Report Cards for All 32 NFL Head Coaches
Week 7 of the NFL season is almost upon us and it's time to grade the 32 NFL head coaches as the 2010 season progresses.
Some coaches are passing with flying colors while others may already be getting failing grades.
I'm Brian DiTullio, NFL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and here's a look at how the coaches are doing through six weeks of play.
Ken Whisenhunt
1 of 32
Grade: B
Ken Whisenhunt decided to go with an undrafted rookie as his starting quarterback after cutting a former first-round draft pick and benching a former Pro Bowl quarterback.
When you put it like that, it sounds pretty crazy, but Matt Leinart's time in Arizona obviously was at an end and Derek Anderson hasn't looked like a Pro Bowl quarterback since 2007 when he got to the game as a second alternate.
The Cardinals are first in the NFC West at the moment, Whisenhunt has gotten to a Super Bowl with a team full of questions before, so he get's a B.
Mike Smith
2 of 32
Grade: B-
Mike Smith has a good quarterback in Matt Ryan, a defense that gives up passing yards and a 4-2 record in which they lost to a good Philadelphia team and a very good Pittsburgh team.
That's the problem, though, the Falcons are losing to good teams, which doesn't bode well if they are supposed to make the playoffs.
At least they're beating the bad teams, but San Francisco almost got a win a few weeks ago, which sinks the "B" to a minus.
John Harbaugh
3 of 32
Grade: A-
The Ravens are one of the toughest teams in the league, there's no question about that. However, they don't score a lot of points and their offense is pretty middle-of-the-pack, which came back to bite them in the Patriots game.
Still, you can't deny how good the Ravens defense is and the ageless quality of Ray Lewis.
With a defense that just doesn't give up points and shuts down passing games, only the offensive miscues keep this grade from being a full "A."
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Chan Gailey
4 of 32
Grade: C
It's difficult to judge a head coach in his first year with a team, especially a team with a limited talent pool and no elite quarterback behind center.
That being said, the Bills are winless and he cut the starting quarterback a few weeks into the season.
The Bills look like they have a good chance of going 0-16, but how much of that blame lies on Gailey at this point is difficult to say.
I will say it's not all his fault, but 0-5 is 0-5. The good showing against the Patriots keeps this grade from being worse.
John Fox
5 of 32
Grade: F
John Fox is holding onto his job by the proverbial thread at this point, and his switching from Matt Moore to Jimmy Clausen and back to Moore is about as much proof as you need to validate that opinion.
Fox already this season has found himself in a position where he needs to win, and he'll keep tinkering with the lineup until he finds one that will start winning football games.
At 0-5, he's going nowhere fast and the spectre of Bill Cowher only will grow larger as the losses mount.
Lovie Smith
6 of 32
Grade: B
Lovie Smith is to be commended for keeping his team in games long enough that they've been able to capitalize on other team's mistakes for two of their four wins and overcome about 50 turnovers for a third win.
However, his offensive line is so bad that quarterback Jay Cutler already has been knocked out of one game, and could get clobbered again the way things have been going.
Still 4-2 is nothing to look down your nose at when most experts expected the Bears to have a few more losses than this right now.
Marvin Lewis
7 of 32
Grade: C-
After making the playoffs last year and acquiring Terrell Owens, the Bengals find themselves with a record of 2-3 and can't seem to get the offense in sync.
The team still has discipline and drug issues, and Marvin Lewis has been the coach to preside over all of this.
The Bengals said they spent their bye week "fixing" the offense, so this week becomes a chance for Lewis to raise his grade.
Eric Mangini
8 of 32
Grade: C+
Eric Mangini has managed to keep his team in every game this season despite injuries, lack of talent and going to his third quarterback by Week 6.
However, his offense has consistently shut down in the second half more than once and his defense has been blitzing recklessly and leaving the weak secondary even more exposed.
The team is 1-5 but should have a much better record, assuming the team was able to play all four quarters. The inability to finish keeps this grade from being much higher.
Wade Phillips
9 of 32
Grade: F
Wade Phillips, who originally was supposed to be an interim coach, has admitted more than once this season that mistakes on the coaching staff's part have caused poor play on the field.
The team virtually has no discipline and self destructs whenever it's most inconvenient for them to do so.
The mess that Dallas is in this season is all on the shoulders of Phillips and it's debatable whether or not Jerry Jones will keep him around long enough to clean the mess up.
