Quote:
Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon
Eric Mangini and SEan Payton have "done it" for all of one season at the moment. Both of them may turn out to be Hall of Fame coaches sometime 20 years in the future; but as of now, they are as likely to be "one-hit wonders" as they are to be in the Top 5 coaches of their time.
Bill Belichick has to be on the list somewhere. If anyone proposes a list without him then every coach on that person's list would be suspect.
Tony Dungy has to be on the list of the Top 5 at this time. He's been highly successful in two places.
Andy Reid has to be on the list of the Top 5 at this time. He took over a team in 1999 that had the worst record in the NFL and has produced 4 years of NFC Championship games and 1 Super Bowl. Not bad.
I happen to think Jeff Fisher has gotten more done with the talent at his command and the circumstances of his stewardship than just about anyone else. Remember, Fisher's Oilers played to "home crowds" that did not support the team once it was a given that the team was headed elsewhere.
I can be talked into several folks for the 5th slot on this list. HOWEVER, Joe Gibbs is NOT one of them. Since his return - and this is about the Top 5 coaches NOW - Joe Gibbs has a losing record and a series of teams that bear no resemblence to the dedicated professionals that he had in the past.
I"d be tempted to put Marty Schottenheimer on this list - - except, he's not in the NFL at the moment due to some STRANGE thinking in San Diego.
I'd put MIke Shanahan here except that he has never won anything important in the playoffs since some guy named Elway retired - - and that was quite a while ago.
By default, I guess Mike Holmgren belongs as the fifth guy on the list...
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See on the one hand, you say that Mangini and Payton shouldn't be on the list because they haven't done enough. But then you say Gibbs shouldn't be on the list because he's not one of the best now. But then, with that logic, shouldn't Mangini and Payton be on the list. While they may be "one-hit wonders" at the moment. Their moment is now, seeing as to how it was just last season they had their success (although Gibbs did beat Payton
).
On one hand you cite guys like Fisher, and Reid and their success from-with the exception of the Eagles' SB appearance in 2005-even before Gibbs came back. On the other hand, you seem to ignore what Gibbs did before he came back.
I guess what I'm getting at is, why do we mean by now? Do we mean the best coaches of this past year? Or the best coaches over the course of their careers who happen to currently be coaching.