NFL Betting Trends - Ranking the NFL's head coaches
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Every serious football follower has an opinion
about who is the best head coach in the NFL betting
and I am certainly no different than most just
because of my chosen profession as a sports columnist
and handicapper.
Heck, anyone who
knows me or has ever read any of my often,
inflammatory, sports columns, knows I have
an opinion on just about everything under the
sun relating to the world of sports (although
I must admit that I’ve been told on several
occasions just where to stick that opinion).
At any rate, I am at it once again - this time,
with my 2007 list of the best head coaches in
the National Football League following a highly-surprising
season full of twists and turns.
So enough with the chit-chat, here we go.
Bill Belichick: New England Patriots
While Belichick
may not be the most entertaining person you’ll ever meet, the man can flat-put
coach the game of football. Yes, Belichick can
often be stand-offish and aloof - however, I’d
be lying through my teeth if I said he wasn’t
the best coach in the NFL. With three Super Bowl
rings already in his pocket – and the very
real possibility of winning a couple more in
the next couple of years, makes Belichick the
undisputed, best head coach in the NFL.
Tony Dungy: Indianapolis Colts
I don’t think there’s
any question at all that Tony Dungy is without-a-doubt,
the second-best head coach in the entire NFL.
As a matter of fact, the only question surrounding
Dungy these days is whether he has surpassed
Belichick as the best head coach on the planet.
Joe Gibbs: Washington Redskins
I know you’re probably thinking I’m
off my rocker, but I thought long and hard about
this selection – especially since Gibbs
hasn’t won anything of consequence since
he decided to return to the NFL a few years ago.
Still, three Super Bowl rings – with three
different starting quarterbacks – earns
Gibbs third place on my list of top coaches for
2007 despite the mediocrity of his Washington
Redskins.
Mike Shanahan: Denver Broncos
I decided on Shanahan for the fourth spot because
he seems to produce legitimate Super Bowl contending
teams almost every year. With two Super Bowl
championships already in his pocket, Shanahan
could get a third one day soon if young quarterback
Jay Cutler turns out to be the special quarterback
some people think he can be.
Mike Holmgren: Seattle Seahawks
One Super Bowl victory, and two losses, with
two different teams, qualifies Holmgren as a
man who knows what it takes to succeed as a head
coach in the NFL. I also have to say that Holmgren
would likely have another Super Bowl title on
his resume had his Seattle Seahawks not been
totally robbed by several questionable calls
by the incompetent group of officials who worked
their Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
three years ago.
Jon Gruden: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Say what you want
about Jon Gruden, but it was just a few years
ago that Gruden was being talked about as the ‘future’ of head coaching
in the NFL. After a couple of down seasons, the
Buccaneers are back on track – and so is
Gruden - who already has one Super Bowl victory
on his resume.
Jeff Fisher: Tennessee Titans
I don’t know how else to say it; Jeff
Fisher can flat-out coach the game of football – even
if his team did fall one-yard short of getting
his first and only Super Bowl championship just
after the start of the new millennium. No head
coach in the entire league does more with less
than Fisher.
Andy Reid: Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, I know Reid’s personal home environment
has been compared to a “drug emporium” by
a Philadelphia-area judge and he can’t
control his own children, but the man is – by
far - the best head coach in Philadelphia Eagles
history.
Wade Phillips: Dallas Cowboys
I don’t care that Phillips doesn’t
have a Super Bowl ring as a head coach. 90 percent
of the league’s head coaches could tell
you all about Phillips’ genius – so
I won’t. I will say that I won’t
be surprised to see Phillips win a title inside
the next two or three seasons.
John Fox: Carolina Panthers
I think Fox is
one of the best coaches in the game and I would
have ranked him higher if it weren’t for the fact that the Panthers
have struggled so badly the last two seasons.
Still, one Super Bowl appearance – that
was nearly a victory – tells me Fox knows
his stuff.
Lovie Smith: Chicago Bears
Smith has been nothing short of spectacular
in rebuilding the Chicago Bears in just a couple
of seasons and his defensive prowess is matched
by only a handful of coaches in the world. Still,
his perplexing decision-making, like sticking
up for mediocre quarterback Rex Grossman, has
hurt the Bears a bit in each of the last two
seasons if you ask me.
Jack Del Rio: Jacksonville Jaguars
Del Rio has built
one of the best defensive teams in the league
in Jacksonville, but hasn’t
been able to get the job done in the postseason.
Mike McCarthy: Green Bay Packers
McCarthy is clearly
a much better head coach than I gave him credit
for last season. He has built the Packers into
a fine defensive unit – and
a title contender in lickety-split time.
Romeo Crennel Cleveland Browns
I think Crennel is an absolutely fine coach
and one who should have had a head coaching job
at least a decade ago. I will be pulling for
Cleveland to succeed as long as the classy Crennel
is heading the franchise.
Brian Billick: Baltimore Ravens
Billick has been
absolutely atrocious for a few of seasons now.
If people think he had anything to do with
the Ravens Super Bowl championship in 2000
- think again. The defense, led by current
Cincinnati Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis,
won it for them if you don’t remember.
