Editor's Note: Perhaps I should've waited for the playoffs before naming my coach of the year. One of my honorable mentions, Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt, did a much better job preparing his team for the Divisional Playoff game at Carolina than did my choice, Carolina's John Fox.

If my purpose were to recognize 2008's worst NFC coaching performance the job would be a snap. No, it's not the obvious choice. I wouldn't focus on the recently fired Rod Marinelli, who led the woeful Lions to a 0-16 record and a place in NFL infamy. The focus would be Dallas's Wade Phillips.

The Cowboys expected a run at the Super Bowl. Instead they became Dallas' biggest soap opera since J.R. Ewing was trying to ruin Cliff Barnes. With the entire season on the line in Philadelphia they were woefully unprepared, unmotivated and unprofessional. At one point it appeared that Tony Romo ignored Phillips' instruction, shooing the punting unit off the field and going for it on fourth and one.

But we're here to honor success, not criticize failure. So enough about Phillips, Romo, Owens and the Dallas Cowboys.

The task of selecting finalists in the NFC was much easier than in the AFC. Ken Whisenhunt led the Cardinals to their first division title in over thirty years and the franchise's first home playoff game since before George Blanda's rookie season. But Arizona wasn't exactly on fire down the stretch and they lost when they played quality teams.

Tom Coughlin deserves mention for guiding the Giants to the NFC East championship and the conference's top playoff seed. And Minnesota's Brad Childers led the Vikings to a division title on the strength of a strong run defense, Adrian Peterson and . . . Gus Frerotte? That alone warranted Childers consideration as a finalist. But when all factors were examined the three choices were crystal clear.

Somehow the Eagles continue to win despite the lack of star players and no receivers for Donovan McNabb. Philly produced the NFC's #6 overall offense on the strength of the third rated passing attack. The offense was by no means spectacular, but it was efficient. The Eagles produced big plays when needed, didn't commit turnovers and kept opposing offenses off the field.

The Eagles' offense may have won some games, but it was the defense that drove the team to a playoff berth. Philadelphia boasts the NFC's top defensive unit, stifling opponents on third-down and allowing the fewest first downs, yards per play, yards per game and points in the NFC. They were at or near the top in every defensive category. Such stats typically indicate a rough, aggressive team. They were both. But the Eagles played with a controlled aggression, receiving the second fewest penalties in the NFC.

Andy Reid reinvigorated his players after an ugly 36-7 loss to Baltimore and a pitiful tie with Cincinnati, inspiring them to win four of their last five games. In the winner take all confrontation with the rival Cowboys, Reid's Eagles were obviously the better prepared team. In fact, Andy Reid's teams seldom appear unprepared.

The return of Jake Delhomme certainly improved the Panthers' offense, and with it John Fox's chances for success. Although ranking only 10th in the NFC, the Carolina passing game was efficient and big play oriented. Carolina topped the conference in average per catch and 61-percent of the Delhomme's completions resulted in first downs.

The emergence of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart allowed Fox to play his type of football. Carolina was third in total rushing, but tops in average per carry, rushing touchdowns and breaking big runs. Most important, and attributable to coaching, Carolina fumbled less than any other run-oriented team.

The defense was solid if not spectacular, ranking around the middle of the NFC in most categories. However, in a troubling sign for the playoffs, the Giants and Saints proved that the Panther defense could be exploited by either the run or the pass.

Fox's Panther's were unbeaten at home (the only NFL team to accomplish that feat), 4-0 against the AFC and 4-2 in the difficult NFC South. He handled the Steve Smith incident well, opting for the difficult choice of suspending the sometimes volatile superstar for two regular season games. He and his staff kept two budding superstar running backs happy with their share of the load. What's more, Williams and Stewart turned into each other's biggest cheerleaders.

Mike Smith took over a 4-12 team that was outscored by 155 points in 2007. In one season he transformed the Falcons onto a divisional contender and a solid playoff team. The defense was the classic bend but don't break unit, ranking near the bottom in most categories but fifth in points allowed. Such a performance testifies to a coach's steadying influence.

The offense made the Falcons fly, ranking third in the NFC. Smith's oversight helped rookie QB Matt Ryan look like a seasoned veteran. Only one NFC playoff quarterback produced a higher rating than Ryan (Warner, AZ).

