NFL

Ranking the remaining playoff coaches

When you put together a ranking of the head coaches remaining on the Road to the MetLife Super Bowl, it is an oldie but a hoodie who remains at the top.

  1. 1. Bill Belichick, Patriots

    New England Patriots v Carolina Panthers
    Getty Images

    A no-brainer. Nobody wants to kiss his Super Bowl rings. But nobody else has three of them. Yes, having Tom Brady as your franchise quarterback cures a lot of ills, but HC of the NEP keeps losing quality assistant coaches and players, and the beat goes on anyway. Still stalking that elusive fourth Super Bowl.

    “He’s as good as it gets in terms of being able to deal with the team, find things that guys do best and put them in that situation, and find ways in terms of game-planning what you do best and take that away,” ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck said.

    Still The genius. How driven is he? Spygate.

     

  2. 2. Sean Payton, Saints

    Sean Payton
    AP

    A risk-taker who has no fear of the consequences (see Super Bowl XLIV), which makes him all the more dangerous. A creative and innovative offensive mind who makes Drew Brees all the more dangerous.

    “Some coaches,” Hasselbeck said, “are just message deliverers.”

    Like Belichick, Payton is a disciplinary branch from the Bill Parcells tree.

    “One of the best things he does is he’s able to relate to players in the way he did as an assistant,” Hasselbeck said. “That goes a long way in creating the culture of your locker room.”

    How driven is he? Bountygate.

  3. 3. Jim Harbaugh, 49ers

    San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers NFL Football Wildcard Playoff
    UPI

    Coaches with an enthusiasm and intensity unknown to mankind. Wears his emotions on his sleeves.

    “There’s an element of attitude or toughness that I think is probably something he learned from his dad [Jack],” Hasselbeck said. “His brother [Ravens coach John] coaches with the same attitude or toughness that ultimately starts to become the personality of your team a little bit.”

    His bold Colin Kaepernick gambit has paid off.

    “They have a very good staff on both sides of the ball,” Hasselbeck said. “They’ve done a very good job in how they’ve designed something that’s a good fit for the players they have.”

    Who’s got it better than him? No-body!

     

  4. 4. John Fox, Broncos

    Peyton Manning, John Fox
    AP

    The Giants loved Fox as defensive coordinator under Jim Fassel before he led the Jake Delhomme Panthers to the Super Bowl. If there’s one criticism, it’s he has been conservative to a fault. But he has Peyton Manning on his side.

    “I think when you face a team he coaches on the defensive side of the ball, you’re going to get something new,” Hasselbeck said. “I don’t know if innovative is the right word for how smart he is from the standpoint of being able to give you something that gives you problems on the offensive side.”

  5. 5. Pete Carroll, Seahawks

    St Louis Rams v Seattle Seahawks
    Getty Images

    Ya-hoo, yip-eeee, wooooooooo! This guy’s 62? Just 20 years ago, he was shooting hoops in the parking lot outside Weeb Ewbank Hall. He knows defense and knows what he wants in a player. The third time’s the charm on the NFL sidelines.

    “He creates energy for the team and he encourages guys to play with energy,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s got the ‘compete every day’ mantra, and that’s their thing.”

  6. 6. Chuck Pagano, Colts

    Chuck Pagano
    AP

    A fighter, as we learned a year ago when he was stricken with leukemia. Has won players’ trust with his personal touch.

    “Some guys are guys you want to play for,” Hasselbeck said. “When guys believe in him and have a desire to see him succeed, it helps communication, it helps the whole dynamic of a team. He’s very involved in defense, but he is respected because of the way he treats players. There is a feeling from him, and it’s fairly rare, in that he really cares about them. The players feel like he worries about their best interest.”

    Still Chuckstrong.

  7. 7. Ron Rivera, Panthers

    Carolina Panthers v San Francisco 49ers
    Getty Images

    His players love playing for him. No longer a conservative tactician, suddenly Riverboat Ron. Legitimate Coach of the Year candidate after getting off the hot seat. A tough former linebacker who doesn’t need to act tough.

    “He’s a pretty mild-mannered guy. His demeanor was always pretty even-keeled,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s not a big yeller and screamer. He’s not a cheerleader. I remember the linebackers [when he was an assistant] in Philadelphia, they swore by the guy. I think he’s a good calming force without just being somebody the team’s able to walk all over.”

  8. 8. Mike McCoy, Chargers

    Kansas City Chiefs v San Diego Chargers
    Getty Images

    Resurrected Philip Rivers’ career with quarterback-friendly system no longer obsessed with the deep ball. Gaining reputation as a Quarterback Whisperer, whispering in the ears of the likes of Jake Delhomme, Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning.

    “Mike McCoy was, I believe, born to be a coach,” Hasselbeck said. “When he was a player trying to make the NFL, he kept a master notebook.”

    He learned under Dan Henning and Fox.

    “The willingness to adjust and adapt probably served him well,” Hasselbeck said.

    And he’s the lone rookie left. But rookies need to pay their dues.