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Like trying to predict the teams in August, giving a "Best Coaching" award at the quarter mark of the season just leaves you open to the critics as the rest of the campaign plays out and your a se sments and predictions seem silly.Having said Rick Sutcliffe Jersey that, there are some notable observations that can be made about coaching jobs that have stood out, even this early in the season. Or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment.Anyhow, here are a few head men who have caught my eye through the first four weeks of the 2015 season:Bill Belichick, New England PatriotsAny time you mention Belichick in this manner, it seems to be low hanging fruit, as his team annually sits atop league standings. But, partially because of Belichick's insanely consistent dominance and partially because he has , we tend to overlook some of the brilliant moves he makes. Obviously, holding the attention of the team during the "Deflategate" saga has been, in and of itself, a tremendous feat.Lost in all that drama: The fact that the Pats totally reworked their secondary and offensive line -- and after three games, neither has proven to be a liability. Belichick's rotation of young linemen could have drawn huge criticism, as this violates all conventional wisdom about the cohesivene s of a group that has the highest degree of difficulty when coming together as a single unit. But the are doing just fine -- as always.Mike McCarthy, Green Bay PackersAgain, because of continued succe s and the fact that he has the best quarterback on the face of the planet right now, McCarthy often gets overlooks in this category. This is unfortunate. to offensive coordinator Tom Clements and QB has allowed the head coach to view the game from the larger perspective it deserves. The team is playing as well as it did at any time during the 2010 season -- only this year's version !McCarthy's addition of Mike Solari -- for my money, one of the top three offensive line coaches in the game -- as an a sistant O-line coach to James Campen is one of the best coaching moves of the past offseason.Gary Kubiak, Denver BroncosIn keeping with my theme of being Captain Obvious, listing a coach who has as his quarterback seems a little gratuitous. But Manning is exactly the reason he shows up on my list -- just not for the reasons you'd typically expect.Much was made this offseason of Kubiak and general manager John Elway asking Manning to change his style of play to match the zone-running, play-action scheme of his new head coach. To Manning's credit, he did it, even though the early returns were questionable. To Kubiak's credit, he recognized that he needed to adapt what he had been doing for years, to give Peyton a more legitimate play-fake from the I-formation (or now the pistol) and allow Manning the freedoms to orchestrate the at-the-line offense he has been so brilliant in throughout his career. This type of in-season adjustment isn't easy after an entire preseason of practicing a different system, but Kubiak's flexibility has minimized the abuse Manning was taking early in the season. In the ' first two games, Manning was sacked a total of seven times. After the scheme change? Manning's been sacked three times in two weeks.Dan Quinn, Atlanta FalconsYou have to mention the job that Quinn has done in Year 1. Inheriting a quarterback like is not a bad starting place, of course, but that wasn't the part of the team that needed fixing. The emergence of second-year running back -- albeit at least somewhat due to injury of opening-day starter -- has been nothing short of miraculous. This is a team that finished and only had a running back post a 100-yard game once last season. Under Quinn -- and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan -- the O-line's actually pushing people off the ball and the boast .Even still, the offense isn't really what Dan Quinn was hired to fix; it's the solid play of Atlanta's defense that earns him a spot on this list. What Quinn has done to remake the shambles of a lineup that Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli tried to pa s off as a defense last year -- a group that got Mike Smith fired -- has been brilliant and inspired. Perhaps I should have owner Arthur Blank on this list for having the good sense .Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers & Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati BengalsThese two are a package deal on this list. Both have their teams at 4-0, but more importantly, both have shown the courage of their convictions to stay with what they believe in, in spite of the critics who compel them to change, just for change's sake.Carolina might be the least-trusted undefeated team in the league because of . But they can only line up against the teams they are told to play, and in a league full of parity, 4-0 is 4-0.As for the , Lewis won't really get much credit until he and actually advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. Still, the first thing they have to do is actually get there, and they're well on their way with a perfect mark to date.HONORABLE MENTION: Bruce Arians, Arizona CardinalsSo, as you might've figured out: Yes, every coach listed above is in charge of an undefeated team. And rightly so, as the win-lo s record is really the only a se sment that matters. But even with a lo s on his 2015 rsum, Arians deserves some attention for the job he's doing yet again in Arizona. It's no coincidence this guy has won two of the last three Coach of the Year awards, becoming the 11th coach in NFL history to snag the hardware multiple times.We all know the stigma that comes with coaching the Cards, as everyone always waits for the other shoe to drop and for them to collapse. This is a team built to win, and with playing the best ball of his career, this is as strong a contender as we have. Also, if not for some horrendous blown calls by the officials last Sunday, Arians and the would also be 4-0.Follow Brian Billick on Twitter . Joe Pepitone Jersey |
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发表于 2026-3-27 10:31:02
