In a groundbreaking initiative to gather players' honest opinions on their coordinators, the NFL Players' Union conducted a survey and released rankings based on the feedback received. The survey, conducted by a third party, allowed offensive, defensive, and special teams players to anonymously rate their coordinators on a scale of 1 to 10. The rankings aimed to recognize the coordinators who were highly regarded by the players in each phase of the game.

The survey saw a substantial number of participants, with 864 offensive players, 774 defensive players, and 1,025 special teams players taking part, some of whom played both offense and defense. The anonymous nature of the feedback allowed players to provide genuine, unfiltered opinions about their coordinators, which they might not express publicly.

JC Tretter, the NFLPA President, emphasized the importance of this feedback and its reflection of players' true sentiments. He highlighted the contrast between publicly giving positive answers and privately expressing their true opinions. The union aimed to provide a platform for players to voice their thoughts without any restrictions or concerns about protecting anyone's image.

While the team report cards released both good and poor grades, the union officials opted to focus on positivity and recognition for coordinators in this survey. Only the top five coordinators for each phase of the game were announced, with the intention of propelling highly qualified coordinators to potential head coaching positions in the future.

The rankings revealed some fascinating insights about the highest-graded coordinators. Notably, the coordinators with the best scores did not necessarily hail from teams with the best records. This spoke volumes about their exceptional leadership skills and the respect and admiration they commanded from their players, regardless of the team's performance.

For the offense, Frank Smith of the Dolphins, Thomas Brown of the Panthers, Brian Schottenheimer of the Cowboys, Brian Callahan of the Bengals, and Kellen Moore of the Chargers secured the top five spots. An interesting observation was that Smith, Schottenheimer, and Callahan were not their team's primary play-callers, highlighting the influence and impact of their coaching beyond just play-calling.

In the defensive category, Aaron Glenn of the Lions, Steve Wilks of the 49ers, Dan Quinn of the Cowboys, Brian Flores of the Vikings, and Raheem Morris of the Rams emerged as the top five coordinators. Glenn's consistent interviews for head coaching positions and his valuable contributions to the Lions' success were instrumental in securing his position at the top.

Special teams coordinators, often overlooked in head coaching considerations, received well-deserved recognition in the rankings. Leading the way were John Fassel of the Cowboys, Chris Tabor of the Panthers, Matt Daniels of the Vikings, Dave Fipp of the Lions, and Darren Rizzi of the Saints. Their ability to create a cohesive unit and identify talent across offense and defense resonated with both players and union leaders.

JC Tretter confirmed that the NFLPA plans to release new team report cards in the future, but the date of the release was not disclosed. Last year, the team report cards were revealed during the NFL combine, which is scheduled to begin on February 26 this year.

The release of these rankings opens up a new avenue for players' voices to be heard and for outstanding coordinators to gain the recognition they deserve. As the NFL continues to evolve, the feedback from players will undoubtedly play an influential role in shaping the coaching landscape in the future.