NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time
By Will Osgood
NFL Power Rankings: Who are the best NFL coaches of all-time?
As we near the end of the 2014 NFL season, now seems as good a time as any to think of just who are the best NFL coaches of all-time. In fact, in keeping with the theme of this week, let’s focus on the 30 best NFL coaches of all-time.
Before we get to the names, we want to set the parameters a bit. It’s important to note that no coach was excluded because of the era he coached in. In fact, great effort was made to represent all eras of football.
One or two coaches may have then been left off to make room for a lesser known coach whose credentials made them worthy. At the same time, mostly to avoid recency bias only two active coaches were selected for the list, though six others (John Fox, Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy and Pete Carroll) were strongly considered.
Additionally, championship pedigree was important but only one aspect of the selection process. Overall winning percentage was given more credence, along with overall playoff winning percentage.
Finally, there were more subjective markers considered, such as the coach’s ability to change cultures or sustained success or especially the success of coaches who worked under him. All of these were key in comparing coaches and coming up with the top 30 NFL coaches of all-time (which would almost assuredly change some if this list were written five years from now).
Next: Who leads off the Top 30?