NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Ranking (Almost) Every NFL Head Coach

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by SB Nation's JP Acosta to draft the non-first-time head coaches across the NFL. Find out which coach gets taken off the board first overall (03:38), where coaches like Dan Campbell (08:35), Sean Payton (19:20), Mike Tomlin (27:30), Pete Carroll (38:34), Nick Sirianni (42:50), Zac Taylor (01:02:40), and every eligible coach falls on the board!  Note: time codes approximateNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we've never watched game film with Matt Eber Fluse either. I'm Greg Rosenthal, and I'm talking to my friend J.P. Acosta. of SB Nation, and J.P., you made a mistake. You did too awesome of a job last time. You were a fan favorite of the listeners of NFL Daily.

So I asked you back real quick, and I'm talking Eberflus, because we're talking coaches today. We're going to rank the best coaches in the NFL. Hope you're ready. I'm ready for it. Unfortunately, Matt Eberthus will not be on this list, but I think his beard should be an honorable manager. I know.

It feels like kicking a guy when he's down to call him out. He's a very good defensive coordinator, and his defense in Chicago had an identity, and he got it going. So that's one thing I look for in a coaching staff and a head coach especially. I think he'll be good in Dallas, but he's actually someone I was thinking about, and I'm referring to the article that Seth Wickersham wrote about Caleb Williams. It's actually an excerpt from his book. We'll mention that maybe a little later, but just that he was just all on an island.

No one was watching game film with him. And just thinking about Iberfus makes me think. about if we did this exercise a year ago right now. I think there'd be more obvious guys at the bottom. And so that was my overarching thought. We're not going to rank the first time head coaches just because it seems silly. But me and you,

we're going to go back and forth making picks and just rank them one to 29 because there's four first time head coaches. And so we're not going to mess with Kellyn Moore. It's like, what are we going to do ranking him? But Mike Rable, Pete Carroll, like, they're up for grabs because they've been head coaches before. And my thought was like,

the coaches are pretty, they're fine. Like, I feel bad for whoever gets ranked 20th to 29th. It's like they don't seem like they're bad coaches. I think in general, my overarching statement is the coaches are fine. There's not as big a difference between like a bad coach and a good coach as you think. There's a few bad coaches usually. And actually, I think right now, like there's not that many. Yeah, I think this, I guess who can call it parity among coaching ranks?

Like, there's a lot of balance around the league. And I think some of it is due to all, there's sort of. every coaching tree has its own like offshoots where everybody comes from like a shanahan or mcvay style offense so eventually those things sort of kind of work out but there's so many there's so much balance across the league like you said like you said among coaching staffs that it made ranking this really hard because like you like you said going to like the into the 20s you're like oh like i could see this guy moving up a lot they seem like good coaches even whoever's going to be around 10 12 we'll see what happens i have like long had a theory, which I would probably tweak now, but it was, it was mostly that there's like a handful of really big difference makers on each side of the leisure when it comes to coaches, like on the plus side and on the negative. And the rest, it's just like it's about the players. And it's still always about the players, but that there's a big middle class where there's not that much difference. So what we're going to do, like I said, we're going to rank them in a

unique way. It's basically like a draft, but it'll end up being a ranking where we just go back and forth taking who we think the best coaches left on the board. And we're really evaluating them, not really for everything that they've done or even what's going to happen in the next five years. Like, who would you want coaching your team right now? And of course, what they've done in the past, you know, comes into that. That's their track record that informs your pick. So I wanted to have you on it in part because I was curious who would be your number one coach. So I will give you the first pick here and start out with picking your coach. Okay. So the way I kind of thought about this is if I were a team building an expansion franchise, if I'm trying to get

a team from the floor up, you know, and that actually raises a lot of questions about a lot of coaches in the league where you're building something, you're trying to grow into a team being a consistent force. I say all that to say my number one pick is Andy Reid still. Okay. I think Andy Reid is still the best coach in the NFL. I think. I think his ability to maximize everything that he does on the offensive side of the ball as a play caller. But he gives his players so much confidence. And we're going to talk about that a little later with a lot of other coaches, but the confidence that his players play with and the ability for like a Travis Kelsey to catch the ball and then lateral it behind him in a way that I don't

think any other coach in football. We don't even have to go to like, we can go to like high school levels. No coach is teaching their players to do that. But Andy Reid gives his players this freedom to kind of just be, kind of just move freely in a form of an NFL offense or just on both sides of the wall. So I think that freedom and an ability to consistently build something from the floor up, the consistent winning, I think Andy Reid's still number one. I agree. He's got everything that you would look for. Now, if it was for the next 10 years, obviously he's getting up there. Could you say the creativity, the last couple years, have we seen it as consistently?

I guess that would be a question. I'm just trying to think of any reason you wouldn't. But no, he was my number one because, A, he builds a great coaching staff. He has the respect of his players, the freedom that the type of place that Steve Spagnola would want to stay there forever. And I know he has my homes, but I'm old enough to remember having the take for a long time before he ever won a Super Bowl that he was the second most important, maybe the most important, but the second, you know, best coach of this century before he even ever won a Super Bowl

because that was the influence that he had on the offensive side and how he never stopped evolving. And now that he's won all those Super Bowls, it's not just about Mahomes for me. He can manage players, but he gives you a schematic advantage. And that's for me, like the ultimate package, the person who can run an entire building in his case because he's ultimately more important than the GM there to run a coaching staff and give you a schematic advantage and handle the person. So I'm with you. I'm going to go with my pick number two. And this was where it started getting tougher for me, at least. I am going to go with Sean McVeigh for similar reasons to Andy Reed in

that. I think he is a culture in himself. Everyone talks about culture changes for players. I think he is a culture. And I think getting him right now, and I'm really evaluating it on 2025, I think he's grown in that aspect, how he manages people, how he manages the building, everything that you hear about him. He's won a playoff game half the years. He's coached. We've seen him do it with different quarterbacks. We've seen him have to pick new staff in terms of his defensive coordinators.

All of that has really worked. And yeah, I want a guy who adds a schematic advantage and works with quarterback. So it was close to the next handful of picks. I wouldn't argue if someone took ahead. But McVeigh would be my number two. I think that point about evolution is so important. We talk about Sean McVeigh because it's important to remember that he's still 39 years old. It's crazy.

Like if we're talking about 67 and those are the two guys They're kind of are comps for me It's crazy to think of them as comms But they're 30 years apart Yeah it's insane that we think about coaches that we want for the next 10 years And we're still talking about Sean McVe

In this conversation But that constant evolution Like you said Going from a Rams offense The first time they went to the Super Bowl That was so hyper Outside Zone boot action Very traditional

Like kind of West Coasty offense that you think of when you think of Sean McVeigh and to see it more from that into what they run now schematically with a whole lot more like power, counter, duo, the way that they've changed that team not only from a philosophical standpoint but with the body types that they add in,

you have to have a lot of trust in your head coach to not only implement that and get to it ahead of time, but have enough trust in him to make sure that you are developing the players to get to that point. And I think player development has been something that the Rams do really well. They pick all these guys late on day three, but they find all the gyms, you know?

