Are these the top coaches of all time?

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/the33rdteamfb/status/1812959885916840007?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

[LennG]

Myself
I would put Parcels ahead of Gibbs, Brown and Reid.

[kartanoman]

If the measuring stick of greatness is winning it all, you must start the top three as follows (NOTE: rank them any way you wish):

George Halas
Curly Lambeau
Bill Belichick

Rationale: these coaches have won six (6) NFL Championships, regardless of era, and are all considered visionaries in their own respects with two being founding fathers of original NFL teams while the third a revolutionary of defensive schemes which have impacted potent offenses on the grandest of scales. Next in line:

Vincent Thomas Lombardi (five NFL Championships)
Chuck Noll (four NFL Championships)

Other visionaries who belong in this list include:

Paul Brown (three NFL Championships)
Bill Walsh (three NFL Championships)
Joe Gibbs (three NFL Championships)
Andy Reid (three NFL Championships)

That makes nine (9) for the top 10 list. So, who do you like for the remaining spot? It really comes down to whether you like Don Shula versus Tom Landry. Both have two (2) NFL Championships to their name (NOTE: I'm not counting Shula's 1968 NFL Championship since it was the equivalent of an NFC title and his team lost Super Bowl III to the Jets). Shula has the "Perfect Season," as well as the winningest head coach in NFL history title, so I'll give him the edge and Mr. Landry, whom I deeply respect, drops out of the top 10.

So, in the final analysis, Championship victories are the ultimate objective criteria to support greatness and, with that, I would add Curly Lambeau, respectfully edge Tom Landry to #11, and remark that the originator from 33rd Team did a good job in putting this Top 10 Head Coaches of All Time together.

Peace!

[DaveBrown74]

I realized I am biased, but I really believe Parcells deserves consideration for the top 10. The main reason I feel that way is that he demonstrated how effective he was on multiple teams. Obviously we know what he did with us. That alone makes him arguably top 10, and don't forget the state of affairs on this franchise before he showed up. Yes, George Young also had a huge amount to do with that success, but you cannot discount what Parcells did.

Forget the Giants for a minute though. Parcells was 29-19 on the Jets. Let me repeat that: Parcells was 29-19 on the Jets. How many other Jets head coaches who were there for multiple seasons had a winning records? Answer: zero.

Parcells went 32-32 with the Pats, which may not sound great, but they were AWFUL when he got there. Simply awful. In the two seasons leading up to him taking over, they were 8-24. I remember those Pats teams before Parcells got there, and they were putrid. By the way he won AP NFL coach of the year in 1994.

Admittedly his Cowboys tenure wasn't fantastic or anything, but he did have a winning record there and did lead them to the playoffs in half his seasons there. And, like all the other teams he took over, they were crappy for years under Dave Campo before he took over.

Parcells took jobs with bad teams and made them good if not great, and he did it on four different teams. Who else can you really say that about?

[BluesCruz]

Parcells never had a losing season with the Jets and took them to the playoffs

who else ever did that?

I've got Parcells as #3 on that list

[MightyGiants]

If the measuring stick of greatness is winning it all, you must start the top three as follows (NOTE: rank them any way you wish):

George Halas
Curly Lambeau
Bill Belichick

Rationale: these coaches have won six (6) NFL Championships, regardless of era, and are all considered visionaries in their own respects with two being founding fathers of original NFL teams while the third a revolutionary of defensive schemes which have impacted potent offenses on the grandest of scales. Next in line:

Vincent Thomas Lombardi (five NFL Championships)
Chuck Noll (four NFL Championships)

Other visionaries who belong in this list include:

Paul Brown (three NFL Championships)
Bill Walsh (three NFL Championships)
Joe Gibbs (three NFL Championships)
Andy Reid (three NFL Championships)

That makes nine (9) for the top 10 list. So, who do you like for the remaining spot? It really comes down to whether you like Don Shula versus Tom Landry. Both have two (2) NFL Championships to their name (NOTE: I'm not counting Shula's 1968 NFL Championship since it was the equivalent of an NFC title and his team lost Super Bowl III to the Jets). Shula has the "Perfect Season," as well as the winningest head coach in NFL history title, so I'll give him the edge and Mr. Landry, whom I deeply respect, drops out of the top 10.

So, in the final analysis, Championship victories are the ultimate objective criteria to support greatness and, with that, I would add Curly Lambeau, respectfully edge Tom Landry to #11, and remark that the originator from 33rd Team did a good job in putting this Top 10 Head Coaches of All Time together.

Peace!

This, this is THE list

[MightyGiants]

I think @kartanoman has the master list.  It comes down to Parcels, Landry, or Shula for the last spot

[Philosophers]

How does anyone say coaching pre vs post free agency is the same thus 5 championships in either are equivalent?  No way.

Coaches in free agency era are higher tier to me.

[MightyGiants]

How does anyone say coaching pre vs post free agency is the same thus 5 championships in either are equivalent?  No way.

Coaches in free agency era are higher tier to me.

That is a fair point as well.  Although, I will say that pre-free agency, it was harder to turn a bad team into a good team, as the draft and trades were your only means.

[MightyGiants]

It's funny how no one mentions Coughlin.  He has two championships to his name.  Plus, he took the new franchise Jags to an AFC Championship game.  I think there is debate over who was a better coach for NYG, Coughlin or Parcells.

[Painter]

It's funny how no one mentions Coughlin.  He has two championships to his name.  Plus, he took the new franchise Jags to an AFC Championship game.  I think there is debate over who was a better coach for NYG, Coughlin or Parcells.

Good point! While it's always horses for courses and without regard to top-10 lists, I view Major Tom as every bit the equal of the Tuna.

Cheers! 

[kartanoman]

It's funny how no one mentions Coughlin.  He has two championships to his name.  Plus, he took the new franchise Jags to an AFC Championship game.  I think there is debate over who was a better coach for NYG, Coughlin or Parcells.

Good morning, Rich @MightyGiants .

If we wanted to evaluate the top 10 coaches based on two super bowls and conference championships, the pool opens up to include

- Tom Landry
- George Seifert
- Mike Shanahan
- Tom Flores
- Jimmy Johnson
- Buddy Parker
- Greasy Neale
- Ray Flaherty
- Steve Owen

But one head coach I missed, that probably deserves strong contention on the overall Top 10 list, is Weeb Ewbank, the head coach of two of the biggest championship games in NFL history. The first, his Baltimore Colts defeated the Giants in 1958 in what became "The Greatest Game Ever Played," at the time, and again in 1959. His last was one for the ages as his AFL Jets defeated his former team in Super Bowl III to turn the NFL upside down and legitimize the AFL.

In the end, I'd put Weeb in the same neighborhood with "The Two Bills." Tom will join them in Canton one day.

Peace!

Peace

[MightyGiants]

Depending on the list (and assuming one doesn't push Parcells on the list), the Giants have 2 or 3 assistant coaches among the greatest, but none of their own.