NFL Playoffs 2011: 25 Best Playoff Coaches in NFL History

There have been several incredible coaches throughout NFL history, but some haven't fared so well in the playoffs.

Browse through the records and you'll discover some shocking information: George Allen, the former coach of the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, had a career winning percentage of .712, but was 2-7 in the playoffs. Former Raiders coach Bill Callahan had a better winning percentage than Bill Cowher in the postseason, and even with the Super Bowl he won, Tony Dungy had a 9-10 record in the playoffs.

If you based it just on winning percentage alone, you would be stunned to see which coaches ranked ahead of others. It begs the question: Who are the greatest playoff coaches in NFL history? Does Bill Belichick rank ahead of Vince Lombardi? Where does Bill Walsh rank?

Let's go after it and tackle this. Here are the 25 best playoff coaches in NFL history:

25. Sam Wyche

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ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 7: Head coach Sam Wyche of the Cincinnati Bengals talks to his quarterback Boomer Esiason #7 on the sidelines during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Anaheim Stadium on October 7, 1990 in Anaheim, California. The Bengals

Wyche had a sub-.500 record (84-107) during his time at Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, but he did go 3-2 in the playoffs and led the Bengals to a 12-4 record in 1988 and the AFC championship.

His postseason winning percentage is ahead of Bill Parcells, but you would be ridiculous to rank him ahead of The Big Tuna.

24. Brian Billick

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SEATTLE - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Brian Billick of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on December 23, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Ravens coach had a career record of 80-64 (.556), which includes a 5-3 record in the playoffs. He won one conference championship, and led the Ravens to a 34-7 victory over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

23. Jon Gruden

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TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 28: Coach Jon Gruden of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers directs play against the Oakland Raiders at Raymond James Stadium on December 28, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

"Chucky" is 95-81 in the NFL (.540) and 5-4 in the postseason, winning one conference championship and a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. What's crazy: Gruden's got a better postseason winning percentage than Don Shula.

22. Dick Vermeil

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NEW YORK - AUGUST 23: Coach Dick Vermeil arrives at the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures 'Invincible' at the Ziegfeld Theatre on August 23, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Definitely one of the game's more passionate coaches, Vermeil had a record of 120-109 in stops with the Eagles, Rams and Chiefs. He went 6-5 in the postseason (.545), winning two conference championships and a Super Bowl with the Rams in 1999.

21. Marv Levy

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 04: Head coach Marv Levy walks the sideline during the All America Under Armour Football Game at the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 4, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images for Under Armour)

One of the classiest coaches in the NFL, Levy finished with a career record of 143-112 and coached in 19 playoff games with the Buffalo Bills. He had a record of 11-8 (.579) in the postseason, including four conference championships.

His Bills teams had talented players like Jim Kelly, Thurmon Thomas and Andre Reed, but any shot at a world title was squashed by Super Bowl losses to the Dallas Cowboys and "The Triplets," among others. 

20. Mike Shanahan

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DENVER - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos leads his team against the Buffalo Bills at Invesco Field at Mile High on December 21, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. The Bills defeated the Broncos 30-23. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Im

The current Washington Redskins coach is 152-108, including an 8-5 mark in the playoffs. As coach of the Broncos, he led the team to two conference championships and consecutive Super Bowls.

19. John Madden

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TV commentator John Madden stands on the sidelines as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field, September 7, 2006. The Steelers defeated the Dolphins, 28-17. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Long before he became a legendary announcer, Madden coached the Raiders and finished with a career record of 103-32-7 (.763). In the playoffs, he was 9-7, and led the team to a conference championship and Super Bowl victory.

18. Bill Cowher

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on against the Cleveland Browns December 7, 2006 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

"The Chin" became a beloved figure as the Steelers head coach, going 149-90-1 (.623). In 21 playoff games, he was 12-9, including two conference championships and a Super Bowl. 

No way that's it for Cowher. He'll come back. He's way too good a coach just to have one Super Bowl to his credit.

17. Bill Parcells

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DAVIE, FL - JUNE 06: Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells watches practice on during Miami Dolphins Mini Camp on June 6, 2008 at the Dolphins practice facility in Davie, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

His legend grew as coach of the New York Giants, but he later went to the Patriots and Jets and eventually to the Dallas Cowboys before becoming an executive with the Dolphins. Parcells has a career record of 172-130-1, and was 11-8 in the postseason (.579) with two Super Bowls and three conference championships.

16. Don Shula

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 4: Retired coach Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins watches warmups against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL Wildcard Playoff Game at Dolphins Stadium on January 4, 2009 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

The longtime Dolphins coach began his career as coach of the Baltimore Colts. He had a career record of 328-156-6 (.678), and was 19-17 in the postseason (.528) with two Super Bowls and six conference championships.

