Rating the NFL's top coordinators By PFW staff July 16, 2004 History has shown that coaches can play just as important a role in the success or failure of a team as the players on the roster. Pro Football Weekly polled scouts, personnel directors and general managers for their opinions on NFL coaches. Below, PFW ranks the top coordinators in the NFL today. Defensive coordinators 1. Jim Johnson / Eagles Last season's numbers were down because chips were stacked against the Eagles with inordinate number of injuries in secondary and along defensive line. 2. Romeo Crennel / Patriots May never be fully appreciated while operating under Bill Belichick’s close watch. 3. Monte Kiffin / Buccaneers Is committing maximum time and effort to rebuilding Buccaneers’ cover-2. 4. Gunther Cunningham / Chiefs Invaluable mentor for Jim Schwartz in Tennessee has very tough assignment: fix the K.C. defense. 5. Mike Nolan / Ravens Times-Picayune reported that he would be interviewed by Skip, and he was the linebacker coach under Bill Arnsparger at LSU in the mid-1980s. Has makeup of a head coach in his legacy, great players to build weekly plan around. 6. Mike Zimmer / Cowboys Made his forward-thinking scheme work with Bill Parcells’ throwback philosophy. 7. Jim Schwartz / Titans Loses LB coach Gunther Cunningham and DE Jevon Kearse but adds Dave McGinnis. Schwartz has won with unconventional ideas and is ahead of his time in terms of knowledge and understanding of the game. 8. Dick LeBeau / Steelers Only the Steelers can be happy LeBeau is back. 9. Mike Trgovac / Panthers Head coach John Fox says the system works for the players, though Trgovac has been an outstanding mentor for young defensive linemen. 10. Jim Bates / Dolphins If not for big plays allowed, defense would’ve been a top-five group last season. May have best DE, CB combos in the league. 11. Larry Marmie / Rams Worked wonders with less talent in Arizona. 12. Mike Smith / Jaguars Blessed with talent possessing plenty of speed and youth, strong up the middle. Offensive coordinators 1. Al Saunders / Chiefs With enough weapons to seize a small country, Saunders has an offense better than inventor Mike Martz’s. 2. Charlie Weis / Patriots Deserves credit for rags-to-riches turnaround of offense, Tom Brady. Offense ranked 12th in the league in scoring without a running game. 3. Greg Knapp / Falcons Primed to put the ‘O’ back in offense in Atlanta, working his way into a win-win situation as Michael Vick’s mentor. 4. Scott Linehan / Vikings Basic offensive philosophy — run with seven in the box, pass with eight or more — has become impossible to slow down. 5. Tom Moore / Colts Injury to TE Dallas Clark again took away two-TE sets, but Moore got the ball to his money players and instills a never-say-die attitude. 6. Brad Childress / Eagles May have done best coaching job in 2003 in early-season rally of Donovan McNabb’s confidence by building around running game and dumping pass-heavy offense. 7. Gary Kubiak / Broncos Another year, another replacement part. Kubiak has replaced top receiver, quarterback and running back the last three seasons and again is looking for RB answer.