Ryan was impressive, but it was the acquisition of Michael Turner from San Diego that solidified Smith's fortunes. Atlanta ran the ball more than any team in the NFC and produced the second best rushing attack. The Falcons were in the top four in every rushing statistic.

Perhaps the best testimony to Smith's guidance lies in the Falcons focus and determination. The team that spent 2007 reeling from the Michael Vick fiasco was the polar opposite this season. The Falcons were consistent all year, never losing consecutive games and committing the fewest penalties for the fewest yards in the NFC.

Choosing finalists in the NFC was much easier than in the AFC. But picking the NFC winner was far more difficult. All three NFC candidates present strong cases, and their teams were playing well in December. But one coach stood out in his ability to win while diffusing potential disruptions in a manner that commanded his player's trust, loyalty and confidence. John Fox did everything necessary to make Carolina a winner, both on and off the field.

Few NFC coaches distinguished themselves this year. Minnesota's Brad Childress turned in an admirable job and Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt almost made the Cardinals competitive. Detroit's Rod Marinelli would've been a sure-fire nominee if awards were given at the end of October and Mike Holmgren solidified his stature with another division title. But let's face facts; the NFC West wasn't football's version of Patton's Third Army.

The Packers led the NFC in passing yards and, predictably, Brett Favre was no stranger to the big play. But most important, McCarthy and his staff found a way to protect old number 4. Favre was sacked only 15 times this season. That's good news to any 38-year-old quarterback.

McCarthy found a running game to complement the Favre to Driver or Jennings combination, solving the Packers' most obvious early season need. RB Ryan Grant nearly reached the 1000 yard plateau despite averaging only 12 carries per game. Also, Grant averaged over five yards per carry, led the NFC in runs of more than 20 yards, and fumbled only once.

Before the season began all eyes were on Chicago in the NFC North. The only drama expected in Green Bay was whether or not Brett Favre would retire at season's end. Instead, Green Bay jumped from the gate, silenced the naysayers, and produced one of Lambeau Field's most memorable seasons.

The Cowboys were supposed to be good. But not many people expected them to post the NFC's best record in what proved to be its toughest division. Three of the six NFC playoff teams came from the NFC East.

Dallas posted the NFC's second ranked offense--tops in scoring--and lost only 5 fumbles. They started better than any team in franchise history and established conference supremacy with an impressive win over Green Bay. Texas Stadium again proved to be Brett Favre's personal Dunkirk and gave Dallas a stranglehold on home field advantage, meaning no January reenactment of the Ice Bowl. Furthermore, Phillips' offense was so structured that it kept Terrell Owens quiet, at least for a while.

However, Dallas was as lackluster in December as a winning team could be. Between unremarkable wins at Detroit and Carolina the Cowboys suffered a horrid loss to Philadelphia. A distracted Terrell Owens publicly blamed Jessica Simpson for the team's swoon. The sag culminated with a 27-6 humbling at the hands of arch-rival Washington, a game in which Dallas rushed for a single yard on 16 carries.

What started as a strong and promising season with Phillips wielding the reigns devolved into an exercise in futility and false drama.

The Redskins offense was the perfect definition of mediocre. They ranked eighth in total offense, eighth in passing, tenth in points and fifth in rushing, averaging only 3.8 yards per carry. But Washington played good defense, ranking second in the NFC. They corrected their 3rd down problems from 2006 (44% to 36%) and significantly reduced the number of big passing plays allowed.

While the Redskins appeared an average team and finished with an average record, the course they followed was anything but average. They lost games they should've won (NY, Week 3) and won games they should've lost (AZ, Week 7). The team appeared ready to collapse when they sleepwalked through an ugly home loss to Buffalo in the first game after Sean Taylor's death. To make matters worse, the team's lack of focus extended to Gibbs. His timeout blunder made Buffalo's winning field goal a much easier kick.

Combine the Buffalo loss with the death of Taylor and the injury to QB Jason Campbell and you have the perfect situation for players to grumble about their coach. Yet the Redskins publicly rallied around Gibb's leadership, crediting him with helping them deal with the death of their teammate. The Skins rallied to win their last four games, including important road wins over the Giants and Vikings and a whipping of the hated Cowboys. And they did it with a QB who hadn't started a game in 10 years.

Joe Gibbs second stint with Washington may not have produced the Super Bowl glory that earned him a spot in Canton, but he did produce two playoff teams in four seasons. That's better than any Redskin coach since Gibbs' first tenure. Happy retirement coach, and thanks for the memories.