Josh McDaniels
10 of 32
Grade: B+
The Broncos are better than their current record, and Josh McDaniels held the team together at the end of last year after everything started breaking down.
The complete massacre of the Broncos running game coming into the season certainly didn't help things, and Knowshon Moreno still isn't 100 percent. Despite the setbacks, the Broncos passing game is on fire and Kyle Orton is having a great year.
McDaniels took a huge gamble by drafting Tim Tebow, but he has worked Tebow into a few plays this year.
McDaniels is one win away from turning things around.
Jim Schwartz
11 of 32
Grade: B
The Lions have gone from being a really terrible team with no chance to win most games to a really mediocre team with a lot of potential to stay in games long enough to win one every now and then.
That's a compliment, it really is.
The Lions have done a much better job of drafting the last two years, and that should start paying dividends next year, but this year the Lions are going to have to commit to looking better in losing efforts.
Between Matthew Stafford, Jahvid Best, Ndamukonng Suh and Calvin Johnson, the Lions could very well become another powerhouse in the NFC North.
Mike McCarthy
12 of 32
Grade: C-
The Packers should be at least 4-2 instead of 3-3, but 18 penalties in one game generally will lead to a loss.
Considering the talent level on the team as well, 5-1 at this point should have been considered a fair assessment, but the Packers are 3-3 and that's the reality.
Mike McCarthy has to do better about eliminating the penalties or it won't matter who is on the field and how long the injured reserve list is.
Gary Kubiak
13 of 32
Grade: B
Gary Kubiak has brought his team out and taken it to the Colts but lost to the floundering Dallas Cowboys.
Still, the offense is putting points on the board and Matt Schaub looks very good. However, the defense is one of the worst-rated in the league, with the Texans ranked 30th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed.
With a 4-2 record, Kubiak should be rated higher, but he's got a lot of work to do to keep this team in the playoff hunt.
Jim Caldwell
14 of 32
Grade: C
The Colts are a team that has been decimated by injuries, but the Colts have lost two divisional games already this season.
Caldwell stands on the sidelines with a blank expression on his face for most of the game, which can be very disturbing for some players looking for guidance from the coach.
Peyton Manning can't do it by himself, and Caldwell sometimes seems to be not keeping up with what's going on in front of him.
Jack Del Rio
15 of 32
Grade: C+
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team still trying to break through to the next level, and with a running back like Maurice Jones-Drew, the potential is there.
The team is 3-3 behind David Garrard, but with Garrard suffering a concussion, newly-signed Trent Edwards will be calling the signals versus Kansas City.
Del Rio has a team that's not ranked well in any category, but has kept the team at .500.
Todd Haley
16 of 32
Grade: B
Todd Haley brought his team out of the gates this year to a 3-0 start, but now they've lost two in a row. Quarterback Matt Cassel is improving, though, and Romeo Crennel's defense kept Peyton Manning out of the end zone.
Haley has been overshadowed by his coordinators, but the Chiefs look much better this year, and Haley should get the team back on a winning track.
Tony Sparano
17 of 32
Grade: B
Tony Sparano has kept his team together and in every game, with the exception of the New England game, which became a debacle on special teams.
But the Dolphins have a new special teams coach and Sparano's balanced approach on offense and the passing attack on defense have the Dolphins undefeated on the road.
There's still a lot of work to do, but Sparano seems capable of getting that work done.
Brad Childress
18 of 32
Grade: D
Brad Childress ended up practically begging Brett Favre to return only to be stuck with a guy who's starting to show his age on the field, and insisted on bringing the circus to town off the field.
Childress can't help the injuries, but the team still only has managed two wins with Adrian Peterson running out of the backfield.
Favre has a good target now in Randy Moss, but Childress has to get this team functioning on all cylinders despite the injuries and distractions.
Bill Belichick
19 of 32
Grade: A-
Bill Belichick gets bonus points for pulling the trigger on the Moss trade and making sure it didn't matter, but loses points for losing to the Jets a few weeks ago.
To get the A+, Belichick needed to find a way to beat The Sanchize, which he didn't quite do because his defense is rated one of the worst in the league in several categories. Knowing Belichick, that will change, but right now this defense is very un-Belichicklike.
Sean Peyton
20 of 32
Grade: C-
The defending Super Bowl champions haven't looked very much like defending Champions so far this season despite the statistics that say otherwise.
