The NFC South is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL today. Three potential future Hall of Fame quarterbacks have all led their teams to the Super Bowl in recent years and one of them will go down as perhaps one of the greatest to ever play the position. If this past season proved anything though, it’s that coaching is still king in this league. Sean McVay and Bill Belichick’s success with their respective teams is a testament to that.
While the NFC South doesn’t have a GOAT coaching candidate like Belichick or an up-and-coming young star like McVay, there are still a couple of heavy hitters.
Let’s rank each of them heading into 2019 based on a completely unscientific mix of their past success, their current job security and their team’s prospects for the coming season.
1. Sean Payton – Saints
Head coach experience: 13 years
Regular season record: 118-74 (.615)
Division titles: Five (including last two in NFC South)
Playoff record: 8-6 (.571)
Payton may not be the most likable coach of the bunch, but he has had far more success at this level than anyone else in the division. Through cunning play-calling and a ruthless disregard for conventional salary cap wisdom, Payton has helped keep the Saints in win-now mode for most of his run in New Orleans and they have been competitive more often than not.
His recent domination over the rest of the division owes a big thanks to a stellar 2017 draft class and as long as Drew Brees wants to continue playing Payton is going to be difficult to unseat here.
2. Bruce Arians – Buccaneers
Head coach experience: 5 years, 12 games
Regular season record: 58-33-1 (.636)
Division titles: One (NFC West – 2015, Cardinals)
Playoff record: 1-2 (.333)
Much of the talk around Tampa this offseason has been about Bruce Arians’ renowned quarterback whispering ability and if he can really carve a legitimate star QB out of the erratic Jameis Winston. Arians has apparently farmed the task out to his staff. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich will be the one working with Winston most. According to Jenna Laine at ESPN, Arians is not sitting in on quarterback meetings and seems to trust Leftwich will get the job done.
Even if Leftwich can’t fix Winston’s turnover issues and the Bucs continue to flounder in 2019, Arians should still have plenty of breathing room given that he just got the job. There’s certainly much less pressure on him this year than the next two coaches on this list, in any case.
3. Ron Rivera – Panthers
Head coach experience: 8 years
Regular season record: 71-56-1 (.559)
Division titles: Three
Playoff record: 3-4 (.429)
One could argue that Ron Rivera is on the hot seat as much as any coach in the league this season, and certainly in the division. Owner David Tepper has made it clear that he won’t tolerate mediocrity and will be expecting results from every facet of his franchise.
That means it’s crunch time for Rivera, who’s only managed to make the playoffs three out of eight years despite having generational talents at quarterback and middle linebacker.
Rivera seems to know he needs to shine this year. He’s taken over control of the defense that under-performed last season and will be transitioning to a hybrid defense that seems to be more 3-4 than 4-3. The addition of Gerald McCoy to that unit was the crowning moment in a terrific offseason for Carolina. So long as Cam Newton’s shoulder holds up, Rivera has all the tools he needs (minus a free safety) to get back to the playoffs. If his team misses out, this may be his last season as head coach.
4. Dan Quinn – Falcons
Head coach experience: 4 years
Regular season record: 36-28 (.563)
Division titles: One
Playoff record: 3-2 (.600)
Dan Quinn is in a very similar situation to Ron Rivera. Both coaches made some big changes to their staffs this offseason after an underwhelming performance in 2018. Carolina and Atlanta both had high hopes heading into last season, but they finished 7-9 and missed out on the postseason.
While Quinn hasn’t gotten the flurry of free agent help that Rivera has, general manager Thomas Dimitroff did do right by him in at least one area: the Falcons offensive line should show massive improvement this year over last. Atlanta used two first-round picks and a ton of cap space to address the unit’s shortcomings, which should help get its offense back to an elite level.
The real question mark is how well the defense will perform now that Quinn has effectively taken over as defensive coordinator. Getting key players like Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen back from devastating injuries will help, but if the defense doesn’t return to the top-10 form we saw in 2017, Quinn may be in even more danger of losing his job than Rivera.
