Outside of Belichick, who do you think is the best head coach in the league?

[Keegs]

Tomlin, Shannahan, Reid

 

[ALP]

can someone explain why jeff fisher always finds his way onto the list. He is the longest tenured coach in the league yet he's been to one SB and lost it. I don't remember Tenn. making it to an other AFCCG either. I've got news for you - if you coach for 16 years and make it to one Super Bowl, you are by definition average. In fact every 16 years, you should make it to 2 AFCCG if you are truly average. He also has a 5-6 post season record - not that impressive to have 1 post season win every 3 seasons.

i agree, take fisher off this list

he sucks, and is cheap from all accounts

 

[PatsBoy12]

I really like Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin. I have much respect for Sean Payton as well. You can never overlook what Jeff has meant to the Titans.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Obviously he isn't interested in being a HC. And that's the thing about Tomlin that bothers me, he inherited schemes and a system and to some extent staff. He was actually a Tampa 2 coach... So essentially he's just overseeing a machine that wasn't built on his watch.

I agree. Tomlin is still unproven because he inherited a pretty good team with very good coaches.

As much as I complain about the decisions BB makes, I can't think of anybody in the NFL right now I'd want as a head coach. In fact, he's proved to make the playoffs even with no "coordinators". In the end, it could get very depressing when he leaves and we'll all want him back.

Like the players, the era has changed in quality of head coaches.

You either have a good coach or you don't have a coach.

 

[condon84]

Tomlin IMO stepped into a perfect scenario. The Steeleers already had an established defense led by one of the best defensive minds of this generation in LeBeua. He had a playmaking QB in place and great personnel overall. I credit him for not screwing it up but there are other coaches that I would pick over him.

My list after BB would be:

1. Andy Reid. He hasn't won a SB, but he fields a very good team year in and year out. The Eagles went to the NFC championship game 3 straight years.

2. Jeff Fischer. It's not just his longevity, but during his tenure, the Titans are always a good team. Personnel has turned over a couple of times over there and the fact that they are still very good shows that his coaching has a major part of their success.

3. Shanahan. His offensive scheme and playcalling are top notch. He's proven that he can win with the right players. Not a great personnel man however.

4. Tom Coughlin. He took the Jaguars to the AFC championship game and they were a competitive team. Then proved it wasn't luck by coaching the Giants to a SB win. He was also successful at BC.

There are some other coaches that are coming up, but the guys I listed have been around a while and have proven themselves over time. If Belichick were to leave and one of the guys listed above were to take over, we know these guys field a competitive team.

There are other coaches who are up and coming but because they haven't been around long enough, I didn't include them:

Payton, Harbaugh, Rex, Whisenhunt, Sparano

 

[RobertWeathers]

Don't look now but a certain fmr HC of the NEP has his team 4-2 and hasn't had a losing NFL season in his 3 prior years in the league. Just trying to add to the conversation

1. BB
2. Payton
3. Tomlin
4. Coughlin
5. Reid

I think you need to win a SB to get on this list, but even though he has not won a SB, I think Reid deserves mention. 5 conference title games and a SB appearance is excellent by any measure. In addition, he is essentially in the middle of his 3rd rebuilding job and they are still competitive.

 

[Nikolai]

My problem with putting Reid on the list is twofold. I have always been of the mind that Jim Johnson was as much a part of the Eagles' great run, and since his passing, the Eagles have struggled to regain that same level of excellence. His handling of the Vick-Kolb situation has been less than inspiring, though, I must admit that it's not an easy issue to sort out.

I put Fisher in the category of the very good, but not among the best.

 

[Steamer86]

What are we going to do when BB retires? Uggghhhh.......I think **** McPherson III might be available......I think we should start pumping BB with HGH and putting him in an oxygen chamber at night.....anyone know how is his diet and exercise patterns are? Seriously, he needs to keep coaching Pats until 2022 (he'll be 70)...Just sent him a fruit basket...

 

[abdul7]

Sean Payton by a mile than Ravens HC Harbaugh. Those are the only two On my list.

 

[ScottieC]

Mike Smith for sure is in the top 5. He's way under the radar, but players love playing for the guy.

 

[fair catch fryar]

Sean Payton by a distance, in fact I think he's not a million miles away from BB.

No love for John Harbaugh though? The Ravens were going backwards at an alarming rate before he took over, and he's remoulded them into a superb team.