His 1972 Dolphins team still remains the only team to finish a season undefeated.

15. Tom Landry

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1988: Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys watches from the sideline during a game in the 1988 season. Tom Landry coached the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988, leading them to two Super Bowl victories. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images)

One of Jerry Jones' worst moves ever came early on when he fired the legendary Cowboys coach. Landry remains an icon in Texas. He finished with a record of 250-162-6 (.607) and was 20-16 in the postseason, leading Dallas to five conference championships and two Super Bowls.

Dallas would have never become "America's Team" if it weren't for Landry's guidance.

14. Paul Brown

The legendary Cleveland Browns coach had a career winning percentage of .672, and was 9-8 in the postseason. He led the Browns to seven championships, including four straight in what was then known as the All-America Football Conference (1946-1949), and NFL titles in 1950, 1954 and 1955.

13. Curly Lambeau

Lambeau coached for the Packers from 1921-1953, finishing with a record of 226-132-22 (.631). He was 3-2 in the postseason, and won six championships with the team.

12. Hank Stram

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OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 12: Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram attends a pre-season game between the St. Louis Rams and the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland/Alameda County Coliseum on August 12, 1995 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won 27-22. (Photo by Georg

Stram began his career with the AFL's Dallas Texans, where he coached from 1960-1962 before becoming the coach with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963. He finished his career with the Saints and was 5-3 in the postseason. Along with two conference championships, he won a Super Bowl and two AFL titles with the Texans (1962) and Chiefs (1966).

11. George Seifert

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29 Jan 1995: Head coach George Seifert of the San Francisco 49ers during the 49ers 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida

Seifert coached the 49ers from 1989-2001, finishing with a record of 114-62 (.648). He was 10-5 in the postseason, and led San Francisco to two conference championships and two Super Bowls.

10. Chuck Noll

The Steelers mystique was developed under Knoll, who was 16-8 in the postseason and guided Pittsburgh to four conference championships and four Super Bowls. He finished his career with a record of 193-148-1 (.566).

9. George Halas

"Papa Bear" won 318 games in his career, and led the Bears to six championships. He was 6-3 in the postseason. One of the best Halas stories: Once before playing Green Bay, the story goes that Halas walked to the Packers' locker room, knocked on the door and wished Vince Lombardi and his team well. Then before leaving, he allegedly said, "Oh, and coach, we're going to kick your ass."

8. Jimmy Johnson

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1990: Head coach Jimmy Johnson (left) and owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys stand together prior to the start of a Cowboys game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Allen Dean Steele/Allsport

He was 9-4 in the postseason (.692) and led Dallas to two conference championships and two Super Bowls. The Cowboys dynasty reigned in the 1990s, and Johnson was also known for his popular saying, "How 'bout them Cowboys!"

7. Joe Gibbs

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs walks from the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys on December 30, 2007 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Gibbs, who had two different stints with Washington, was 154-94 in his career (.621), including a 17-7 record in the playoffs. He led Washington to four conference championships and three Super Bowls.

6. Tom Flores

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LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Tom Flores and his Los Angeles Raiders prepare for battle against the San Diego Chargers during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 28, 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The Raiders won 17-13. (P

Flores was 8-3 in the postseason (.727) and led the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders to two conference championships and Super Bowl victories in 1980 and 1983. He later coached in Seattle from 1992-1994, and finished his career with a 97-87 record.

His teams finished with 11 or more wins four times in his career.

5. Greasy Neale

Neale was the Philadelphia Eagles coach from 1941-1950. He had only two losing seasons, and coached the Eagles to consecutive NFL championships in 1948 and 1949, and was 3-1 in the postseason. In 1949, Philadelphia finished 11-1.

Neale had a career record of 63-43-5 (.594).

4. Bill Walsh

The master of the West Coast offense, Walsh was 92-59-1 (.609) as the 49ers head coach, guiding them to three conference championships and three Super Bowls with the help of Joe Montana.

3. Bill Belichick

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 26: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on in a match against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on December 26, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. New England won 34-3. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Get

The Patriots coach is a polarizing figure, but you can't argue with the numbers: He has a career record of 162-94, is 15-5 in the postseason, and has already guided New England to four conference championships and three Super Bowls.

Super Bowl No. 4 could come soon.

2. Weeb Ewbank

Ewbank coached the Baltimore Colts before becoming the coach of the New York Jets. He was 4-1 in the postseason, including one conference championship, two NFL championships and a Super Bowl victory.

1. Vince Lombardi

Could you put anyone above him?

Lombardi was 9-1 in the postseason, guiding the Packers to three NFL championships, two conference titles and two Super Bowls. He had a career record of 96-34-6 (.738).