Ranking NFL HCs from the Bill Belichick coaching tree

Mangini went to the NFL playoffs in his first season with the Jets but that success failed to follow to Cleveland (Photo: Getty)

5. Eric Mangini (NY Jets, 2006-08/Cleveland 2009-10)

Say what you will about Mangini, but none of the other coaches on this list cameoed on The Sopranos. That was Mangini's reward for a 10-win season in his first year at the helm of the Jets, one that included a win over Belichick's Patriots, though he failed to duplicate the feat when the teams met in the ensuing postseason. His second season proved far more eventful, despite a 4-12 record, as it was Mangini and the Jets that exposed the aforementioned Spygate scandal. Thrust into the brief "Brett the Jet" era (which brought Brett Favre to the metropolitan area), the Jets began the ensuing season 8-3 before ending on a 1-4 mark, ending his time in New York on a sour note. He later succeeded Crennel in Cleveland but was let go after consecutive 5-11 seasons.

Schwartz struggled as a head coach in Detroit but later won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia (Photo: Getty)

4. Jim Schwartz (Detroit, 2009-13)

Schwartz was a scout during Belichick's time in Cleveland and later earned a head coaching job with the Lions after several years as a defensive boss in Tennessee. He was chosen to pick up the pieces for Detroit after their infamous 0-16 campaign in 2008 and, to his credit, did rather well. Within three years of the winless disaster, he was able to guide the Lions into the playoffs, though prosperity failed to follow. He was dismissed after two more seasons and only seven wins before going to Buffalo for a year. Schwartz then took the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator job and, perhaps, secured the ultimate NFL revenge against Belichick: it was his defense that stifled Tom Brady and Co. in Super Bowl LIII, giving the Eagles their first championship.

Saban seen during the NFL's Thanksgiving showcase in 2006 (Photo: Getty)

3. Nick Saban (Miami, 2005-06)

It's easy to put Saban, a legend in Tuscaloosa, on the list of those collegiate coaching heroes that have failed in the NFL. But, looking deeper into his brief time with the Dolphins, it's almost a miracle that he was able to do what he did. With the Dolphins still in the, somewhat, early stages of the post-Dan Marino era, he started off 3-7 in his first ten games before winning each of his last six, including a New Year's Day triumph over the Patriots to wrap things up. In the following season, the Dolphins were the favorites to land free agent quarterback Drew Brees, but they eventually passed on him due to injury concerns. The rest was history, for his eventual suitors in New Orleans, that is. Forced to work with Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington at quarterback, Miami got off to a 1-6 start but managed to string together a 5-4 streak at the end of the year. Saban's exit was less than ceremonious...he insisted that he would not join Alabama before doing so nearly two weeks later...but his NFL tenure was not the disaster many made it out to be.

Flores' firing has been one of the most controversial moves in recent NFL memory (Photo: Getty)

2. Brian Flores (Miami, 2019-21)

If you've made it this far, Dolphins fans, seeking a rare laugh at Belichick and the Patriots' expense, we would totally understand if you looked away. By now, Flores' contoversial firing needs no further explanation or discussion, and he's already become one of the most talked about prospects on the hiring circuit. His resume boasts four Super Bowl rings from his time as a defensive assistant in New England and, like Saban before him, he was able to make the most out of meager Miami settings...though this time, he was bid farewell involuntarily. If and when he gets another NFL coaching opportunity, it's possible he'll be able to work his way up to the top of this list. A spot currently held by...

Though his NFL reputation is reuined by his work as a general manager, O'Brien has been the best of the Belichick bunch so far (Photo: Getty)

1-Bill O'Brien (Houston, 2014-20)

Perhaps this says more about assistant coaches' fortunes in the post-Belichick era than it does about O'Brien himself, but he's the cream of the crop of this list to date. O'Brien's lasting legacy is, perhaps, his brief tenure as general manager, which sent DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona in exchange for a pair of draft picks, but, to his credit, he's responsible for the closest thing the Texans have to glory days, and he earned winning records in five of his seven years at the Houston helm. O'Brien has become a bit of a college stud, first leading Penn State in the aftermath of their unspeakable scandals in the post-Joe Paterno and now serving as Alabama's offensive coordinator under Saban.