Coaching, one of the most overlooked points of team success to this day. A good coach can take a decent team and make it great, the same way a bad coach can take a great team and make it bad. While the head coaches of the world get at least a good amount of recognition, the coordinators and position coaches get little to no recognition otherwise. We have spoken previously about the top 10 defensive coordinators to coach in the NFL, so now, let us go to the other side and speak on who are the best to ever be an offensive coordinator.

It is first worth noting that we will be following the same format as last time in these rankings. This is based specifically on their tenure as an offensive coordinator, not as a head coach or otherwise. So while a coach such as Kyle Shanahan could make this list, it would be due to his time as an OC, not due to his current tenure as a head coach. So without further ado, let us begin with #10:

10. Kevin Gilbride – Offensive Coach for 22 seasons

Many people forget how exceptional of an offensive coach Kevin Gilbride was back in the 80s and 90s. He started off his career as a quarterbacks coach with the Houston Oilers, working with Warren Moon, and in their first season together Moon had 3,600+ passing yards and 23 touchdowns. After that, he would be named the offensive coordinator, and every year under his coaching they would finished top five in scoring.

He would go on to have a couple unsuccessful stints around the league, before landing with the team he is most well known for nowadays in the New York Giants. He started off as their quarterbacks coach from 2004-2006, working with Eli Manning before moving up to the offensive coordinator position. This first season at OC led to the largest moment of his career, where the Giants went 10-6, working their way through the playoffs including against one of the prime Green Bay Packers teams to make it to the Super Bowl. They would go on to win 17-14 against the undefeated New England Patriots, shocking the world and creating one of the biggest upsets in history. Gilbride would coach from 2006-2013 with the Giants as the OC, and four of those seasons the team would score 400+ points, signifying offensive success at least.

9. Greg Roman – Offensive Coach for 25 seasons

This one is a tough addition, but frankly, a deserving one overall. Greg Roman is known for two stints in his career primarily, those being with the San Francisco 49ers as OC from 2011-2014, and with the Baltimore Ravens as an assistant & an OC from 2018-2022. The primary reason Roman is on this list was his ability to truly utilize the tight end and quarterback positions to the best of his abilities.

In San Francisco, he was able to draw quality play out of Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick to bring the team to three straight NFC Championships. Despite this being somewhat common with Kyle Shanahan now, getting success out of Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy, Roman was somewhat of the early version of that, being able to get the best out of his quarterbacks on the field. He employed a multi-TE system that was seen in San Francisco alongside a strong rushing attack, but then even moreso in Baltimore with many tight ends coming in their doors that were used correctly. Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, Nick Boyle, and more are included in that group. Roman was also crucial in the development of Lamar Jackson, creating the ability for Lamar to not just be a rusher, but also a quality passer.

8. Mike Martz – Offensive Coach for 13 seasons

The greatest show on turf. It does not get much more influential than that, creating one of the most dynamic and successful offenses in NFL history and scheming it so that all the great players could coexist is something special. This offense scored a whopping 526 points, fourth at the time in NFL history, and truly was a special season.

Rams’ head coach Dick Vermeil had the following to say about Martz, which really emphasizes how crucial he was:

“I can’t think, in my history of coaching, of any assistant who came into an NFL franchise and made the immediate impact that Mike Martz did.”

Vermeil would go on to say, “Kurt Warner came off the street, and he (Martz) made him NFL player of the year…I have great respect for him, and I think he has great respect for me. We took a team to the Super Bowl. Without him we don’t go.”

A head coach stating that if his OC was not on the team, then they would not have gone to the Super Bowl, is the greatest respect you can receive as a coordinator. It is absolutely well deserved for this one season alone. Martz would also go on to OC in Detroit, where he would coach Jon Kitna to his first 4,000 yard season at the age of 34.

7. Dan Henning – Offensive Coach for 22 seasons

Dan Henning is one of the longer tenured coaches in history, as a coordinator/offensive coach for 22 seasons and 32 seasons including his head coaching tenure. His most notable endeavor is with the Carolina Panthers from 2002-2006 however. Henning can be seen as a large part of the reason as to why Jake Delhomme was able to come into his own and succeed to the point where the Panthers would make the Super Bowl in 2003. The Panthers scored 325 points that season, and truly looked to be a quality unit overall.

