It’s summertime offseason content time! As the season approaches, I’m going to be taking a look at the landscape of the NFL, position by position, over the course of the next several weeks. We’ll be talking about the who’s who of the NFL in our own little version of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” bit they do every year. Up first, we’re talking about the top 10 NFL head coaches for 2022!
Man, every year I do this series, the coaches are the hardest position to rank but that’s not going to stop me from trying. I just gotta gotta get those SEO points in to bring more eyes to SoBros Network, y’know?
It’s hard to quantify the exact measure of what makes a coach good, though. With the players, there’s a wealth of stats, tape, etc. to comb through and find basis for your argument. With a coach, what do we really have outside of wins and losses? So much of the success of a head coach in the NFL depends on what happens behind close doors that we can’t really see it. That’s why, more than any other top 10 I’ll write this summer, these lists are so damn hard to quantify. How I do it, though, is mostly based on the success of the team, how the players respond to the coaching style, and the system and culture of a team under said head coach. It’s a gut feeling, and you can call me out on it if you want to, but this is my list and I will write it how I see fit. Thank you.
The Top 10 NFL Head Coaches for 2022
10. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks – I think Carroll’s legacy has taken a bit of a hit over the course of the last calendar year. The vibe around the Seahawks seems to have changed, and now, it feels like Carroll is about to undergo the first true mass rebuild as Seattle’s head coach. Still, the things I like about Carroll are there – namely his energy and the environment he’s created that enables players to feel like they can be their best self and succeed. If he can win with Drew Lock, then he just might skyrocket back towards the top of this list next year.
9. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens – No matter how down you are on the Ravens, you can’t lose sight of the fact that it was just Harbaugh’s second losing season in his 14 years with the Ravens. Once that team is healthy, they’ll be back, though I am docking Harbaugh points for being so whiny about the Titans beef.
8. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers – Look, the Steelers were ass last year, and it seemed like Tomlin has had a bit more trouble to deal with that locker room in recent years than before. But, he’s still a winner…he’s still a champion….and he’s still a coach that guys want to play for. This organization has been the model of consistency for a long damn time, and Tomlin is a big part of that. I’m always going to have a soft spot for the guy…well, at least unless he decides to start Mason Rudolph in 2022.
7. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers – I’d say look at two things when we’re talking about Shanahan’s chops as a head coach. One, look at the damn mileage that man has gotten out of Jimmy G in this offense. He damn near won the Super Bowl with him, and damn near went to another one. Two, look at what’s happened to the Atlanta Falcons since his departure. Case. In. Point.
6. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers – Bold strategy by LaFleur and company to just not ever add any receiving depth on the Packers. Here’s my hot take conspiracy theory about it – LaFleur secretly wants to improve his ranking on the SoBros Network Top 10 Head Coaches list year over year, and figures if he can keep fielding Super Bowl contenders with no passing game it will reflect how good he is as a head coach to do more with less that he’ll start charting again. Kind of brilliant in a way, but it didn’t work on this list this year. The problem is that you’ve got the MVP at quarterback making chicken salad out of chicken shit. If you really want to crack the top five, coach, start Jordan Love and make a run at a Super Bowl.
5. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots – Y’all aren’t going to like this, but the Empire is back. Belichick and the Patriots took a swing on Mac Jones to stabilize the quarterback position, and it worked. Dude was probably the best rookie quarterback a season ago (it’s him or Davis Mills, just like everyone drew it up, right?). The fact that he was able to get this franchise back to the postseason so quickly is impressive, though I’m sure the haters will stay it’s CAUSE HE CHEATIN’ or something.
4. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs – The marvel that is the longevity of Reid’s career…not just how long he’s been doing it, but how long he’s been doing it at an elite level…continues. He also gets points for being the most meme-able coach in the NFL as well. He’s one of the great play-callers of his era, and because of that (and maybe a little bit of Patrick Mahomes), the Chiefs have become perennial Super Bowl contenders.
3. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills – McDermott is another guy that people still seem to sleep on, maybe because he wasn’t the flashy hire and didn’t come from some hot shot offense…but all he’s ever done is adapt and win. McDermott always seems to have a solid staff around him tailored to his personnel. He knows how to run the ship – now, he just has to get over the Kansas City Chiefs hump after losing to them in the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. Also, McDermott definitely seems like the type of guy you’d want on your side in a scrum.
2. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams – For what it’s worth, McVay still has the #1 spot if we’re ranking head coaches on sex appeal, according to my wife. And, hell….me too. I’m not going to argue with that. Didn’t it feel like there was a little bit of pressure on McVay entering 2021? Like, he hadn’t really capitalized on the momentum gained by that run to the Super Bowl in 2018…well, that’s gone. He’s re-established as one of the best Xs and Os guys in the game. Teams are still trying to hire any coach that has ever breathed in the same room as McVay…just….now he has a Lombardi Trophy to go with that reputation.
1. Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans – I mean, Vrabel literally has a trophy that says he’s the best coach in the NFL right now. How am I going to argue with that? Not to mention, I still believe that Mike Vrabel could and would win a street fight against any other head coach in the NFL, and by default, I think that puts him atop the mountain. In all seriousness, Vrabel has an underrated track record with the Titans since taking over in 2018. Four years in, and he’s yet to have a losing season, though some people still seem to sleep on what a great coach he is. He is the quintessential leader of men – these guys will go to war for Mike Vrabel. Hell, I might go to war for Mike Vrabel, and all I do is sit here and write words on the internet. He is an expert on the rule book, and the concerns about his situational decision-making were left in the dust in 2018. He understands how to get the most out of his team (the Titans dealt with a barrage of injuries in 2021), and serves as a coach that players want to play for.
Other 2022 NFL Top 10s
- Coming soon
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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