The 10 Best Coaches in the NFL Today Without a Ring

There are a lot of good coaches in the NFL, whether their fan base believes it or not.

Over the years, there has been more than one coach who never was able to win the "big game" despite winning just about everything else.

Marty Schottenheimer would be one of the poster boys for that scenario. He consistently took his teams to the playoffs, including several Championship games, but never made it to the Super Bowl.

Here are 10 NFL coaches working now who have not been able to get that elusive ring.

Tony Sparano

With Bill Parcells as his chief cheerleader, Tony Sparano took over the Miami Dolphins in the 2008 season and immediately led them to the playoffs.

The Dolphins went from 1-15 to 11-5 under Sparano in his first year.

Sparano still managed to finish 7-9 in his second year despite injuries to key players on his offense, including running back Ronnie Brown and a preseason injury that took quarterback Chad Pennington out for the year.

Now in his third year, Sparano is out to prove he can get the Dolphins to a Super Bowl.

Norv Turner

Norv Turner has won two Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach, but never has been able to claim one as a head coach.

Turner took over the Chargers after Marty Schottenheimer was fired after yet another playoff loss and has kept the organization in the playoffs since assuming head coaching duties in 2007.

The Chargers look to contend for another playoff berth in 2010.

Brad Childress

Brad Childress came very close to getting to the Super Bowl in 2009, but an overtime loss thwarted his latest attempt.

Childress has been the coach of the Vikings since the 2006 season and has made their offensive line solid while turning the defense into one of the best in the league, ranked sixth overall in 2009.

With Brett Favre turning his offense into a juggernaut, Childress could be on his way to his first Super Bowl. (Yes, I think Favre is coming back)

Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy has coached a lot of successful quarterbacks and offenses in his time.

Joe Montana, Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Brooks, Jake Delhomme, and Marc Bulger are among the quarterbacks he's coached over his career.

Aaron Rodgers is his latest project, and McCarthy, once named USA Today's Assistant Coach of the Year, is hoping Rodgers can get him over the hump and to a championship.

Mike Smith

Mike Smith has coached since he was 18 years old while still a senior in high school.

Smith has been successful at every level he's coached at and turned a Falcons' team around from the depths of despair in the wake of Michael Vick's arrest and conviction on dog fighting chargers.

Having Matt Ryan at quarterback has helped, but Smith is out to prove he can bring a Super Bowl to the Falcons' fans.

Andy Reid

Andy Reid has been with the Eagles for a long time. He's won more than 100 games with the team, a very rare feat in today's NFL where coaches have short lifespans.

But Reid consistently has put a winning team on the field, and he's done it without Donovan McNabb, who went down with a season-ending injury during the 2006 campaign.

Reid has a whole new team this year, but never count him out when it comes to making the playoffs. A Super Bowl ring seems like it is long overdue for this guy.

Ken Whisenhunt

Ken Whisenhunt won a Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, but the ring eluded him versus those same Steelers in 2008.

Whisenhunt has proven he doesn't care where a rookie is drafted, the best player plays while he is in charge.

His no-nonsense attitude turned around the Cardinals from perennial losers into a playoff team. The fate of the 2010 season is in quarterback Matt Leinart's hands, but Whisenhunt seems destined to get his own Super Bowl ring someday.

John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh has taken his team to the playoffs in both years he has coached them, and the Ravens are a preseason favorite to win the AFC North in 2010.

They squeaked into the playoffs last year, but then beat the New England Patriots in the Wildcard round before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round.

With two years under his belt now, Harbaugh now is an experienced head coach with one of the best front offices in the league helping him build a contender on the field.

Harbaugh can win a Super Bowl this year.

Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith has kept things interesting in Chicago, but he hasn't won a Super Bowl.

Smith took the Bears to the playoffs in 2005 and 2006, but has missed the playoffs the last few seasons.

Smith has Jay Cutler as his quarterback, and with one year together, the Bears look to keep Green Bay and Minnesota from taking another playoff opportunity away from them in 2010.

Jeff Fisher

It seems like Jeff Fisher has been coach of the Titans forever, and he has been coach of the team since they still were in Houston as the Oilers in 1994.

Fisher went to the Super Bowl in 1999 but lost to the St. Louis Rams.

His teams regularly have double digit-win seasons and always are in the playoff mix.

The only thing missing on Fisher's resume is a Super Bowl win.