The most notable moment of his career was his ability to help the Panthers put up 19 points in the fourth quarter of that Super Bowl to be able to keep up with the Patriots. While they did lose that game on a walk-off field goal from Adam Vinatieri, the fact that they were able to keep up with one of the most successful teams in football history was truly impressive nonetheless. He would also lead the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in 2005, after putting up 23 points against the Giants in the Wild Card Round and 29 points on a stout Chicago Bears defense in the Divisional Round. While they did not ever win the big game with Henning, the success seen during his tenure, and the ability to develop Delhomme into a quality QB, is impressive.

6. Josh McDaniels – Offensive Coach for 16 seasons

Success is success, even if Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the core pieces known for that success. McDaniels is a hard offensive coordinator to grade, as he was obviously crucial for the six super bowl wins he was a part of. However, he was also overshadowed on offense by the minds of Tom and Bill, who had a ton to do with offensive playcalling as well.

A nice median places Josh at 6th place. Working up from being a personnel assistant to being an offensive coordinator of one of the best offenses the league has seen is absolutely impressive, no doubt. The most obvious display of his talents in my opinion comes from two time periods, one of which was over the course of a season, and the other one singular game. Firstly, the 2008 season, where despite Tom Brady being injured in week 1, and missing all of the remaining season and postseason, McDaniels helped lead the Patriots to an 11-5 record with Matt Cassel. This was a playoff team in every sense except the technicality that got Miami into the playoffs over them, which was better conference record (8-4 to 7-5).

The other experience is the obvious one, 28-3. McDaniels helped lead the greatest playoff comeback we have ever seen, and up until recently the best comeback ever seen in the NFL. The Patriots would go into halftime down 21-63 and even were down 28-9 after three quarters. But then they would pull off the unthinkable, putting up 19 points in the 4th and shutting out Atlanta, going into overtime and scoring the game winning touchdown, ending it 34-28. Josh had a major part in that, and should receive credit for that fact.

5. Bill Walsh – Offensive Coach for 10 seasons

Bill Walsh makes this list for the opposite reasons of Josh McDaniels, those being contributions to the game via scheme building and capabilities to develop an offense around a quarterback with limitations. Bill Walsh, before his successful head coaching stint with the 49ers, was an even more influential offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. Walsh worked under legendary coordinator/head coach Paul Brown, who we will mention later.

With this, Walsh came into an offense with Cincinnati’s new starting QB Virgil Carter, who was exceptionally mobile and a good short range passer, but did not have the arm strength to move the ball down the field. This led Walsh to create a modified offensive scheme, now known as the West Coast offense, a primary component of his success with the 49ers later. But this scheme relied heavily on short range horizontal passing, rather than long range vertical passing.

This allowed Virgil Carter to lead the league in completion percentage the following season (1971 – 62.2%) which despite being low by today’s standards, was extremely high for the time period. Walsh also helped create the successful scheme for Ken Anderson and Isaac Curtis. Overall, his time as a coordinator specifically was heavily influential for the NFL, as he single handedly changed how a QB could play the game of football forever.

4. Paul Brown – Offensive Coach for 25 seasons

Speaking of Paul Brown, let us delve into his career as well. This is a hard dignification to place on Paul Brown, as coordinators were not necessarily a thing back when he first began coaching in the 1940s. However, I believe it is crucial to place him on a list such as this, even if he is not specifically labeled as a coordinator. His ability to coach an offense, and his influence to the game of football, is unprecedented, and needs to be recognized. With that said, let us make the one exception due to the lack of clarity on actual coaching positions back in the 40s onwards.

Paul Brown was most well known for his 17 year tenure as a coach for the Cleveland Browns, and many different additions to the game of football. He was the first coach to ever hire a full team of assistant coaches, to use game film to scout opponents, and to test players on their playbook knowledge. Paul invented the “draw”, a form of offensive play in which a run is disguised as a pass, which is still used extensively in today’s offenses. He also helped to create the modern face mask, the practice squad, and played a crucial role in breaking the NFL’s color barrier.

The accolades roll in as well, 3x NFL champion, AP NFL coach of the year, Ring of Honor for both the Browns and Bengals, 213-104-9 record as a coach, and various other honors from UPI and Sporting News. While he was not necessarily liked by his players due to his strict nature of coaching, he truly modernized the game of football, and made offense what it is today with the draw.