So I think that's a big reason why McVeigh is, I had him at number two as well. Oh, okay. Too much agreeing. And that's a good call about developing, about developing. And I thought even about, like, just working with everyone in the building. Like, he inherited less than he. They've made that really work. Obviously, McVeigh is the most important guy there.

but yeah he has a pretty strong number two i'm curious who you go with number three my number three i i kind of parody myself here but my number three is dan campbell i i love dan campbell i love everything that he stands for everything that he has morphed this lion's team into when i was talking about a coach that you want to build a franchise from the floor up the first guy i thought of outside to Andy Reid was actually Dan Campbell because of his ability to instill a culture. And I know culture kind of gets thrown around like a lot, very buzzwordy around NFL franchises. Ultimately, you have to have good players. But all the players in Detroit believe in Dan Campbell. They have a faith in him no matter what he does. I think he stays on the front foot when it comes to

aggressiveness with fourth down calls, with the timeout usage. And I also don't think he gets a lot of credit for what the offense is done in Detroit because Ben Johnson was not his original offensive coordinator higher. He went out and got Ben Johnson. He went out and kind of helped him become what Ben Johnson is. So I think Dan Campbell's awesome. You can see the passion and the emphasis all his players have in wanting to play for him. And that's something that I think if I'm building a franchise from the ground up, I want that energy and I want that juice in my room. Yeah, we've had the exact same ranking so far. Game management is something that I didn't point out with McVeigh or even read

because I don't think it's their biggest strength, but that is an advantage. But building a staff is so important for everyone. I think Campbell just nailed it. When he got that job, he knew which guys to get. And yeah, Ben Johnson wasn't there initially, but he made the tough decision to elevate him and recognize talent. And I think he's been so good at that. That's why I'm not as worried about the coordinators leaving because I think he's shown

he can identify talent as coaches. But, yeah, doing this exercise, I went back and looked at all the records, all that stuff. And, you know, they went from three wins to nine wins to 12 wins to 15 wins. And, yeah, he's worth a little extra just for the social media content, like, after the game. So I'm with you. That was my number three. I want him leading me. And he's the first guy where it's like, technically he's not providing that schematic advantage, I think, is important.

Although he has called plays. And I think he has a bigger say in the offense, like you mentioned, than other people think. And now this is where it gets really interesting. And I'm, I don't know if this is a reach or what you'll think. But I'm going KOC next. I do believe it. This is where I could have gone with anyone in the next like six, seven picks. And I think you could make an argument.

And maybe he's getting an advantage like Dan Campbell that they've only coached for so long. And we haven't seen many of the warts or almost any of them. But in that article, I mentioned about Caleb Williams. Like they didn't want to go to Chicago. Caleb Williams didn't, him and his dad. at first. They wanted to go to Minnesota because they believed in what Kevin O'Connell is doing so much. Same thing with Brett Farve. I mean, with Aaron Rogers. I mean, Aaron Rogers is prostrating himself saying he'll take less money. He'll do whatever. He'll be a good teammate because he wants to go

for Kevin O'Connell. And I get it. I believe because of him, the combination of him as a person and him as a scheme guy and him as a quarterback guy, man, that is a great place to start. and that's why I just gave him like a little edge over anyone else because anyone else I just was picking nits that I have a hard time I don't know where to pick the nits with Kevin O'Connell right now. He's kind of had a charm life. So I actually, I had him in my top seven. Okay.

I think, but I agree with everything that you said. And some of the one year that I think really grew my appreciation for Kevin O'Connell was the last year Kirk Cousins had before he tore his Achilles ended up leaving the Vikings because of how much Kirk had grown as a passer where he's like Stead hold staying in there in the midst of like pressure firing darts over the middle this is something that i don't think i've seen kirk cousins do in a long time MVP candidate kirk cousins i mean yeah it was it was insane so i was like i grew my appreciation for kevin o'connell grew that year and then this past year with sam darnel that quarterback in the ways that he's

able to maximize his offense around what his quarterback is good at and kind of it kind of massed the inefficiencies of his quarterback within the offense and just turns up all the explosives and all the things that his quarterback is good at which is something that a play caller should do but not only that like this team is built in kevin o'connell's image they they have everything that they want that you look for in a contender and a super bowl contender and i think kevin o'connell's ability to remain steady in the force of that. He's, he's always a calm presence on the sideline, which I think really matters and is really going to matter this year when you have a rookie quarterback. Yeah, I thought a lot about staffing too, and like they had to change

her defensive coordinator, and he made that tough decision. And he, on some hand, he got lucky that Brian Flores was available, but I appreciated that he respected Flores to bring him in at that point in particular. And Flores' is, you know, tenure when the rest of the NFL maybe wasn't as high on him and lets him do as thing. The one negative, if I try to think of it, I do worry a little bit about the Quesi, Adofa Menta thing, and his relationship there. It just seems like they're not,

you've heard whispers, they're not totally on the same page, and that's tough for a first time head coach. He inherited Quesi. It's not like they came up together, so I didn't want to knock them too much. I was thinking if it was my team, who do I want to run a team? Ideal situation, he would be my pick.

But who do you got as your next pick? This is number five. So I'm going between two right now. my four and five, and I think if I'm going, moving forward into the future, I am going to choose Kyle Shanahan still. He's my next guy too. I think he is still one of, if not the best play caller and offensive designer in the NFL. It's not just, oh, he draws up the cool plays. It's the intention with which the plays are always like play calling is so much less about the design and when to call the right play. And I think Kyle Shanahan has done such a great job of mixing both the design.

And when things don't work, just hammer the thing that does. And I think that's something that Kyle Shanahan has done well. The game management stuff really, really scares me. Sometimes I remember saying it, all the Shanahan McVeigh coaches, if they're like RPG characters, they spend all their points on with on intelligence and charisma and none on wisdom when it comes to game management but hanahan's ability to also consistently find good hires on both sides of all you know he found mike mcdaniel i think the divas a coordinator hires outside of the weird nick sorenson brandon staley amalgamation that they had last year have all been good so i'm i'm still a fan of what kyle shanahan does, I know for a weird reason, there's always been like the, well, Kyle Shanahan get traded

or he's got, are the Niners going to fire Kyle Shanahan? And I'm just like that, none of that makes sense to me ever, because I still think he's one of the best coaches in the NFL. Yeah. The question with him, and he was next on my list too, because ultimately I was thinking about, I was sort of thinking about this year, like, who would I want? And the ceiling is so high, that's what I want in terms of he might be the best play color. He's won multiple playoff games in four of his eight seasons. So not just making the playoffs, not just winning one playoff game, but winning multiple games half the season. Now the other half, he's lost double-digit games. And so that sort of, it does make you worry about how does he handle the rest of it, the

emotions of it all, the ups, the downs, handling the front office side of it where he's, you can tell he's the big voice there. It reminds me a lot of his father, who I think ultimately was the best play color of his generation, but all the rest of it, like kind of the human side of it, got in his own way over and over again. And so he's a high risk, high reward pick, and yet I would take him. And I got to say, the next name that I wrote down is also from that coaching tree. But then I would realize that we would have taken four of the McVay trees guys in the top six. So just because I now feel differently. I'm actually going to take John Harbaugh because push comes to shove, I'd rather have a scheme guy. And that's why even on my initial list, they have the other, you know,

McVaytree guy. You can guess who it is. And it's still sitting out there. But he's done it with two quarterbacks. He's done it over 20 years. He is excellent at handling all the other parts of the job in terms of the media and getting the building all on the same page. And man, can he hire? Like, he has gone through so many different staffs over the years, and ultimately, they've all been going in the right direction. I think he's in a good spot in Baltimore with the GMs that they've had and everything like that, but you can only evaluate what he's actually done. And I just feel good. After you just took a big swing on Shanahan, I just feel like John Harbaugh, to me, is a safe and an underrated and a good pick. I think John Harbaugh is one of the faces of stability when it comes to an NFL franchise.

