Earlier, we gave the first half of our NFL head coach rankings, giving our take on the 16 ‘worst’ head coaches in the NFL. Several of those coaches in the bottom 16 could see themselves in the top 16 in a few years’ time with a few successful seasons, and all the same, some of the coaches in our top 16 could land in the bottom 16 (or out of a job)
Then, there are those coaches won’t be moved from their spots in the upper echelon of coaches no matter what, but that status belongs to only a lucky few.
You might be surprised where some of these coaches are, whether you think so and so is overrated or underrated, but that’s what opinions are for, right?
Who holds the top spot? Well, keep on reading to find out.
16. Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins went 11-5 and won the AFC East in Tony Sparano's first year as head coach.
Sparano was another Bill Parcells pawn (who teamed up with him in Miami), but actually sold himself as a solid coach in his first season.
After the Dolphins barely avoided going 0-16 in 2007 (they went 1-15), Sparano and Parcells made enough good moves to put them in position to rebuild. However, an insertion of a now popular “wildcat” package made the Dolphins a scary offensive team to play on any given day.
Sparano did enough in his first season to suggest he’s not afraid of anyone in the league, and displayed his obvious knowledge of the game. A few marquee signings or draft picks, and he and the Dolphins could be in for a long marriage.
15. Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
They call him soft, clean, and nice. That’d be great if he was a towel, soap, or a baby.
But Phillips is supposed to be a hard-nosed coach and leader, not a piece of tissue.
While the onslaughts of his “nice-ness” aren’t totally far-fetched, Phillips has had too much success to be so underrated by fans and experts. After an average tenure in Denver (only going 16-16 in two seasons), Phillips took his chances in Buffalo, where he led the Bills to a 10-6 record in his first season.
Once Phillips had a good grasp of his team, they re-grouped in 1999, and marched through the season to an 11-5 finish, only to fall to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs on a last-second kick return for a touchdown that would be dubbed “The Music City Miracle”.
Phillips and the Bills never truly recovered, as they fell to 8-8 the next season and missed the playoffs.
Four years later he found himself in Dallas, where he led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and first round bye in his first season. The Cowboys lost their first game, however, dropping Phillips’s career playoff record to 0-4.
A 9-7 finish and no-show in the 2008 playoffs didn’t help his case, yet he was still retained by owner Jerry Jones for the 2009 season.
While Phillips hasn’t had the best of luck or always made the best decisions in his career, he’s still a good, experienced coach.
14. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
They won with Joe Flacco and no truly elite offensive weapons. That’s a job done well, Harbaugh.
In all honesty, there wasn’t a better coaching job in the league outside of Atlanta’s Mike Smith. Harbaugh has proven to be a good decision-maker and teacher, and appears to have a firm grasp on what it takes to be successful in the NFL.
It’s early, but all signs point to Harbaugh having a long Baltimore career.
13. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Smith had no idea what to expect when he took the Atlanta job. A season at the bottom of the NFC South, probably.
But after key additions through the draft and free agency overhauled the previously Mike Vick-haunted Falcons, things were destined to turn around.
Sure enough, rookie Matt Ryan grew up over night (which Smith predicted), and Smith coached the Falcons defense out of mediocrity. Many things have to fall in place for a season like that to happen again in an extremely competitive division, but Smith has already proven to be up for any task.
12. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is entering his fourth season at the helm.
Quick. How many winning seasons does McCarthy have without Brett Favre? The answer is zero.
Regardless, McCarthy is one of the game’s brightest, young offensive minds, and has molded an outstanding corps of young talent on the offensive side of the ball. His decision-making has been questionable at times, but he puts together good game-plans on a regular basis, and has the talent to succeed. That is, if the transition to that 3-4 defense pans out.
11. Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals
It’s not always about Super Bowls, is it?
Despite leading the Cardinals on an unlikely run to last year’s Super Bowl, Whisenhunt still battles skeptics and critics who say he still hasn’t even won 10 games in a regular season yet. That may be true, but what he accomplished in 2008′s post-season should silence any doubters for at least another season.
Whisenhunt comes from Steelers country, was a student of the great Bill Cowher, and brings a well-balanced approach to his team. With a good draft and solid moves throughout the 2009 off-season, Whisenhunt and the Cardinals already appear to be in position to make another run.
10. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
In his first season with the Saints, Payton led a miraculous turn-around that ended with a 10-6 record, a division title, and a trip to the NFC Championship game.
Payton followed that unbelievable first year up with a 7-9 record in 2007, and an 8-8 record in 2008.
Payton has never had a problem putting elite offensive weapons onto the field and using them to the best of their abilities, as defense has been his and the Saints Achilles heel. If the Saints have helped their defense enough through free agency and the draft (as I think they have) Payton should be able to prove his worth in 2009 as a top-10 coach.
9. Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars
While I questioned him in the opening to this breakdown, Del Rio is still a passionate and charismatic leader, and is one of the better coaches in the league.
He had the unfortunate benefit of seeing what it’s like to have one of the worst offensive lines in football last season, while also having no elite offensive talent outside of the running back position. Then again, maybe he’s partially to blame for that.
