The first coaching casualties of the 2001 NFL season came this week, with Mike Riley being dismissed from the San Diego Chargers and Dennis Green working out a buyout deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

	The 10-year tenure of Dennis Green in Minnesota is officially over.

There have been, over the past 20 seasons, an average of nearly seven coaching changes per year. But even though we're off to an early start, the annual purge isn't expected to approximate that number this offseason.

Here is a brief look, in alphabetical order, at the coaches who could be candidates to draw pink slips, and an assessment of their prospects for the future:

Dave Campo, Dallas Cowboys
The man Jerry Jones is believed to have long coveted as head coach, former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner, will be free now that the San Diego staff has been dispatched. But it appears the Dallas owner is sincere about retaining Campo for 2002 and, truth be told, this franchise actually overachieved this season by winning five games. Campo has worked under some trying conditions in 2001, without a proven quarterback and with Jones grudgingly conceding that the Cowboys are now in full rebuilding mode. But Dallas will have rare salary cap room in 2002 and could add a few viable pieces. His reputation aside, Jones feels some loyalty to Campo, and isn't inclined to dump him.
The smart money: Stays.

Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Few coaches with a winning record, and who resurrected a program as shabby as the Buccaneers, have ever come under such intense scrutiny. Ironically, it was the classy Dungy who helped raise expectations in Tampa and who likely will pay the price for not meeting goals that were considered pie-in-the-sky stuff before his arrival in 1996. There was a time when simply qualifying for the playoffs would have been enough for this franchise, but the ownership demands more now, and feels it has a Super Bowl-caliber roster. For some coaches, there comes a time when the welcome mat becomes frayed, and that time seems to have arrived for Dungy. Notable is that ownership declined requests from Dungy and his agent this summer to extend the coach's contract, which expires after the 2002 season. That was a telling sign that all the Bill Parcells talk may have been more than mere rumor. Word is that Dungy must at least get the Bucs to the NFC championship game, and that might not even be enough to save him.
The smart money: Goes.

Dick Jauron, Chicago Bears
Even with last week's announcement by general manager Jerry Angelo that Jauron will return in 2002, and that the organization will commence negotiations for a new extension once the season ends, there remain some skeptics. But all the conspiracy theorists can rest easy. A coach of the year candidate for the manner in which he led a rather ordinary Bears team to double-digit victories, Jauron isn't going anywhere, although it remains to be seen if the front office asks him to make some staffing alterations. While managing to avoid the dangerous label of "players' coach," Jauron is well-liked by his loyal legion of veterans. And he displayed in his six months with Angelo that he can forge a working relationship with the franchise's first general manager since the mid-80s.
The smart money: Stays.

Dick LeBeau, Cincinnati Bengals
How, you ask, can owner Mike Brown keep a coach whose record is 9-19 in nearly two full seasons? How can the Bengals sell tickets by maintaining the status quo in the face of a fourth consecutive campaign with double-digit defeats? Hey, remember that Brown is the owner who kept David Shula around for 4½ seasons, and a dismal 19-52 record. His many critics suggest Brown is simply too penurious to pay off coaching contracts but, the truth is, he just doesn't reconcile very well the act of dismissing any employee. LeBeau has done a nice job, actually, with this team. He has constructed a top-10 defense and the offense would be significantly better with any kind of upgrade at the quarterback position. Brown stopped just shy last week of announcing LeBeau will return in 2002. He might as well have just said it, because that is indeed the case.
The smart money: Stays.

Steve Mariucci, San Francisco 49ers
Now that the Notre Dame vacancy has been filled, what job will the naysayers try to tie to Mariucci next? Maybe the Stanford opening created by the exit of Tyrone Willingham to the Irish, huh? Stranger things have happened but going to a school even with the pristine reputation of Stanford would be a step back for Mariucci. The bottom line is that Mariucci feels unappreciated by general manager Terry Donahue and consultant Bill Walsh, and most of the leaks about his situation have come from his own people. Few coaches in the league this year did a better job than Mariucci, who has the reshaping of the 49ers at least a full season ahead of schedule. Yeah, he doth protest too much every time his name is linked to another job because, ultimately, he is the source of the rumors. There is little doubt that, with the salaries in the business soaring, Mariucci would like a contract upgrade. But he got a hike a few years ago before he had really proved himself, and ownership isn't very inclined to a big raise, so "Mooch" might have to make the best of things. The Mariucci family is in no hurry to leave the Bay Area, and probably won't.
The smart money: Stays.