You always know with John Harbaugh as your head coach, you are going to. going to at least make the divisional round of the playoffs. Now, whatever happens after that is like weird. Every Ravens like divisional round or ASC championship game gets really weird. I don't know what happens there. But like you said, the ability to consistently make good hires and the ability to understand when something isn't working, you know, that untethering from Greg Roman who had been like been his guy. It's something that has to be commended. So I'm a big fan of John Harbour. boss still as a coach and like what he brings to a franchise how he manages people is really important to me i'll never forget how he managed lamar's rookie year and how steadfast he has been since day one

when lamar took over how spent i think he has just managed that relationship and understood lamar's greatness and how to work with him so well from day one and i think i mean look he's grateful to lamar because he helped save his job that was in the 20 year run you know that Harbaugh's had about that there was about a two, three year run there where it was getting a little rickety. But yeah, I think the emotional intelligence is sneaky high there. All right, you're up, you're up with our next pick. What are we at? Number seven here. I'm going back to the unction. I'm going Sean Payton. And I think this past year with how he handled Bo Nix made me appreciate Sean Payton a lot more because I know it's very like, oh, obviously, it's really

hard getting a rookie quarterback acclimated to the NFL. And what he did with kind of not forcing him, I think early in the season, they tried to force him to do a lot of the big boy quarterback stuff. And then realizing that this just isn't going to work. This isn't going to be sustainable right now is something that I had a big takeaway from from watching the NFL's past season is just getting your quarterback, your young quarterback in and doing what he does best right now while you just sprinkle in things that you. you want him to improve on. You sprinkle in all the difficult stuff. You're not going to ask

your rookie quarterback to come in and do master's level quarterback stuff. You just have him do the beginner stuff and then sprinkle it in as he grows over time. And I think that growth is something that I really appreciated from Sean Payton's offense. I think the position coaches that he hires are really good, especially their offensive line coach who has helped develop that offensive line into a really, really good unit. I do think the Vance Joseph, like just kind of letting Vance Joseph hang around still is like, oh, that's really smart, letting that guy who coaches a really good defense to stay around is a good idea. But what Sean Payton has done to maximize his rookie quarterback while not asking him too early to do too much is something that I really

appreciate. And I think that's something that's going to really kind of, despite his age, I would still want him as like, in a one game sample size, I would still win. Sure. Or even a one season. Look, I thought going into last year, I'll admit I was wrong about the Broncos, and I thought he was giving some Parcell's vibes that it was getting towards the end, and maybe he's not as detail-oriented as he was with the Saints, because that's one thing you always heard about the Saints, and the second he left, like you saw the difference. Like, he sees the whole picture. He, like, the way their teams drill and situational football and not making mistakes and line play and obviously quarterback play.

He really makes it happen. You have to give him credit. The way he could win games without Drew Brees after he left, to me was impressive the impressive the way he's done it with Nix. I think you get a little bit of drama. If we were in this hypothetical world, we're ranking, we're not pretending we're NFL owners and giving us billions of dollars in our pocket. I would be as an owner a little more anxious about Sean Payton

because I think there might be like a little bit more like drama behind the scenes and some, he's like a little bit of a diva maybe compared to some of these other coaches. But you know what? He's earned it. So he wasn't too far down my leg. He was only a couple more down my list. So I like that.

I'm going Matt Lafleur now since I didn't last time. Like he's 67 and 33 as a head coach. His worst season as a head coach is eight wins. He obviously can work with different types of quarterbacks and kind of make the system work to you. The Malik Willis couple games was just like awesome and showed his like was a way for him to flex. but it didn't surprise me just because of the way that I saw him improve Aaron Rogers,

the way Jordan Love came out as a pro in terms of as a starter. I don't know if he, like I just said, Sean Payton, like really sees the whole picture in a way that maybe no other coaches. I think that was probably a shortcoming for LaFleur, like when he started. And he doesn't need to be the GM or anything in Green Bay. And he doesn't, you know, it's not all about relationships. But I think he's grown into that, kind of like Sean McVeigh, not as high level as Sean McVeigh,

but I think he's a better coach than he was when he started out. So he's given you that schematic advantage. I think he's been through some wars, and man, he's won a lot. That stretch where Jordan Love was hurt and Malik Willis played is some of the best coaching I think I saw of the season. And just not only were they able to hold water offensively, they were still generating explosives in the run game.

They were running like darn near like Paul Johnson, like triple option stuff for Georgia Tech in the NFL and I thought that ruled I would I love Matt LaFleur's design and play calling offensively he was one of the guys I was thinking about picking but I think a little bit of my shortcomings with him comes from the game management

I still think that kind of again he's the Shanahan McVeatry where you spend all the points in drawing plays and really nice edge ups when it comes to the beard but I think the game the game management still has to improve. But like you said,

if it's a one game or one season sample size, I'm taking, I would really like Matt LaFleur as my head coach. Yeah, he also maybe hung on to his defensive coordinator

too long. You know, I was rewarding some coaches for making a switch. Is that entirely his decision or not? I don't know. It depends on the organization,

but look, he's kind of established himself as a guy. All right, JP, you are up next with the ninth best coach. Oh, man. I'm trying to decide between the unction again or going to a new generation. I'm going to take a swing here. I'm going to go with D'Amico Ryans.

He was next on mine too. Man, we were two on board the same way. I had Domingo Ryans on this list, and it was sort of contingent last season on what would he do with Bobby Sloat? Because that offense just completely sputtered out. It looked like Sloat. to run out of answers with that offense. And the offensive line play was God awful, as we all saw.

But D'Amico Ryan's showing that ability to self-scout and go, all right, this isn't working. We got to get him out of here. Was a really big feather in his cap. But I also think the big thing is just how he's managed and grown that defense. That defense is still incredibly young, but could be one of the best defenses in the league this upcoming season. And again, I'm a big fan of you see the passion.

and the energy that his guys play with because of him, because of that growth and that faith that he puts in a lot of those young guys on the team. I think the Texans being good so quickly, his sort of mass, the fact that they are still a very young team, sort of like with Matt LaFleuress Packers, they've been the youngest team in the NFL for the last couple years, but the Texans are right behind them.

So I think what Tamika was done with such a young team so quickly makes him my pick here over guys who might be a little older, who have done it more, but I'm taking a swing on D'Amico and what he's able to do. Yeah, to me, as a prospect, as a choice in this draft, and I had him in exactly in this spot, actually, you're taking a bigger swing. You know, I'm trying to think of, like, who he would be as a prospect that, like, maybe there's some downside, like a Drake May or something like that, but he's got every tool that you want.

