We are in a period of relative stability among New York’s head coaches in the four major sports. By rights, the Jets should probably be starting a new coaching search, but Woody Johnson has already said that’s not going to happen, and you have to believe he’ll keep his word even after Bill Belichick (maybe in his last act as HC of the NEP) shellacks the Jets in Foxborough on Sunday, one last time for old time’s sake.
The Mets let Buck Showalter go at season’s end (still a dubious choice, it says here), but other than that, the men occupying their jobs guiding the nine teams in our purview seem reasonably secure (which, of course, is nothing an ill-timed two-week slump can’t change). So it seems a good time to take a look at those nine, and the confidence level they inspire.
(Dissenting voices, as always, are not only welcome but encouraged!)
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks
9.3 out of 10: Yes, there are plenty of Knicks fans who, as soon as they lose consecutive games, direct most of their orneriness at the stubborn, old-school manner Thibodeau coaches. But with one brief hiccup two years ago, the Knicks regularly play above their station and above expectation. And now that he has a player who could’ve been created in the Thibs Lab in OG Anunoby, it will be interesting to see how far this group can go.
Peter Laviolette, Rangers
9.1 out of 10: No surprise, really that a man with 778 career wins (entering Saturday), three trips to the Cup Final (with three different teams) and one championship ring should have the Rangers playing at this high a level so often so far. It ended badly for him in Washington, and in a few months Rangers fans may be eternally delighted and grateful that it did.
Brian Daboll, Giants
8.2 out of 10: A year ago he may have topped this list — and if it wasn’t him, it would’ve been Showalter, which tells you how fickle these things are. But if 2023 didn’t quite go according to blueprint for the Giants, the way they’ve stayed competitive and have run through the tape underlines they have the right man under the headsets.
Aaron Boone, Yankees
8.0 out of 10: No manager or coach absorbs more blowback from their own fans than Boone, but every now and again it’s reasonable to remember that even after last year’s 82-win scuffle, Boone is still averaging better than 95 wins for each of the five 162-game seasons he’s managed. You think that’s just a matter of rolling out the balls and the bats, ask the Mets how easy it is to win 95 games every year.
Lindy Ruff, Devils
7.8 out of 10: Similar to Laviolette, it’s no surprise that a coach with 855 victories on his dossier would figure things out despite a slow start to his tenure two years ago. We’ve only seen flashes of last year’s elite-level Devils this season, and the goaltending is a serious issue, but it figures Ruff will figure it out.
Lane Lambert, Islanders
7.4 out of 10: There came a time in November when the Isles were losing every night, when it seemed that the griddle under his seat might finally grow too hot. It says something about a coach who can turn things around as dramatically as Lambert has. Now he has to maintain that the rest of the way.
Jacque Vaughn, Nets
6.8 out of 10: The Nets have an imperfect roster, and Vaughn hasn’t always had the answer to fix that on the fly. Still impossible to forget the strong work he did a year ago and the fact his players still play hard for him every night.
Robert Saleh, Jets
5.0 out of 10: As we said at the top, only the grace of Johnson (and Aaron Rodgers) is keeping him on this list at all, so it will be interesting how he approaches next year’s win-or-be-gone mandate. Will he embrace the challenge or shrink from it? That’s very much a question.
Carlos Mendoza, Mets
No rank: Without a track record it’s hard to make an accurate guess. Early returns are promising but won’t mean anything once the games begin for real.
Vac’s Whacks
Happy 99th to Looie Carnesecca. The day I met him, years ago, I told him I’d attended his camp as a kid “but I wasn’t very good.” “I know you weren’t,” he said with a twinkle, “because if you were, I’d remember you.”
Having doubled-down on all my old Jodie Foster stock following her magnificent turn in “Nyad,” I am officially counting the days to “True Detective” season 4.
The definition of a fun read: “A Mic For All Seasons” by our friend, the masterful Kenny Albert.
I have to admit, of all the strategies I envisioned David Stearns taking with the Mets, I didn’t have “collect as many discarded Yankees as possible” terribly high on the list.
Whack Back at Vac
Jack McNicholas: Regarding Taylor and Travis: I agree with you. A lovely couple, enjoying themselves. God bless them. Having the camera on them doesn’t bother me in the least.
Vac: Well, that’s one view …
Richard T. Monahan: Your Swift-Kelce thing is ridiculous. Both that you buy into it and that you write about it. Do a column on Page Six if you want to comment on such nonsense. But keep sports in your sports column.
Vac: … and that’s another.
@nmeolablade: The two best teams in New York right now are owned by James Dolan. Let that sink in.
@MikeVacc: He’s not wrong, you know.
Robert Feurstein: As the NFL season ends for our local teams, wouldn’t it be uplifting if we had something to fall back on as we await pitchers and catchers? How about wins over our two biggest nemesis, Eagles and Patriots? It’s been a long enough wait. Talk about the ultimate consolation prize.
Vac: Back in the day, Bob Barker would call those “handsome parting gifts.”
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