Power Ranking All 32 NFL Head Coaches in the Game Today
The NFL is notorious for ranking things.
We have quarterback rankings, Pro Bowl votes and even rankings to determine which teams will make the playoffs or pick first in the NFL Draft.
The only thing not ranked that should are the head coaches of the NFL.
We sat down with the daunting task of ranking every NFL head coach—looking at career wins, accomplishments and the work they have done with the talent around them.
32. Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans
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Mike Munchak retired from his playing days in the NFL in 1993 and one year later joined the Houston Oilers staff in 1994 as an offensive assistant/quality control. By 1997, he was the team's offensive-line coach, a position he held until the 2010 offseason.
When Jeff Fisher was let go, a very small coaching search began, with the in-house candidate Munchak winning the owner's vote of confidence.
Munchak may turn out to be a wonderful NFL coach, but as of now we doubt his experience making gameday decisions and managing the clock. Munchak has a steep learning curve ahead of him.
Career Record: 0-0
31. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers
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How any coach could lose as many games as Norv Turner does with the amazing talent around him is just confusing.
Turner has had All-Pro players at key positions, but the Chargers still cannot win a meaningful playoff game to save their lives.
Turner will ultimately be remembered as a coach who could not win with superb talent around him.
Career Record: 99-105-1
Playoff Record: 4-4
Notable Accomplishments: 3 AFC West Championships, 1 NFC East Championship (Washington), 4 Playoff Berths
30. Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders
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Hue Jackson enters his first season as head coach of the Oakland Raiders woefully underprepared to run a team.
We like Hue Jackson, but no one could ever be ready to handle Al Davis, and that alone will cripple his career in Oakland.
Outside of that many reported before the firing of Tom Cable that Jackson was seen as a future head coach, but that he wasn't quite ready to take over a team. When Davis fired Cable, it opened the door for Jackson to enter as head coach, even if it was a year or two premature.
There's also the fact that we cannot rank Jackson above established coaches with actual NFL head-coaching experience.
Career Record: 0-0
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29. Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills
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Winning in the AFC East is not an easy thing to do when you have to play the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins six times each year.
Chan Gailey knows this all too well.
Gailey is known as a brilliant offensive coordinator, going back to his days on Bill Cowher's staff in Pittsburgh.
While Gailey may have amazing game plans and a brilliant scheme, his development of players is lacking. Gailey, in two stops as an NFL coach, has never shown the ability to find talent or mold existing players in to more than they were before him.
Career Record: 22-26
Playoff Record: 0-2 (Dallas)
Notable Accomplishments: 1 NFC East Championship, 2 Playoff Berths
28. Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
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Tony Sparano took advantage of a Tom Brady-less New England Patriots in winning the AFC East in 2008. Since then his Dolphins have posted back-to-back 7-9 records.
If any coach is on the hot seat this season, it is Tony Sparano.
Career Record: 25-23
Playoff Record: 0-1
Notable Accomplishments: 1 AFC East Championship
27. Pat Shurmur, Cleveland Browns
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Pat Shurmur was hired by Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren largely because of his ability to coach the West Coast offense that Holmgren loves so much.
While Shurmur may become a wonderful head coach, we cannot rank him above coaches who have experience in the NFL. Yet.
Career Record: 0-0
26. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
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Ron Rivera will have a difficult task ahead of him.
Transforming the 2-14 Carolina Panthers to a contender, with a rookie quarterback who is far from ready to play at an NFL level, will be tough.
Rivera's background is as a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator, so we do expect to see big changes on defense for Carolina.
Finding the right offensive coordinator to mold Cam Newton will go a long way in determining Rivera's success.
Career Record: 0-0
25. Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions
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It is hard to judge Jim Schwartz' time with the Detroit Lions without noting that his quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick, Matthew Stafford, has missed 19 games over the past two seasons with injuries.
If Stafford were healthy things might be different. Or maybe they wouldn't be. We don't know.
While Schwartz can be credited with coaching Ndamukong Suh, the Lions have failed to really develop any other young players on offense or defense.
Schwartz is not in danger of being fired, but he needs to show in 2011 an ability to develop players, especially on offense.
Career Record: 8-24
24. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
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Marvin Lewis has won football games, made the playoffs and has even won an AP Coach of the Year Award, so why is he ranked No. 24?
Lewis, for all his football coaching ability, has never been able to control his locker room.
Lewis' inability to control the Chad Ochocinco's of the world hurts his standing, but so does the inconsistency in Cincinnati under his regime.
In nine years, Lewis has the seventh-worst winning percentage among active head coaches.
