The Question:
Which coach has done a better job this season?

Dan Reeves		Mike Shanahan
CAREER RECORD: 162-117 | PLAYOFFS: 10-7 By Mark Malone Special to ESPN.com Dan Reeves was voted Coach of the Year, and the turnaround he's orchestrated in Atlanta has been nothing short of miraculous. Since the 1970 merger, the Falcons had the second-worst winning percentage in the NFL entering this season. The Falcons have been the poster children for futility. You have to give it to the Smith family for finally saying, "We've dabbled long enough. Let's not only turn the operation over to somebody, but let's find someone who's able to do the entire thing." And they've given it to Reeves. Reeves has made great decisions, with the acquisition of players like Eugene Robinson and Tony Martin and making Chris Chandler his quarterback. Byron Hanspard might still be the starting running back in Atlanta if he had not gone down with an injury, so Reeves isn't the know-all, see-all genius. You need a little bit of luck, too. Even he said never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be in Miami for Super Bowl XXXIII. But this is his ninth trip as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He knows what it takes to get there. He has a proven way of running a football team. He has certainly gained the respect and confidence of the men he coaches. Using a combat analogy, as a leader, if you can get your subordinates to believe in you and what you're preaching, 90 percent of your job is done. Once you've sold it and they're buying it, now you can get things done. That's what happened in Atlanta with Reeves in charge.		CAREER RECORD: 47-17 | PLAYOFFS: 6-1 By Merril Hoge Special to ESPN.com One of the greatest challenges a coach has is to not allow himself or his team to become complacent after winning a championship. Mike Shanahan has put one goal and one challenge in front of the Denver Broncos and himself every week this season. He actually got his team to play at a higher and more efficient level than he did in its title year. Although the Broncos went through a little bit of a funk in December, Shanahan was able re-focus them and re-challenge his team to go out and dominate in the playoffs again. You can talk about how he finds ways to match up and schematically how he's so good, but Shanahan is an excellent motivator, too. In the fourth quarter when players step up and make extra plays that help you win games, it's because of the guy standing on the sidelines. Shanahan is able to get something extra out of every player, even though they give him the maximum. It's because of how he is as a coach and a motivator. Coaches often can't overcome complacency. Most fail at it, but the great ones like Shanahan do not.