1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, 21st year (216-109, 4 SB)

There are about 100 things you could say about Bill Belichick, the NFL head coach, and about 98 would be negative (with at least half including the letters C-H-E-A-T-E-R-). But the first thing you’d say is the easiest: He is, by far, the greatest coach of his generation. It would have been interesting to see how his legacy might have taken a hit if Seattle didn’t hand his Pats the Super Bowl last year (he’d “only” be 3-3 in the big game had Seattle won) but that’s a moot point now. Though I doubt history will put him on the same level as innovators Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh or Joe Gibbs, he’s surely one of the five best coaches in history and could retire with the most Super Bowls of any coach.

2. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants, 20th year (167-142, 2 SB)

He took an expansion team to the AFC championship game in its second year of existence, has twice snuck into the playoffs only to win the whole darn thing (once at the expense of the only 16-0 team in NFL history) and though he’s made the playoffs in fewer years than he hasn’t (9 to 10), it’s about playing the best game at the right time.

3. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, 10th year (85-65, 1 SB)

Oh, how close Pete came to being No. 2 on this list by joining Belichick as the only back-to-back champ currently coaching in the NFL. But, alas, Carroll got too cute, the Seahawks won and America has to live a world in which Bill Belichick has four titles.

4. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs, 17th year (151-110-1)

Going to four-straight NFC championships in this era is a tremendous achievement, particularly with Donovan McNabb. And the way Reid turned around the Chiefs when he immediately went to the Midwest showed his bonafides.

5. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, 9th year (86-48, 1 SB)

Yeah, he took Bill Cowher’s team to a Super Bowl but that hardly makes him Barry Switzer.

6. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers, 10th year (100-49-1, 1 SB)

Simply holding a Lombardi trophy doesn’t put a coach ahead of others on this list who don’t, but McCarthy is awfully high. Still, one wonders what having an NFL MVP at quarterback does for him. Put Belichick with the Raiders and I think they make the playoffs. Put McCarthy with the Raiders and I think he’s Tom Cable.

7. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens, 8th year (73-45, 1 SB)

John is always thought of as the inferior Harbaugh, but he has a Super Bowl title and hasn’t lost a game on a botched punt to a hated rival in a game that could have been the difference between the College Football Playoff and the Citrus Bowl. (There’s still a Citrus Bowl, right?)

8. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts, 4th year (36-18)

When I made the rough draft of this post last week, I had Pagano at No. 5. That changed. It changed quickly.

9. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints, 9th year (82-52, 1 SB)

Super Bowl: Nice. Getting suspended for a year: Less nice.

10. Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals, 3rd year (25-13)

He’s the one coach on this list who could skyrocket on this list with a deep run into the playoffs. But with a loss and continued dedication to a Kangol, he could also slip.

11. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers, 5th year (37-31-1)

The hardest coach on the list to rank: First, it was surprising he’d been in Charlotte for five years. Second, it’s hard to believe he’s only six games over .500, though you could have said he was 15 either way and I’d still have bought it.

12. Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills, 7th year (49-53)

Oh, Rex. You have taken two teams to AFC championship games but you are also in Buffalo, where coaches go to die and the team hasn’t been to the playoffs this century.

13. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals, 13th year (106-90-2)

A tribute to persistence and the cheapness of the Brown family. Lewis, a former star defensive coordinator was at .500 or under in six of his seven seasons. Somehow he kept his job and has brought the Bengals to the playoffs in each of the past four years and exactly half of his years in Cincy. There is a small issue of him being winless in those games, however, but we give a bonus for the two ties which is a fantastic mark in today’s NFL.

14. Todd Bowles, New York Jets, 1st year (6-2)

A ranking such as this is inherently unfair to everybody beneath Bowles. Many-a great coordinator didn’t pan out as a head coach. Some men just weren’t meant to be head coaches. (Dick LeBeau, Richie Petitbon and Norv Turner come immediately to mind.) But Bowles has the Jets playing well in year one, having learned under some of the best in the business so we’ll rank him here, with an asterisk.

15. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys, 6th year (43-34)

When he finishes this season, Garrett will be the longest tenured Cowboys coach since — wait for it — Tom Landry. Amazing. But every other coach since then has made the playoffs at least twice, with the exception of Dave Campo.

16. Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles, 3rd year (22-15)

We have Kelly so high simply because he’s No. 1 in his own mind and that kind of bravado and panache pays off on the sideline. But let’s put the odds at 50/50 that he’s at USC or Texas within the next three months.

17. John Fox, Chicago Bears, 14th year (121-93)

A nice record and a Super Bowl appearance, but three teams in 14 years isn’t exactly a checkmark in the the “pro” column.

18. Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams, 21st year (164-150-1)

If this were a historical list, then Fisher is higher for his great work with the Tennessee Titans (two 14-2 seasons and a Super Bowl loss by about 18 inches). But he’s made a mess of it in St. Louis despite a bevy of draft picks. Then again, in his three years there, the division was perhaps the best in football and with Arizona talking the place of San Francisco near the top of division, it’s not going to get any easier.

19. Gary Kubiak, Denver Broncos, 9th year (67-64)

The man who destroyed Peyton Manning’s arm — or at least that’s how I choosing to refer to him.

20. Jack Del Rio, Oakland Raiders, 10th year (70-74)

A decade in and the most memorable thing about Jack Del Rio’s career is putting an axe in a stump in the Jacksonville locker room and injuring his punter for the rest of the season because of it.

21. Lovie Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 11th year (85-80)

Five +.500 seasons in Chicago provides for a nice resume, yer there’s always been speculation about how much role Lovie played in that.

22. Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans, 8th year (48-69)

Without Kurt Warner, Whisenhunt has been .500 or under in his five other seasons and looks to be on his way to another with the 1-4 Titans. But you can’t take that NFC championship away, nor the fact that it would have been a Super Bowl if not for James Harrison’s miraculous run and Santonio Holmes’ equally amazing catch.

23. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers, 3rd year (20-18)

Though it feels like Philip Rivers’ prime is being wasted, McCoy has made the playoffs once, though hasn’t come within four games of Norv Turner’s best year in San Diego.

24. Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons, 1st year (5-1)

25. Jim Tomsula, San Francisco 49ers, 1st year (2-4)

26. Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings, 2nd year (10-11)

27. Bill O’Brien, Houston Texans, 2nd year (11-11)

28. Dan Campbell, Miami Dolphins, 1st year (1-0, Interim)

We’re throwing darts here with the first- and second- year coach, of course. Quinn was perhaps the best coordinator (Seattle defense), while Bill O’Brien is from the Belichick school. Campbell has all the markings of a rah-rah burnout and Mike Zimmer is so anonymous you could probably see him in the grocery store wearing a Vikings sweatshirt and have no idea who he is. Tomsula gets a high mark, starting 3-4 with a 49ers team many expected to win three games all year. But despite the lack of experience, there’s still at least some immediate possibilities with each of these six coaches. The next four? Not so much.

29. Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns, 2nd year (9-13)

He’s not Rob Chudzinski, which is a plus.

30. Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins, 2nd year (6-16)

When you hitch your star to Kirk Cousins, you have to fully accept that you will explode in a supernova.

31. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars, 3rd year (8-30)

When you get the groceries from a place that sells dented cans, you can’t expect a five-star meal.

32. Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions, 5th year (38-32)

Caldwell’s last year at Wake Forest was my first year at Wake Forest and he was one of the nicest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. The end.