Throughout the preseason, we’ll take a look at the best – and worst – the NFL has to offer, unit by unit. Look for a new set of rankings every few days.
There is an old saying that has surfaced in some sports movies and has been uttered by coaches throughout history that states: players win games, coaches lose games.
When a team loses a game, it is inevitable that the coaching staff is going to come under fire and into question. Did they do enough? Did they call the right plays? Was the team motivated?
A great coaching staff doesn’t have to win a title every season, because good coaching staffs know that sometimes it can’t all be about the end result.
In the constant revolving door of NFL head coaches, it’s amazing to see guys like Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan stay with their respective teams for so long and be successful. New or rookie head coaches surface every year and certain guys get the right formula in place to improve their teams, secure more wins and hoist championship trophies above their heads.
What teams have the NFL’s best coaching staffs?
Criteria for coaching staffs:
To be ranked in the top 10, a staff doesn’t have to have a Super Bowl ring, but of course it helps. As long as the staff is on the right track and appears to be on the verge of a title, or at least consistent playoff appearances, they can find themselves ranked among the best in the league.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Head coach Bill Cowher’s time might be running out in Pittsburgh, but it’s hard to believe that the head coach with the longest active stay in one city could be anywhere else in 2007. Cowher is finally a Super Bowl champion and perhaps no team will ever do what the Steelers did last year in being the only six seed to win a title. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm were both candidates for head coaching jobs, but teams didn’t want to wait until February to snag them. Both Whisenhunt and Grimm should land head coaching jobs in the near future. For the third-straight season, Cowher’s entire coaching staff remains intact and with this group being so solid, Pittsburgh has to be a favorite to return to the playoffs, if not a return to the main stage of the Super Bowl.
2. Denver Broncos
Mike Shanahan kept quarterback Jake Plummer out of dangerous situations last season and that was a big factor in landing the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. Shanahan also had one of the top-ranked running games in the league for another year, which helped keep the defense aggressive. Speaking of the defense, perhaps no coach in the NFL got more from his players than Denver defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. Coyer turned several miscast defensive linemen from Cleveland into heavy run-stoppers and used his linebackers to generate a pass rush. Can Mike Heimerdinger and Rick Dennison replace the excellent offensive-minded Gary Kubiak, who took over in Houston? That will be the biggest question mark heading into ’06.
3. Washington Redskins
Many were saying that when Joe Gibbs returned to coaching in the NFL, he was past his prime, was not up on today’s game or players, and would undoubtedly fail in Washington. At 66, Gibbs still remains a master motivator and after two years in command, has a roster full of believers and players ready to follow him back to the playoffs in 2006. Al Saunders, the mastermind offensive coordinator from Kansas City, got a huge contract from owner Daniel Snyder to be the Redskins game planner in the offseason. Saunders and Gibbs have already worked together once (while at USC in 1970) and should have a partnership that breed’s success. Gregg Williams is one of the NFL’s top defensive minds and line coaches Joe Bugel and Greg Blache are solid as well.
4. New England Patriots
Bill Belichick has one of the best minds in football and is perhaps the best coach in the NFL. It’s hard to argue with three Super Bowl titles on a team that most want to count dead in the water every year. The only thing that keeps this team from the No. 1 spot is that, for a second-straight season, New England is replacing a coordinator. Eric Mangini left for the Jets’ head coaching job in the offseason and was replaced by Dean Pees. There is no doubt the Pats miss Charlie Weis’ offensive mind but coordinator Josh McDaniels still did a fine job last year, and with Tom Brady running his game plans, McDaniels will be fine again in ‘06. Despite injuries and a seemingly annual depletion of talent, this team is always ready to play under Belichick and has the best schemes possible against the opposition.
5. Indianapolis Colts
Much like the Steelers, there are no changes in the Colts’ coaching staff from a season ago. Tony Dungy battled personal tragedy last year while losing his son and still had Indianapolis playing at a top level into the playoffs. Although it seems that the Colts have missed several opportunities to win a title, Dungy has dramatically improved an Indy defense that was once a major weakness. Tom Moore and Ron Meeks are both back to oversee the offense and defense, respectively.
