NFL Coaches Who Kick Butt!

The NFL has seen a lot of coaching vacancies open up in the past month. Most are due to firings, although at least two are related to retirement—Mike Holmgren in Seattle and Tony Dungy in Indianapolis. Others who have lost their jobs include Eric Mangini New York Jets), Romeo Crennel (Cleveland), Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay), Rod Marinelli (Detroit) and Mike Shanahan (Denver). All were fired by their teams.

The question is—who are the best of the best when it comes to coaching in the NFL. Here are my picks. I am, of course, looking at active coaches and, thus, am excluding both Dungy and Holmgren.

Bill Belichick

(New England Patriots; regular season record: 138-86-0; post-season: 15- 4) Belichick is simply a mastermind who uses every trick—legal and illegal—in the book. Since taking over the helm of the Pats in 2000, he has won four AFC Championships and three Super Bowls. He manages to keep a boatload of info in his head, creates specific game plans for every contest and adjusts to the changing NFL landscape with aplomb. He’s a tough disciplinarian who puts the team above the individual. Belichick knows how to win.

Tom Coughlin

(New York Giants; regular season record: 103- 89- 0; post-season: 8- 6) Coughlin was a successful college coach who was hired to be the head coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. He was with them from 1995- 2002, taking them to the AFC Championship twice. Coughlin was one of the most success expansion coaches in the history of the NFL. The New York Giants hired Coughlin, a strict disciplinarian, in 2004. Although he was at first unpopular due to his no-nonsense toughness, he became very popular when he guided the team to the 2007 NFC Championship and a Super Bowl win over the highly favored Patriots.

John Harbaugh

(Baltimore Ravens; regular season record: 11- 5; post-season: 2- 0) Okay, you can fault me for choosing Harbaugh, because he has only been at this for one year. But the fact is that the former college defensive back has managed to do some amazing things with a team that had precious few options at quarterback. He’s gotten more out of rookie field general Joe Flacco than anyone had imaged and he’s refined the Ravens’ defense into a formidable weapon. At 46 years old, Harbaugh looks to be the future of the NFL. And, at 46, he’s earned the respect of his players, coordinators and franchise owners. That’s not easy to do.

Andy Reid

(Philadelphia Eagles; regular season record: 96- 62- 1; post-season: 10- 6) Reid took the Eagles to the 2004 Super Bowl where the team lost to the New England Patriots 24- 21. From 2001- 2004, he got the Eagles into the NFC Championship game. He did the same in 2008. Reid seems to be a master at getting the best out of a bad situation. He’s had to deal with some tough moments, including getting Donovan McNabb through his implosion in the Super Bowl, guiding backup QB Jeff Garcia through a maze of victories that led to a NFC Division title in 2006 and dealing with Terrell Owens’ extreme adversarial demeanor that undermined team chemistry. Reid is a gamer and has earned the respect of his players, team owners and the league.

Mike Smith

(Atlanta Falcons; regular season record: 11- 5- 0; post-season record: 0- 1- 0) Smith, like Harbaugh, is a first-year coach who has worked wonders. With the Falcons reeling from the loss of Michael Vick and a pallor of hopelessness engulfing the club, Smith was able to get the team to a Wild-Card berth. And although his Falcons lost in round one of the 2008- 2009 playoffs, Smith’s ability to guide what could have been a hapless club to the post-season earned him the 2008 AP Coach of the Year award. He chose rookie QB Matt Ryan to start in 2008 and Ryan performed admirably. Like Harbaugh, Smith is the future of the NFL. Prior to taking over the Falcons, he was the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and linebackers coach for Baltimore Ravens.

Those are my picks—three vets and two rookies. I think any of them can put together a solid team and get them to the Promised Land. Can you offer other alternatives?