Top Ten active head coaches

[JackMagist]

How do you have Cowher (1 SB), Shanahan (2), Holmgren (1), Fox (0), Fisher (0) & Parcells (2) listed above Gibbs (3)? I'm really curious.

For the same reason that I have all of those guys listed above Parcells and Gibbs. We are talking about who is the best right now not who was the best in 1989. Gibbs in the '80s was hands down a top 2or 3 coach...maybe #1...no argument on that. But Gibbs of Today has to prove it all over again; he hasn't done anything of note in the last 15 years. Parcells is far enough removed from his last successful campaign that he also moved down the list.

You'll hopefully notice that I explained what it would take for them to move back up the list and regain the status that they HAD. And what it will take is to win in THIS decade not two decades ago. If they can prove that they can still do it then they go immediately to the head of the class.

 

[JackMagist]

we are not talking about just BP and JG... we are talking about ALL Head coaches in the NFL... in which case Joe Gibbs is a HOF and should be listed ahead of 99% of all Head Coaches in the league right now, including Parcells.

We're talking about all coaches in the NFL and how good they are NOW...not 15 years ago. Joe Gibbs is HoF for what he did in a different time and place. He came back so now he has to prove he can do it in THIS time and place.

Originally Posted by MossBurner

Gibbs also turned a Spurrier team into a Super Bowl contender in 2 seasons.

It took Gibbs 2 years to do with a Spurrier team what Parcells did in his first year with a Campo team...go to and LOSE one playoff game. They'll both have to do better to move back up the list.

 

[EveryoneElse]

but notice their picks have panned out? granted Marvin is a better talent evaluator than what he Bengales were used to, but finding the right players takes alot of luck too, sorry, you'll never convince me now that Marvin has done enough to be ranked so high

To each his own. Marvin Lewis is a top 5 coach at the least in this league. You take notice of that or, no difference to me. If top picks was all that mattered in this league than the Bengals would have been a contender LONG before Lewis arrived. Coaching has a lot to do with talent panning out. Lewis is a great coach.

 

[riggo]

ooh, 1 playoff game, and when you guys make it to the NFC Championship game, then I'll call you Super Bowl contenders, you damn homer

but one playoff win is one more than parcells has gotten in big D in 3 seasons. no homerism about that- just the facts.

 

[riggo]

It took Gibbs 2 years to do with a Spurrier team what Parcells did in his first year with a Campo team...go to and LOSE one playoff game. They'll both have to do better to move back up the list.

incorrect- see above.

 

[Hostile]

For the same reason that I have all of those guys listed above Parcells and Gibbs. We are talking about who is the best right now not who was the best in 1989. Gibbs in the '80s was hands down a top 2or 3 coach...maybe #1...no argument on that. But Gibbs of Today has to prove it all over again; he hasn't done anything of note in the last 15 years. Parcells is far enough removed from his last successful campaign that he also moved down the list.

You'll hopefully notice that I explained what it would take for them to move back up the list and regain the status that they HAD. And what it will take is to win in THIS decade not two decades ago. If they can prove that they can still do it then they go immediately to the head of the class.

The best post in this thread. Gibbs and Parcells both deserve to be ranked in the top 10, but they have no claim on the top 5 at this point. It is highly debatable which of them deserves to be higher than the other. Gibbs has more SB wins, Parcells has the better head to head record.

Here's a question to consider some time. Who would you rather play for, Gibbs or Parcells, and why? Each has qualities to admire. Each has nagging habits.

 

[tyke1doe]

My top 10.

1. Joe Gibbs - won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks who were average to good at best. That's a major accomplishment when you think about it.

2. Bill Parcells - rebuilt three franchises into championship contenders and took two of them to the Super Bowl. If he takes the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, he moves to the top of the list, presuming he gets there and Gibbs' doesn't.

3. Bill Belichick - yes, he's working with some of Parcells' picks, but he has epitomized what you can do when you have a group of overachievers working as a team.

4. Bill Cowher - a mainstay in Pittsburgh who has taken his team to two Super Bowls and one victory. Always has them competitive. He and Belichick may be in a fight for 3/4 based on how far Brady/Roethlisberger take their respective teams.

5. Mike Holgrem - taken two teams to the Super Bowl. That right there tells you he's a good coach.

6. Mike Shanahan - has to get from under John Elway's coattails. Needs another Super Bowl appearance to move up and may get that with Cutler. But his teams are always fighting for a playoff spot. Great offensive mind.

