NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time

Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; General view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy prior to a press conference at Rose Theater in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; General view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy prior to a press conference at Rose Theater in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
15 of 31
Next
Young Rice
Young Rice /

17. George Seifert (1989-2001)

Say what you want about George Seifert. Most of it is probably fair. He didn’t win in Carolina. He won in San Francisco with Bill Walsh’s players and system. Both are true.

A wise man would retort that few, if any, coaches win with expansion franchises, yet he actually (like Tom Coughlin) guided the franchise to an NFC Championship Game. His Quarterback was Kerry Collins. Let that sink in for a second.

And yes he won with Bill Walsh’s players and system. A wise man would reply that he was smart enough to only change things absolutely needed to be changed. He kept what worked and scrapped that which did not. That’s actually really good coaching.

The only legitimate sticking point on his resume is the fact he only stuck around for 11 years, spread across two franchises. But as we’ll see with most of the great coaches to follow, that is more the rule than the exception.

Next: Is there another coach who never won a Super Bowl in the Top 20?