3. Ted Marchibroda – Offensive Coach for 24 years

Ted Marchibroda is another intriguing one in terms of where his success lies, as he is most well known for his head coaching tenure with the Indianapolis Colts. However, he was an offensive coordinator or positional coach for 24 years outside that, and created some of the most influential offensive developments in league history.

Most of his developments came with the Buffalo Bills, where he would spend 4 seasons with head coach Marv Levy. Marchibroda was crucial in the development of the hurry-up offense, where with QB Jim Kelly, the offense would rush up to the line of scrimmage and minimize the time the defense had to make adjustments. This forced the league to create a rule allowing time for substitutions shortly thereafter.

The exact form the Bills used was called the “K-Gun offense”, which was extremely quick and prided itself in the ability to audible and get the ball out fast. In 3/4 of his seasons with Buffalo, they would make the playoffs, and in the last of them, they would make the Super Bowl, falling to the New York Giants. Despite a lack of direct success in the form of Super Bowls, his contributions to the game are amazing regardless, and were truly huge in how 2-minute drills are handled today.

2. Todd Haley – Offensive Coach for 19 seasons

Todd Haley is no doubt one of the most overlooked coordinators of all time, and was crucial to a few different teams and their success long term. He first off was crucial in the development of Tony Romo, and scheming that offense around their receivers who at the time were Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn. Haley was critical to the success of that Cowboys offense at the time, from 2004-2006.

His next tenure was his most notable however. He would join the coaching staff of Ken Whisenhunt, and would be part of the offensive staff that led the Cardinals to be near the top of the league in quite a few offensive categories. They were 4th in points for (427), 4th in yards (5,852), 6th in first downs (328), 1st in passes completed (418), 3rd in completion percentage (66.3%), 3rd in quarterback rating (96.1), and 3rd in receiving touchdowns (31). This was one of the more dominant passing offenses of all time, and that mainly came because Haley was able to get Kurt Warner back into form and resurrect his career in a sense.

Despite never winning a Super Bowl, he was a part of the 2008 Cardinals that nearly knocked off one of the most dominant renditions of the Pittsburgh Steelers we had ever seen, and scored 23 points against them in the game. He would go on to coach a couple other quality offenses, most notably the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2012-2017.

1. Norv Turner – Offensive Coach for 20 seasons

Number one is one of the most influential offensive figures in football to date, learning from one of the greatest to do it, that being Jimmy Johnson. Norv was the offensive coordinator to both of Dallas’ back to back ’92-’93 Super Bowls, and was enormous in the ability to win those. Norv was a large reason as to why Troy Aikman developed into who he became, as he was able to scheme the offense to the strengths of Aikman’s game, and make the Cowboys truly dominant on that side of the ball.

In terms of development, he was also a great developmental factor in the game of all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith. Smith would lead the league all three of the seasons Norv Turner was with Dallas, this was the first time the team with the leading rusher had ever won the Super Bowl. It happened twice under Norv. On top of that, when Emmitt ran for 100+ yards while Norv was on the team, the Cowboys were 21-1 in the regular season and 5-0 in the playoffs.

The third part of the offense was Michael Irvin, who never finished below 2nd in the NFL in receiving yards while Turner was on the staff.

When he came into Dallas, the Cowboys had the worst offense in terms of total yards (255.1 YPG) and points per game (15.2 PPG). By the end of his first season, 1991, the Cowboys were 9th in total yards per game (318.8 YPG) and scoring (21.4 PPG). They would then go up even further in 1992, as signified by their success, with 350.9 yards per game and 23.5 PPG (4th in both).

During his Dallas tenure alone, he saw 2 division title wins, 2 NFC Championships, 3 rushing titles, 1 MVP, and 2 Super Bowl victories, in three seasons.

Norv had influence, success, capability, and longevity, going on to coordinate for the Chargers, Dolphins, 49ers, Browns, Vikings, and Panthers in the remainder of his career. But Dallas will always be something enormously special, and he was able to combine all the components you look for in a coordinator to be the best on this list.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

Tom Landry is widely known for his coaching career in the NFL, and how he was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for 29 different seasons, winning 2 Super Bowls with them and winning coach of the year honors.  But there are many facts that the average NFL fan may not know about Landry, making him even more of an intriguing and polarizing figure in football history.  In this article, I will cover 3 facts about Tom Landry that are interesting to know, that the average fan may not know yet. 