Jim Mora, Indianapolis Colts
After his postgame explosion last month, and hardly veiled criticism of quarterback Peyton Manning, not many gave him a chance of returning. But as Lee Corso is wont to say: Not so fast, my friend. Manning has been supportive of Mora and general manager Bill Polian, who must accept some culpability for the Colts' meltdown because he provided the defensive staff so little with which to work, likes the head coach. Indianapolis was among the NFL's biggest underachievers in 2001, no denying, but there aren't a lot of alternatives out there for this team. A longtime Polian favorite, LSU coach Nick Saban, just agreed to a new contract that will pay him about $1.7 annually and he isn't leaving Baton Rouge. Owner Jim Irsay might just want to wait another year, until Jon Gruden's contract with the Oakland Raiders has expired, to make a coaching change. If there is no change at the top, Mora probably will have to shuffle his staff, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is the likely scapegoat.
The smart money: Stays.

Dan Reeves, Atlanta Falcons
People in Atlanta wonder about how Arthur Blank plans to market a team that has three straight dismal seasons, and figures to return its head coach, but the pending new owner seems to be a staunch Reeves supporter. Staunch, though, only if Reeves agrees to have a few of Blank's people move into the front office. This is a dicey situation for one of the best head coaches in the last 20 years. If he overplays his hand, Blank can pick up the phone and just place a call to Bill Parcells, who would accept the Atlanta job if provided near-absolute authority to run the football operation. Sources tell ESPN.com, in fact, that some Blank operatives already have made contact with Parcells confidants through intermediaries. Reeves can come back, and almost certainly will, probably with a three-year extension. But he needs to accept some changes and not get too prickly about Blank wanting people aboard to oversee his investment. When you invest a half-billion bucks in anything, you want your own agenda forwarded, and Blank didn't amass a $2 billion fortune by letting someone else call the shots.
The smart money: Stays.

Marty Schottenheimer, Washington Redskins
For more than a week, there has been a distinct buzz that owner Dan Snyder wants to hire his own general manager or personnel chief, one who would report to him and not to the coach. Seems that after a year on the sideline, Snyder wants his fingerprints on his franchise again, and wants the ability to call some of the shots. Schottenheimer has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $10 million contract. There are rumblings that he would like nothing better than to give Snyder an excuse to fire him, so he could collect the $7.5 million still due him and retire for good. But few people who know the ever-competitive Schottenheimer well buy into that notion. After an 0-5 start, Schottenheimer did a masterful job, even swallowing his own pride by conceding the many errors he made in handling aging veterans like Darrell Green and Bruce Smith. It will be intriguing, though, to see the dynamic created if Snyder hires either a general manager or personnel director.
The smart money: Probably stays, but all bets are off if Snyder hires a powerful front office presence and Schottenheimer feels that much of his power has been usurped.

George Seifert, Carolina Panthers
A two-time Super Bowl winning coach, Seifert lost more games this season than in his first years combined with the 49ers. Seifert has told his team, and several front office types, that he wants to return in 2002. He has two seasons left on his contract but the club is a dismal 16-31 under his stewardship and hasn't won this year since the season opener. So it might not matter what Seifert wants since owner Jerry Richardson, who would prefer not to make a change, might not have much choice. It's tough to sell a 14-game losing streak to the fans, and that's what the Panthers face this offseason, so a transition could be in order. A few weeks ago, the buzz was that a major purge was coming, with cap specialist Marty Hurney the lone survivor. His reluctance aside, Richardson will be tortured by having to dismiss Seifert, but still must look hard now at pulling the plug.
The smart money: Goes.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.