NFL Coaches and their coaching is one of the most fascinating features. It has been seen time and again that a coach has transformed completely and taken it to new heights. It is his philosophy, ideas and gameplans that is reflected in the players on the field. There have been a number of NFL coaches Let us look at some of the top National Football League coaches.
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Andy Reid
For this generation of American Football watchers, Andy Reid has been there forever as one of the best NFL coahes. He has carved out his own space in the league of legendary coaches. Even after 25 years, he still has a few clock miscuses and slow starts but more often than not his team is able to recover. He was born in Los Angeles in 1958. He came into the lime light after the Eagles’ coach Ray Rhodes was fired after a league worst 3-13 performance in 1998. Andy Reid was selected as their head coach. He is known to be very strict and particular about the fine details of the game and believes that the ultimate results depend on those small things. One of his remarkable achievements was in the 2008 season where his Eagles’ knocked of the then Super Bowl Defending Champions, the New York Giants.
- Birthplace: Los Angeles
- Age: 64
- Rank: 1
Sean McVay
Next on the list is Sean McVay who is the current head of Los Angeles Rams. He is considered to be one of the contemporary greats in the coaching arena. He is known to have a conservative approach which is based on not loosing rather than going for the kill, which is often criticised, but his success cannot be questioned. One of his most remarkable achievements was to turn the Rams from being the lowest scoring offence to the top scoring team in his very first year as head coach. This was the time he turned many head and announced his arrival. He is known to have a very good chemistry with the players which has constantly benefitted him with astonishing successes. In 2017 he won the NFL Coach of the Year. At the age of 39, he is the youngest NFL coach.
- Birthplace: Dayton
- Age: 36
- Rank: 2
Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick is another coach who has cemented his place as one of the great coaches of all times. This is his 28th year as a head coach and is currently the headcoach of New England Patriots. He has also coached Tom Brady, who many consider as the greatest NFL player of all time. He is known to have his influence not just on the Patriots team but also the management and operation of the franchise. He was also the franchise’s chief executive from 2001 to 2019. He kicked off his coaching career in 1975 and then became the defensive coordinator for New York Giants which were then headcoached by Bill Parcells. In the 2009 season he scripted history by winning all of 16 matches and loosing none.
- Birthplace: Nashville
- Age: 70
- Rank: 3
John Harbough
John Harbough who bagged the 2012 Super Bowl title in 2012 and has 64% win rate in playoff season is a force to reckon with when it comes to coaching football. He is currently in the 15th season as the head coach of Baltimore Ravens. Since his arrival at the franchise, the Raven’s hold the record of scoring the 5th most total victories which are 148 which are 148 in number. He also holds the record of most road playoff wins by a head coach in the history of NFL. Unlike other NFL head coaches, “Harbs” took the road less traveled. Most NFL field bosses graduate from pro jobs that include the word “coordinator” after “offensive” or “defensive,” or they emerge from leading big-time college programs. In 2019 he won the NFL Coach of the Year.
- Birthplace: Perrysburg
- Age: 60
- Rank: 4
Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin is the head coach of Pittsburg Steelers. He has been there for 14 seasons and thus knows the franchise and its system inside out and puts it to good use. In his time at the Steelers he can boast of many accomplishments which are the first in the entire history of the team. One of his fines achievements is that he has sent a total of 66 selections to the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl, including 5 players who have received Pro Bowl honors for the 2020 season. He had also won the Super Bowl within the first two seasons as a head coach which in itself puts him in the league of only 8 coaches. A drastic improvement in the offence of Steelers can also be attributed to Mike Tomlin while their defence continued to be strong to breach.
- Birthplace: Hampton
- Age: 50
- Rank: 5
Matt LaFleur
Matt LaFleur was named as the Packer’s coach in 2019. In his first three seasons as head coach, he has scored 13 wins in each of them which makes him the first of his kind. He also holds the record of not loosing two consecutive matches for 49 games straight. While he is yet to win big in major games he is one of the fines active decision makers in the NFL. In 2020, the Packers scored 509 points which were the second highest points scored by them in their history. In his first three seasons leading the Packers, LaFleur has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. With a 13-4 record in 2021, he led the Packers to a third straight NFC North crown while also earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the second consecutive season.
- Birthplace: Mount Pleasant
- Age: 43
- Rank: 6
Sean McDermott
Sean McDermott was named as the headcoach of the bills in 2017. He was instrumental in a day-night change in the very culture of the team. He did this by preaching and practicing a very clear philosophy which brushed of on the team as well as the management. In 2020, under his reigns, Bill won their first playoff game since 1995 and he finished second in the race to the NFL’s coach of the year. He is one of only three coaches who cracked a playoff spot in his very first stint as a head coach of a team. He worked as the defensive coordinator for Carolina for 6 seasons.
- Birthplace: Omaha
- Age: 48
- Rank: 7
Kyle Shanahan
Kyle Shanahan is in his 6th season with the 49ers where he started his head coaching careers. He has a very clear philosophy of aiming for the highest of laurels as he believes that the rest are not worth aiming for. It is a treat to watch how smoothly his team functions on the ground. He himself played as a wide receiver at Duke University before he transferred to the University of Texas where he had spent 2 seasons. His father also served as an offensive coordinator. He broke into the NFL as a player in Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2004 season but was never able to make it big at that stage. As a side coach he has worked with the likes of QB Grossman who finished with the second-best statistical season of his career.
- Birthplace: Minneapolis
- Age: 43
- Rank: 8
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