Tom Coughlin: New York Giants
I won’t mince words - I don’t like
Tom Coughlin very much at all. However, I will
say that the man can coach the game of football
and has won wherever he has gone. It’s
too bad his personality usually gets him run
out of town prematurely.
Brad Childress: Minnesota Vikings
I watched Childress
for years when we were both in Philadelphia
plying our respective trades and I’m going on record right now to say
this young head coach gets the Vikings into the
Super Bowl before he’s through in Minnesota.
Of course it helps to have a special running
back like Adrian Peterson.
Sean Payton: New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton and
Childress could be twins. They’re
both fairly young and smart and have been around
the game for quite some time and have the unequivocal
respect of their players. I can easily see Payton
and Childress squaring off in the NFC title game
inside the next couple of seasons.
Marvin Lewis: Cincinnati Bengals
Lewis totally turned
around the worst franchise in the league in
the blink of an eye – before
the team began drafting a succession of wacko,
head-case players who should be playing in the
film, ‘The Longest Yard’ instead
of the NFL. Still, Lewis is hands-down one of
the best defensive minds in the game – ever.
Gary Kubiak: Houston Texans
Kubiak did a fine
job this season and certainly has the young
Houston Texans on their way to legitimate on-field
success. And just think – we
thought he was foolish for selecting Mario Williams
with the No. 1 overall pick two years ago.
Dick Jauron: Buffalo Bills
He’s well-respected – and
a longtime veteran of the game. Not only that,
but he also managed to get his mediocre Buffalo
Bills to overachieve for him all season long.
Herm Edwards: Kansas City Chiefs
Edwards’ tendency to play it too close
to the vest at times is an absolute killer for
any offense. While I also know Edwards from his
days in Philadelphia in the 1970s, I genuinely
believe he may be better suited for a defensive
coordinator’s position than a one as head
coach.
Eric Mangini: New York Jets
All I’m going to say is that “Mangenius” must
have dropped quite a few points off his IQ this
season because the Jets were absolutely atrocious
from the opening game until the end of the regular
season.
Mike Nolan: San Francisco 49ers
The Niners took
another huge step backwards this season after
taking a couple of small ones forward last
season. Now, I can see that Nolan – and
young quarterback Alex Smith – are both
clearly in over their respective heads in Frisco.
Rod Marinelli: Detroit Lions
Now I know why
Marinelli has never been a head coach before – he is absolutely horrific.
Too bad the Lions are going to let offensive
coordinator Mike Martz take the fall for the
team’s lack of success this season after
a red-hot start.
Scott Linehan: St. Louis Rams
What’s a synonym for ‘horrific?’ Oh,
that’s right … Linehan. Somebody,
please beam Scotty up.
This group of first-year
head coaches doesn’t
get a ranking just for the simple fact that they
have just completed their first seasons and don’t
have much to be judged on. However, I have written
a brief on each coach’s respective first
season and my feelings on each coach and their
respective futures.
Mike Tomlin: Pittsburgh
Steelers
Tomlin is clearly the
class of this group. The Steelers – and Tomlin – each had
absolutely fine seasons in 2007 and possess
a future that is as bright as any team’s
in the league. Tomlin will likely be a Top
10 coach in no time at all.
Ken Whisenhunt:
Arizona Cardinals
This former veteran
assistant had an absolutely fine first season
leading the Arizona Cardinals while also having
the task of changing the team’s overall mentality this season.
The thing I enjoyed most about Whisenhunt’s
first year as a head coach was the fact that
he wasn’t scared to make decisions – and
stick by them – a common mistake many
first-year head coaches make.
Norv Turner: San
Diego Chargers
Mediocre, average and
timid are the first words that come to mind when
I think about Norv Turner as a head coach. However,
I will admit that he may be football’s best offensive coordinator.
Lane
Kiffin: Oakland Raiders
The Raiders will have
another new head coach in two years and Kiffin,
who is in waaaaay over his head with this job,
will be asking himself why he ever left the comfort
of USC to go and work for Al Davis in the first
place.
Cam
Cameron: Miami Dolphins
I think Cameron is actually
the worst head coach in the NFL. How Cameron
can see a ‘bright
side’ in going 1-15 in his first season
is far beyond me. Cameron, like Turner, is
far better suited for an offensive coordinator’s
position than a head coaching job. If Bill
Parcells doesn’t get rid of Cameron immediately,
I’ll be shocked.
Bobby Petrino: Atlanta
Falcons
I saved this spot specifically
for the world’s
biggest quitter – and one of the biggest
low-life head coaches I have ever seen in my
life. Petrino, quit like a dog on his team – after
telling them all year to work, work, work – really
hard. What a joke! Petrino will never again coach
in the NFL – even if he wins five national
titles in a row at Arkansas.
The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full
force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are
in the best possible place for online betting.
The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton
of futures, and you will also find NFL lines
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Posted on 1/4/2008 11:20 AM
NFL Betting Trends - Ranking the NFL's head coaches
By Eric Williams
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