From the top dogs to the real dogs: our five-category evaluations reveal the best and the worst the league has to offer - Special report: NFL head coach ratings

Football Digest, July-August, 2003

Player development: Ron Dayne was a bust, but Fassel has gotten the most out of an unheralded offensive line. (12)

Communication skills: This is one of Fassel's main strengths. Remember the guarantee in 2000 that sparked the team's turnaround and led to a Super Bowl berth? (10)

Total points: 80

10. Dan Reeves

Current team: Atlanta Falcons

Seasons as a head coach: 22

Wins and losses: He hasn't captured an NFL championship, but he has won more games than any other active coach (198). He gets the most out of some of his teams but every little out of others. (20)

Personnel decisions: He often feuded with John Elway in Denver and didn't begin winning with him until he gave the QB some freedom. But he's had more successes than flops, and trading up in the 2001 draft to bring in Michael Vick was an act of brilliance. (20)

X's and O's: Reeves has demonstrated more adaptability in recent years. He rode a solid defense and running game to the Super Bowl in 1998 and the creativity of Vick to the playoffs last season. (21)

Player development: Vick, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Atwater, and Keith Brooking are just some of the players to benefit from Reeves' tutelage. (13)

Communication skills: This hasn't been a strong point, particularly in his standoffish Denver years. (6)

Total points: 80

10. Andy Reid

Current team: Philadelphia Eagles

Seasons as a head coach: 4

Wins and losses: Reid took a mediocre franchise and turned it into a contender, with two straight appearances in the NFC title game. (22)

Personnel decisions: Until this offseason, when he lost so many key players, Reid had a handle on player procurement He has a good eye for hard workers and role players, and he drafted Donovan McNabb despite much public outcry. (21)

X's and O's: Sometimes he sticks to a faulty game plan for too long, and he can get ultraconservative. But he understands how to expose a defense and has been known to use some trickery. Reid must do more in this area for the Eagles to get over the top. (19)

Player development. A mixed record. Look at how far McNabb, James Thrash, and so many of the defenders have come. But Freddie Mitchell, among other draft picks, has been a disappointment. (11)

Communication skills: Quiet but demanding, Reid gets his players to listen. But he is kind of dull (7)

Total points: 80

15. Mike Sherman

Current team: Green Bay Packers

Seasons as a head coach: 3

Wins and losses: His winning percentage rivals Mike Holmgren's in Green Bay, but he hasn't taken the Packers deep into the playoffs yet. And Brett Favre isn't getting younger. (20)

Personnel decisions: The salary cap necessitated some difficult moves this year; Sherman had to release a number of useful players. But he has done a decent job of pinpointing rising stars (Ahman Green, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila). (18)

X's and O's: Although he was outcoached by Dan Reeves in last year's playoffs, Sherman has a good handle on how to utilize his talent. The Packers usually use their home-field advantage better than anyone, and Sherman has developed a good rapport with Favre. (22)