6. Seattle Seahawks
It seemed that head coach Mike Holmgren was as good as gone for the past several years, but he persevered and gave Seattle its first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Holmgren is entering his eighth season and will benefit again from having Keith Gilbertson (a 2005 addition to the staff) as an offensive consultant for another season. Changes on the defense were eminent due to the health of Ray Rhodes, who battled heart problems last season. Rhodes will take a lesser role with the team this year while John Marshall officially moves from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
For a second-consecutive season, Marvin Lewis secured a two-year contract extension for his entire staff. Lewis received his third raise and is now locked into Cincinnati’s plans through 2010. Lewis has brought excitement back to a Bengals franchise that has been lacking more than just wins over the past decade and a half. Chuck Breshanhan did a great job with the defense last season and will have to get his players to overachieve again this year. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has a bigger job on his hands with Carson Palmer returning from a devastating knee injury.
8. Carolina Panthers
John Fox gets a ton of credit for the way his team is always ready to play – and it’s all well deserved. Entering his fifth season in Carolina, Fox brings stability and success to the Panthers and now many believe the team is on the verge of its first Super Bowl title. When the team started 1-7 in 2003 after appearing in its first Super Bowl, Fox was commended for getting the Panthers to finish a respectable 7-9, just missing the playoffs. Offensive coordinator Dan Henning is a solid veteran who loves to feed whatever player is hot at the time (such as Steve Smith in 2005) and defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac is now getting recognized as a possible head-coach candidate.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay really took a hit by losing defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to Detroit and defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin to Minnesota in the offseason. However, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is as stable as they come, has an excellent mind and always has an aggressive scheme. Head coach Jon Gruden returned the Bucs to the playoffs last season when many believed that it would take another year or two. Gruden has complete control of the offense and is the play caller for a Tampa team that now has a solid running game behind OROY Cadillac Williams.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
Many media pundits are down on the Eagles for the way they self-destructed last season and finished dead last in the division. But considering Philly has advanced at least to the NFC Conference title game four out of five years, the team deserves a break. Before John Fox was on everybody’s love radar, Andy Reid was getting a lot of notoriety for the way he had his team prepared for every game. Reid also had to deal with cancer-in-the-clubhouse Terrell Owens for two years, and give the head coach credit for doing the best he could in a terrible situation. The only criticism that Reid has understandably come under fire for is putting his quarterback in a tough situation by abandoning the running game over the years. Donovan McNabb was often put on an island last year before he got hurt and many believe a lack of commitment to the running game is why McNabb was constantly battered and bruised. Reid is extremely smart, however, and should have Philly playing at a high level again this year.
The Bottom Five:
28. Minnesota Vikings
No rookie head coach has possibly faced a harder opening year than Brad Childress. First came a decision on QB Daunte Culpepper, then Koren Robinson is named the No. 1 wide receiver only to wind up in jail for a repeated alcohol offense. A lack of discipline is evident in Minnesota, but can Childress and his band of young and energetic coaches be the ones to turn things around in Love Boat land?
29. San Francisco 49ers
Whether it was fair or not, whenever a former player refers to you as “Hitler,” as did Kevan Barlow while speaking of head coach Mike Nolan, things can’t look too rosy for your franchise. The 49ers have been a disaster the past couple of years and there is no reason to think things are improving with a head coach who loves to run the ball even when his squad is down by a wide margin in the second half (SF ran the ball 38% of the time last year in the second half, the highest percentage of any team).
30. Oakland Raiders
Art Shell might not win many games this season, but one thing is for sure – he’ll have a more disciplined team than past Raiders squads. The only thing that begs to be asked: is Shell past his prime since he’s been out of coaching for a while? Fighting with star receiver Jerry Porter doesn’t help either.
31. St. Louis Rams
New head coach Scott Linehan has a tall task on his hands while trying to convert Mike Martz’s players into his own. Martz used situational players to fit his schemes and Linehan will soon find out that those players might not work in his approach. The defense should improve now that Jim Haslett takes over from New Orleans. After a disastrous tenure with the Saints, Haslett should have a new mentality to coaching, but does he have the players to succeed?
32. Green Bay Packers
The Packers needed to replace head coach Mike Sherman, so they went out and hired Mike McCarthy to take over. McCarthy was the coordinator on the worst-ranked offense in the league last year and perhaps the worst-ranked offense the NFL has ever seen. Hey, what do I know, maybe McCarthy was the right man for the job, but there had to be better options out there than a guy who was a part of a losing franchise in San Francisco. Maybe McCarthy didn’t have the right players to work with, but this was an odd hire by Green Bay.