In two years, look, he's won a playoff game in each year. with a team that the three years previous to him coaching there had won a combined 10 games. So I do think that matters. Now, he's only had two years, but he combines what we've liked about a lot of these top coaches, especially like a McVeigh to me. I think he has that sort of ceiling where I think he kind of can be a culture unto itself.

I don't think he's getting involved in the front office as much, but he's also providing a schematic advantage. And that's really important for me if I'm going to pick a defensive guy because there's only so many defensive guys that you can see their imprint and it's consistent. Defense is less consistent in general. And you've seen it as a coordinator and now you've seen it as a head coach. That is a Demico Ryan's defense and he got them going right away. His game management is definitely a downside of where he's at.

So you hope that he gets better. But I admit I'm being a little agist here. And I think you are too in that with like the tie went to the young guy, I think, because I think they can grow into the job a little bit. All right, I'm going to make the 10th pick here. It's kind of sad that he's sat here this long, but I'll go Mike Tomlin. It is about respect a little bit

because, like, ultimately, I do want a more offensive-minded guy, and I don't know why they haven't been more aggressive about fixing the quarterback situation, but in the end, they are more than the sum of the, their parts. Like, it's facts that he reaches these players on a level that's, like, hard to completely quantify in that he is a great defensive mind. And he's a frustrating coach, I think, for Steelers fans right now because of the ceiling. And that's why he fell this far because, look, he could have had an argument some years to be in the top two or three in

terms of what he has done. Obviously, we know, like, you're going to have a good record when you have them. But the fades at the end of the season are a little bit of a detraction. And yet, when it comes down to it and I looked at the rest of the names on this list, like, I do want Mike Tomlin. Like, we'll figure it out, bro. Like, I'm going to help you out. Get it. Figure out how to hire coordinator. That's probably like the number one thing that he has not been able to do offensively. I mean. Yeah, I think, and Mike Tomlin is one of the guys that I was considering with Demico Ryan's is he's always going to get you to a point where you can compete for a playoff spot. And you be in the playoffs. What happens when you get there, you might just run out of gas because the

offense doesn't have enough juice. But Mike Tomlin has become sort of this like Steelers fans want him to be fired and every fan outside of Pittsburgh is like, no, that would be so stupid. Right. Because he brings this consistency. Like we said with John Harbaugh, the consistency that he brings to a franchise and just we are going to play a certain style. We're going to play a certain type of way and it's going to get us this far. I can appreciate that. I can appreciate getting to the playoffs,

getting to the wild card. As a Jaguars fan, I can appreciate making the wild card every year because most teams would wish for that level of consistency from their head coach. But like you said, the coordinator stuff has been just, it's been the reason they've fallen apart

at the end of seasons. and then the game management leaves you wanting a little more. But at the end of the day, he's going to get you to the playoffs. He's going to get you to that point. He's sort of similar. I know that they have, Spolster has won more, but I think where Eric Spolker is with the heat

and where Mike Tomlin is with the Steelers are sort of similar, where the talent on the team is not the same. It's not the same level as when they were super highly considered one of the best teams of the 2010s, obviously. But you always want that guy as your coach because he's going to make you competitive. He's going to get you, he's going to get you to the playoffs. What happens when you face a more talented team?

Who knows? But he's going to get you that point every year. He's a little like Belichick in that like Belichick needed Brady to unlock how special of a coach on some level as a head coach Belichick was. It doesn't mean that Belichick wasn't special. If you dropped a great quarterback into Tomlin's lap the last six years, like we'd be talking about him differently.

But I do think that's the reason why it's okay that he fell this far because ultimately I think the coaches that do help out their quarterbacks are more valuable. And this was the first pick that I made that I almost immediately regretted, that I actually felt in my heart. If it was my team, I do think there's maybe a name or two we haven't gotten to that maybe if I was making the decision, I wouldn't. But I'm just like, I'm afraid of Mike Tomlin. He, you know, just I respect Mike Tomlin and I couldn't let him fall anymore.

All right, we will be back. We have not drafted the Super Bowl champion head coach. That was our top 10. We'll be back in a minute. Hey, this is Matt Jones. Now, I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit.

different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. what's up everybody daniel jeremiah here and i'm bucky brooks on move the sticks we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies coaching trends and how front offices construct winning rosters every week we study the tape talk to decision makers and share the insights you won't find anywhere else is the kind of conversation that connects the dots from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow we break down the draft analyze matchups and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends

that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Back on NFL Daily, I can already hear the complaints from some fan bases. Maybe from our producer, Eric Roberts. You might complain. Eagles fans might be complaining. We've gone through the top 10 coaches in the league. Who will you stop the slide?

It's interesting. We're combining on this list. So some of these coaches, it's like it's up to us, stop the slide if we want. You have the number 11 pick here. I will not be stopping the slide. I'm going back to the unction. Give me Jim Harbaugh. Yeah. He's next on mine too. We're too similar. I love, I love Jim Harbaugh, not only because he is, he's so much of the Ra, Ra, Run the Football guy that it's just like, it makes you kind of think like, oh, he's just a meathead. But the way that he kind of helped Justin Herbert grow a little bit,

where he kind of, Herbert has always been like a football cyborg where he's going to get from one to two to three and always play, getting from one to two to three. Jim Harbaugh kind of helped him like loosen up a little bit, play a little more out of structure, and we saw a lot of growth from Justin Herbert in that area. So I take a lot of that into stock and picking Jim Harbaugh here. The reason I pick him earlier was largely because of like Greg Roman, like the attachment to Greg Roman, where like if I'm starting a franchise, and I'm thinking about hiring Jim Harbaugh,

is he going to bring Greg Roman along with him? But you also think about, I know he did it in college, but hiring Jesse Mentor and bringing him to Los Angeles, Jesse Mentor looked like one of the best defense coordinators in the NFL. So it's just kind of that back and forth with Harbaugh, but that ability to take a Chargers team that looked like the roster had completely been stripped apart

and take them to the playoffs is something that I think I really appreciate with Harbaugh. Yeah, and you think about even with Greg Roman, like the offense did improve. It was 12th in DVOA last year. It was coming off a pretty rough year. So it was efficient. He is the guy. I think this might be kind of the end of a tier that I immediately regretted taking Tomlin over. And to be real, if you had taken him as high as four or five, I'm not going to hate it because he's proven it.

He is a culture changer. being around like as someone that's you know gone to training camp with the charge and stuff like it's like the difference between when brandon staley's coaching the team and jim harbott like he came in there and he makes like he makes them a real franchise in a way that they just didn't feel and that that's pretty invaluable so to me any of these guys from about four to to this spot like you could shake them up and i wouldn't argue too hard all right i'm going to go next and again i'm going off my board slightly. It is interesting. When you actually get on the clock, you realize how you really feel. And I don't think Sean McDermott should slip any further. And so I'm taking him now.