7. John Fox - very underrated. Builds solid teams, but what would you expect from a Parcells' disciple.

8. Jon Gruden - he showed what he could do with a talented group of players. (I don't think Tampa wins a Super Bowl with Dungy.) Now, he's rebuilding so I cut him some slack. His offense is right where he wants them to be, but how long before his defense gets too old?

9. Marty Schottenheimer - my contention has always been the Skins should never have let him go for Spurrier. But they did. He knows how to build a good team. Doesn't know how to get them to the Super Bowl. He gets the nod over others below this list because he has taken three teams (Browns, Chiefs and Chargers) to the playoffs.

10. Andy Reid - yes, he made a deal with the "Devil" (please don't interpret this as if I'm calling TO a literal devil ) and yes it backfired on him. But he has done a good job building and rebuilding the Eagles and regardless of being on the losing end too many times, getting your club to four straight NFC championship games is impressive.


Honorable mention: Jeff Fisher, did get the Titans to the Super Bowl, Tony Dungy (great regular season coach, awful playoff coach), Jack Del Rio (building a solid team but needs some playoff wins to move up), Nick Saban (I like the way he's rebuilding the Dolphins and wouldn't be surprised to see them in the playoffs and winning a playoff game), Lovie Smith (great job rebuilding the defense, but one-and-done in the playoffs doesn't get you ranked in the top 10.), Marvin Lewis, see Lovie Smith but change the defense to offense.

 

[Cowboy Junkie]

The best post in this thread. Gibbs and Parcells both deserve to be ranked in the top 10, but they have no claim on the top 5 at this point. It is highly debatable which of them deserves to be higher than the other. Gibbs has more SB wins, Parcells has the better head to head record.

Here's a question to consider some time. Who would you rather play for, Gibbs or Parcells, and why? Each has qualities to admire. Each has nagging habits.

I think another question that should be asked.
How many SB's would Parcells have one if he would have stuck with the same team as Gibbs had done..
Parcells went to 2 big time losing programs , so that ofcourse would effect things...

 

[big dog cowboy]

Who would you rather play for, Gibbs or Parcells, and why? Each has qualities to admire. Each has nagging habits.

I would rather play for BP because I would rather be a Cowboy.

 

[big dog cowboy]

9. Marty Schottenheimer - my contention has always been the Skins should never have let him go for Spurrier. But they did. He knows how to build a good team. Doesn't know how to get them to the Super Bowl. He gets the nod over others below this list because he has taken three teams (Browns, Chiefs and Chargers) to the playoffs.

Almost puked when I saw that. You gotta be kidding me. People around here were ready to run him out of town because they knew he would never take the Chefs to the promise land.

 

[tyke1doe]

Almost puked when I saw that. You gotta be kidding me. People around here were ready to run him out of town because they knew he would never take the Chefs to the promise land.

But you can't get to the Promise Land if you don't cross the Red Sea.

He got them to the playoffs. And he won playoff games. That's why he's listed lower on the list, because he wasn't able to get them to the Big Game. But he got them to two championship games, so that says something about his coaching ability. And he has remade a few teams into playoff contenders.

 

[jterrell]

In order as best as possible.

1. Belichek. Learned from BP and evolved to deal with cap better.
2. Cowher. Really consistent guy who has had a zillion coordinators yet works his basic plan regardless.
3. Parcells. One of best with scheme and motivation but too hard-headed at times.
4. Gibbs. See Parcells and add in a big dose of rust. He was obviously better year 2 then year 1.
5. Holmgren. From the same vein as 3 and 4 with hard-headedness. Married to certian plays and schemes like BP, but guys end up loving hima nd playing hard for him.
6. Marv Lewis. Takes alot to turn around the Bengals and a defensive guy has been able to allow that offense to open up. Handles crazy Chad Johnson as well as anyone could.
7. John Fox. Tough guy who builds tough team.
8. Mike Shanahan. Great offensive schemes. A thinking man's coach.
9. Jon Gruden. Oddity in that he is a tough coach who is offense-first. Loves the old guys a little too much. BP likes the known but he will cut vets for rookies; Gruden won't do that at all.
10. Coughlin. He's a BP disciple and grounds teams into the gorund but they do get the point that football is life or death for 5 years before he loses them and gets canned.

I realize this is an imperfect list and am not married to it.

 

[dwmyers]

exactly.... look at overall and lets see whos better. the thread starter is a complete homer... Joe Gibbs is a HOF coach and should be in atleast the top 3 of everyones list.

It depends on how you rate coaches. If you rate them by playoff winning percentage and then require coaches to have at least 20 playoff games to qualify, then Gibbs is #1.