Tom Landry played for the New York Yankees”¦kind of

Most fans of the NFL will know Landry had a playing career, and that he was a pretty prolific special teams player at punter, return man, and occasionally halfback.  What they may not know is that he, technically, played for the New York Yankees.  The New York Yankees were two different entities at the time, with the baseball team widely known, but there were also the New York Yankees of the AAFC.  Tom Landry played 1 season with the New York “football” Yankees in 1949 before they folded, and Landry moved to the NFL with the New York Giants.  Even more interesting?  The New York “football” Yankees played in the same stadium as the New York “baseball” Yankees, in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  So, in all technicalities, Tom Landry played in Yankee Stadium for the New York Yankees.  Kind of. 

Landry not only created one defensive scheme but two

Many NFL head coaches were renowned for their impact on the game based on how many new ideas they created or how many impactful changes they made.  Well, Tom Landry created two different defensive schemes, one of which is used by nearly half the league today.  These are the 4-3 defense, and the flex defense.  The 4-3 is widely utilized today, with the list of teams as of 2022 including:

• Washington Commanders
• New York Jets
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Buffalo Bills
• Philadelphia Eagles
• New Orleans Saints
• San Francisco 49ers
• Indianapolis Colts
• Carolina Panthers
• Kansas City Chiefs

His impact on the game even today, 34 years after his last season, is immense. 

Landry had a family history of military service

Tom Landry, as some of you will know, chose to interrupt his college tenure to join the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War 2, and trained to be a B-17 co-pilot, serving for the Eighth Air Force division, as part of the 493^rd Squadron.  He served for a tour of 30 separate missions and even survived a crash landing in Belgium when his bomber ran out of fuel during service.  However, he also had a brother, Robert Landry, who served in the Army Air Corps as well prior to Tom.  Robert, unfortunately, passed in service when his plane went down over the Atlantic Ocean, where he was pronounced dead weeks later.  Tom chose to serve in honor of his brother and joined the same branch of service to do so as well. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

This NFL season has most definitely been a memorable one, to say the least, with some of the best teams completely underperforming, and some of those we thought would be the worst at the top of their game.  The primary reason some of these teams with lower-tier rosters have been able to get to the top of their division or near to it has been their head coaches.  Head coaching is a huge deal at this level of play, hence why the NFL hands out a Coach of the Year award every season.  In this article, I will be detailing the top 5 candidates for this award so far this season and briefly describe why they deserve this award. 

#1 ”“ Nick Sirianni ”“ Philadelphia Eagles

As of right now, it should be a no-brainer who the leading candidate is for Coach of the Year, as winning is a huge factor in this award, and Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles is currently 8-0 as of the writing of this article.  After building this roster with young talents through the draft and flashy trades, Sirianni and GM Howie Roseman have brought the Eagles back to a winning culture, which is due to coaching just as much as the players.  Jalen Hurts has been developed into a very quality starting QB in this league under Sirianni,  which has propelled the Eagles from a middle-ranking team to the top of their conference and the only remaining undefeated team for now. 

#2 ”“ Robert Saleh ”“ New York Jets

Second place is tough, as there are a lot of underwhelming rosters outperforming their skill due to great coaching, but the New York Jets have been able to do it against premier teams in the NFL, which is what I took into consideration here.  Just last week the Jets took on the Buffalo Bills, who are one of the if not the most well-rounded roster in the NFL, and beat them 20-17 on the back of a phenomenal defensive performance.  Know who was responsible?  Head coach Robert Saleh has found his footing in his second season as the Jets head coach and led them to a 6-3 record as of the writing of this article. 

#3 ”“ Kevin O’Connell ”“ Minnesota Vikings

Next up we have a rookie head coach and one of the youngest head coaches in the league, Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.  While they may have some of the top premier talents in the league, such as Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, they have also been coached up to a 7-1 record after struggling with a very similar roster last season under Mike Zimmer.  While their schedule has been slightly weak to start off the season, they have also performed well enough on the field to warrant this record, and seem to be a shoo-in as NFC North division winners this season as long as they do not fold under the pressure down the stretch.