And here's why. I've always thought he was underrated in that he provides a really clear schematic advantage defensively. Now, it hasn't been very good in the playoffs. It just hasn't. But we're talking about like the whole thing. He did help change the culture with Brandon Bean. He brought Brandon Bean there. Josh Allen obviously is the most important person in that organization, but they went back to the playoffs before they got Josh Island, and they have been the most consistent defense in the NFL since he got there. They have an identity. They've actually gotten a little more creative in terms of what they do defensively lately, and they just rack up the wins. And there's, you know, you don't. You don't,

don't like love how tight he seems to get. And you don't like love the image of him giving that 9-11 speech and thinking, yeah, if there's, if there's one coach in the NFL that I can imagine doing that, it is Sean McDermott. And that's why like he's not number one or two. But I do think he really, he knows how to do the job of being a head coach. And he gives you a pretty clear defensive schematic advantage that to me is, is proven. And so that's why I'm taking him here. Sean McDermen exists in kind of a weird space when it comes to NFL coaches where it's like he's a great he's a good coach

also has Josh Allen but he also helped build that defense but the defense also falls apart it's like the the kombucha girl meme where it's like oh the team always does great in the regular season and the defense falls apart in the postseason. Ah the office is always great got Josh Allen but it's like he's good

he just again with some of these coaches It's just how to beat the chiefs in the playoffs. Like, it's unfortunate. But he is 86 and 45. Like, and he has found the right coaches around Josh Allen. Now, Josh Allen is helping to make those coaches. But I do give him some credit. I actually want to bring in Eric Roberts.

It's rare. I know, I know Eric doesn't like to talk too much on the show. He's been killing it lately. Just the best editor in the game. But I am just curious. it's been a long time with John McDermott. Obviously, he helped you guys out. I'm wondering how you feel about him,

how you think the average Bills fan feels about him too. Well, I like him. The average Bills fan, I mean, there are plenty Bills fan Facebook groups and forums that want him fired every other week. But, I mean, he does great. But like J.P. pointed out, you run into Patrick Mahomes every year.

It's going to happen. I mean, I've said this when they beat us again this year. It's like, you're great. We're in the playoffs every year. You can't complain. It's at a bad time to be good in the AFC because you have the giant in Kansas City that you just can't get past.

He's like the Jerry Sloan. If you know who Jerry Sloan is, the old Utah Jazz head coach. He's won a playoff game, Sean McDermott five straight years, at least one. Trust me, I live through the drought. I live, but I live through J.P. Lossman.

I live through Trent Edwards. You know, Josh Allen is a big piece of this, and McDermott's just there with them. It's, I compare, we're doing basketball commercials. I compare them Lobb City Clippers back when the Golden State Warriors. They were fun. Dunks made it in playoffs, couldn't get past the Warriors. Just can't get past Kansas City.

I don't want them fired. What are we going to go to? The thing is, too, with these coaches, people want them fired. Who are we bringing in? What are we going to change, you know? Right. If it went south, like, it was getting close there in that year where he made the speech and then they turned around.

I think 12 is a perfect spot for him. But this is where I decided to just stop. the slide. I felt like it was too disrespectful for him to go any, any lower than 12, because I thought he's always been just like a tick underrated. Trent Edwards, by the way, I drafted way too high in a Dynasty League fantasy draft, like a long, long time ago. All right, let's go to pick number 13 here, JP. Am I about to clear out the entire AFC West? I think I pick every AFC West coach. I'm not going to stop here going full unction. I'm a big believer in Pete Carroll. I know he's coming out of the front office, back to head coaching.

I don't think, but I don't think that gap between him coaching versus him being in front office is too far. I think his prowess and sort of his adjustments defensively don't get talked about as much when we talk about the Legion of Boom and how that defense shaped the NFL and then how his defense has evolved to what they've become now. he's always consistently made great defensive hires. I think the work that he did with the offense until like the weird, the rust stuff at the end of the Russ tenure got

weird, but I'm still a believer in what Pete Carroll does and what he brings in terms of a floor razor to an offense. The only reason he's not getting picked higher here is he's 73. Like if we're taking like, if we're taking a coach

for the next few years, Pete Carroll might not be your guy but in a one game in a one season where you're just trying to get you're trying to get a team off the floor I think I'd pick Pete Carroll I love him for the Raiders job this is the first time we've disagreed

I had him much lower ultimately like I had him below 20 because I still think there's a lot of guys who bring certain advantages and his defense to me just wasn't good enough for too long at the end of his Seattle run but as a guy for the job that he was hired to do and sort of how you evaluated it on some level, which was like an

expansion team, I do think he, he's great for that. But do I really, I don't know if I believe he brings enough kind of scheme. And he certainly, you know, doesn't seem like offensive-minded at this point. I, I'm going to go with Dan Quinn next. And part of it is I think, man, I actually, I should have just taken Siri on it because Eagles fans are going to go crazy. I'm given a lot of credit to the second time around theory that Dan Quinn has talked about and that I believe that he learned about what went wrong for him the first time around, number one. And then number two, I think he's evolved schematically to in a way that is intriguing. Now, their defense had a lot still left a lot to be desired a year ago. But I think he did learn a lot, and he is in that mold of a Dan Campbell or a Mike Tomlin or a John Harbaugh

that I think is going to get an entire organization on the same wavelength, even if you're not hiring them just for scheme. Obviously, he's coming off of a great year, but it's everything you heard about him as an assistant, too, in Dallas. I don't think they should have let him go. So if it was my team, he is the guy I'd want running my team next on this list. I have a lot of questions about Dan Quinn, especially for being a defensive coach. The defense sort of like the defense wasn't that good in Washington this first year.

But where I give Dan Quinn a lot of credit is the coaching hire, the office coordinator hire. He saw that what Jane Daniels did at LSU and he brought in Cliff Kingsbury to kind of help him do that same thing. While like we said about Sean Payton, helping him grow as you can continue. to add stuff into the offense instead of throwing everything in the book at him from day one. So I give Dan Quinn a lot of credit there. I just, I worry a little

bit about the defense. But on the, on, if we're spin zoning this, there wasn't a lot of his players on that roster yet. So it's also Washington. Like, I do, I did give extra credit for guys that were in, I think, entering tougher

situations. And I think that was that was what he did, as opposed to the guy we still haven't taken who won the Super Bowl and who's kind of in the perfect situation. Are you going to just get him off the board here? We're at 15. Okay, yeah, he was next on my list too. I stuck to my list.

I kind of regret not going off of it and just taking him there. I'm going to take Nick Siriani here. And the way I describe Nick Siriani to a lot of people who don't really follow football is he is the perfect coach for the Philadelphia Eagles because he is such a Philadelphia. like he am if we're talking about a culture coach he is philadelphia as a head coach he's going to rub people the wrong way a lot he's going to make his own fans want to fire him he's going to make his own fans like yell at him during games which happened during the season they won the super bowl

the players were fighting on the sidelines but at the same time like his ability to rally this team and the ability to continue to get this team to a certain level of play. Is it because the team has built an incredibly stacked roster, sure, but he has a say in building said roster. I know we gave Howie Roseman a lot of credit, but Siriani also has a play in building that roster. And then the coordinator, though, does he? I don't know, man.

I don't know if he has that much say. The coordinator stuff gets weird because, like, it is. It's just tough because Stuyken and Jonathan Gannon, obviously great hires, both on to be head coaches. Then Brian Johnson and the unholy alliance of Matt Patricia and Sean DeSai did not work. So you go out and get Vic Fangio and Kellyn Moore, who were both sort of already established names as coordinators. And the ownership, I think, gets them. And that kind of gets to the trick with Thiriani. He's like a system coach.

you have system quarterbacks. I think they've made it clear that the front office is more important there. So in this evaluation where we're kind of trying to divorce the coach from the situation, I think it's totally fair to put him where he did.

