If you did a ranking of the league’s head coaches at any other time, New England’s Bill Belichick would top the list. After all, the man has won six Super Bowls.
But, in this case, we’re talking only about the here and now. Belichick doesn’t even qualify for this list. That’s because we’re ranking only the four coaches whose teams will be playing in the conference championship games.
We’re ranking only Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Kansas City’s Andy Reid, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel. This is a unique crew of coaches. Reid is the well-known veteran while the other three are in the early years of their careers.
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Touchdown Wire provides a scouting report and ranking of each of the four head coaches remaining. We go from worst to best.
4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
This is Shanahan’s first winning season in his three years as a head coach. The 49ers have been outstanding in most areas. But I think it’s still a little too early to classify Shanahan as a great head coach. He certainly may get there and it may be soon. But, for now, I see him as a great offensive coordinator. That’s his background and he holds the coordinator and play-calling duties with the 49ers. Shanahn is a master out of running and passing out of the same personnel groups and formations. Wisely, he’s not really involved on defense. He leaves that at up to coordinator Robert Saleh, who is one of the best in the business.
3. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
This is LaFleur’s first season and we’re ranking him one notch ahead of San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan. That’s because LaFleur didn’t have two losing seasons before he won like Shanahan did. Plus, we’re giving LaFleur a ton of credit for making the most of a potentially combustible situation. I’m talking about his relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who didn’t get along with predecessor Mike McCarthy. After some early posturing about how often Rodgers would get to audible, he and LaFleur have gotten along well. LaFleur has done a masterful job of convincing Rodgers that the running game is his best friend. The Packers are now a run-first team and Rodgers has excelled as a play-action passer. LaFleur also gives offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett a lot of input and the defense totally belongs to coordinator Mike Pettine.
2. Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
The Titans are the Cinderella team of the final four and Vrabel is a big part of the reason. In only his second season, Vrabel is one of the league’s most hands-on coaches. Literally. The former Pro Bowl linebacker has been known to put on the pads and practice with his team to demonstrate points. Vrabel also is a risk taker when it comes to in-game decisions. More importantly, he’s not afraid to take personnel risks. The key to the season came when Vrabel decided to bench quarterback Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill. All Tannehill did was save the season. Vrabel is highly respected by his team because of his playing career and three Super Bowl championships. Plus, he learned from the master while playing for Bill Belichick in New England.
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have joined forces to create on of the league’s most explosive offenses. In his seventh year with the Chiefs and 21st as a head coach, Reid’s passing game remains rooted in the West Coast system, but he is constantly adding new wrinkles. Reid has played it smart and not been stubborn. Instead of making quarterback Patrick Mahomes fit his offense, he has made his offense fit what Mahomes does best. Reid totally leaves the defense up to coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. This is a critical year for Reid. The one knock on him is that he doesn’t win big games. But he has perhaps is best team ever. Anything less than a Super Bowl win is going to be a disappointment.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