#4 ”“ Brian Daboll ”“ New York Giants

It feels almost wrong putting Daboll so low on this list, but that just goes to show how great the head coaches have been this season.  Another rookie head coach, Daboll has led the New York Giants, one of the lesser rosters in the NFL entering the season, to a 6-2 record, and straight into the dogfight for the NFC East division title.  The giants have had 3 statement wins so far this season, against the Tennessee Titans (21-20), the Baltimore Ravens (24-20), and the Green Bay Packers (27-22).  Overall, Daboll has done a great job utilizing the run game with Saquon Barkley correctly and has turned this franchise back into its winning ways in only half a season.

#5 ”“ Mike McDaniel ”“ Miami Dolphins

Another AFC East head coach coming from the San Francisco 49ers previously would be Mike McDaniel, who has been able to handle the turmoil of losing Tua Tagovailoa mid-season relatively well and has coached this offense into something teams fear now.  Just 3-4 years ago this team was at the bottom of the league scraping up losses to try and tank for Tua, and now they sit only a half-game back of the AFC East title and are doing everything in their power to take this division away from the Jets, Bills, and Patriots.  McDaniel has the assets to work with, hence why he is lower on this list slightly but is absolutely deserving of this award if he can keep this team on track going the distance. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

What better time to write a potential Hall of Fame piece than just after Christian McCaffrey just put together the first triple crown (1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD, 1 passing TD) since 2005?  There is no better time.  In this article I will be discussing the career of premier back Christian McCaffrey, and if his career trajectory could be one that could be enshrined in Canton, Ohio someday in the future.  So without further ado, let’s get right into it. 

Stats & Accolades

Let me put something into perspective quickly.   Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, one of the best to ever do it no doubt, had 4,956 rushing yards, 1,307 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, and 39 rushing touchdowns in 7 seasons (65 games started, 68 played).  CMC has 4,112 rushing yards, 3,371 receiving yards, 19 receiving touchdowns, and 33 rushing touchdowns in 5 ½ seasons (59 games started, 66 played).  We talk about how injured McCaffrey is, and yet through 6 seasons he will likely play more games and start more games than Sayers, and if he can really take off these last 8 games, he could even surpass Sayers in rushing yards and touchdowns.  Keep in mind this is on similar efficiency as well, with Sayers having 5.0 YPC and CMC having 4.6 YPC behind what is one of the worst offensive lines of our generation. 

McCaffrey is also a 1-time pro bowler and a 1-time first-team all-pro, and frankly one of the most impressive halfbacks in recent memory, even with the injuries. 

So is he on a HOF trajectory?

Projecting a Hall of Fame career when the player is 26 years old is difficult, as this player still is just entering their prime years, and we saw that this past weekend with McCaffrey.  Comparing him to Gale is just for effect, as I left out the fact that Sayers won CBPOY, OROY, 5 first-team all-pro selections, 4 pro bowls, 2x rushing leader, 1x scoring leader, and a Bears legend.  However, with CMC now on a competent franchise, seemingly healthy, and with a run-heavy coach who knows how to get backs production?  As well as a potential Super Bowl window?  There is potential here for CMC to get his name back into the elite status and really cement himself with some hardware.  We will see where his career takes him, but he is on the right track for now. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

Well, this season has been interesting, to say the least.  The NFC is completely at a loss outside the NFC East (weird, I know).  On top of that, the teams we expected to be elite, or at least were in the past (Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams) are really struggling to open the year.  However, at the top of the NFC South, lo and behold, the Atlanta Falcons.  A team everyone thought would be riding the bottom of the barrel entering the season finds themselves a playoff spot, at least as of this second.  So, here are 3 reasons why they could win the NFC South. 

The divisional competition is fading fast

Tampa Bay and Tom Brady?  On a 3-game losing streak and below .500.  New Orleans?  3-5 and struggling against lesser teams, and with injuries.  Carolina?  I mean PJ Walker looks good apparently but they are committing to tanking by trading Christian McCaffrey.  This division is as wide open as it has ever been, and this is good news for Atlanta as they can really take advantage of it.  They narrowly lost to New Orleans by 1, lost to Tampa by less than a touchdown as well, and really have played solid against better teams. 