You could argue he could even be lower because some other guys have done other stuff. Look, I was listening to the PHAY podcast last week and Bo Wolf, Zach Berman, they were talking about how I think it was after the Cleveland game.

Remember, they were two and two, and then he did something. I forget which off-field, you know, distraction, like whether it was yelling at the fans or what it was, that Siriani, like, you know, and that was to get them to three and two. And they believed that there was a legitimate chance Seriani was not going to make it through the season, that this was getting untenable. and it wasn't just about wins and losses. And it wasn't, and they weren't just saying that, like, they think that. Like, I think that was a conversation that was happening in the Eagles building.

And now they won the Super Bowl, and I think the players love him. And that's why he goes number 15. But the fact that that's where he was at, like, five weeks. Anyway, it's too long on Siriani. I'm sorry. All right. Number 16. Man, this is where it gets tough.

This is where it's tough because I like the next eight or nine coaches. and it's really tough to separate them. And I think I'm going to, again, go off my board. I'm really not a disciplined drafter. I'm going to take Kevin Stefansky here. It goes to what I was saying about the organization that I give him a lot more credit for winning two coaches of the year trophies in Cleveland.

Yeah. And I don't think he's been handed a full deck in terms of his front office. or ownership, I think he can coach offense. And we're getting to the point of the draft of like, what do I know you can do? And I think he can coach offense. I think he can coach quarterbacks.

I think he can help the offensive line. I don't think he's taking anything away as like a leader of men or anything like that. And so I just feel good about him. He's 16. He actually makes a lot of sense to me as like right in the middle. Yeah, this is actually going to be my next guy. Okay.

And again, I put a lot of stock into winning two coaches of the year, not only at Cleveland, but one of those coaches of the year, you won with Joe Flacco playing quarterback. Like, this is not a team that has had like a bevy of talent on the offensive side of the ball, like just this overwhelming number of good quarterback play. But he's been able to get them to at least a solid level when running his offense. Now, you can make the argument last year that he wasn't running his offense because of the worst quarterback in his. the NFL, but I think when he gets to, when he's running his stuff, when he wants, when he's doing his stuff offensively, the offense looks good. He has a vision and he has a plan for what he wants to do. I think, like you said, this is the perfect spot for him where it's like, I know what you can do. It's just about like the Cleveland tax. Right. Great, great beard. And yeah,

like now Baker's played well in in Tampa but a lot of the other quarterbacks in Cleveland other than Watson played their best ball ever with DeFansky like Jacoby Brissette played his best ball ever with Defansky he's done that repeatedly Jim Schwartz was a good hire ultimately I just think he's a really solid head coach all right you're up number 17 I'm sort of the same boat as you where I'm trying to evaluate what you can do for me if you can provide a schematic advantage this is probably the first one where I have a little bit of regret. I'm going to go Mike McDaniel. Okay.

I'm going to go Mike McDaniel here because I at least know what that offense is going to do for me. I know what he's going to bring to an offense. And I think when that offense was fully up and running and they were healthy, that offense still was one of the more impressive units in the league. I think he has shown that he has the ability to adapt. and grow his offense. But my biggest issue with Mike McDaniel is for the last three years, they've been one of the worst short yardage teams in the NFL.

Eventually, that's got to come back to you. And eventually, like, the offense is going to have to find a way to be sustainable in the cold, in the cold. It's going to have to, you're going to find a way to be sustainable in playoff level, playoff scenarios if you want to be taken more seriously as an NFL head coach. So I have a lot of questions. there. I think the hires, I mean, he calls plays on offense, but the defensive hires have

been all right. I think Anthony Weaver was, I think actually think Anthony Weaver did a pretty good job as defensive coordinator at first year. The Fangio thing just did not work. I don't think that worked at all. But I still believe in what he can bring, like you said, and I think he's going to bring an offense that I know what I'm going to get. Yeah, I think likes DeFansky. I think he's in a tough situation and he does have a clear skill set. Not for nothing. He's gotten 28 and 23 in three years for an organization that has not been very good. And so it's not like he doesn't have some some pelts on the wall in terms of actual production. Yeah, I only had, I had two guys ahead of him because you are worried about, like, is he a system coach? If you put him into the right situation,

like if he's the Eagles, you know, coach, if you put him in there, if he was the successor to Andy read in Kansas City. Like, I would love him in a situation like that. And so I think he could succeed. Can he succeed everywhere? Do I think that this might totally crumble? Because he is not the Sean Payton type that can handle the entire building. Like, yeah, that could happen.

But that's happened to basically every Dolphins head coach. So that might be more about the dolphins. I will go with the Patriots head coach here, Mike Rabel. To me, he is like the coach pick of looks good getting off the bus. Like, literally, but also like he builds his team. that way. And he's just like in front of the podium, everyone believes. I think he's going to get buy-in in a way that Dan Quinn does. So like to me, they were kind of similar options. Second time around, he's got to show me it. And Dan Quinn already did. But second time around,

and he was better than Dan Quinn the first time around. 51 and 45 in Tennessee, like those are all positive. There's a lot of reason to believe that it could go really well and that he could be like a top 10, top 12 type of guy. The downside is he's a defensive guy who just, just has proven he doesn't add a schematic advantage to his defenses. He's been average at best, a little below average on average. And then he gets in fights with his coworkers a little bit. Like there's just been office drama. And I did take that into account. He'd probably be three or four spots higher. And maybe that's not on him. Maybe it is. But there's been like palace intrigue that's kind of followed him around. And I think that's important. I really do. I think

that's part of the job being able to manage all of that, like the power dynamics. And I'm not sure that's a strength of his. I feel like if we're, again, if we put in a scenario of building expansion franchise and you want to hire Mike Rable, I feel like as a GM, as an owner, you have to like physically best Mike Rable for him to respect you. You have to like win an arm wrestle against him. You got to like, you got to let him run the show. I think he's old school where like he sort of has to be the dude and you're signing up for that with with its pluses in its mind. you know. Yeah, I think you have to let him have the control. I think that's something that kind of failed him in his last 10 in Tennessee. But to his credit, it's really hard to get

the number one seat in Tennessee. It's really hard to get that home field advantage. And he did that through a roster that he built. I think some of the game management stuff is actually pretty good. Yeah. Yeah, that's a plus for him. I think it's a plus for him. But again, like you said, outside of the Matt LaFleur offensive hire Arthur Smith was pretty good for him as an offensive hire it sort of it doesn't look that great for him so it went off the rails the defense thing too is the thing that gets me a little bit that they put a lot into that defense and it was always just like

eh it's okay yeah it went off the rails a little bit but I think Rabel's a really solid pick in this area because he's gonna bring at least he's gonna bring a culture. Good value. Good value. All right, who you got, number 19. So the margin between my 19 and 20 is super, super small. And at this point, I'm kind of thinking, if I need one game, can I get a guy who gives me a schematic advantage? I think this might be a little bit of a reach, but I'm going to go with Mike McDonald. Wow. Okay. This might be because I am such a huge belief. believer in Mike McDonald's defense. I'm a big believer in what he's done to build out the

defense and get his guys maximized. I think when you look at what Boy A. Maffe did last year with Derek Hall and being two starting quality edge rushers, the stuff that he's done with Devin Witherspoon has been incredible. I think it's been awesome. And then again, the moving of Kobe Bryant from nickel to safety has really worked out for his career, getting Julian Luthorpe. love to a Pro Bowl caliber level as a safety. I think that defense, if we're talking about one game sample size, I want to believe in Mike McDonald's defense. That gives me him the advantage over guys like Todd Bowles, who I think is a great

defensive guy. He's the next pick. He's my next pick. Yeah, the game management sort of comes and goes. But I just want to see more from his offense or the offense that he wants to run. But again, the feather in the cap for him is seeing that it. it didn't work the first year and was like, okay, scrap it. We got to go do something different.

