Patrick Mahomes walked off the field with Andy Reid after another Chiefs’ home victory. (Photo by … More
There is very little resting at top for the best coaches in the NFL. Andy Reid is generally conceded to be the best head coach in the league since the end of Bill Belichick’s term with the New England Patriots.
Experience is his No. 1 factor, but it is not the reason that the Chiefs and Reid have won three Super Bowls in the last six seasons and been to two other Super Bowls. He has a brilliantly talented quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, perhaps the best the game has ever seen. Reid knows how to relate to Mahomes and his other key players better than his peers.
He comes across as a funny uncle when dealing with the media, but he is straightforward and honest when working with Mahomes. He has elevated the quarterback’s game by getting him to see the full field at all times and understanding where he can take advantage of defensive weaknesses and what areas he must avoid.
When it comes to building and massaging a gameplan, no coach is better than Reid.
Climbing the ladder is Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions, and he comes from the old school. These disciplined coaches helped make the league what it is today. The greatest coaches the game has ever seen – Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Don Shula, Bill Parcells and Belichick – all had the old-school elements of discipline underscoring their coaching technique.
It is much harder for a coach to employ this way of coaching in the modern game. Players have too many questions that they want answered and if Campbell has to explain every coaching move, his team will not accomplish what he wants it to in a given practice session or game.
So, he will answer the questions that the room needs to be answered. It makes the old-school, my-way-or-the-highway fade into the background, but players know that Campbell is the boss and he is in charge of all aspects of the product. He clearly does the job his way.
Early phenom McVay is an established offensive leader
Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates another touchdown against the Seattle … More
Sean McVay is in his 9th season as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. He came into his position as a 30-year-old-phenom, but now he is a 39-year-old leader who knows how to push every button to get the most out of his most important players.
McVay is constantly tinkering with his plan of attack so that he is a step or two ahead of the competition. The most consistent aspect of his coaching style has been his strong lean towards versatility.
“You figure out a way to attack the scheme and then you make sure your players can handle their assignments,” McVay said”
The Rams will stay with player X as long as they can, but if McVay notices some slippage, he will not hesitate to make a change. Hence, Cooper Kupp is no longer with the Rams and Davante Adams take over his position.
John Harbaugh is entering his 18th season, and the Ravens have made the playoffs in 12 of the past 17 years. They have also been to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, but the Ravens have just one Super Bowl triumph in the Harbaugh era and that is frustrating.
Harbaugh keeps his fingers in all areas of team building, but his greatest strength is his ability to evaluate offensive and defensive line execution. He makes sure Lamar Jackson has excellent blockers in front of him so he can make key plays with his arm or legs. There is no slippage in this area from year to year and the main reason the Ravens will remain in contention year over year.
The Minnesota Viking have made a lot of noise under head coach Kevin O’Connell. They won the division in 2022 during his first year on the job as he coaxed a brilliant year out of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
O’Connelll was ready to move on from Cousins last year and give the job to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but the former Michigan standout suffered a knee injury in the team’s first preseason game and was lost for the year.
There was no panic as the Vikings had signed retread quarterback Sam Darnold to man the position in case of emergency. He led the Vikings to winning streaks of 5 and 9 games and a 14-3 record.
Now Darnold will play quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks as the quarterback whisperer believes McCarthy is ready to take over.
If he is right, there is little doubt that O’Connell will belong in the pantheon of the NFL’s best current coaches. His ability to coach players at the most important position on the field cannot be overstated.
