ESPN Greatest Coaches in NFL History

[JakeCamp12]

Landry caught flack from a number of his former players. Herb Adderley in particular.

His coaching tree pales in comparison to Paul Brown's. It's not even close.

Landry was great, but I do not see him being better than Brown, Lombardi or Shula.

As I said Landry should be in the top 3, Brown, Lombardi and Landry. Shula was nowhere near the innovator that Landry was. I don't even consider Shula in my top 5.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I think Noll was a tremendous defensive coach and knew how to find the right talent and develop it. Mel Blount, Mean Joe Greene, Hamm, Lambert, etc. Many of those guys were prototypes for their position and didn't go to big schools.

I think many people forget that the Rooney's were considered a joke of an ownership before Noll came along.

I hated watching their offense though. About as boring and bland as it got outside of the occasional Lynn Swann acrobatic catch.




YR

 

[Sarge]

In my mind there are three things that seperate Tom Landry from other coaches. First, he didn't win with one group of players. He basically had three different eras of players that he won with.

Same can be said for Shula....

.02

 

[Plankton]

As I said Landry should be in the top 3, Brown, Lombardi and Landry. Shula was nowhere near the innovator that Landry was. I don't even consider Shula in my top 5.

Shula had a better overall winning percentage, had success with two different teams, won the same number of championships as Landry, had only two losing seasons in 33 years, and guided the only undefeated and untied team in history. Based on the winning percentage and the undefeated season, I would rank Shula higher.

No question that Landry was much more of an innovator, and had the longest sustained period of success on record, but the end of his career was a huge dropoff that can't be ignored.

 

[Ratmatt]

Bellichick is the most overrated coach in NFL history.

That is ridiculous!

 

[Ratmatt]

Top 20 Coaches in NFL History (IMHO):

1. Paul Brown - His teams won seven championships. Was one of the greatest innovators that the game has seen, including popularizing the teaching aspect of the game and setting the early parameters for scouting. Developed great coaches as well, such as Shula, Ewbank and Walsh.

2. Vince Lombardi - The first known "motivator coach". Made up for lack of innovation with the ability to reach his players. Never had a losing season in his career, and won five championships.

3. Don Shula - The all-time leader in wins, and a success in multiple stops. Won with both conservative attacks as well as a wide open passing offense. Won two championships. Would rank higher on the list but for key losses in big games (1964 NFL Championship, Super Bowl III) and the fact that he did not win big without Bill Arnsparger.

4. Tom Landry - Rates alongside Brown as one of the great innovators in NFL history. Invented the multiple offense and popularized the 4-3 defense. Revolutionized the game with his method of using keys to predict tendencies. Was his own offensive and defensive coordinator. Won two championships, but had a shot at winning many more. His many losses in championship games keep him from being higher on the list.

5. Chuck Noll - A coach who gave his assistants and players much more freedom than the others above him on this list. Championship teams built on defense, which reflects his background. Won four championships, and lost three conference title games. Would rate higher if he had success in a decade other than the 1970's.

6. Bill Walsh - Developed the precision-matchup offense, better known as the West Coast Offense. An underrated motivator, he learned at the feet of two greats in Brown and Sid Gillman. Won three championships, but had a hand in building the 1989 49er title team. Did not have the longevity of some of the coaches above him, mostly due to getting a late start as a head coach (he was 48 when he became a head coach for the 49ers).

7. Bill Belichick - A defensive mastermind, he overcame a poor stint in Cleveland to redefine himself in New England. Has won three championships, and had a strong hand in two championships as an assistant. Sound philosophy who has contributed more to offensive scheming in New England than widely known. Spygate and his Cleveland tenure keep him further down on the list than many would rank him.

8. George Halas - The founder. The history of the game would begin with his name. Largely responsible for building and keeping the game alive during some tenuous times. Developed methods for practice and film study that ushered in offensive growth in the game. A gritty, no nonsense coach whose teams won six championships. Would rank higher if not for a huge gap with little success between 1946 and 1963.

9. Joe Gibbs - Developed a revolutionary one back offense with a flex TE that is still used today. Learned at the feet of Don Coryell. Won three championships with three different quarterbacks. Would rank higher, but two of the championships took place during strike shortened seasons, and his comeback stint was mediocre.

10. Hank Stram - Another innovator as a head coach, developing the odd man front on defense. Like Landry, coached his own offense and defense. Won three AFL championships and one Super Bowl.

11. Bill Parcells - Perhaps only surpassed by Lombardi as a motivator, Parcells won two championships, and led three other teams to the playoffs. Would rank higher but for, similar to Shula, a lack of championship success without Bill Belichick.

12. Weeb Ewbank - Ewbank won three championships as a head coach, and developed two Hall of Fame QBs in Unitas and Namath. Ewbank won arguably the two most important games in NFL History (1958 NFL Championship and Super Bowl III). A master strategist on offense.

13. Jimmy Johnson - Johnson did what seemed to be the impossible, taking the Cowboys back from 1-15 to a Super Bowl title within four years. Built one of the most talented, deepest teams in NFL History. Won two championships, and built the team that won a title in 1995. Would rank higher if not for a lackluster stint with the Dolphins, and a 62-7 career finale.

