Grading the NFC Coaches

Last issue, I graded the AFC coaches. This issue, it's the NFC. Our usual caveat applies. Coaches themselves cannot win games. They must win them through the training, development, tactics, and motivation they provide to their players. It's not usually a good idea to make a judgment on a coach based on just one game or just one season, especially one in which his team is hampered by key injuries. But after a while, each coach develops his own style and tendencies, and knowledge of them can make a difference against the pointspread in several games per year, especially in the highly competitive NFL.

Joe Gibbs, Washington – A: Hall of Famer; three Super Bowl rings with three different QBs. He is smart, as in "wise." He deserves the benefit of the doubt at his previous status unless he shows the game has passed him by or that he can't do it.

John Gruden, Tampa Bay – A: Injuries crippled his defending champs last year. I won't move him down unless this year's restructuring fails, as well. He's a perfectionist tactician who keeps his players loose.

John Fox, Carolina – A: What other grade do you give a guy who believes in solid fundamentals and total team performance (including kicking, kick returns, and kick blocks), and who takes a downtrodden franchise from 1-15 to a last-second loss in the Super Bowl in just two seasons? Opposing coaches praise his teaching ability and basic but effective schemes.

Bill Parcells, Dallas – A-: He immediately re-established Dallas as a competent team. But some were surprised that he sacrificed so much off-the-field control to owner/GM Jerry Jones. (Some insiders say Parcells did it for one last, big contract.) He is sometimes stubborn to a fault, but is still one of the best teachers and "situational" coaches in the game.

Andy Reid, Philadelphia – A-: He gets a high grade even though he's lost a record three straight NFC title games. However, an honest appraisal reveals that his teams had to overcome significant obstacles just to get there each time.

Mike Holmgren, Seattle – A-: As a coach, Holmgren showed again last year that he's an A. As a "total control" guy, he was a little less. He's a respected mentor to others on this list.

Steve Mariucci, Detroit – B+: He's a good enough tactician and unique motivator who's able to keep his team unified and playing hard despite shortcomings. He must learn to emphasize defense more in order to move up.

Mike Martz, St. Louis – B: He's difficult to categorize because he's a master of Xs and Os who's sometimes mystified by the intangibles and bogged down by minutiae. He doesn't get the benefit of the doubt here because his decisions hurt the Rams in the playoffs last season.

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants – B: He's a former Bill Parcells assistant who has a similar no-nonsense style. But Coughlin doesn't elicit the same respect or extraordinary performance level as does Parcells. He almost doesn't know how to be easygoing.

Dennis Green, Arizona – B: He's generally competent, but each season, his Viking teams lacked proper balance for some reason: too much passing, not enough running; lots of offense, not enough defense; too much age, or too much youth; fast starts, but slow finishes, and so on. Critics say he talks a better game than he coaches. Some of his players stopped playing hard during his last year with the Vikes. But, his "pied piper" approach might be a good one for confidence-poor Arizona, at least for a year or two.

Mike Sherman, Green Bay – B: Yes, his team has had its shortcomings. But, it can be fairly asserted that the Packers have lost some games the past two years that they probably shouldn't have.

Mike Tice, Minnesota – B-: Fourteen years as a player in the NFL, but he had never been a head coach at any level prior to assuming command of the Vikings. And that aspect of his bio has manifested itself at times during his first two seasons. He's young and bright enough to improve.

Jim Haslett, New Orleans – C: He's on the hot seat after three straight years out of the playoffs. Sure, injuries have hurt, but he's shown some holes in his game preparation, discipline, and leadership.

Dennis Erickson, San Francisco – C: Truly, Erickson has stood out only when his teams have enjoyed significant personnel edges. Thus, he's 38-42 in the NFL. Now, the 49er dynasty is long over.

Lovie Smith, Chicago – Incomplete: He was never an NFL player nor a head coach at any level, but he became a respected defensive motivator and leader both in Tampa Bay and St. Louis. The nattering nabobs of negativism in Chicago say he's making a mistake by seeking a smaller, faster defense for a Northern outdoor team, combined with a Rams-style finesse offense.

Jim Mora Jr., Atlanta – Incomplete: He was a somewhat risky choice for the Falcons, considering that he also never played in the NFL and has never been a head coach at any level. But, the Atlanta brass wanted a young coach with an enthusiastic new approach for their young team after the years of the chilly, Tom Landry-like Dan Reeves.

Chuck Sippl is the senior editor of The Gold Sheet, the first word in sports handicapping for 48 years. The amazingly compact Gold Sheet features analysis of every football and basketball game, exclusive insider reports, widely followed Power Ratings, and a Special Ticker of key injuries and team chemistry. To begin your handicapping for this season, look for the 2004 Gold Sheet Football Preview at your local newsstand. If you'd like to reserve a copy, call The Gold Sheet at (800) 798-GOLD (4653) and be sure to mention you read about it in Card Player. You can look up The Gold Sheet on the web at www.goldsheet.com.