Of the four major American sports, football is the one where coaching matters the most. At every level of the game, from Pop Warner to the NFL, coaching can make or break a team, season, or unit. From positional coaching and scouting all the way to the top dog head coach, the generals off the field are just as important to success and game planning as the ones on the field.
Right now, the NFL has some of the best and worst head coaches the league has ever seen. Here’s who they are.
THE BEST: Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Few coaches in the league are so well put together that the system their team runs is named after them. The best of the best have plug-and-play style offenses that can substitute talent for gameplan in the event of injury.
The “Shanahan System” is so prevalent that it can take the literal Mr. Irrelevant from the draft and turn him into a Pro Bowl caliber signal caller. While the system, offensively, has been absolutely plug-and-play through his years as the Niners’ head coach, Shanahan has had to deal with some bumps along the way, the biggest of which is Trey Lance. Lance was supposed to be the golden child of the Shanahan System, a quarterback that the team traded multiple first round picks to get. Lance was all but sour grapes in San Francisco before getting traded to Dallas for a day three pick, yet somehow through it all, Shanahan has done more than enough to compensate for the loss.
THE WORST: Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers
Staley was supposed to be the one to bring Justin Herbert to the next level, but all he’s done thus far is stifle his development, plateauing the signal caller from developing from the high of his first year in the league. Staley is sure to be out of Los Angeles after this season. Makes you wonder whether Sean Payton regrets jumping ship to join the Broncos if he knew he’d only have to wait it out one more year.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
THE BEST: Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
On the other side of history, Belichick stands alone in his twilight years as a head coach as the sole greatest head coach of all time. As a defensive coordinator, Belichick won two rings to pair with his whopping six as a head coach. Many place the success of the Patriots franchise in the 2000’s on Tom Brady’s shoulders, but the truth is that Brady couldn’t have done it without Belichick. In the post Brady era, Belichick has struggled to make lightning strike twice, but nevertheless he’s still a head coach that can lead his team to a win any given Sunday.
THE WORST: Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On the other side of the Brady coin, Todd Bowles came away leading the champion 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in spite of his ability to coach Brady, not because of it. Bowles in the post-Brady era has flopped as a head coach despite high expectations. Outside the quarterback position, Bowles has been gifted with a plethora of talent but has yet to produce with it.
THE BEST: Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Reid finally got the monkey off his back when he won a ring with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs after flying close to the sun several times over in Philadelphia with the Eagles. Reid is an offensive guru who finally has the talent to pair, resulting in two championships in four years with a number of more on the way. Reid can go as long as his lethal QB-TE duo can perform, meaning this name isn’t one that’s going to leave this list anytime soon.
THE WORST: Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen having a head coaching job in 2023 is completely head scratching. Allen is 19-42 all time as a head coach and has struggled to string together multiple wins in a row time and time again. For Allen led teams, the story seems to be one step forward, two steps backwards. After being handed a title contending Saints team on a silver platter following Sean Payton’s departure, Allen has amassed a lackluster 12-14 record. While Allen is a defensive genius, his inability to effectively call plays on the offensive side of the ball is leaving New Orleans in limbo and for whatever reason, the franchise is glued to the continuity he brings through the Sean Payton coaching tree. For the Saints, clinging onto Allen seems like clinging onto a bygone era which may end up costing them in the long run.
THE BEST: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
Jim and John Harbaugh are the most successful sibling head coaches of all time, and while Jim may be having his best days at the University of Michigan right now, John has put together a slew of success that has led to a Hall of Fame career in Baltimore. Super Bowl champion Harbaugh has led the Ravens through multiple eras of success, from Flacco to Lamar Jackson, two quarterbacks that have extremely different play styles. His ability to adapt and game manage on both sides of the ball year after year prove why he’s one of the league’s top talents.
THE WORST: Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
Riverboat Ron is far from the glory days of the 17-2 Panthers run of 2016. As the lame duck signal caller for the Washington Commanders, Rivera looks checked out on the field following rumors of his departure in the off season under new ownership. Rivera has had some mediocre success in Washington, but nothing to the pedigree of his time in Carolina. Hopefully he can find a landing spot after he’s booted from Washington’s top dog seat, but for now he’s not the guy you want.
THE BEST: Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Former Super Bowl champion head coach Dougy P has found his stride in Jacksonville. As an unlikely championship with Nick Foles under center in place of Carson Wentz, the feat becomes more amazing as time goes by. After Pederson was surprisingly fired and sat out through the 2021 season, he became the perfect candidate to replace Urban Meyers, a one-year disaster who nearly set the Jags back two decades and ruined Trevor Lawrence. Now, it seems Pederson and Lawrence have a connection and weapons to pair that result in nothing short of absolute success.
THE WORST: Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers
Frank Reich’s tenure as Panthers head coach started off with a lot of optimism. Coming off a successful end to the season last year with the No. 1 pick and a world of possibilities, the Panthers were hoping Reich could usher in a new era in Carolina. Instead what has resulted thus far is the league’s worst record, a QB1 that the team traded two first round picks and their WR1 to get that looks like a bust, a rapidly regressing offensive line, and a receiver room that can’t create separation. Reich’s clock is ticking in Carolina just as it did in Indy, where he showed in the post-Luck era, he wasn’t able to perform.