14. Sid Gillman - The father of the modern passing game, having passed his theory along to many coaches, such as Walsh, Al Davis and Don Coryell. His numbering scheme for passing routes is still used today. Won one championship.

15. Curly Lambeau - The founder of the Green Bay Packers, similar to Halas, the history of the game would begin with him. Won six championships as a coach, and was the all-time winningest coach for many years. The end of his Packer tenure, as well as flameouts with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Commanders prevent him from being higher on this list.

16. Steve Owen - The first great coach of the New York Giants, Owen was a defensive genius, developing the umbrella defense, the forerunner to the zone defense. Helped develop Tom Landry's coaching skills. Won two championships with the Giants.

17. Dan Reeves - A stalwart as an assistant coach, Reeves had a hand in two championship teams, and led three teams to the playoffs. He also led two different teams to the Super Bowl, but did not win in five tries. Never had the best team on the field in any of those games, but he always got the maximum amount from his talent.

18. John Madden - His television work obscures his coaching success, but make no mistake about it, he was a terrific coach. Won 100 games earlier in his coaching career than any coach who preceded him. Won one championship, and would rank higher if not for an inability to beat the Steelers in big games (the one time that he did, he won the Super Bowl).

19. George Allen - A master in strategy, deception and motivation, Allen was an outstanding defensive coach who got a late start as a head coach (48 when he became coach of the Rams). Largely responsible for the Bears 1963 championship, he took two teams to the playoffs, and went to one Super Bowl without winning. Was the first to make Special Teams a coordinator level position.

20. Bud Grant - Grant did win three championships, but those wins were in the CFL. Grant led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, but his teams were overpowered each time. Had the misfortune of coaching in an era where Shula, Noll, Madden and Landry had dominant teams.

This is greatest coaches in NFL history.So Paul Brown's 4 AAFC championships shouldn't be considered,but his 3 NFL championships,and everything he brought to the game,should put him in the top 5.

 

[Ratmatt]

I may be wrong,but I believe that Paul Brown(Ohio State 1940's),and Jimmy Johnson are the only 2 coaches to win a college national title,and a NFL championship.

 

[Plankton]

I may be wrong,but I believe that Paul Brown(Ohio State 1940's),and Jimmy Johnson are the only 2 coaches to win a college national title,and a NFL championship.

Barry Switzer did as well

 

[Ratmatt]

Maybe it's just me, but Chuck Noll is highly overrated. He shouldn't even be in the top 10. He gets in on the strength of those Steelers teams, who anybody could have coached to Super Bowls.

At least Landry did it with different quarterbacks and had a perennial contender. So did Don Shula. Noll had arguably the greatest team in NFL history. Yeah, he got them there, but who couldn't.

As for Jimmy Johnson, I think voters look at longevity, but if coaching were measured merely in the impact one made on the game, regardless of the time frame, Jimmy Johnson definitely belongs in the top 10. He's the best short-term coach ever, as far as I'm concerned. What he did in five years with the Cowboys is truly remarkable. I'm glad I have a chance to witness it.

I wouldn't put Noll #1,but there's no way he's overrated.

 

[Ratmatt]

Not very easy to argue differently. Father of the modern game in so many ways; organization, teaching, assistants, attn to detail, year round involvement, high expectations for players all year, he not Gillman advanced the vertical offense into the pro game as well as read and react routes, blocking schemes, yada. Most every coaching tree is spawned from or draws on the Brown tree.

I put Landry #2 over Lombardi. He was the more innovative of the two although Lombardi was probably a better motivator (don't sell Landry short there...Waters said he had a way of looking at you that made you afraid and wanting to run thru walls at the same time). Lombardi got his offense going and won right away in GB so you can't take anything from him. Once he lost his core though he wisely left. Landry just kept reloading. Both were great at recognizing talent, strengths, and weaknesses and building around that. Landry took the 4-3 concept and made it work for the NFL even today. His flex defense was a problem for OCs for many years.

I don't know where to put Belichek, Shula, Gibbs, Grant, Walsh and Noll. You can make cases for all of them in the top five. Gibbs may have gotten more out of mediocre talent than anyone I've see. If you look at his career he was always around some of the greatest coaches the league had seen. Reeves, Gillman, Owens, and Coryell deserve more credit but I don't know where to put them. Eubank doesn't belong on the list. Halas dominated with the best players in a league short on talent at times so not that high on him but he did enough other things to be in the Hall. Davis gets a lot of snickers around here but this guy was a great coach at one time and came from a great tree. Madden learned a lot from this guy. Stram, Parcells, Johnson, Allen, and Curley deserve mention.

Gibbs may have won championships without the superstar QB,but you do not win as much as he did with mediocre talent.