Yeah, I think it's a good high upside pick. His defense came together. I want to see proof of concept from a coach. What is it that you're bringing to the table? You absolutely saw it the second half of that season. I had them ranked a handful of spots lower. Mostly, I think, just because it's been one year and some of these other guys just like have proven it.

But I think he's got a higher ceiling than the rest. Probably a higher seal than Todd Bowles, who is my pick. And this is interesting. With us going back and forth, ranking it like this, sometimes we'll have guys that were up higher. For some reason, I jumped Vrabel over him, but on my initial list, I actually had him 15 or no, 16, and he's going at 20 here.

Because he's had really high highs as a defensive play caller. In a one-game scenario, he's dangerous. It's not always consistent. Defences aren't in general. But I think he's a very smart defensive. mind there's obviously no question about it uh he's a defining defensive coach of the last 15 years and look they've won plenty of games he's done a good job hiring coordinators i think he's a good value here like i said uh doing the math again actually had him 15th on my board and so he he falls to 20

here i think he's a good coach yeah i think with todd game management is terrible though terrible but it's just like evaluating how important is that it's just yeah it's terrible yeah you got to take the ups with the downs in this range and for as bad as top Todd Bowles is with game management, if you want one guy to call a defense for you for an entire game, Todd Bowles is like one of the guys where I'm like, okay, I'm going to let you just cook on this. I think the biggest examples are the things that he's done to the Eagles. Like, he's done, like, he's put that offense in a blender for most of the time that they've played Philadelphia. So that ability to get the most out of your defensive guys, I think

some of the issues come from just their personnel's gotten hurt. Like you said, not only has he coached really good defense as I can call a really good defense, he's also hit a lot of home runs with his hires on the other side of the ball. So I think that's something that you have to take into account with Todd Bowles. It's just how high can you put him while also acknowledging he might lose you a game when it comes to game management? The crazy thing, though, is if Todd Bowles is the 20th best coach in the league, like, we're doing pretty good. I know he wasn't like inspiring with the Jets. And actually, his record with the Bucks is only three games over 500.

So it's not like regular season. He's been amazing. But he's a pretty good coach to be 20th here. All right, we will wrap up our final 10 just after the break. And yes, by the way, you mentioned the Eagles. They are headed back to Tampa Bay again at the same time of the season. Week 4. One thing we didn't mention in the schedule release show,

so I'm very intrigued to see if Jalen Hertz will finally solve them. All right, back with the final coach. which is right after this. Hey, this is Matt Jones. And I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel?

That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly. exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL.

Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from Scouting Reports and player development to team-building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the

NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig into coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it.

Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Fiorio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fans. Fantasy League this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies.

Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. back on NFL Daily.

I misspoke a little earlier. I said there's four first time new head coaches. There's actually five. Liam Cohen, Kellynne Moore, Ryan Schott-Nimer, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn. They're not getting ranked today. So we're ranking 27 coaches that have actually coached at the highest level in the NFL. We're up to 21 JP. It's your pick.

So I'm going to pick Jonathan Gannon here. It was my pick, too. My pick, too. I think he's sort of become like, I think he got memed into hell when he first got the job, but he's done a good job with this Cardinals team. And I think it starts with his hires on both sides of all. I think Nick Rawless has done an amazing job with that defense and what he's done without the surefire personnel up front. Some of the stuff they do schematically, I love going back and watching the Cardinals defense because they just throw different stuff at you.

It's so many different cool looks. And then it's complimented by Drew Petting on the other side of the ball that runs this version of like Monster Ball that they like to run with all the 12 and 13 personnel and everybody on the field is like six, four and above, except for Kyler Murray. So I think it's super cool what he's done with his hires. I think the management stuff has been pretty good.

It's just about getting over the hump at this point. And can he get over the hump? Yeah, the two Seattle games late. last year were like, oh, okay, they're not ready. Yeah. They just had moments where I was like, oh. But going into last year, they had a six and a half over under win total. They won eight games.

I thought they were much better than their four and 13 record the year before. I thought they were feisty. You know, they were maybe expected to be the worst team in the NFL, and they could have had more than four wins. So I just, I watched them. I think they're a really well coached team. Like he's creative. You mentioned it with the higher good stuff.

That was who I had. next two. I'm going to go with his old buddy, Shane Steichen. Okay. Who is the Colts coach, 17 and 17 in his two years. Again, if this is the 22nd best coach in the league, like, we're in pretty good shape here. I think he has a clear style, like you know what a Shane Steichen offense looks like. He held on to Gus Bradley too long. I guess that's on him.

He kind of inherited him. He did pull off like a winning record with Gardner Minshu. I mean, I'm giving him some credit for that. He hasn't been able to develop Richardson. That's on him. That's on Richardson. And I still have hope. You know, I think at this point in the coaches' draft,

he hasn't shown me to be like a huge negative in any way. So I think he's solid. The QB management really gives me some pause when it comes to Stuyken. Not only just like the Richardson lack of development, it's the putting Richardson in, pulling him back out, putting in Joe Flacko, pulling him back out, putting Richardson back in. It's all these different, like,

all these different quarterbacks coming in and you never can really- Could have been ownership putting their thumb on the scale there. In fact, that's the suspicion, you know? So that's tough. That's a tough situation with the Colts. It is tough, but I think Stuyken's a good value pick here because I just, I think the offense is good.

I think the offense has shown they can be good. They almost made a playoffs with Gardner-Minsuit quarterback. So I'm buying in there. All right, 23. You're up. I'm going to go with Dave Kano. here. Man, we are really disrespecting someone will get to. I think what Dave Conallis did at the end of the season with his QB development

of Bryce Young, I think that has to play a lot in here. I think I would like to see the Panthers win more games now that they have their full belief in Bryce Young. And that offense is sort of, that offense is starting to take a shape that looks like what Dave Conallis wants it to be. So I'm excited to see what they do this upcoming year and then continuing to hold on to I think is a good coordinator is still, it deserves a lot of feather in his cap as well.