The Saints almost lost to the 49ers and Carolina, games that were too close for comfort for a team that should've blown out the two teams this year.
The Saints still are 4-2, though, and get Cleveland this week.
Tom Coughlin
21 of 32
Grade: A
The Giants took back-to-back losses to the Colts and the Titans, but they've looked impressive ever since.
The defense simply is elite, and Eli Manning has become a good quarterback under Coughlin's tutelage.
He's kept a steady hand, and the Giants are looking to continue their winning ways versus the Cowboys.
Rex Ryan
22 of 32
Grade: B+
Rex Ryan may have an over-the-top personality but he's managed the career and ego of Mark Sanchez well, kept Darrelle Revis on the field and managed to beat most of the competition that has come up against him.
The Jets are riding high right now, and Ryan is one of those reasons. His charisma is undeniable and he has this team fired up and ready to play on Sunday.
Tom Cable
23 of 32
Grade: D
The Raiders are a bad team with no quarterback, not much of a passing game as a result, and a defense that spends too much time on the field because of turnovers and poor offensive play.
No one knows how long Cable will keep his job, but he's one of the few that wanted it.
Andy Reid
24 of 32
Grade: A
Andy Reid has two quarterbacks and knows how to use them. He found LeSean McCoy and wasn't afraid to move on without Donovan McNabb.
The Eagles are a very good team, and aside from some issues with the Eagles run defense, the Eagles have a very good team.
Mike Tomlin
25 of 32
Grade: A
Mike Tomlin kept this team together through Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, and the defense truly has become a force to be reckoned with.
The offense has been anemic, but Ben Roethlisberger's return will spark the team to score more points.
Norv Turner
26 of 32
Grade: D
The Chargers shouldn't be 2-4, yet here they are after six weeks looking down the barrel of that abyss.
The Chargers can score, but they can't seem to put up enough points to win all their games. Antonio Gates is hurt and Vincent Jackson is returning from his self-imposed exile, so that should help the team, but New England is coming to town.
Norv Turner put much of the losing on himself, but that's little consolation now that the fire already has started under his hot seat.
Mike Singletary
27 of 32
Grade: D
Mike Singletary, for all his passion, has a team that only has one win and a lot of close losses. Starting quarterback Alex Smith is week-to-week depending on his performance and the team has to find a way to put more points on the board.
Singletary's team is characterized by hard-working guys, but they can't seem to translate any of that to success on the field.
Pete Carroll
28 of 32
Grade: B-
Pete Carroll's Seahawks finally won a game on the road, but now they're home versus the Arizona Cardinals in a game the Seahawks should win.
Carroll's team has been maddeningly inconsistent, being unable to string together two victories in a row so far this season.
Carroll's USC teams were the model of consistency, so it should only be a matter of time before he can translate that up to the pro level and this team.
Steve Spagnulo
29 of 32
Grade: A
Steve Spagnulo has led his team to three wins despite limited talent and a rash of injuries to what offensive weapons the team had.
Spagnulo has helped guide rookie quarterback Sam Bradford through his first year in the NFL and the team has tripled its win total from last year.
A loss to the Detroit Lions is the only real mar on the season this year.
Raheem Morris
30 of 32
Grade: B-
The Buccaneers are a team on the rise, but Raheem Morris can't get the offense to score a lot of points and was destroyed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On the other hand, Josh Freeman is starting to develop, and you can see the beginnings of what could be a good team down the road.
At 3-2, the Bucs should be happy with where they are at this point in the season.
Jeff Fisher
31 of 32
Grade: A
Jeff Fisher is as solid as they come, never panicking and always fielding a good team, year after year.
Fisher has two solid quarterbacks, even if one of them suffered a sprained knee last week.
Fisher also has Chris Johnson, who already has shown he can run for 2,000 yards, and he has the eighth ranked rushing defense in the league.
The Titans have a very tough opponent this weekend in the Philadelphia Eagles, but Kerry Collins is another Jeff Fisher success story.
Mike Shanahan
32 of 32
Grade: B-
The Redskins still are a team in transition, and Shanahan hasn't assembled all the pieces of the new team together yet.
The defense is ranked last in yards allowed and yards gained through the air while the offense, led by Donovan McNabb, gets yards through the air, but not much on the ground.
Shanahan has handled the Albert Haynesworth situation well, but the team still isn't ready to be a playoff contender yet.
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