Career Record: 60-67-1
Playoff Record: 0-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 AP Coach of the Year Award, 2 NFC North Championships
23. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams
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The St. Louis Rams seem to be on the brink of something special. With quarterback Sam Bradford, left tackle Rodger Saffold and running back Steven Jackson, the offense is good enough to win ball games.
On defense, Spagnuolo's specialty, the team is getting closer to contending, but there are still huge question marks in the secondary.
We are fans of Spagnuolo, but there is no overlooking his first season in St. Louis and the team's 1-15 record.
Another good season in St. Louis will move Coach Spagnuolo up our rankings.
Career Record: 8-24
22. Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings
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Starting your NFL head coaching career with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history should be a dream come true for all aspiring head coaches.
Not so much for Leslie Frazier.
Forced into a bad situation with a deteriorating Brett Favre under center and little-to-no talent behind him on the depth chart, Frazier made the best of things and guided the Vikings to three wins under interim status.
With a full season under his belt, we believe Frazier will emerge as one of the best, young coaches in the NFL.
Career Record: 3-3
21. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
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Pete Carroll's second stint in the NFL got off to a nice surprise when his 7-9 Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs and defeated the defending Super Bowl-champion New Orleans Saints in a home playoff game.
The 2011 season may be more realistic for Carroll as the rest of the NFC West is getting better and will be more likely to challenge his Seahawks.
For all the doubters and haters, Carroll has been surprisingly successful thus far in the NFL.
Career Record: 40-40
Playoff Record: 2-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 AFC East Championship, 1 NFC West Championship, 3 Playoff Berths
20. Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals
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Yes, Ken Whisenhunt led the Cardinals to a Super Bowl appearance. What else has he done? You might even say the Cardinals Super Bowl run was more Kurt Warner and less Whisenhunt.
Coach Whisenhunt is under fire in Arizona after failing to identify a viable option at quarterback once Kurt Warner retired, leading to a 5-11 season in 2010 after two-straight playoff appearances.
We do believe Whisenhunt can turn things around in Arizona, but he will need a very good year in 2011 to prove his doubters wrong.
Career Record: 32-32
Playoff Record: 4-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 NFC Championship, 2 NFC West Championships
19. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
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Maybe it would be fair to put all the first-year coaches at the bottom of this list, but what fun would that be?
Jim Harbaugh comes to the NFL off a very successful college career at San Diego State and then Stanford, he has an NFL pedigree when it comes to coaching and was a successful NFL player himself at one time.
Harbaugh would seem to have everything it takes to win in the NFL.
Career Record: 0-0
18. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts
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Jim Caldwell has the highest winning percentage of any active NFL head coach. And yet we still rank him as our No. 18 head coach.
The reason, we believe, is obvious.
Caldwell is living off the talent assembled by general manager Bill Polian. He has one of the best quarterbacks of all time and a supporting cast on offense that a high school football coach could win with. In fact, Peyton Manning is probably the best coach on the entire staff.
Caldwell has yet to show anything unique, or that he can claim as his own. With the talent on this roster, the Colts should have won another Super Bowl by now.
Put the Colts in a more competitive division and they wouldn't have made the playoffs last year.
Career Record: 24-8
Playoff Record: 2-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 AFC Championship, 2 AFC South Championships
17. Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
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It is never easy taking over the roster of an expansion team, even after three seasons of play in the NFL.
When Gary Kubiak came to Houston in 2006 the team was in shambles. Since Kubiak entered the picture, Houston has posted only two losing seasons, both 6-10 campaigns.
Kubiak should be recognized as a superb talent developer, but his game-management skills seem to be raw at best.
Career Record: 37-43
16. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
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Love him or hate him, Todd Haley has done a fine job in turning around the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City had records of 2-14 and 4-12 before Haley came to town. In just his second year, the Chiefs posted 10 wins and won the AFC West.
It is also worth pointing out that the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals during their two playoff runs was Todd Haley.
The future will ultimately decide Haley's ranking. If the Chiefs win a second-straight AFC West crown, it will solidify Haley as a top coach in the NFL.
Career Record: 14-18
Playoff Record: 0-1
Notable Accomplishments: 1 AFC West Championship
15. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys
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Jason Garrett was hand-picked to become the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys when the team hired him before the 2007 season.
Garrett had played for Dallas during his NFL career, backing up Troy Aikman, and had left a good impression on Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones.
Once Wade Phillips was fired half-way through the 2010 season, Garrett took over and led Dallas to a 5-3 record.
