Top coaching jobs in the NFL

Some of the best coaching jobs in the league have come with teams that finished around .500.

Updated: December 31, 2003, 12:23 PM ET
Pro Football Weekly
There is no such thing as a happy coach. When a team wins, fans and the media usually are happy and the players get a boost of confidence. But coaches still agonize over the lack of execution and minutiae that makes their jobs so difficult.

In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NFL, each season -- heck, each game -- is life and death for some coaches. But everything isn't just about wins and losses. Some of the best coaching jobs in the league have come with teams that are .500. With so many outside distractions, keeping a team on the same page can be tough. Keeping a team that has no shot at the playoffs together is even more difficult.

Don't get us wrong. We know that collecting the "Ws" almost every Sunday is what keeps guys like Andy Reid and Bill Belichick on the sideline. They have solid game plans and know how to break down teams to exploit their opponents' weaknesses. But for most coaches, that's the easy part. Belichick has had to deal with injuries that would have doomed other teams. Problems in the locker room could be a reason the 49ers have been up and down all season.


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