From the outside, it's hard to guess which NFL organizations are the best and which are the worst in terms of working conditions. In its just-released annual report, the players' association provides answers to these questions and the results may be surprising.
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The club has been participating in this exercise since last year. An anonymous survey asks players to comment on various questions about their organization, ranging from coaches, ownership, training space, travel style, nutrition and support staff, to name a few examples.
You might think that winning would make you forget a lot of idiots, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
The most prominent example is the Kansas City Chiefs, who rank 31st in organizational quality based on the overall rating of their players. Only the Washington commanders are making it worse.
Surprising considering the team has won the Super Bowl three times in the last five years.
In Kansas City, the main complaints relate to the poor quality of facilities and player care, as well as broken promises from the organization regarding the cost of proposed improvements. Owner Clark Hunt actually gets a terrible rating of F-.
Coach rated
For Andy Reid, who was already in Indianapolis for the NFL evaluation camp, the reprieve was short-lived. Getty Images via AFP
Still among the Chiefs, only head coach Andy Reid receives a clean A+ grade, putting him in the top three, while Dan Campbell (Lions) and Kevin O'Connell (Vikings) are among the league's top coaches.
After that, those who got A's are Sean McDermott (Bills), Zac Taylor (Bengals), Mike McCarthy (Cowboys), Sean McVay (Rams), Mike McDaniel (Dolphins), Nick Sirianni (Eagles), Mike Tomlin (Steelers) , Kyle Shanahan (49ers) and Pete Caroll (released by the Seahawks).
Still the least appreciated on this topic is former Raiders pilot Josh McDaniels, the only one with a grade of D. Other recently fired coaches, such as Ron Rivera (C at the Commanders), Arthur Smith (C+ at the Falcons) and the famous Bill Belichick (B- at the Patriots) completes the bottom.
The best and the worst
When it comes to players' evaluation of working conditions, the Dolphins are in first place. Getty Images via AFP
Just ahead of the Commanders and Chiefs as the two worst organizations, players chose the Steelers, Patriots and Chargers in order of 28 to 30 to fill the cellar.
The Patriots players particularly criticize their training room. They are the only ones in the league who even consider their gym to be less efficient than a private gym.
Chargers and Buccaneers players have decried the fact that they have to pay for in-house child care for their children. Additionally, when it comes to family benefits, the Bengals, Steelers, Patriots and Commanders are the only ones that receive the worst grade, with a good F-.
For those wondering which team eats the worst, the Bengals get that unenviable mention. Unlike every other team in the league, they are the only ones that do not have a nutritionist on staff. They rank 30th in taste and 31st in freshness in the food rankings.
For those curious, the organizations receiving the highest overall grades for their work are, in order, the Dolphins, Vikings, Packers, Eagles and Jaguars.