Garrett is ranked in the top 15 purely on potential and what little evidence the 2010 season gave us.
Career Record: 5-3
14. Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars
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As a player and a coach, Jack Del Rio has been successful. The Jacksonville Jaguars were a struggling franchise when Del Rio was hired before the 2003 season.
Since that time, the Jaguars have been respectable, winning more than half their games and making two playoff appearances in the tough AFC South.
Del Rio's nemesis would be Peyton Manning and the Jaguars inability to defeat the Colts and win the AFC South.
Career Record: 65-63
Playoff Record: 1-2
Notable Accomplishments: 2 Playoff Births
13. Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins
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Many will wonder why a two-time winning Super Bowl coach would be ranked so low. We would point at what Mike Shanahan has done since returning to the NFL, and even more so what he did once John Elway retired, as evidence of his true coaching ability.
Shanahan is 97-79 without Elway and has not had a winning season in three years.
Career Record: 138-90
Playoff Record: 8-5
Notable Accomplishments: 2 Super Bowl Championships, 2 AFC Championships, 3 AFC West Championships, 7 Playoff Births
12. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
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Tom Coughlin will be remembered best as the coach who beat Bill Belichick in a Super Bowl, which isn't a bad way to leave your mark on history.
He should also be remembered though as the coach who started football in Jacksonville and led the expansion Jaguars to the playoffs in only their second year.
Career Record: 129-103
Playoff Record: 8-7
Notable Accomplishment: 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 NFC Championship, 2 NFC East Championships, 2 AFC Central Championships, 8 Playoff Births
11. John Fox, Denver Broncos
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John Fox has coached in a Super Bowl, won the NFC South three times and kept the Carolina Panthers contending throughout his tenure there.
Now that Fox is in Denver we expect more of the same.
John Fox's ability as a defensive mind and head coach are sorely underrated. And that will show when Denver makes a solid push in the AFC West this year.
Career Record: 73-71
Playoff Record: 5-3
Notable Accomplishments: 1 Super Bowl Appearance, 1 NFC Championship, 3 NFC South Championships
10. Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears
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Lovie Smith has led the Chicago Bears to two appearances in the NFC championship game and a narrow loss in Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts.
His ability to keep the Bears atop the NFL pecking order over the last eight years, and doing so with mostly unknowns at quarterback, are the reason we have Lovie Smith in our top 10 coaches in the NFL today.
Career Record: 63-49
Playoff Record: 3-3
Notable Accomplishments: 1 NFC Championship, 3 NFC North Championships, 1 AP Coach of the Year Award
9. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Replacing Jon Gruden as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was never supposed to be an easy task. And for a moment it looked like Raheem Morris might not be the man for the job—and then the Bucs started winning.
After a shaky 3-13 first season, Moore bounced back with a 10-6 record in what should have been a playoff season for Tampa Bay.
In 2011, many are expecting nothing less than a playoff appearance.
Moore's ability to coach-up youngsters Josh Freeman, LaGarrette Blount and Mike Williams on offense is a key to the Buccaneers transformation. The way he has his defense attacking the ball is further proof that Tampa Bay is a force to be reckoned with.
Career Record: 13-19
8. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
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In John Harbaugh's three seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, the team has yet to miss the playoffs and is averaging 11 wins per season under the former special teams coach.
Harbaugh, much like brother Jim and father Jack, has football in his blood. And it shows in the way his team plays.
Yes, Harbaugh inherited an amazing defense, but it is what he has done with the Ravens' offense that warrants special notice. The drafting of Joe Flacco and Ray Rice, plus a trade for Anquan Boldin, is what will propel Baltimore into a Super Bowl in the next few seasons.
Career Record: 32-16
Playoff Record: 3-2
Notable Accomplishments: 3 Playoff Berths, 1 AFC Championship appearance
7. Rex Ryan, New York Jets
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Not only is Rex Ryan one of the loudest coaches in the NFL, he's also one of the best.
In two seasons with the Jets, Ryan has a .625 winning percentage and has yet to miss the playoffs, all while playing a rookie quarterback from Week 1 on.
Ryan is loved and hated equally, but no one can dispute he knows how to coach football.
Now if they could just win the AFC East...
Career Record: 20-12
Playoff Record: 4-2
Notable Accomplishments: 2 Playoff Berths
6. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
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Pop Quiz: Which NFC coach has the highest active winning percentage?
If you said "Mike Smith", you win a free one-year Bleacher Report subscription.
Smith has quietly become synonymous with winning in Atlanta, something that didn't seem possible in the aftermath of the Michael Vick dog-fighting incident.
