We asked a number of NFL insiders to grade each
head coach based on the job he did in 1999. The grades were averaged, and they are based
on the following scale: A — excellent; B — good; C — average; D —
poor. Comments came from insiders, who asked to remain anonymous. Please note that these
grades may differ from those given the coaches in the print edition of Pro Football
Weekly (Vol. XIV, No. 27), in its annual report card.NFC East
Arizona — Vince Tobin: B. Held team together despite an inordinate amount of
injuries, holdouts and distractions, but late-season slump was a negative.
Dallas — Chan Gailey: B. Got too conservative with the offense but had a team
decimated by injuries.
New York Giants — Jim Fassel: C. Another offensive guru who got too conservative,
but he has gotten Kerry Collins back on track.
Philadelphia — Andy Reid: B-plus. Excellent rookie year. Had control of the team
and staff and followed his game plan for Donovan McNabb very well. With (director of
football operations Tom) Modrak, Reid and McNabb, the Eagles are starting to look a little
like the Packers with a young Brett Favre, Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf.
Washington — Norv Turner: B. Clearly his best year, but he needs to do something
with his defense.
NFC Central
Chicago — Dick Jauron: B. Seems to have people skills and will give his
coordinators a lot of leeway. One of the few head coaches who really cares about his
coaches and their families. Has the guts to do things differently. However, he may be too
nice and too much of a human being to be a great coach.
Detroit — Bobby Ross: B. Late-season meltdown takes him from an A to a B, but
going 8-8 without Barry (Sanders) and with all the injuries was remarkable.
Green Bay — Ray Rhodes: D. Team never came close to playing up to expectations.
Ray seems to have lost some of his passion and fire.
Minnesota — Dennis Green: B-plus. His team bounced back very nicely from a 2-4
start, and he got more out of Jeff George than anyone else did. He commands respect and
has great people skills.
Tampa Bay — Tony Dungy: A-minus. Would rate a solid A if he were willing to make a
few more changes with his offense and offensive staff. Very smart, with great people
skills.
NFC West
Atlanta — Dan Reeves: B. Last year everything went right, and this year it all
went wrong. However, the Falcons generally played hard.
Carolina — George Seifert: A. His 49er record was no mirage. He got more out of
players like Steve Beuerlein, Muhsin Muhammad, etc., than anyone else has. Had 4-12 talent
and went 8-8.
New Orleans — Mike Ditka: D. Made a huge mistake by not going after a veteran
quarterback like Neil O’Donnell or Jeff George.
St Louis — Dick Vermeil: A. Changed his ways and agreed to let Mike Martz run the
offense.
San Francisco — Steve Mariucci: C. Should bounce back once the organization
decides what direction they want to go in.
AFC East
Buffalo — Wade Phillips: A. May be an even better coach than (his father) Bum was.
Indianapolis — Jim Mora: A. Everything he did turned to gold.
Miami — Jimmy Johnson: C-plus. Cutting Tyrone Wheatley was a mistake, and Cecil
Collins did not work out either.
New England — Pete Carroll: C. Another late-season meltdown.
New York Jets — Bill Parcells: A. Got a team that was dead in the water to play
like champions for the second half of the year with Ray Lucas at quarterback.
AFC Central
Baltimore — Brian Billick: B. Rebounded nicely after a shaky start.
Cincinnati — Bruce Coslet: C-minus. Does he have anything on Mike Brown?
Cleveland — Chris Palmer: B-minus. The Browns were a bad mix with too many
mercenaries from playoff teams who tried to quit when they saw the team (played like) an
expansion team. But Palmer developed Tim Couch and Kevin Johnson nicely.
Jacksonville — Tom Coughlin: A. His record speaks for itself.
Pittsburgh — Bill Cowher: C. Is the magic gone? Does he need a year off to
recharge his battery?
Tennessee — Jeff Fisher: A-minus. Team finally played up to and beyond its talent
level. Handled a tough quarterback situation nicely and hired Jim Washburn to coach his
defensive linemen, including Jevon Kearse.
AFC West
Denver — Mike Shanahan: B. Lost Elway and Davis but kept team from quitting after
disastrous start. However, how did they lose to San Diego in Mile High Stadium?
Kansas City — Gunther Cunningham: B-plus. Got some players who were known as dogs
to play like winners.
Oakland — Jon Gruden: B. Could have been 11-5 instead of 8-8 with a few breaks.
San Diego — Mike Riley: B-plus. When you consider all the injuries they had, this
team should have been 4-12, not 8-8.
Seattle — Mike Holmgren: B-plus. Would have gotten an A-plus if not for a
late-season near-collapse. |
