Top 5 coaches now

I would put Joe Gibbs in this list, but there are a lot of coaches who have done better than him with their teams. If having a 21-27 record is a sign of success in this league, it means the quality of the league has declined so much that

1. Bill Belichick - 3 Obvious reasons
2. Lovie Smith - The Bears used to suck before he got there, now they are the powerhouse of the NFC.
3. Tony Dungy - Very successfull throughout his tenure, as well as 1 obvious reason lolo.
4. Brian Billick - The Ravens are pretty consistent when it comes to having a winning record under his tenure.
5. Andy Reid - The Eagles have pretty much owned the NFC East except for one bad season a couple years ago.

Eric Mangini and SEan Payton have "done it" for all of one season at the moment. Both of them may turn out to be Hall of Fame coaches sometime 20 years in the future; but as of now, they are as likely to be "one-hit wonders" as they are to be in the Top 5 coaches of their time.

Bill Belichick has to be on the list somewhere. If anyone proposes a list without him then every coach on that person's list would be suspect.

Tony Dungy has to be on the list of the Top 5 at this time. He's been highly successful in two places.

Andy Reid has to be on the list of the Top 5 at this time. He took over a team in 1999 that had the worst record in the NFL and has produced 4 years of NFC Championship games and 1 Super Bowl. Not bad.

I happen to think Jeff Fisher has gotten more done with the talent at his command and the circumstances of his stewardship than just about anyone else. Remember, Fisher's Oilers played to "home crowds" that did not support the team once it was a given that the team was headed elsewhere.

I can be talked into several folks for the 5th slot on this list. HOWEVER, Joe Gibbs is NOT one of them. Since his return - and this is about the Top 5 coaches NOW - Joe Gibbs has a losing record and a series of teams that bear no resemblence to the dedicated professionals that he had in the past.

I"d be tempted to put Marty Schottenheimer on this list - - except, he's not in the NFL at the moment due to some STRANGE thinking in San Diego.

I'd put MIke Shanahan here except that he has never won anything important in the playoffs since some guy named Elway retired - - and that was quite a while ago.

By default, I guess Mike Holmgren belongs as the fifth guy on the list...

You mean to tell me that '05 playoff run beared no resemblance to the Gibbs glory years? That was like a blast from the past for me. Everyone seems to forget that season, but everyone seems to remember the '04 and last season in total detail, heck the team nearly made it to the NFC Championship game! That '05 playoff run was the most fun I've had watching the Skins since '91, it proved that Gibbs still has it.

Currently, Gibbs is not even a top 10 coach in this league.

For a second I thought this was going to be a "Who's now" of NFL coaches. :doh:

I was looking through the top5 coaches forum and wanted to post, but then realized im just 18 and cant post because of lack of knowlege about the past. So this forum is for the top 5 present coaches (including guys who retired this past season)

1. Bill Bellicheck (for 3 obvious reasons)
2. Andy Reid (his team has been dominating this league since I can remember)
3. Sean Payton/Eric Mangini (I know they only have one year under their belts, but they turned the second and 3rd worst teams into playoff teams)
4. Tony Dungy (Manning isnt the only reason why their team has been so dominant)
5. Mike Shanahan (the Broncos have been a force in the NFL since he has been with them)
5.5 Joe Gibbs (Im a redskins fan and therefore obligated to put him on this list, all time accomplishments he would be higher though, but he hasnt proven himself in this 2nd stint)Your list is pretty good.

I think I'm on record saying Reid is better, but as long as Reid and Belichick go 1-2, I think a list can be accrate. Shanahan is an enigma. On one hand he has developed a very successful and innovative offensive system, but on the other, he has made so many bonehead coaching decisions over the years. He once ran a fake field goal on 4th down with 20 seconds left in the first half, was successful, and then had to kick the FG on the next play. Jason Elam got hurt on the tackle.

I wouldn't put anybody with one year of experience on there. Remember John Fox? Now hes one of the worst coaches in the league.

1. Reid
2. Belichick
3. Fisher
4. Mike Nolan
5. Lovie Smith
5a. Joe Gibbs
5b. Tony Dungy

With what Belichick and the Pats have done in this decade it boggles my mind how someone can put someone like Reid above him, but hey to each his own I guess.

1. Dungy
2. Bellicheck
3. Reid
4. Fisher
5. Shannahan

It hurt me to not put Gibbs on there but there are 3 Hall of Fame coaches on that list (Dungy, Bellicheck & Shannahan) and he hasn't proven he still has it with his second stint.

Your list is pretty good.

I think I'm on record saying Reid is better, but as long as Reid and Belichick go 1-2, I think a list can be accrate. Shanahan is an enigma. On one hand he has developed a very successful and innovative offensive system, but on the other, he has made so many bonehead coaching decisions over the years. He once ran a fake field goal on 4th down with 20 seconds left in the first half, was successful, and then had to kick the FG on the next play. Jason Elam got hurt on the tackle.

I wouldn't put anybody with one year of experience on there. Remember John Fox? Now hes one of the worst coaches in the league.

1. Reid
2. Belichick
3. Fisher
4. Mike Nolan
5. Lovie Smith
5a. Joe Gibbs
5b. Tony Dungy

To each his own, but Reid and Mike Nolan above Gibbs and Dungy?? Reid I can maybe see because of their NFC East dominance, but what has Nolan done?

I wonder how people would evaluate Belichick had his career been flipped. Meaning had he won all those Super Bowls with the Brown during his first stint, and now during his second with the Patriots be struggling.

To each his own, but Reid and Mike Nolan above Gibbs and Dungy?? Reid I can maybe see because of their NFC East dominance, but what has Nolan done?Mike Nolan has been a pretty damn good coach for two seasons now. He's outcoached Shanahan in Week 17 last year when Shanahan needed it for the playoffs.

Dungy is a good coach, but its easy to win Championships when Peyton Manning is behind center. Maybe it's a good thing that he's along for the ride, but Dungy has just...never been a very special football coach. What he does deserve credit for is persevering through all the critical evaluations of him, because it's character like that which seperates a strong coach from a weak coach.