The Harbaugh brothers have undoubtedly taken the NFL by storm. And not just this season.
The duo have a combined seven years as head coaches in football’s highest league and every single season they’ve brought their respective teams, not only a playoff appearance, but a postseason victory.
So, who’s the best current coach in the league? Right here we rank who the best of the bunch is based on their resume, current state of the team, and projected success. Onto the list:
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots. Resume: 187–101 record, 18–8 playoff record, 11 playoff appearances, 5 conference championships, and 3 Super Bowl wins.
Hard to believe that Belichick’s first head coaching gig in Cleveland fizzled out after five seasons and just one postseason appearance. But 11 years ago, in his second season with the Patriots, he made the gutsy Brady-over-Bledsoe call and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. His trio of Super Bowl titles is topped only by Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll and though it’s been eight years since he last hoisted the trophy, the Patriots have missed the playoffs just once (2008) during that time.
2. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens. Resume: 54–26 record, 8–4 playoff record, 5 playoff appearances, 1 conference championship.
Yes, Harbaugh hasn’t won a Super Bowl (yet) like several coaches he’s listed above but if you were wanting a head coach today, he’s a logical number-two pick behind Belichick for several reasons. One, he’s one of the most intimidating coaches out there and clearly has his players’ attention. Two, he’s led the Ravens to a playoff win in each of his five seasons as coach after the previous regime had missed out on the postseason in three of the four seasons prior to his arrival. And three, he’s done it without an elite quarterback, though Joe Flacco is at least good.
3. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers. Resume: 63–33 record, 5–3 playoff record, 4 playoff appearances, 2 conference championships, 1 Super Bowl win.
Tomlin’s stock has dropped a bit after missing the playoffs this past season and seeing his team get ousted in the first round last season by Tebow and the Broncos. Part of that may be his team’s age though as Tomlin has clearly shown he knows how to win with talent, as evidenced by a pair of AFC titles in his first four seasons.
4. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants. Resume: 151–121 record, 11–7 playoff record, 9 playoff appearances, 2 conference championships, 2 Super Bowl wins.
Coughlin has had an interesting coaching career, guiding his team to the playoffs in just roughly half of his seasons and winning it all twice in exciting fashion. A closer look at his career reveals how he took an expansion team (Jacksonville) to the playoffs in just their second season (and each of the next three seasons) before parting ways and eventually teaming with then-rookie Eli Manning for another rebuilding project that’s yielded two Super Bowl wins thus far.
5. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers. Resume: 74–38 record, 6–4 playoff record, 5 playoff appearances, 1 conference championship, 1 Super Bowl win.
McCarthy has had quite a run with Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. If not for his 2011 team flaming out in the divisional round after a 15–1 regular season, McCarthy would certainly find himself a little higher on the list.
