Playoff Records: Active Coaches

After thinking about Andy Reid's playoff record, and both Harbaughs, it got me thinking, what are the playoff records for the active coaches.

As always, Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

Bill Belichick 18-7 (.720)
Tom Coughlin 12-7 (.632)
Andy Reid 10-9 (.526)
John Harbaugh 8-4 (.667) *pending Super Bowl 47
Mike Shanahan 8-6 (.571)
Mike McCarthy 6-4 (.600)
John Fox 6-5 (.545)
Sean Payton 5-3 (.625)
Mike Tomlin 5-3 (.625)
Jeff Fisher 5-6 (.455)
Rex Ryan 4-2 (.667)
not active but for fun: Norv Turner 4-4 (.500)
Jim Harbaugh 3-1 (.750) *pending Super Bowl 47
Pete Carroll 3-4 (.429)
Gary Kubiak 2-2 (.500)
Mike Smith 1-4 (.200)
Chuck Pagano 0-1 (.000)
Jim Schwartz 0-1 (.000)
Leslie Frazier 0-1 (.000)
Marvin Lewis 0-4 (.000)

19 coaches with playoff experience, 13 without

I debated whether to sort it by percentage or wins...and that was sort of at the heart of this research. Because it's related to the nature of the playoffs. Specifically that if you win, you get another chance. But if you lose you don't. And furthermore, 11 out of 12 teams/coaches will accrue a playoff loss.

Let's pause for an illustration.

In the playoffs, there are 11 games, therefore 11 wins and 11 losses. But for example sake, if we assume that higher seeds win, we get:

1 team goes 3-0
1 team goes 2-1
6 teams go 1-1
4 teams go 0-1

In other words, only 2 out of 10 teams will have a net winning postseason record in any year.

And yet 12 of our active coaches have winning playoff records, Kubiak is .500, and leaving 6 with losing records.

Back to the question of what's more important, number of wins or percentage?

Wins show consistency.
Percentage shows performance.

So let's re-order...

Jim Harbaugh 3-1 (.750) *pending Super Bowl 47
Bill Belichick 18-7 (.720)
John Harbaugh 8-4 (.667) *pending Super Bowl 47
Rex Ryan 4-2 (.667)
Tom Coughlin 12-7 (.632)
Sean Payton 5-3 (.625)
Mike Tomlin 5-3 (.625)
Mike McCarthy 6-4 (.600)
Mike Shanahan 8-6 (.571)
John Fox 6-5 (.545)
Andy Reid 10-9 (.526)
Gary Kubiak 2-2 (.500)
not active but for fun: Norv Turner 4-4 (.500)

Jeff Fisher 5-6 (.455)

Pete Carroll 3-4 (.429)
Mike Smith 1-4 (.200)
Chuck Pagano 0-1 (.000)
Jim Schwartz 0-1 (.000)
Leslie Frazier 0-1 (.000)
Marvin Lewis 0-4 (.000)


The significant differences? Jim Harbaugh skyrockets to the top. Andy Reid falls from 3rd to 11th. Which is a better explainer of why Philadelphia let him go. And yes, those Harbaugh boys look pretty good.