NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time
By Will Osgood
13. Tom Flores (1979-1994)
We’ve reached the place in the power rankings where a coach who has won two Super Bowls comes in at No. 13 overall. That should give an indication of how amazing the list is from here on out. And it should not take away from Flores and his career whatsoever. Succeeding John Madden, Flores continued the Raiders’ “Commitment to Excellence” by winning two more Super Bowls in his 12 seasons at the helm.
To use a biblical analogy, Flores was Joshua to Madden’s Moses. Madden led the troops to the border, while Flores got to lead them into the “promised land”. He is ranked below Madden because his career regular season win percentage was significantly lower, at .527. But his work in the playoffs was outstanding. He registered a career .727 winning percentage in January.
Still in this case, it is fair to note that he merely inherited Madden’s work and did not mess it up. Again, that is harder than it sounds.
Next: How many coaches have a trophy named after them? The next guy does.