Top Coaches

NFL Media Analyst Elliot Harrison released his annual NFL Head Coach Power Rankings this week. It's never wise to take lists such as this too seriously. Just like the recently concluded NFL Network's Top 100 Players. These lists are a curiosity or a starting point for debate. Basically, they are fun. It's fun to see the opinion of others that have an appreciation for the coaches and players that make up the NFL, in this case Eliot Harrison. Here are his rankings of the 32 head coaches heading into the 2014 season:

32. Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders
31. Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns
30. Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins
29. Bill O'Brien, Houston Texans
28. Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
27. Doug Marrone, Buffalo Bills
26. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins
24. Marc Trestman, Chicago Bears
23. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys
22. Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions
21. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
20. Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans
19. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers
18. Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles
17. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts
16. Rex Ryan, New York Jets
15. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
14. Lovie Smith, Tampa Buccaneers
13. Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals
12. Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams
11. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
10. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
  9. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
  8. John Fox, Denver Broncos
  7. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
  6. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
  5. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
  4. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
  3. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
  2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
  1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

First of all, Mike Zimmer will be flying up this list after this season!

It makes sense to lump all of the first-year coaches at the bottom of the rankings. It's nice to see that Zimmer is the highest-rated of those coaches. It's pretty sad that Dennis Allen, going into his third-year as the Raiders head coach, is behind coaches that have not had a top coaching job before. Allen came into a horrible situation with the Raiders. They were lacking in talent and the salary cap was a mess. It's incredible that he hasn't lost his mind during his two seasons in Oakland. A few of Harrison's rankings really surprise me. Bruce Arians at #13 is one. Arians is a terrific coach. I think that he'll be considered one of the better head coaches in the league real soon. . I just don't think that he's there after one year. I'd put him about where Harrison has Marc Trestman right now. In fact, I think that both Arians and Trestman will soar up this list in the coming years. I'm a little surprised by the ranking of the Harbaughs, Jim over John. John has a Super Bowl win. A Super Bowl win over his brother. Jim Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the league but I'd probably still rank him after his brother, Tom Coughlin, and maybe Mike McCarthy. Three straight NFC Championship games, one Super Bowl appearance is an unbelievable start to an NFL coaching career but I think that Jim Harbaugh needs a Super Bowl win before he's ranked ahead of some of the coaches that have at least one. He did inherit one of the most talented teams in the league. That tends to foster early success.