Harbaugh is solid, but I'd like to see how he'd do w/out Ozzie buying the groceries.

 

[Steve102]

Tom Coughlin

I think Coughlin has been successful at every stop. I think he suffers from being in NY and the scrutiny the media puts on him. If he was in another city, they would love the guy. He's tops on my list, but a distant second to The Hoodie.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I'd agree that Coughlin is under-rated, though he's learned to mellow out over the years which has helped.

I'd go with Tomlin or Payton as BB replacements. Neither may be the best coach currently, but they're developing, they're both young, and they continue to improve each year.

Shanny is a good choice but he just seems too egotistical for my liking.

And I'm sure the torches and pitchforks will come out for this, but I wouldn't mind seeing Josh McDaniels come back and learn from his mistakes. BB could oversee from the front office as GM for a while. He's far from the best head coach in the league, but he is very young and has a lot of potential.

I know he's made a mess of things in Denver, but BB also had a rough first go in Cleveland. He learned from his mistakes, Josh could still be a great coach. He has that potential. He has the hoodie. Let someone else handle the groceries and he could be a fine replacement.

Of course no one will be as good as BB. And it's kind of depressing thinking about his last day.

 

[Brady_12]

Heh... Reminds me of Grouchos comment//

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read....."

After Coach B, there is no one else to speak of.

Our Patriots nation will end when he retires.

This. 10 char

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I think Coughlin has been successful at every stop. I think he suffers from being in NY and the scrutiny the media puts on him. If he was in another city, they would love the guy. He's tops on my list, but a distant second to The Hoodie.

I think he suffers from being a dinosaur. His people skills are abrasive to say the least. He lost that team in 2007 and was headed for disaster and unemployment until (I hate to say it) Strahan decided to broker a unity campaign and got players to back Eli in spite of his shortcomings and basically ignore the old fart and just listen to their coordinators and play for each other. He's flirted with unemployment since... He's like Tuna without the cache, and even Tuna had his players flat out tune him out because he's just too old school. Can't play it that tough when these guys are making as much or more than you do. Belichick knows how to walk the fine line between discipline and total rigidity. He knows the importance of building his own infrastructure in the locker room and letting that police the malcontents and malingerers. And he never uses the press to send his messages. If a player doesn't get it here or causes trouble here, he just moves on. Taking battles of will public doesn't light fires anymore, it just alienates them.

 

[OtisCampbell]

I don't see any coach doing any better with absolutely awful players than Tony Sparano. Look at the players Miami has had at the talent positions - quarterbacks named Chad, running backs with bad knees or bad habits, scared wide receivers, etc.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I think he suffers from being a dinosaur. His people skills are abrasive to say the least. He lost that team in 2007 and was headed for disaster and unemployment until (I hate to say it) Strahan decided to broker a unity campaign and got players to back Eli in spite of his shortcomings and basically ignore the old fart and just listen to their coordinators and play for each other. He's flirted with unemployment since... He's like Tuna without the cache, and even Tuna had his players flat out tune him out because he's just too old school. Can't play it that tough when these guys are making as much or more than you do. Belichick knows how to walk the fine line between discipline and total rigidity. He knows the importance of building his own infrastructure in the locker room and letting that police the malcontents and malingerers. And he never uses the press to send his messages. If a player doesn't get it here or causes trouble here, he just moves on. Taking battles of will public doesn't light fires anymore, it just alienates them.

This article points to a meeting with ownership where they insisted on some changes.

Ownership wanted to bring Coughlin back, but they insisted he had to change.

That could have been an insulting suggestion to an older man with a fairly impressive resume, especially after he had just brought the Giants to back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in 16 years. Coughlin, though, insists he wasn't insulted. "I've always been one that can take coaching," he says.

"Tom looked at himself and said, 'You know what? There are some things about me that I can change and get better at,'" says GM Jerry Reese, who got his job after the decision to retain Coughlin was made. "So he set the pace for being a team guy. All the players saw him being a team guy."

I'm not so sure that's how it went down, but no matter what we believe, there's no doubt Coughlin has changed over the past few years. He's listened more to players, set up a leadership council to communicate better with players, and implemented some of their suggestionsl. Maybe he's a dinosaur, but he does deserve credit for actually changing his style at an age and when people generally don't change much.