But I think I just would like to see them win more games with some weight to them for him to move up. Yeah, the development he has had with Baker Mayfield, you know, you're not going to give him too much credit because I wasn't as a head coach, but, you know, he helped do it and just his spirit. And he's trying to be Pete Carroll 2.0. he's open he's open about it that's his mentor i had him at 25 so a few spots lower just because

he hasn't done it yet but it was promising it was good to see something in his first year like like i kind of said um with mike macdonald like you saw the canales imprint on bryce young and that was awesome i'm going to take zach taylor now just so i don't get labeled uh zach taylor hater any more than i already am i think i used to describe him um that he was just like a polo shirt of a coach You know, I'm wearing one right now, nothing against polo shirts. Like, but they're just, you know, they're just, you put on a polo shirt and you're not going to get too much attention for it. It's not too good. It's not too bad.

And that's Zach Taylor. I just think players matter. And I'm not totally sure if you dropped them into different situation, how well it goes. Now, I do think he manages his players pretty well in terms of, I do think they like, Zach Taylor, like, I think he manages personalities, okay, but they're 46 and 52. You got to count those first couple of years. And when Joe Burrow has started games, the last two years, just one year, they're 14 and 13. And so that's malpractice from an organization.

And I think he's fighting uphill like some of these other coaches in terms of the organization. But ultimately, I'm not sure what I really have with Zach Taylor. So he's 24. So I, hey, look, if you're going to come at me, Bengals, I actually just bumped him up head of Rahim Morris, who I actually had written above him, but I'm going to put him 24 just because it feels bad.

I think Zach, I agree with you on Zach Taylor. It just feels like he's not running the offense that we thought he would coming from the McVeigh offense. It feels like the Bengals are like, you have Joe Burrow and you have T. Higgins and Jemar Chase,

you're not going to run wide zone every play, you know? But it doesn't feel like The offense has his imprint on it. It feels like it is a Joe Burrow offense. But isn't that, yeah, just to, look, he's 24th. That's where I had him too, so I'm not disagreeing with you. But you could make the case, look, you've got to meet the players where they are.

Joe Burrow has a very specific style that he clearly wants to play. And I think it's, you know, to Taylor's credit on some level to get the best version of that offense out there. But you're right, kind of an awkward fit. Probably the best moments just of his career, like as a coach, they did almost win the Super Bowl. That's pretty good for the 24th best coach. And like was when he was winning games with Jake Browning and putting up some offensive numbers.

That was pretty good. All right. You're up 25. We only have three left. Oh, man. I'm going to go with Brian Dayball here. Okay. Poor Rahim.

He won a playoff game. Like he has won a playoff game. No matter what happened in the play in said playoff game, he managed that team to get to. a point where you won a playoff game. He won a playoff game with Daniel Jones at quarterback. So I think his offenses, like, it's tough because you want to say that this team hasn't had a lot of talent on the roster, but he also plays a part in acquiring and developing talent, which is why he's 25th here.

But I guess I go with him over the last two guys because, you know, he's had experience in the playoffs. He's not a bad coach. That's what I was getting at. where like, I don't know, 15 to 25, even 12 to 20. Like, I don't think he's a bad coach. The reason I had him so low, I actually had him 26, was ultimately I went to pro football reference.

And he has run an offense either as a coordinator or a head coach 11 times. And his bills teams with Josh Allen were in the top 10, three times out of his four years in terms of points. Otherwise, he hasn't been over 14th once. And you can go look at those Miami and Cleveland teams. Like, they were bad quarterbacks. I get it, but over the non-Josh Allen seasons, JP, his teams have averaged 25th in points scored.

So you're an offensive guy. I don't know if he has the big picture. I thought the upside for Rahim Morris was higher because I do believe somewhat in the Rha-Raw stuff, for lack of a better word, for like the team building for the getting everyone on the same page, kind of like a Dan Quinn. He needs to prove it.

you know they went eight and nine last year that's probably about right for the talent that they had they were 29th in defensive DVOA but you hear from his players and people that have coached with him they swear by him and I do think second time around he could be a good coach so I think he actually has a higher

ceiling than a Canales or Taylor maybe not Canales but Daibel but you know we're just we're splitting hairs again the fact that he's 26 is a good sign for the state of NFL coaching yeah I think it's a great sign I believe in what were he more is doing culture-wise. I think that the players obviously love him. I do want to see what the

defense looks like when he's running his defense because it felt like Jimmy Lake last year was running Jimmy Lake stuff. And then after Jimmy Lake was fired, he was like, this is now the Rahim Morris defense. And we've already heard and seen players like Matt Judon like say like I did not like running that defense because why am I always dropping in the coverage. So I want to see what he does with his defense now and his players in there. So I'm a little lower going forward, but I do like what he's done to kind of change the culture of that team. Right. I'm glad you brought up Judon because that was the highlight of the 2024 Patriot season other than landing a great franchise quarterback. I suppose that's number one. Number two is getting a third round pick for Matthew Judon. All right. Last up is

Brian Galehan. I can make the pick for you because he's the only one left. And it's just kind of like, I know what you thought about him but it was more just like it's incomplete what are we going to do at this point it's incomplete i honestly did not think he would make it through last season i thought he was going to be a one and done because man there's not a lot that inspired you when it came to watching tennessee but i also can say that denard wilson and that defense they had there's talent on the defensive side of the ball there's not it's not like overwhelming but you have some guys there that you can build off of and now you have Cam Ward number one pick

it's let's see it now like I would like to see that offense be a little bit better and I think the Bill Callahan floor razor for the offensive line should help out this upcoming season but I'm a little less optimistic about

the Ryan Callahan did. Yeah does does he get credit for bringing his dad along? I'd say yes because that should help him and it only helps so much last year but I think their offensive line in the right direction. I'm more on the incomplete. Like, I have my doubts. I know he got picked on once or twice for being a little, like, emotional behind the podium. I actually think if you watch his press conference and hear him speak, it's in his favor. I think he, I think it comes

across as an intelligent, like, well-thought-out head coach, and he's just got to prove it. He was in a tough situation. It's incomplete. I think anyone else on this list has shown just a little more. We did it. We figured it out, JP. We did not. disagree too much either. I got to say, I was wondering, like, if you were just going to take some coach that I wasn't that big a fan of at number four. And I was like, then it'll just be there for all time, because we're going to do this every year. We're going to take, we're going to take a look and see, see how this, how this thing changes. I appreciate you, JP. Of course. Thank you for having me on. Yeah, check out JP, his latest thing on SB Nation. I believe it was,

it was your girlfriend that helped rank the schedule release videos. I mean, you're putting her to work? Yeah, I outsourced this story. I got my girlfriend to help me rank the schedule release videos because as much as I love her and as great as she is, she does not have a lot of knowledge about sports. So one of the quotes in there is who is AI speaking about the build video that featured Alan Iverson.

So I had to explain that bit to her, but she's awesome and she helped me build that list that I think is 100% correct. Shout out to her. And yeah, that bills. AI video got attention for some other reasons. If you know, you know. But I think the Titans won that one. You might have come in last place in this coaching rankings. But my choice was the SkyRizzi Titans one that was having me and my son Walker just crack up. We will be back on Tuesday. You know what

it is. It's the C.U. Next Tuesday crew. It's Colleen Wolf. It's Jordan Roderig. Really looking forward to that one. Thanks again to JP. And yeah, when When we're making Beggos fan and Zach Taylor fans mad again, like, you know, football's back. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective

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