The weather has gotten downright chilly, but the temperature is turned way up for nearly half the coaches in the NFL. In a year in which parity has been code for putridity, a full two-thirds of the league could be described as awful, bad or seriously flawed, and that means we’re likely to see some major turnover in the coaching ranks, a trend that began last week with Bobby Petrino’s resignation in Atlanta.

We already looked at Silly Season in college football a few weeks ago, but here’s a run down of the top NFL coaches who should be spending more time working on their resumes than their game plans in the final three weeks of the season:

ERIC MANGINI, New York Jets (3-10).
It was just six months ago that everyone referred to him as “the Man-genius,” but that label isn’t being thrown around much these days. And remember his guest appearance in the final season of “The Sopranos?” I bet some Jets fans are wishing Tony had whacked him, rather than asking for an autograph. Still, Mangini is the perfect example of how the NFL’s scheduling system creates mirages out of marginal coaches. The Jets played a cake schedule last year and won six games by eight points or less. Tougher schedule-plus-fewer lucky bounces and you’ve got a bad coach and a bad team. Funny how that happens. Still, Jets fans are that short on patience, and if former Pats assistant Charlie Weis can keep his job in South Bend, we can assume this former Belichick protégé will stick around, too. VERDICT: He stays.

CAMERON CAMERON, Miami Dolphins (0-13).
Even Art Shell wasn’t this bad. Firing Cameron would be the only humane thing to do.
VERDICT: He’s gone.

MARVIN LEWIS, Cincinnati Bengals (5-8).
For whatever reason, the Bengals seem to have a reputation that far outweighs their accomplishments. Sure, if Carson Palmer hadn’t gotten hurt in the playoffs against Pittsburgh two years ago, Cincy might have a Super Bowl title to its credit. But as it stands, this has been the prototype for an 8-8 team. Still, in the veritable cesspool that was Bengals football prior to Lewis’ arrival, 8-8 isn’t really enough to fire a coach. But one off-field incident after another for a team that seems to lack heart and consistently fails to live up to (albeit overly high) expectations might. Plus, it’s hard not to wonder why Lewis – the supposed defensive genius – has been unable to piece together even a passable unit on that side of the ball. VERDICT: He stays, unless there’s a significantly better candidate interested in the job (i.e. Bill Cowher).

BRIAN BILLICK, Baltimore Ravens (4-9).
Billick is in much the same boat as Lewis. The Ravens finished 13-3 last year, boosting expectations for a Super Bowl run this year. But anyone who followed the team could see there were serious flaws, and the expectations should have never been so high. Still, it’s unfathomable that the supposed offensive genius hasn’t been able to put together a unit that could put points on the board consistently during his long tenure in Baltimore. The hefty contract extension he received last year may be enough to save the Preening Schmo’s job for one more year, however. VERDICT: He stays.

NORV TURNER, San Diego Chargers (8-5).
Finish with the best record in the league, own a Hall-of-Fame resume, lose a playoff game only after a serious of absurd catastrophes, but don’t get along with your boss? You’re fired. Completely mismanage a team from the outset, own a historically bad resume of underperformance and set your team up for yet another first-round playoff loss, but you get along with your boss? Let’s talk contract extension! Ah, you’ve got to love workplace politics. VERDICT: He stays.

MIKE SHANAHAN, Denver Broncos (6-8).
Like all fantasy owners, I hate Mike Shanahan. He is a heartless, evil man. He is the only person in history to make me empathize with Al Davis. He is a monster. He also has completely mismanaged the Broncos this year, making Denver irrelevant even in an awful conference. His play calling has been brutal to say the least, and he decided to take the reins off Jay Cutler about four weeks too late. If it weren’t for his kicker, he’d be staring at a 3-win season and a definite pink slip. As it is, it’s hard not to wonder if it’s time for a change in Denver. VERDICT: Might be the toughest one to call. He has a lot of history in Denver, but since John Elway retired (a friggin’ decade ago!), that history hasn’t been very impressive.

TOM COUGHLIN, New York Giants (9-4).
OK, so unlike each of the past three years, Coughlin’s job seems fairly safe. But what happens after the Giants get blown out in their opening round game in the playoffs? He’s probably safe regardless, but I wouldn’t call it a sure thing. Seriously though, between Coughlin’s brutal track record, Willie Randolph’s historic collapse and Isiah’s -- well, what hasn’t Isiah done? – what does it take to get fired in New York? I thought the Big Apple was supposed to be a tough sports town. If George Steinbrenner was still alive, he’d be appalled. VERDICT: He stays.

JOE GIBBS, Washington Redskins (6-7).
This is worse than watching Michael Jordan with the Wizards and Evander Holyfield fighting hobos from nearby bus stations combined. The last time Gibbs managed a clock properly in an NFL game, Roxette was tearing up the airwaves, MTV played videos and Michael Jackson was only a little creepy. VERDICT: He’s gone – in a dignified way, of course.

