Who Needs a Winning Record? The 10 Best NFL Coaches Below .500

Richard "Dick" Manual Jauron is the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and if any season could be called Jauron's to lose, this 2009 year is it.

With suprising yet solid off-season acquisitions, the Bills look ready to make-it-or-break-it for the year.

Also AP Coach of the Year and a Superbowl loser in 2001, Dick has a career record of 57-76 (.428).

The NFL's Man in Black Contest winner Jerry Glanville coaches PSU.

No, not that PSU, but rather Portland State University.

By remaining one of NFL Film's greatest sound bites and trading away Brett Favre in 1992 to the Green Bay Packers, Glanville's 60-67 (.472) record earns him ninth spot.

As Atlanta's defensive coordinator during the late 1970s, the Falcons set an NFL single-season record for fewest points allowed (129).

Sam Rutigliano coached the Kardiac Kids in Cleveland from 1978-1984 retiring with a respectable 47-50 (.484) mark.

More notable, he is from the same area of Brooklyn as is Vince Lombardi and Joe Paterno. Similiarities? Probably.

Now, Sam has three books published. You can buy them on Amazon if you want.

Raymond Earl Rhodes, former Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers coach, is the current assistant defensive backs coach of the Houston Texans.

Five, count them five, Super Bowl rings earned in San Francisco 49ers and AP Coach of the Year in 1995 assures NFL fans that, medical conditions aside, Rhodes will be somewhere in the league as long as he wants to.

Career record of 31-33 (.484) limited, but decent.

Wayne Fontes correctly predicted Barry Sanders potential as the third pick in the 1989 draft. He also remains the last coach to earn a playoff victory in Detroit since 1957.

Coached only in Detroit from 1988 to 1996 to a 67 - 71 (.485) record, which are easily the most in either category in team history.

I guess the taste for winning left him after eight years in Detroit.

Samuel David Wyche took the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII in 1988 with Boomer, Icky, and Collinsworth. Winningest coach in Bengals franchise history to boot.

Introduced the "No-Huddle" offense as a standard offensive scheme to much success. This and the Super Bowl earns Wyche higher marks than other contemporaries.

Later stints brought his totals way down, but still finishes a respectable 87-109 (.443) for coaching in Cincinnati.

Classic Mirror Image: Current Minnesota coach Brad Childress is .500 at 24-24 after two season and former coach Mike Tice has a 32-33 (.492) record.

Minnesota changed everything and then nothing by substituting one for the other. After the Lake Minnetonka boating scandal, Tice had to go.

In 2008, the Vikings won the NFC North in fashion for Childress and Tice is waiting in the wings in Jacksonville, ready to step in should Jack Del Rio flounder early this season.

Buddy "Right Hook" Ryan was a remarkable coach and outstanding defensive coordinator for the "4-6" Chicago Bears scheme.

Leveraging this success, he became the Philadelphia Eagles coach in 1986.
The 1991 Eagles were one of the best defensive units ever in the NFL.

Remarkable 55-55-1 (.500!) record considering he coached in Houston and Arizona after Philly.

Dave Wannstedt had the unfortunate luck of coaching the Chicago Bears from 1993-1998 and after spent 2000-04 with the Miami Dolphins.

Career record of 82-87 (.485) highlights how capable as a coach he was in those environments. After 11 years in the league to be only 5 games below .500 is remarkable.

Oftentimes remembered incorrectly as Bill Cowher's mustache double, Wannstedt experienced success in Miami more than being a Monster of the Midway.

Why No. 1? Surprisingly, Turner is a few solid seasons away from a meager .500 record. However, his recent performance in San Diego and a career record of 77-95-1 (.447) masks some tough luck in Washington and Oakland over the years.

His underdog status and stable performance with the Bolts earns Norv first place. Keep doing what you're doing Norv!