Super Bowl 2012: Ranking Each Coach Left in the 2012 NFL Playoffs

We come to the only power rankings that matter, a list of the head coaches who actually still have a chance at lifting the Lombardi trophy. 

We can forget all about the bickering that took place during the regular season. Were the Saints a top-3 team? How could the Eagles slide so far? None of that means anything anymore. After a wild season, I am beginning to wonder if it ever did. 

Many of the stories that we cared so much about have been dissolved for the season and what remains are four teams, all with equal say in who our next Super Bowl champion will be. 

We are going to break down each of the four leaders of men and rank them. Of course, this ranking is based on what they give their team right here and right now. 

It would be easy to trumpet Bill Belichick and all he has done for the Patriots, but this isn't about legacy—it's about the next few weeks and what each team needs from their head coach to win the Super Bowl. 

4. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots: Three AP NFL Coach of the Year Awards and three Super Bowl wins as head coach don't lie. The man knows how to build a winner. 

This is no knock on Belichick, who no doubt has a few tricks up his sleeve, but the Patriots' offense-first ethos will be taken to task immediately. Just when we were comfortable thinking that all offense and no defense can win you a Super Bowl, the Ravens will restore order. 

3. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens: The little attention to detail goes a long way at this point in the season. The Ravens are amazing at winning the battle of turnover differential. 

CBS Sports reports, 17 of Baltimore's points against the Texans were scored after takeaways. Defense and committing to running as close to a perfect game as possible is all Harbaugh asks. 

2. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers: I was close to placing first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh in the top spot. It's hard not to consider the majority of the 49ers' success as being due to Harbaugh. 

We have been told for years that head coaches can lead with exuberance or passion. The pros were far too jaded to receive that message, or so we thought. 

Harbaugh has breathed new life into the 49ers and has used the ground-and-pound ethos to do it. San Francisco is as hungry to win as their head coach is to prove his NFL acumen. The need to prove they are the real deal is evident and the reason they continue to roll. 

1. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants: The Giants' head coach was supposed to be fired within at least two weeks of the regular season. Through such tumult, he continue to lead with an even keel. No loss is too disastrous and no win too big. 

That is the kind of emotional state these Giants players need. Guard David Diehl delves into exactly that, via SportingNews:

"

He knows how to talk to the veterans in this locker room, when to challenge people, when to lighten up. You want a leader who believes in you, and in order to believe in you, he’s got to know you.

"

The Giants have been overlooked all season. Their defense was as up and down as Metta World Peace's mental state. It takes a calming presence to give this talented team a starting point to begin every week. 

That mentality has served the Giants well, as they continue to inch towards the Super Bowl despite not being given much of a chance a few weeks prior. 

Coughlin may be forever on the hot seat, but he knows what he is doing, and continues to be the most under-appreciated coach in the NFL. 

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