ANDY REID, Philadelphia Eagels (5-8).
Forget all the off-the-field stuff for a minute, and let’s look at the Eagles’ eight losses this year:
Week 1, vs. Green Bay: No one can field a kick and the Eagles lose by three.
Week 2, vs. Washington: Awful playcalling on third down leads to a 25 percent conversion rate and an eight-point loss.
Week 4 vs. the Giants: Twelve sacks of McNabb and no help for Winston Justice. A 13-point loss.
Week 7 vs. Chicago: No timeouts, less than two minutes to play and 97 yards to go, and Brian Griese beats you. Pathetic.
Week 9 vs. Dallas: The Eagles got smoked. Dallas is pretty friggin’ good.
Week 12 vs. New England: Driving for an easy field goal with plenty of time on the clock, you throw to the end zone on first down with your back-up quarterback – an out route that is easily intercepted by the Patriots. Another three-point loss.
Week 13 vs. Seattle: Brian Westbrook returns a kick to set you up for an easy win until that same back-up quarterback once again throws the ball to the other team for completely inexplicable reasons landing the Eagles with a four-point loss.
Week 14 vs. the Giants: Driving for an easy tying field goal, yet you run on BOTH second-and-5 and third-and-5, then have a dropped pass on fourth down.

So, of the Eagles eight losses, I see only one game that could not have been won with better playcalling or better personnel decisions. When your coach has directly cost you at least six or seven wins in a year, it’s time to get rid of him. End of story. VERDICT: He goes, but probably via resignation rather than termination.

WADE PHILLIPS, Dallas Cowboys (12-1).
It’s not often you hear about a coach with a 12-1 record and Super Bowl aspirations being on the hot seat, but the problem in Dallas isn’t Phillips successes or failures, it’s the guy standing next to him with the clip board and the “coach in waiting” status. Despite a career record of 60-40 as a head coach in the regular season, Phillips has been dogged by the reputation that he’s just not head coaching material. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, however, is going to be a co-favorite (along with Bill Cowher) for every big job that comes available this offseason. Dallas owner Jerry Jones wanted to name Garrett the Cowboys head coach after Bill Parcells left last year, but felt the former backup quarterback needed time to develop. Will Jones be willing to let his prodigy walk away now? If it comes down to Wade or Garrett, expect Bum’s kid to be looking elsewhere for employment. VERDICT: He goes, and Garrett lands the head job in Dallas. Phillips, of course, shouldn’t have too hard a time finding another employer.

BRAD CHILDRESS, Minnesota Vikings (7-6).
I’m listing Childress only to illustrate how far he has come. I was listening to the Vikings radio broadcast of their game vs. San Diego earlier this season, and when Childress decided to send in the field goal unit before the half for a 57-yard kick by Ryan Longwell. The kick was short, fielded by the Chargers’ Antonio Cromartie, and returned 109 yards for a touchdown – sending Minnesota to the locker trailing 14-7. The broadcasters at the time wondered if that decision was the final nail in Childress’s coffin. Then Adrian Peterson came out in the second half to set an NFL single-game record for rushing yards, the Vikings won the game 35-17, won four of their next five, and now Childress is a coach of the year candidate. That’s how quickly things can turn. VERDICT: He’ll be sticking around for a while.

JOHN FOX, Carolina Panthers (5-8).
Fox is a good coach, and even Vince Lombardi wouldn’t be heading for the playoffs with Vinny Testeverde, David Carr and Matt Moore as his quarterbacks. But when a team disappoints like the Panthers have this year, when Super Bowl aspirations have gone unquenched in each of the past four seasons, someone has to pay. Perhaps it will be the GM who thought Carr was a suitable back up for injured starter Jake Delhomme. More than likely, however, it will be Fox. Another nail in Fox’s coffin may be that Cowher is a resident of North Carolina and would likely covet the Panthers job should it come open. VERDICT: He’s gone.

SCOTT LINEHAN, St. Louis Rams (3-10).
Perhaps no team has been bitten by the injury bug harder than the Rams. An 0-8 start without Orlando Pace, Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson (among others) doomed the team from the start. Linehan has kept the focus, however, and while the Rams have lost plenty of games, they never turned into an embarrassment like Miami did. There’s little reason to think that with a strong draft and some healthy bodies, things won’t be much better in St. Louis in 2008. That should buy Linehan at least one more year. VERDICT: He stays.

BOBBY PETRINO, Atlanta Falcons (3-10).
It is astonishing how bad this franchise has become. Arthur Blank has his work cut out for him in the months to come, but the coaching vacancy is a decision that should be simple. There is one name out there that would be the absolute perfect fit for the Falcons, and that is Mike Singletary. The Hall of Famer would bring some much needed discipline and drive to the team. As a young guy and a former star in the league, he’d bring instant credibility in a locker room that has been in utter turmoil this season. He’d bring a tough-minded approach to a team that has clearly lacked heart at times over the past few years. He’d become a vocal black leader in a community in which racial tensions – particularly in the wake of the Mike Vick fiasco – could use a strong voice. And for a guy who has waited far too long for his shot as a head coach, he won’t bolt when things get tough the way Petrino did. The road to recovery in Atlanta may be a long and winding one, but Singletary is the obvious first step. VERDICT: Oh, were we still talking about Petrino? Well, allow me to predict he’s moved on from Arkansas by 2010.