The remaining schedule only gets easier

Ok, the Chargers this week are still a tough matchup but have really not lived up to expectations yet.  Then you have Carolina (bad), Chicago (bad), Washington (not bad but winnable), Pittsburgh (below average) the Saints again (division game so winnable), Baltimore and Arizona (both tough opponents, be able to prove your worth), and then Tampa who you narrowly lost to already.  There’s a giant stretch of schedule here where Atlanta could realistically come out 7-5 or higher entering their game against Baltimore. 

Marcus Mariota is playing well enough to compete

Now, is Mariota playing at like a pro bowl level?  No.  But with 1,432 yards, a 62.9% completion rate, 10 passing touchdowns + another 3 on the ground to 6 interceptions, and a 92.7 quarterback efficiency rating/61.5 QBR, he has been solid.  He is not necessarily a player you are going to be winning games because of, like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes, but rather a QB you can win games with, like Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo.  If the playmakers continue to play well, Mariota can lead this team to the NFC South title by season’s end. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFL Hall of Fame is the golden standard for legendary players, with many fans and analysts using it as the bare minimum to be considered one of the best at your position.  Some of the best receivers ever have made the list, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, and many others are included on that list.  In this article, I will cover whether or not Andre Johnson should make the NFL Hall of Fame, and why he should or should not. 

Stats and Accolades Achieved

One of the most notable reasons Johnson is considered in the Hall of Fame discussion is his receiving yards total, where he sits 10^th all time, behind only two non-Hall of Fame receivers in Larry Fitzgerald (not eligible yet) and Steve Smith Sr. (eligible in 2022, was not selected yet).  Johnson also ranks 9^th all-time in receptions with 106, only 16 behind NFL legend Terrell Owens.  Compared to many other receivers, he played a lot fewer games than the average Hall of Famer.  He is 22^nd on the list in games started among receivers and 33^rd all-time among receivers in games played.  This goes to show how effective he was in the 14 seasons he played. 

In terms of accolades, he made the 2003 NFL all-rookie team, 7 pro bowls, 2 first-team all-pro appearances, led the league in receptions and receiving yards twice each, and led the league in yards per touch 3 times in his career.  He has also been added to the Houston Texans Ring of Honor, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Houston Sports Hall of Fame. 

Does Andre Johnson deserve to make the Hall of Fame?

To put this in the most simple context possible, yes.  Johnson ranks among the best of the best at his position all-time in nearly every statistic and played quite a few fewer games than those at the top.  His impact on the Houston Texans is completely not possible to put in words, as he is one of, if not the best player in franchise history.  Despite never having the Super Bowl or offensive player of the year awards to back up his success, he is easily one of the best to ever do it at his position, with very little around him to make it easier.  If you ever want to be an NFL receiver, look up to Andre, he is the exact definition of hard work and success despite the situation. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFL fandom consists of a few things, but primarily it ends up just becoming a debate because everyone has differing opinions.  One of the players who gets debated the most is Ben Roethlisberger, one of the most statistically great QBs of all time.  In this article I will be speaking on my opinion of Big Ben, and whether or not he is overrated. 

Statistical Success & Achievements

Big Ben ranks among the all-time legends of the sport statistically, #5 all-time in passing yards (64,088), #8 all-time in passing touchdowns (418), #5 all-time in games started (247), and only is 18^th in interceptions all time with 211.  His statistical success is pretty much undoubted, as he tops many of the best players this sport has ever seen in passing stats. 

His accolades are where things get even more interesting, as he has one of the best resumes of all time.  2 Super Bowls, NFL OROY, 6x pro-bowler, 2x passing yards leader, most career 500-yard passing games, tied for the most perfect passer rating games, and the most completions in a game ever.  It is hard to be a name on top of one of the most storied franchises of all time, but Ben has done that, being one of if not the best QB in franchise history, and potentially the best player. 

So…is he overrated?

