Silverman: Giants' Tom Coughlin Is The Fourth-Best Coach In The NFL Today

By Steve Silverman
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Giants fans may have some trepidation about the head coaching position when they look at 68-year-old Tom Coughlin.

He is the oldest head coach in the NFL and he is rather set in his ways. However, once you get past the number of pages on the calendar that have been torn off and take a look at what he brings to the team, he is still a bold check mark on the positive side of the ledger.

Many have accused Coughlin of being behind the times in terms of sports science and nutrition, and some of those criticisms may be valid. However, Coughlin still has several advantages over the large majority of coaches in the NFL.

Coughlin is one of the best strategists in the league, and the only coaches who can compare with him in that regard are Bill Belichick of the Patriots and Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers. In addition to Coughlin's ability to take advantage of his team's strengths and his opponent's weaknesses, he is also one of the better motivators in the league.

While he's still a tough guy who wants things done the right way, there is an earnestness about Coughlin that tells his players he truly cares about their success, and not just because his paycheck is dependent on it. He's not working other angles that serve his best interest, unlike Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles, who appears to be banking on a "genius" designation even though his Eagles have not won a playoff game during his two-year regime.

Kelly certainly has some good ideas and is willing to embrace sports science to help his team, but he has proven very little when it comes to winning the most important games.

When Coughlin is looked at from a historical perspective, he is a multiple Super Bowl winner, so that means he walks with the greats who have stalked NFL sidelines.

There's no doubt about that. The very first rank of coaches includes Vince Lombardi, Belichick, Tom Landry, Don Shula and Bill Walsh, and while he may not sit at the same table with those all-time greats, he certainly belongs in the same group with Bill Parcells, John Madden, Chuck Noll and George Halas.

But we are not talking about all-time rankings. The subject on the table is the 2015 season, and while Coughlin may put away his whistle after this season or next, he is still among the best in the game right now.

Here's how we rank the top five coaches in the game today.

1. Bill Belichick, New England – His ability to distill the game down to the most important elements gives him an advantage on an every-game basis. Belichick finds a way to put his strengths against your weaknesses, and he also hides his own weaknesses. Many observers see football as a game of emotion, but Belichick divorces himself from that aspect when it comes to analyzing his own players' strengths and weaknesses.

2. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay – McCarthy excels at game planning, and his play selection gives his team a chance to come out with the victory more than most other coaches. McCarthy is also quite creative and his play design is based on the talent he has to work with. Since he has the No. 1 quarterback in today's game in Aaron Rodgers, he is very difficult for opponents to figure out.

3. John Harbaugh, Baltimore – He is disciplined, smart and knows how to get the most out of every position. His depth of knowledge of what make offense, defense and special teams work on a given Sunday or Monday night allows him to give the Ravens a chance to win games even when injuries or other factors keep them from playing at their best.

4. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants – There's nothing he hasn't seen, and while he appears tense and wound up, he is at his best in the most critical of moments. He is 2-0 in Super Bowls against Belichick, and that did not happen by accident. He is a strong motivator who still has the guts and creativity to be successful against the best opponents. The Giants have struggled in recent years, but their personnel has not been top of the line.

5. Pete Carroll, Seattle – A new-wave coach who has built great camaraderie with his players. In his earlier NFL head coaching experiences with the Jets and Patriots, players took advantage of him and he would make mistakes in crucial situations. While his play call at the end of last year's Super Bowl will haunt him forever, he makes far fewer mistakes than ever. His players sell out for him and are devoted to him.