NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time

1. Bill Walsh (1979-1988)

Probably the most dominant and intriguing team in league history were Bill Walsh’s San Francisco 49ers teams. They were not perfect, at least not at the beginning of his tenure. But after drafting Joe Montana, and developing him fully, Bill Walsh’s system worked wonders.

Of course his offensive system came to be known as the “West Coast Offense”. It is a bit unfair because it was really Paul Brown who initially thought up the offense. But it was Walsh who manifested it and perfected it. Of course, he had the perfect personnel: accurate QB, Running Backs who could catch and Wide Receivers and Tight Ends who were good at catching the ball and then running with it.

It was a system based on reads, which also meant he needed intelligent football players. In that sense, Walsh was a pioneer. Complex systems became the norm, and thus the need for a high football IQ grew exponentially. It also helped that he had a monstrosity of a defense led by All-Pro safety Ronnie Lott.

But it was the offense that really made waves. Almost the entire NFL in the early 2000s could be traced back to Walsh. It may not be as drastic now, but clearly Walsh set the precedent for how to think of an offensive system.

A .609 career winning percentage with seven playoff appearances in 10 seasons and going .714 in those games for three Super Bowl championships will have that effect.