ESPN NFL

Originally Published: January 4, 2005

Head-coaching grades are in for 2004 season

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Pro Football Weekly

Some of them won't be back, while others, excitedly preparing for the playoffs that lie ahead, will be welcomed back with open arms, at least initially.

In the head-coaching profession, you see, security is in short supply. Praise can be replaced by heated criticism in a heartbeat. Success and stress go hand in hand in a job where the downtime seems to shrink with every passing season.

NFL head coaches are the ultimate gridiron grinders, constantly under scrutiny in a sport where the second-guessing seems to grow greater every year, with more and more Web sites and talk-radio stations passing judgment around the clock, day and night.

It doesn't really matter what they've done before. Joe Gibbs' three Super Bowl titles with three different quarterbacks is yesterday's news. Same goes for the Super Bowl success previously enjoyed by the likes of Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren.

It's the here and now that counts, and they all know it. And they also know critics, like the editors of Pro Football Weekly, come with the territory.

In the following article, PFW offers its annual head-coaching report cards, assigning a grade to each coach, along with the reasons behind it. Suffice it to say, it's hardly a task that's as easy as "ABC."

See for yourself.

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