Smith quickly turned things around by drafting Matt Ryan, signing Michael Turner and trusting Roddy White to develop into a marquee wide receiver.
Smith's ability to coach-up a defense hasn't hurt, either.
All that's left for Atlanta to accomplish is a Super Bowl berth, something most will expect in 2011.
Career Record: 33-15
Playoff Record: 0-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 NFC South Championship, 2 Playoff Berths, 1 AP Coach of the Year Award
5. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
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Sean Payton's arrival in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans was seen as almost miraculous to those football fans looking for some form of hope. The signing of Drew Brees sealed the deal.
Brees and Payton have since led New Orleans to three playoff appearances in five years and won one Super Bowl.
The Saints are early favorites to challenge Green Bay for the NFC crown in 2011. If Payton can continue to find diamonds in the rough like Marques Colston, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans they should remain contenders for years to come.
To truly understand the turnaround in New Orleans, you must understand that in the previous 39 years the team had made the playoffs just five times and were coming off a 3-13 record before Payton and Brees led them to a 10-6 record and playoff birth.
Career Record: 49-31
Playoff Record: 4-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 NFC Championship, 2 NFC South Championships, 3 Playoff Appearances, 1 AP Coach of the Year Award
4. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
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No head coach in the NFL could be more deserving of a top five ranking than the Packers' Mike McCarthy. In an industry full of egos and bravado, Mike McCarthy is a classy man who is always kind and helpful.
Which has nothing to do with his ranking here as our No. 4-overall coach.
Mike McCarthy has backed up his ranking on the field with four winning seasons in five years as the Packers head coach. The only losing season was one year after losing the NFC Championship game during the confusion regarding Brett Favre's retirement, return and then trade to the New York Jets.
What McCarthy has done in Green Bay is nothing short of brilliant. The Packers have consistently been among the NFL's best teams over the last four seasons and will continue to be in the future.
Career Record: 48-32
Playoff Record: 5-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 NFC Championship, 1 NFC North Championship, 3 Playoff Berths
3. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
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Many may ask why Andy Reid is ranked above coaches who have one Super Bowl win, or in the case of Mike Shanahan, multiple Super Bowls.
Because those coaches did not play in four-straight NFC championship games.
Reid may go down as the Marv Levy of our generation, a great coach who could never win a Super Bowl, but he should be revered as one of the best coaches in NFL history.
Reid has won with Donovan McNabb, A.J. Feeley, Jeff Garcia, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. He has won with veteran teams and young teams. What remains the same is that Andy Reid is able to identify, develop and motivate players to become their best.
Let this sink in for a moment. In 12 seasons, the Eagles have played in five NFC championship games under Reid. That's pretty damn impressive.
Career Record: 118-73-1
Playoff Record: 10-9
Notable Accomplishments: 5 NFC Championship Appearances, 1 NFC Championship, 5 NFC East Championships, 9 Playoff Berths, 1 AP Coach of the Year Award
2. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
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In the last 32 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had three coaches—all Super Bowl winners and all iconic figures in the football world.
Chuck Noll: Four Super Bowl wins
Bill Cowher: One Super Bowl win
Mike Tomlin: One Super Bowl win
Pretty fair company to keep.
Tomlin is, in our eyes, surprisingly underrated when it comes to the best coaches in the NFL.
The Steelers have never had a losing record under Tomlin, have made the playoffs 75 percent of the time and have appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one of them in his second season.
What more could you ask for?
Career Record: 43-21
Playoff Record: 5-2
Notable Accomplishments: 1 Super Bowl Win, 2 Super Bowl Appearances, 3 NFC North Championships, 3 Playoff Berths
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
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This was probably a no-brainer, right?
If you were to poll 100 sports writers and ask them who the best coach in the NFL is, well you would probably get 98 back saying "Bill Belichick."
The others would be Indianapolis Colts fans.
Belichick has swept the NFL landscape since taking over the head job in New England before the 2000 season.
Since that time, Belichick has amassed the most wins of any active head coach, won more Super Bowls than any active coach and positioned himself as one of the best coaches in NFL history.
With three Super Bowl wins, Belichick must be considered in the same breath as Bill Walsh and Chuck Noll atop the NFL's Mount Rushmore of coaches.
My favorite Belichick stat, and there are many: The Patriots haven't had a losing season in 10 years.
Career Record: 162-94
Playoff Record: 15-6
Notable Accomplishments: 3 Time Coach of the Year Winner, 3 Super Bowl Wins, 4 Super Bowl Appearances, 8 AFC East Championships, 9 Playoff Berths
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