Overrated or underrated is difficult to quantify, as they are the view of the people and fans, so there is no one way to show it.  From what I can tell, he is generally considered to be lower than what he was, as many people take away from him with the fact that he always had top-tier talents, which granted, he did.  The issue with that notion is you could also say he made a lot of people successful, as he was able to push the ball downfield at an exceptional rate.  So overall, I would say he is generally properly or even underrated at times by the general NFL fan, as he should be considered likely a top 10 QB of all-time. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFL Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious places you can have your name placed, and is easily the biggest goal for all NFL players aside from potentially a Super Bowl MVP.  NaVorro Bowman is one such player who could make it into the hall, and enshrine his legacy in the NFL forever.  In this article, I will be going over whether or not he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible next year. 

Stats & Accolades

One of the most impressive numbers in Bowman’s career was his tackles, even more so his solo tackles.  In his career of 8 seasons, he racked up 798 tackles, and in this span he only played in 99 games, starting in 84.  This means he averaged just over 8 tackles in every game he played, which is extremely high efficiency.  Other than tackles, he had 5 interceptions, 30 pass deflections, 9 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 14 sacks, 48 tackles for loss, and 30 QB hits.

In the accolades department, Bowman had 3 pro bowls, 4 first-team all-pro appearances, led the league in tackles in 2015, and was the reason for the NaVorro Bowman Rule.  This allowed officials to review the recovery of a loose ball. 

Should NaVorro make the Hall of Fame?

It is hard to truly make a case for Bowman looking at his production long term, as he did only play 7 seasons healthy, and only 5 of which did he play in all 16 games.  But his efficiency on the field and production when playing is what makes his case debatable, as it did with Calvin Johnson in his 9 seasons.  I would say, as of right now, with his impact made on the team, he should at least be considered for the Hall of Fame, but definitely not first ballot.  He is right on the border of what I tend to consider Hall of Fame level production, so I understand if he makes it in 2023 or onwards, but also if he does not make it at all. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The New England Patriots over the last two decades have been revered for two people, those being now Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.  With head coaching becoming more and more notable by the day and being the primary focus of if a team succeeds or not, we now have the chance to look back into history.  In this article, I will be ranking the top 3 Patriots head coaches of all time and explaining why they are ranked in that spot.  So without further ado, let’s start off with the obvious:

#1: Bill Belichick ”“ 2000 ”“ present

This is about as easy as it gets in ranking any position or coaching group.  There is an immediate and clear-cut answer, and we all know why.  Some may argue Bill just got lucky by drafting Brady, and that his coaching skill is lackluster.  That is all but the truth, as the teams he was coaching were never necessarily the big-name players outside a few exceptions, I mean a 7th-round quarterback was their WR1 for the latter half of their dominance, that being Julian Edelman.  Belichick was able to take Tom Brady, put anyone around him, and just work with the strengths of Brady until they won the championship each and every year.  Many will want to doubt his greatness and find ways to dampen his accomplishments, even I do from time to time, but it is not arguable that he is one of, if not the best head coach of all time.  The list of accolades goes on and on:

• 6x Super Bowl winner
• 3x coach of the year
• 2000s & 2010s all-decade team
• Executive of the year
• Most Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl appearances, playoff wins, and divisional championships as a head coach ever
• 291-146 head coaching record (.666)
• 31-13 in the postseason (.705)

If there is an accolade a head coach can achieve, Bill has it, and frankly he will probably continue to be the Patriots’ head coach for years to come. 

#2: Bill Parcells ”“ 1993-1996

Bill Parcells is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches of all time, yet many forget his stint in New England compared to his time with the New York Giants and as an executive later on.  His record may not show his strengths, going 32-32 in his time with the Patriots, but his accolades do.  Parcells turned the Patriots around from a team who had not been to a playoff game in 8 years to a team that was competing for a Super Bowl in the span of 2 seasons. 

In his first season with New England, Parcells struggled, coaching the team to 5-11 and 4^th in a division of 5 at the time.  However his 1994 campaign is his most notable, with Drew Bledsoe now steering the ship at QB, Parcells led New England to a 10-6 record, and their first playoff game in 8 seasons.  He also won coach of the year by 4 different standards (NFL, AP poll, Pro Football Weekly, Maxwell Football Club) which are the primary companies that have opinions on this debate.  Parcells would have another tough season in 1995 going 6-10 as Drew Bledsoe missed time, and then 1996 happened.  11-5, first in the division, a Super Bowl appearance for the first time in 11 years, and the 2^nd time in team history.  This was primarily a coaching endeavor as well, as Bledsoe struggled that season throwing 15 interceptions to accompany his 27 touchdowns, only had a Quarterback Efficiency Rating of 83.7 (QBR was not measured at this time) and a sub-60% completion percentage at 59.9%.  Overall, Parcells should be revered for kickstarting the Patriots’ era of winning. 

