ck (New England) – Complain about his knack for building a roster if you’d like, but there’s no questioning Belichick’s ability to get the most out of the players on the field. This year’s 12-4 finish with an injury-laden team is proof.
2. Jim Harbaugh (San Francisco) – During his three seasons as an NFL head coach, his 49ers have been to three NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl. That’s pretty hard to beat. All that’s missing is a title, which he has plenty of time to chase.
3. Pete Carroll (Seattle) – Under his watch, Seattle has gone from an irrelevant team in the Pacific Northwest to the talk of the league. That’s what happens when you win a Super Bowl with a swarming defense and a second-year quarterback.
4. Sean Payton (New Orleans) – Given that the Saints were an absolute train wreck during the season in which Payton was suspended for BountyGate, it’s not hard to figure out why he’s considered one of the most valuable head coaches in the league.
5. Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) – Sure, he’s constantly on the hot seat in New York, but that’s mainly due to the unrealistic media in the Big Apple. He’s won two Super Bowl titles in the past seven seasons; that’s nothing to scoff at.
6. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh) – When a coach has been to two Super Bowls and won one of them, fans have to be pretty confident that they have the right guy in charge. Tomlin’s message is still fresh, as is his rapport with the Steelers star players.
7. John Harbaugh (Baltimore) – Up until this season, when his roster was depleted by retirements, trades and injuries, Harbaugh’s Ravens were a shoo-in to be in the playoff mix. They figure to be there again next year, if history is any indication.
8. Andy Reid (Kansas City) – Getting to one NFC title game after another, plus one Super Bowl, in Philadelphia showed that Reid can coach. Transforming the Chiefs from 2-14 to a playoff team in his first year in Kansas City showed he’s elite.
9. Mike McCarthy (Green Bay) – Winning a Super Bowl title in Green Bay puts you in elite company. Capturing the NFC North title despite not having Aaron Rodgers for nearly half the season earns respect from those who really know the game.
10. Bruce Arians (Arizona) – He led the Colts to the playoffs in 2012 while filling in for Chuck Pagano on an interim basis. Then, he guided the Cardinals to a 10-6 mark during his first season in the Valley of the Sun. That’s a solid, recent track record.
11. Jeff Fisher (St. Louis) – All those years in Tennessee helped Fisher become a well-respected coach, but the fact remains that it’s been a long time since one of his teams was a true contender. Kevin Dyson was a yard short 14 years ago.
12. Ken Whisenhunt (Tennessee) – It’s hard not to be impressed by a résumé that includes leading a perennial also-ran (Arizona) to the Super Bowl and resurrecting the career of Philip Rivers in San Diego. The guy knows offense.
13. Lovie Smith (Tampa Bay) – When you go to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as your quarterback, it’s pretty good evidence that you’re a heckuva head coach. If you can make the playoffs with Mike Glennon, it might prove that you’re a genius.
14. Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis) – Back-to-back playoff seasons are impressive, but Pagano needs to prove that he can get the Colts to the next level. Making that leap, into true contender status, is the great separator for head coaches.
15. Ron Rivera (Carolina) – While the way his Panthers rallied after a slow start to the season to ultimately win the NFC South was definitely impressive. But there’s a reason why people were once calling for Rivera’s head; he’s still a work in progress.
16. Chip Kelly (Philadelphia) – Eagles fans have to be encouraged by the way Kelly’s team got better as season one went along, as well as the way he was able to turn Nick Foles into a polished and poised NFL quarterback. Now, let’s see a repeat.
17. Rex Ryan (New York Jets) – He did a nice job this season, finishing 8-8 with a rookie quarterback and virtually no weapons on offense. But at some point, there has to be concern about his ability to develop signal callers in a QB-driven league.
18. Mike McCoy (San Diego) – He fixed Philip Rivers, something many didn’t think was possible, which helped the Chargers turn into a surprise playoff team during his first season. If 2014 has another uptick, McCoy’s stature will rise even more.
19. John Fox (Denver) – It’s trendy to bash Fox right now, but the guy has won three consecutive AFC West titles, with polar opposite quarterbacks (Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning) and led two different teams to the Super Bowl.
20. Bill O’Brien (Houston) – Yes, he has no head coaching experience. But he worked wonders at Penn State, keeping a terrible situation from turning into a complete dumpster fire. That shows that he knows how keep his team’s focus on the game.
21. Mike Smith (Atlanta) – Up until this season, a coach who most NFL fans wouldn’t recognize if he was walking through the airport was doing just fine. But when a rash of injuries struck the Falcons in 2013, he couldn’t keep the train on track.
22. Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati) – To some extent, Lewis deserves credit for doing something with the Bengals that no other coach has been able to do, making the postseason three years in a row. But his inability to win once there is now a trend.
23. Gus Bradley (Jacksonville) – Despite starting off the season dismally (0-8), Bradley was able to keep spirits high. As a result, his Jaguars responded in the second half, finishing the season with a better-than-expected 4-12 record.
24. Marc Trestman (Chicago) – Staying in contention despite having to play Josh McCown at quarterback for multiple games was impressive. Benching the hot hand when Jay Cutler returned from injury wasn’t. Still to early to tell with the Bears HC.
25. Jason Garrett (Dallas) – At some point, a coach is what his record says he is; and if that’s the case, Garrett is the epitome of mediocre. He hasn’t shown that he can lead the Cowboys to anything beyond an 8-8 season.
26. Doug Marrone (Buffalo) – He had to deal with a lot of drama (Jairus Byrd) and injuries (namely at quarterback) in his first season, so Marrone gets somewhat of a pass for the Bills 6-10 finish. Plus, his team played hard right until the very end.
27. Joe Philbin (Miami) – Talk about a mixed bag in 2013. Yes, he kept things on track during the Richie Incognito / Jonathan Martin sage. But he also captained a ship that blew two golden opportunities late in the season to earn a playoff berth.
28. Mike Zimmer (Minnesota) – The well-respected d-coordinator finally gets his chance with the Vikings. But there has to be some concern that despite his résumé, it took Zimmer this long to land a head job. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
29. Dennis Allen (Oakland) – The way the Raiders fell apart in 2013, looking like a team that had no idea how to play the game by season’s end, raises serious questions about Allen’s ability to lead a football team.
30. Jay Gruden (Washington) – People in D.C. hope that he can follow in the footsteps of his coaching brother, but Gruden has a lot to prove. He’s never been a head coach before, plus his offense in Cincinnati went dormant in the postseason.
31. Jim Caldwell (Detroit) – When his Colts team was forced to play the 2011 season without Peyton Manning, they didn’t just struggle; they collapsed. Couple that with the Ravens terrible 2013 season with Caldwell as their OC and this is a weird hire.
32. Mike Pettine (Cleveland) – Okay, perhaps the fact that he worked with Rex Ryan in New York is a reason for optimism. But the fact remains that the guy who led Buffalo’s defense to a mediocre 2013 season is a totally unproven commodity.
