't really care about this matchup. Result: Neutral

Raiders 26, Browns 24. The Browns are one of those constant underdogs that I usually pull for. The Raiders are the team everyone loves to hate. Result: Bad

Jaguars 23, Broncos 14. The Broncos are another team I root for on the side, and I don't really care much about the Jaguars. Result: Bad

Panthers 27, Falcons 20. Another one of these... Result: Neutral

Giants 24, Redskins 17. I hate the Giants. I like the Redskins. Result: Bad

Cowboys 34, Bears 10. I'm a Bears fan, and I'm not too fond of the Cowboys. Result: Bad

Titans 31, Saints 14. OK, this was good. I like the Titans, and I'm over the whole Saints lovefest. Result: Good

To sum it all up, I thought this week had 2 "good" results, 6 "neutral" results, and 8 "bad" results. If there aren't some better weeks ahead, I'll be looking forward to the 2008 baseball season sooner than usual.