And the Winner Is . . .

NFL Coach of the Year? That's easy -- the New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton took a team without a home a year ago and brought home the NFC South title. But what's tougher to determine is the Reverse Coach of the Year, the fellow who should've won but didn't.

Reverse Coach of the Year candidates are lined up from here to Norv Turner's study, believe you me.

So let's count down the top five -- with a reminder that the Redskins' Joe Gibbs is exempt, because of lifetime achievement and current proximity to Daniel Snyder -- to the No. 1 Reverse Coach of the Year:

5. Art Shell, Raiders. During Oakland's torturous 2-14 season, Shell stood on the sideline every Sunday with a vacant look. I'm not sure he was watching the same game the rest of us were. And even though he had a headset on, I wouldn't be surprised to find out it wasn't plugged in.

Unlike others, I had no problem that Shell had hired an offensive coordinator -- Tom Walsh -- who was running a bed-and-breakfast and had been out of football for more than a decade. My problem was that the bed-and-breakfast wasn't very good.

I mean, if a man can't fix a decent pancake, what are the chances he can fix your passing game?

4. Tom Coughlin, Giants. The record isn't good -- one winning season out of three in New York, including this year's near-collapse after a 6-2 start. But it goes beyond wins and losses with Coughlin; he earns coaching damnation through mind, body and soul.

On the sideline, he's in a constant state of agony, his sourpuss mug alternating between whine and pout. When he throws the red challenge flag, Coughlin looks as if he's just been told he has to go to his room without dessert. Plus you can glance at the Giants' players and realize that even winning with Coughlin is a joyless journey.

(Breaking News: The Louvre Museum has offered $2.8 million for the tattoo on Jeremy Shockey's right arm.)

3. Gregg Williams and Al Saunders, Redskins. Joe Gibbs is CEO in Washington, so blame lies with the assistants who run his defense and offense. Still, Gibbs is not guiltless. When Williams was head coach in Buffalo, he was 17-31, and when Saunders was head coach in San Diego, he was 17-22; upon closer inspection, Gibbs should've noticed these were losing records.

Williams generally tells anyone within earshot that he's the best defensive mind in the game. In 2004, his Redskins allowed 265 points. In 2005, they allowed 293 points. And in 2006, they allowed 376 points. In statistics, we call this "trending downward."

As for Saunders, he takes a lot of grief for his 700-page playbook, but in his defense, it does include Zagat restaurant ratings for all NFL cities.