#3: Raymond Berry ”“ 1984-1989

Finally, we have Raymond Berry, who was essentially “that guy” for the Patriots before Parcells and Belichick came along.  Berry was widely renowned for his playing career, but he also coached 87 games for the Patriots later on.  87 games are the 3^rd most in New England history, and he also coached the 2^nd most playoff games for them at 5 and won the 2^nd most for New England with 3.  His most notable moment was bringing the Patriots to their first AFC Championship and Super Bowl in the 1985-1986 season, as well as a 48-39 overall record with the team.  Even though he never won a Super Bowl or a head coach of the year award with New England, he was a quality coach who had a lot of the firsts for the Patriots. 

The post Who are the top 3 head coaches in New England Patriots history? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jeremy Trottier

The Philadelphia Eagles have started off the season hot going 3-0 and being the only team in the conference that is currently undefeated.  This has largely been the product of a few different factors, including a revamped roster via way of Howie Roseman, Jalen Hurts developing exceptionally well, and some all-around great coaching by 2nd-year head coach Nick Sirianni.  In this article, I will be covering 3 reasons why Sirianni could win coach of the year this season, and why I believe he is in the top 3 to be nominated for the award at this moment.  So without further ado, let us start with the first reason.

Low strength of schedule = high win total

One of the main benefits for the Philadelphia Eagles this season would be their strength of schedule, as they are tied for playing the least amount of 2021 playoff teams this season at only 6.  According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Eagles have the 2^nd easiest strength of schedule, only more difficult than the Giants’ schedule.  Why does this play a role in how Nick Sirianni can win coach of the year? 

The reason this has such a huge impact is that despite teams improving over the offseason, the odds that the bad teams remain bad are pretty high.  This should allow the Eagles to make a pretty easy playoff push, with a 93% chance of making the playoffs according to FiveThirtyEight (see tweet below). 

A coach taking a team that was 4-11 the year before he came into the head coaching position to 9-8 last season, and 3-0 already this year, is a drastic improvement in only two seasons.  With such a seemingly weak schedule as well, if the Eagles can take a top seeding, this should all but guarantee Sirianni the coach of the year honors. 

Drastic production increases on both sides of the ball

A very interesting statistic to monitor for NFL teams is points for/points against, as well as points differential, which is notable for offensive and defensive production, and how much one may outweigh the other.  The Eagles are on track for 487 points this season, which would be their highest total in team history, the next closest being 474 in 2014.  As for points against, they have only allowed 50 so far, which would mean they are on pace to allow approximately 283 points this season, the lowest total since 2004 in which they went 13-3 and made it to the Super Bowl.  If you take the points differential for these stats, it would be 191 in favor of the Eagles, meaning they outscored all opponents on the season by 191 points.  This would be their highest total since 1949 in which they won the Championship, and 1948 respectively in which they also won the Championship (both pre-Super Bowl era). 

Now granted, the likelihood of the Eagles keeping this up all season is pretty slim.  But the fact that they had a -84 points differential prior to Sirianni joining, and then immediately went to +59 and now are on track to set records for points differential on their team is immensely impressive.  It goes to show how much impact good roster development and coaching have on a team. 

Developmental Prowess

Let’s just take a look at the players Sirianni has developed in the last two years to be high-tier draft talents or better than they were before:

• Landon Dickerson (0 sacks allowed this season, 2 penalties in 207 snaps)
• Jalen Hurts (916 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 67.3% completion rate)
• Devonta Smith (249 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 65.2% catch rate)
• Jordan Mailata (1 sack allowed this season, 3 penalties in 218 snaps)

While Sirianni has not necessarily been the best developmental coach of all time or anything, he has done well to turn the prospects he has into functional contributors to the team.  This is key with any new head coach who is taking the spot after previously being a coordinator, as it shows they not only know how to call plays for their side of the ball, but also know how to develop talent, and work other parts of the team. 

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