Spring Break
The Pro side: The best coaches outside Storrs
Katherine Smith
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Sports
With the NFL beyond the halfway point of the regular season and teams beginning to make their playoff pushes, it's time to look at the best coaches in the NFL. Here's a breakdown of the best head coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator in the league.
Head coach
Jeff Fisher,
Tennessee Titans
Fisher has done an unbelievable job guiding the Titans to a 9-0 record this season. His solid running attack, steady quarterback play from Kerry Collins and dominating defense make this team a force to be reckoned with and certainly not a fluke. Aside from this season, Fisher has had an amazing career. He has been the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) coach since 1994, and amazing feat in this era of the NFL when coaches are constantly recycled. He has a 120-104 record including playoffs during his tenure and he was about a yard away from beating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Defensive Coordinator:
Steve Spagnuolo,
New York Giants
Could it really be anyone else? Over the last season, and obviously when his defense smothered Tom Brady and the supposed dominant Patriots offense in the Super Bowl, Spagnuolo has brought back the Big Blue Defense to the days when Lawrence Taylor was doing his damage in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. His blitzes come from all angles, he's equipped with a terrific defensive line and is great at situational play-calling which allows the Giants to get on and off the field.
Offensive Coordinator:
Brian Schottenheimer,
New York Jets
This may seem like a reach, but the Jets lead the AFC in scoring with 255 points. Sure, a lot of that has to do with Brett Favre, but Schottenheimer's ability to adapt to Favre has to be commended. After taking a lot of heat the last two seasons, the Jets offense is firing on all cylinders and has New York poised to make a playoff run.
Head coach
Jeff Fisher,
Tennessee Titans
Fisher has done an unbelievable job guiding the Titans to a 9-0 record this season. His solid running attack, steady quarterback play from Kerry Collins and dominating defense make this team a force to be reckoned with and certainly not a fluke. Aside from this season, Fisher has had an amazing career. He has been the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) coach since 1994, and amazing feat in this era of the NFL when coaches are constantly recycled. He has a 120-104 record including playoffs during his tenure and he was about a yard away from beating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Defensive Coordinator:
Steve Spagnuolo,
New York Giants
Could it really be anyone else? Over the last season, and obviously when his defense smothered Tom Brady and the supposed dominant Patriots offense in the Super Bowl, Spagnuolo has brought back the Big Blue Defense to the days when Lawrence Taylor was doing his damage in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. His blitzes come from all angles, he's equipped with a terrific defensive line and is great at situational play-calling which allows the Giants to get on and off the field.
Offensive Coordinator:
Brian Schottenheimer,
New York Jets
This may seem like a reach, but the Jets lead the AFC in scoring with 255 points. Sure, a lot of that has to do with Brett Favre, but Schottenheimer's ability to adapt to Favre has to be commended. After taking a lot of heat the last two seasons, the Jets offense is firing on all cylinders and has New York poised to make a playoff run.
Be the first to comment on this story