If you use playoff winning percentage and require there to be at least 5 games played, then people like Vince Lombardi and Belichik end up near the top, and Gibbs isn't as highly rated.

If you rate coaches by total games played, then guys like George Halas and Tom Landry rise to the top and I doubt Gibbs is in the top 5.

If you rate them by playoff wins in the last 10 years, then neither Gibbs nor Parcells is worth much.

Stating that "Gibbs should be in the top 3" misses the point entirely. There are many different ways to measure what makes a good coach.

David.

:

 

[RealCowboyfan]

My top 10.

1. Joe Gibbs - won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks who were average to good at best. That's a major accomplishment when you think about it.

2. Bill Parcells - rebuilt three franchises into championship contenders and took two of them to the Super Bowl. If he takes the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, he moves to the top of the list, presuming he gets there and Gibbs' doesn't.

3. Bill Belichick - yes, he's working with some of Parcells' picks, but he has epitomized what you can do when you have a group of overachievers working as a team.

4. Bill Cowher - a mainstay in Pittsburgh who has taken his team to two Super Bowls and one victory. Always has them competitive. He and Belichick may be in a fight for 3/4 based on how far Brady/Roethlisberger take their respective teams.

5. Mike Holgrem - taken two teams to the Super Bowl. That right there tells you he's a good coach.

6. Mike Shanahan - has to get from under John Elway's coattails. Needs another Super Bowl appearance to move up and may get that with Cutler. But his teams are always fighting for a playoff spot. Great offensive mind.

7. John Fox - very underrated. Builds solid teams, but what would you expect from a Parcells' disciple.

8. Jon Gruden - he showed what he could do with a talented group of players. (I don't think Tampa wins a Super Bowl with Dungy.) Now, he's rebuilding so I cut him some slack. His offense is right where he wants them to be, but how long before his defense gets too old?

9. Marty Schottenheimer - my contention has always been the Skins should never have let him go for Spurrier. But they did. He knows how to build a good team. Doesn't know how to get them to the Super Bowl. He gets the nod over others below this list because he has taken three teams (Browns, Chiefs and Chargers) to the playoffs.

10. Andy Reid - yes, he made a deal with the "Devil" (please don't interpret this as if I'm calling TO a literal devil ) and yes it backfired on him. But he has done a good job building and rebuilding the Eagles and regardless of being on the losing end too many times, getting your club to four straight NFC championship games is impressive.


Honorable mention: Jeff Fisher, did get the Titans to the Super Bowl, Tony Dungy (great regular season coach, awful playoff coach), Jack Del Rio (building a solid team but needs some playoff wins to move up), Nick Saban (I like the way he's rebuilding the Dolphins and wouldn't be surprised to see them in the playoffs and winning a playoff game), Lovie Smith (great job rebuilding the defense, but one-and-done in the playoffs doesn't get you ranked in the top 10.), Marvin Lewis, see Lovie Smith but change the defense to offense.

I have to agree...:starspin

 

[Bob Sacamano]

but one playoff win is one more than parcells has gotten in big D in 3 seasons. no homerism about that- just the facts.

and? wow, 1 playoff win, Joe Gibbs, you're #1!!!

 

[riggo]

I think another question that should be asked.
How many SB's would Parcells have one if he would have stuck with the same team as Gibbs had done..
Parcells went to 2 big time losing programs , so that ofcourse would effect things...

i think parcells would have won at least one more SB had he stuch around, but you have to remember that gibbs won with 3 different QB's as well as 3 different RB's (not to mention most of the other positions on the team). its one thing for coaches to go on a run and win a few over a few years with great players like seifert or walsh with montana/rice/craig- or jimmy johnson with aikman/irvin/smith. gibbs doing what he did is an amazing accomplishment.

 

[riggo]

and? wow, 1 playoff win, Joe Gibbs, you're #1!!!

i mentioned that only because we are talking about past success vs recent success. but you knew that.

btw, do you remember how the skins many games the skins were predicted to win last year? i dont recall seeing one major publication saying the skins would even have a winning record. thus, gibbs past success combined with what he did last year merits consideration as a top NFL coach, as does parcells ability to turn around losing frachises, despite his recent struggles.

fair enough?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

thus, gibbs past success combined with what he did last year merits consideration as a top NFL coach, as does parcells ability to turn around losing frachises, despite his recent struggles.

fair enough?

I dont' think Gibbs or Parcells should be considered the top coach in the game, one of the top 10 coaches? yes

each will have to do better than 1 playoff win, yes, I know only Gibbs has won a playoff game, but you get what I'm saying