Since 1970, the Steelers have had just 3 head coaches. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. In that same time, the Eagles had 14, though two of them coached only a single game. Only 4 of them coached for more than 4 seasons. If Nick Sirianni makes it through the next season, it will make for 5 Eagles head coaches in 14 years.
They of course had stability for a while. Andy Reid lasted from 1999-2012. But after that, it got unstable again. Chip Kelly lasted only 3 years. Doug Pederson was fired after 5 seasons, despite winning the only Super Bowl in team history. Nick Sirianni is going into year 4 but is pretty clearly on thin ice. Before we know it, they could be up to 15 coaches since 1970, while the Steelers are still on their 3rd.
But who is the best among them? Who is the worst among them? Are there any that maybe get more hate than they deserve or perhaps more love than they deserve? Let’s run through all 14, and rank them from best to worst.
Because I am only counting since 1970, guys like Greasy Neal and Buck Shaw got left off. If they were on the list, obviously they would be rated very highly having both won at least one Championship. I am also leaving off both Pat Shurmur and Fred Bruney, who only coached a single game. They may have each won that one game, but you can’t really judge them one way or the other based on them replacing a fired head coach for one game. Only the 12 full-time head coaches made the list. From Jerry Williams, through Rich Kotite, and up to Nick Sirianni.
Here are the best, and worst Eagles head coaches since 1970:
8- Rick Kotite- 1991-1994 (36-28)
Kotite is literally the standard for bad coaching in both Philly and New York. When it started to fall apart for Doug Pederson, and now Nick Sirianni, Kotite is who people compare them to.
Yes he won a playoff game. But after that, it was a disaster. He started out 1994 7-2, and the future seemed bright. Then he imploded, lost the last 7 games of the season, and finished last in the NFC East. New owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him, and that was it for Kotite in Philly. It got no better for him in his next job with the Jets.
7- Chip Kelly- 2013-2015 26-11
No head coach had a better start to their career than Chip Kelly. His first season had Eagles fans worshipping him. We convinced ourselves he was a genius who was going to change the game. Then the league adjusted to his scheme, and he had no answers. After getting them to the playoffs in year 1, he never got back and got fired before the end of year 3.
What makes him more hated, is how he pushed out talented players. They bled talent all 3 seasons he was there. Desean Jackson has a career year, he gets cut for nothing. LeSean McCoy gets traded a year later. His style and attitude wore people out fast. He got one more job with the 49ers after the Eagles fired him. They fired him after a single season. He is just lucky Rich Kotite exists or he would be lower on this list.