Regardless, since Del Rio’s arrival in Florida, the Jaguars have risen back to an elite level. From 2004-2007, the Jaguars finished no worse than 8-8, and has two playoff appearances with records of 11-5 and 12-4.
With a furnished offensive line and new additions through free agency and the draft at receiver, Del Rio and the Jags’ look prepared to return to their 2007 form.
8. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner. (Photo: John Biever)
He doesn’t get much respect for his days with the Redskins or his attempt to rebuild the Raiders, but Turner is actually a very good coach.
Besides helping the Cowboys win Super Bowls in the early 90′s as an offensive coordinator, Turner has helped many teams turn their offenses around. Turner has three division titles and one AFC Championship appearance as a head coach, but his offensive genius is often lost on demanding fans and critics.
A defensive mind at heart, Smith set two things straight when he began his career with the Bears: They were going to play defense, and they were going to beat Green Bay.
No longer the doormat to the usual division winner-Packers, Chicago made a charge at it’s first Super Bowl since 1985 in 2006, only to fall to the Indianapolis Colts.
Since then, Smith has been searching for a quarterback to complete his team, and after finding his guy in Jay Cutler during this year’s off-season, expectations have been raised.
6. John Fox, Carolina Panthers
With only three winning seasons in seven seasons with Carolina, many people would wonder why Fox still has a job. The truth is, it’s because even when his teams aren’t winning, they’re competing at such a high level, that it’s hard to say anything against him.
While Fox may only have three winning seasons, all three were playoff appearances, two sprouted division titles, and one ended in a Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.
Fox has never coached Carolina into a record worse than 7-9, and continues to be the poster boy for hard work, defense, and leadership. Fox may not have the credentials or hype that other coaches have, but he’s definitely one of the best.
5. Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans
Currently the only coach in the league to be with the same team for more than 10 years, Fisher has worked his magic time-and-time again, despite having several poor seasons.
Regardless, Fisher continued to get a longer leash from the front office for good reason. After stringing four mediocre seasons together from 1995-1998, Fisher and the Titans finally placed themselves among the elite by going 13-3 and advancing to the Super Bowl. They lost to the St. Louis Rams, but it was clear that Fisher and the Titans had arrived.
The Titans went 13-3 the next season, and would posted at least 11 wins in two out of the next three seasons.
After having a huge talent drop-off, as well as losing his franchise quarterback, Fisher rebounded with a 10-6 season in 2007, and then a magical 13-3 season in 2008, in which he led Tennessee to a 10-0 run to start the year.
Fisher has yet to catch that elusive Super Bowl, but with six playoff appearances, three division titles, and two trips to the AFC Championship game, it’s obvious he won’t have to be looking over his shoulder anytime soon.
4. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin
Most people overlook Coughlin’s early success in his career, and run him off as simply being “along for the ride” during the Giants’ historical championship run in 2007. However, forgetting one’s past only leads to not knowing their future.
Coughlin led the expansion-Jaguars to two AFC title games and two division titles, while also leading them to the playoffs in four straight seasons. After his situation in Jacksonville began to sour, Coughlin took over in New York and began a massive turn-around that started with a young, pouty Eli Manning, and ended with a quarterback and a coach being reborn.
Coughlin proceeded to lead the Giants to four straight playoff appearances, including two division titles, as well as the aforementioned Super Bowl triumph in 2007.
3. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
It may be early to place him second to the great Belichick, but a look at his resume proves him to be worthy.
True, he inherited a franchise quarterback and a great defense from the departed Bill Cowher, but there was still much that needed to be done to keep his team successful.
Tomlin has led the Steelers to a 22-10 regular season record in his two years as the coach, with two division titles, as well as last season’s Lombardi Trophy.
Tomlin is only 37, folks. There’s more where that came from.
2. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
His team has seen quite a drop-off in the past few years, but the numbers don’t lie. Reid is one of the game’s best coaches.
With five division titles, five NFC Championship game appearances, and one Super Bowl appearance, Reid probably already has all he needs on his resume for a trip to Canton.
Just when all the experts started saying his team was old and didn’t have what it took anymore, he led them through adversity, to their fifth NFC title game in eight seasons in 2008. They lost to the Arizona Cardinals, but we all learned something: Andy Reid is a great coach.
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Don’t look so shocked. There’s no way anyone comes close to what he’s done in his tenure with the Patriots. He’s molded a 6th round pick (Tom Brady) into a three-time Super Bowl champion, always has a good defense, and can handle head-cases. See: Randy Moss.
Belichick has a career record of 102-42 with New England in the regular season (that’s 70%, mind you), and has had a season under 9-7 just once since joining the team in the year 2000. Oh, and then there’s that whole 16-0 thing.
Where does Belichick rank among the best head coaches of all time? Do you think he’s the best in the game right now, or is someone else deserving of those accolades?
I can't accept Belichek as the #1 coach because of the cheating scandal. Nobody talks about it, but the patriots have been very beatable now that they can't cheat. I would put an asterick beside what you call “his accomplishments.”