If you had to pick a current NFL head coach for the Pats other than Belichick, who would it be?

[aluminum seats]

I was thinking about this in the aftermath of the Pats victory over the Cardinals. My perception of Bruce Arians, both in terms of results & demeanor, was that of a tough, no-nonsense, capable coach. But the Cardinals team on Sunday seemed unprepared, and his reaction since the game has left a lot to be desired.

Got me thinking: who’s the second-best coach in the league?

There’s a lot of guys who just blend together, and of course in a lot of cases it’s hard to separate the coaching from the personnel—an excellent coach can be saddled with a lousy GM. And it’s a QB league, so it’s hard to excel without an elite QB. So what have we got?

--We all love Sean Payton, but the Saints sure have struggled even with an elite QB. Is Mickey Loomis a bad GM? My Pats-centric focus leads me to ask others here who know more.

--The Steelers are typically a contender, but no, I’m not picking Mike Tomlin as the second-best coach in the league.

--Ron Rivera…I mean, I don’t know. See my point about being Pats-centric, but…

--Gary Kubiak rode an incredibly hot defense to a title last year, and they won their opener this year. I’d like to see how this season plays out a bit more, but winning a Super Bowl buys you some credibility.

--John Harbaugh’s confusion over the Pats’ formations, whining about it afterwards, and his possible involvement in deflategate are all pretty big black marks against the guy, but generally speaking he has his team ready to play, particularly in the playoffs. Personal animosity aside, he’s maybe the second-best coach in the league. But that’s a lot to put aside.

So my answer? I honestly can’t see a clear choice. Am I missing someone? (Pete Carroll? Chip Kelly? I mean, really?) Could we look into some way to reverse Bill Belichick’s aging?

EDIT: I was really focusing on the "second best current head coach" component of this, so I edited the title--seeing college coaches and assistants here. Agreed that the Pats' OC or DC would be among the top choices, but that's not what I was curious about.

Of course, you can go ahead and talk about those coaches. Talk about whatever the hell you want, what do I care.

 

[The Gr8est]

Steven Belichick.

 

[PatsFan2]

I am going with Tomlin I think he's a very underrated they have a really nice balanced Team and rarely miss with young WR's. Lets not sleep on Pete Carroll made excellent Team out of day 2 and 3 players.

 

[patchick]

I'll still take Arians. He strikes me as a smart and creative guy in a league where a lot of HCs coach scared. I even liked the unconventional way he managed timeouts on Sunday (whereas Mike Tomlin still seems to have no clue how the game clock works).

 

[Brit patriot]

Maybe not the proven second best, but Bill O'Brien seems to know what he is doing, and is helping get a pretty good roster together down there.

Maybe one to watch in a few years!

 

[sportnik]

It would have to be someone from the Belichick tree. Either Nick Saban or Billy O'Brien.

 

[Froob]

Either Arians or Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a **** but, he's a terrific coach.

 

[PatsFan2]

I wouldn't mind a Second Time around Jim Harbaugh either a second time around Pete Carrol who proved that good things can happen.

 

[Dagg]

Maybe Zimmer from Minnesota or Pete Carroll. Zimmer I think is a bit underrated and players absolutely love to play for this guy. He took a 5-11 team to 7-9 and then 11-5 last year.

 

[signbabybrady]

I'm going Matt Patricia all the way!

The defense has been great the last few years. He's is a genius(literally). He's got a cult following here. And I really think he has the knowledge and personality to be a great HC.

 

[slam]

Probably Sean Payton though every game would be 38-35. And he knows the league is run by a pack of bastards.

 

[chasa]

Pete Carol, Josh Mcdaniels.

Those are my two options.

 

[aluminum seats]

It would have to be someone from the Belichick tree. Either Nick Saban or Billy O'Brien.

Yeah, I was referring to pro coaches

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Josh McDaniels

 

[Rusty Coupe]

John Fox took a Jake Delhomme QB'd team to the brink of a Superbowl win in Carolina, then changed his whole offense in Denver to fit what he had in Tebow to win a playoff game. He's not not flashy but I think he is a good coach that gets a lot out of his players.

But Matt Patricia would be my choice for the Patriots, smart and he seems like he has the even keeled personality to handle the overall responsibility of running all 3 phases well.

 

[363839]

Sean Payton and/or Pete Carroll.
But really this is difficult because BB is so head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[IllegalContact]

Rex Ryan...........I never thought anyone could make sucking be so much fun

other than that, I like the new guys....Gus Bradley, Zimmer, Koetter

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

It would have to be someone from the Belichick tree. Either Nick Saban or Billy O'Brien.

I want to say Saban, but his last two gigs in the NFL were not that good and he's already in his early 60's.

 

[Haley]

Up until recently my answer would have been an unequivocal "Coughlin", but since he retired, it's hard to say. No one else comes that close to BB, but I guess John Fox raises an eyebrow. Although for pure amusement and no thought to success, Sexy Rexy would be fun to watch!

 

[Saint Pat]

Harambe.