NFL Season is fast approaching and sports fans and bettors everywhere are getting more and more excited. Every year it seems there are new things to bet on, with player props expanding yearly and live in-game betting growing in popularity as well.
Despite all of these new and exciting options and the fact that Georgia sports betting is not yet legal, betting against the spread remains one of the most popular year over year, as it keeps every game bettable regardless of how favored a certain team may be.
With the season fast approaching, BetGeorgia.com decided to take a look at which current NFL coaches have been best against the spread in their careers to give bettors a jump on the season.
Best NFL Head Coaches Against The Spread
We utilized data from TeamRankings.com to gather every active NFL head coach’s record ATS, dating back to 2003 when data was made available. We did not include records from interim stints.
Will Smith improve and cover the spread more this season? You can track the Falcons playoff chances all season on BetGeorgia.com.
Where Arthur Smith Ranks ATS
With so many coaches having different amounts of experience, the sample size in each coach's resumes are all over the place, with the top-ranked Brian Daboll only having one season under his belt. Daboll was 14-5 against the spread last year, a number that will undoubtedly drop in the coming seasons as the Giants, who surprised many with their strong season last year, get more respect on the odds boards in the coming seasons.
The rest of the top four also have limited experience, with Dan Campbell, Zac Taylor and Matt Lafleur all having less than five years experience. Following them on the list is Bill Belichick, with his 58% success against the spread perhaps being the most impressive mark on the board considering he has 28 years of coaching on his resume.
Fans in Georgia have to scan the list for quite a while before finding Arthur Smith, the coach of the home state Atlanta Falcons. Smith comes in 23rd on the list with a 15-18-1 record against the spread, a tough but predictable ranking considering the lack of success the Falcons have had in the past couple of years. If the preseason odds at DraftKings Sportsbook are to be trusted, expect Atlanta to be the underdogs in a lot of games this year, as the Falcons Super Bowl odds hover around +6000, although they are the second favorites at +215 to win a weak NFC South division. Expect a variety of spreads throughout the year for the Falcons as Smith looks to improve his ATS record above 50%.
Falcons bettors and fans can take consolation in the fact that the best coaches aren’t always strong against the spread. Reigning AFC and NFC Conference champion coaches Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni haven’t been great against the spread, hovering around 50% and ranking lower down the list as well. However, they have often been heavy favorites, meaning a loss against the spread can still be a victory on the field.
Atlanta fans hope that Smith and the Falcons can follow the Daboll model this year and surprise opponents and oddsmakers with a strong season just like the Giants did last year.