 

[Ratmatt]

History of Professional Football (1920-present)
Consecutive seasons with both offense and defense ranked in the Top 10 in both scoring and total yards.
11 Landry, Cowboys (NFL, 1968-78)
4 Belichick, Patriots (NFL, 2006-09)
3 Brown, Browns (AAFC, 1946-48)
3 Grant, Vikings (NFL, 1974-76)
3 Halas, Bears (NFL, 1926-28)
3 Holmgren, Packers (NFL, 1996-98)
3 Noll, Steelers (NFL, 1974-76)
3 Seifert, 49ers (NFL, 1989-91 and 1994-96)
3 Shanahan, Broncos (NFL, 1996-98)
3 Shula, Dolphins (NFL, 1971-73)
3 Walsh, 49ers (NFL, 1986-88)

(adjusted for size of league)

Why would you count Paul Brown's AAFC stats.This is NFL greatest coaches.The AAFC lasted 4 yrs.I give credit to Paul Brown for having his team good enough to be taken in by the NFL,but I don't believe we should count Paul Brown's AAFC accomplishments in this discussion.

 

[Ratmatt]

Barry Switzer did as well

Damm!Your right.As a longtime Cowboy fan,how in the world did I forget that.I blame it on old age:laugh2:

 

[percyhoward]

Why would you count Paul Brown's AAFC stats.This is NFL greatest coaches.The AAFC lasted 4 yrs.I give credit to Paul Brown for having his team good enough to be taken in by the NFL,but I don't believe we should count Paul Brown's AAFC accomplishments in this discussion.

That wasn't my opinion. It was an objective list that included all of professional football. If you want to limit it to NFL only, take Brown out.

But don't forget his Browns weren't just "good enough to be taken in by the NFL," they were good enough to win the NFL championship their first year.

 

[Plankton]

That wasn't my opinion. It was an objective list that included all of professional football. If you want to limit it to NFL only, take Brown out.

But don't forget his Browns weren't just "good enough to be taken in by the NFL," they were good enough to win the NFL championship their first year.

And defeat the defending NFL Champions on the road in their very first game.

 

[burmafrd]

Shula had a better overall winning percentage, had success with two different teams, won the same number of championships as Landry, had only two losing seasons in 33 years, and guided the only undefeated and untied team in history. Based on the winning percentage and the undefeated season, I would rank Shula higher.

No question that Landry was much more of an innovator, and had the longest sustained period of success on record, but the end of his career was a huge dropoff that can't be ignored.

Miami homer here obviously.

Shula won 2 SBs back to back, Landry won his two 6 years apart with almost a different team. Clear edge Landry. As regards that unbeaten team you boast about- anyone aware of just how weak that teams schedule was that year and how many times they almost lost really should stay quiet.

You obviously have no idea of how much of a difference an innovater makes; or in your zeal to pump up Shula you don not want to admit it.

Making the playoffs that many years in a row- once again clear edge to Landry.

bleat all you want but those with more clear views of what is important in NFL coaching understand Landry was clearly better than Shula.

 

[Plankton]

Miami homer here obviously.

Shula won 2 SBs back to back, Landry won his two 6 years apart with almost a different team. Clear edge Landry. As regards that unbeaten team you boast about- anyone aware of just how weak that teams schedule was that year and how many times they almost lost really should stay quiet.

You obviously have no idea of how much of a difference an innovater makes; or in your zeal to pump up Shula you don not want to admit it.

Making the playoffs that many years in a row- once again clear edge to Landry.

bleat all you want but those with more clear views of what is important in NFL coaching understand Landry was clearly better than Shula.

:laugh2:

A Miami homer posting on a Cowboy board - makes all the sense in the world.

I fail to see how I have no idea what difference an innovator makes when I ranked the best innovator of all, Paul Brown, number one.

I can see things objectively. Shula won more games, had a better winning percentage, fewer losing seasons, took two different teams to Super Bowls, won the same number if Super Bowls as Landry and coached the only unbeaten, untied team in history. Innovator or not, it's hard to look at that information and say that he wasn't the better coach.

Of course, this is all a matter of opinion, and it's not as if your opinion is superior to anyone else's, right?

 

[Ring Leader]

:laugh2:

A Miami homer posting on a Cowboy board - makes all the sense in the world.

I fail to see how I have no idea what difference an innovator makes when I ranked the best innovator of all, Paul Brown, number one.

I can see things objectively. Shula won more games, had a better winning percentage, fewer losing seasons, took two different teams to Super Bowls, won the same number if Super Bowls as Landry and coached the only unbeaten, untied team in history. Innovator or not, it's hard to look at that information and say that he wasn't the better coach.

Of course, this is all a matter of opinion, and it's not as if your opinion is superior to anyone else's, right?

13 ringless years coaching the greatest quarterback of his era, Marino, hardly makes him better than Landry.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Bellichick is the most overrated coach in NFL history.

:signmast:

Take away Tom Brady and he is just an above average HC IMO.

 

[xwalker]

As a Head Coach and acting GM, it's hard to beat what Jimmy did. He won 2 Super Bowls in 5 years after inheriting a really bad team. The team that he built was so good that it won a 3rd Super Bowl while the Head Coach was eating a hotdog on the sidelines.

Jimmy was not given complete control in Miami. Marino would have been gone from day 1 if Jimmy was given complete control.

 

[Califan007]

#20 - Tony Dungy
#19 - Mike Shanahan
#18 - Sid Gillman