Knowing how specific NFL head coaches approach the preseason slate is crucial for bettors at this time of year. Some coaches go with the confidence-building approach of attempting to instill a winning attitude prior to the regular season beginning, while others use the exhibition games simply to evaluate talent and test different schemes. In other words, some care more about actually winning than others.
A few preseason records pop off the page, starting with Pete Carroll of the Seahawks, who has a career 34-16 ATS record in preseason games. A smaller sample size has Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer at 15-7 ATS, while one coach to fade when betting the spread in the preseason is Jason Garrett of the Cowboys, who’s a brutal 11-22-1 ATS.
There are six new head coaches for 2019 who have no previous preseason NFL head coaching experience: Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos), Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers), Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals), Freddie Kitchens (Cleveland Browns) and Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins).
Here is a list of the NFL head coaches, dating back to 1995, and their betting records both against the spread (ATS) and OVER/UNDER (O/U) heading into this year’s preseason action. Head coaches with an asterisk beside their name have never coached in the preseason.
Head Coach Preseason Betting Records
| Coach | ATS Record | O/U Record |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Belichick | 40-37-6 (51.9%) | 40-41-2 |
| Andy Reid | 39-39-4 (50.0%) | 45-36-1 |
| Mike Tomlin | 24-26-1 (48.0%) | 21-30 |
| Pete Carroll | 34-16 (68.0%) | 23-27 |
| Sean Payton | 26-24 (52.0%) | 23-23-4 |
| John Harbaugh | 31-15 (67.4%) | 20-25-1 |
| Jon Gruden | 19-12-3 (61.3%) | 15-19 |
| Jason Garrett | 11-22-1 (33.3%) | 14-17-3 |
| Ron Rivera | 18-14-1 (56.3%) | 18-14-1 |
| Mike Zimmer | 15-7 (68.2%) | 9-12-1 |
| Bruce Arians | 10-9-3 (52.6%) | 12-10 |
| Jay Gruden | 11-10 (52.4%) | 8-13 |
| Bill O’Brien | 11-8-1 (57.9%) | 7-13 |
| Doug Marrone | 8-9-1 (47.1%) | 7-11 |
| Dan Quinn | 4-14 (22.2%) | 6-11-1 |
| Pat Shurmur | 7-7 (50.0%) | 7-6-1 |
| Doug Pederson | 7-6 (53.8%) | 4-8-1 |
| Adam Gase | 5-8 (38.5%) | 9-3-1 |
| Sean McDermott | 4-5 (44.4%) | 4-5 |
| Sean McVay | 4-5 (44.4%) | 3-5-1 |
| Kyle Shanahan | 4-4-1 (50.0%) | 5-4 |
| Anthony Lynn | 3-6 (33.3%) | 4-4-1 |
| Matt Nagy | 3-3 (50.0%) | 4-1-1 |
| Frank Reich | 4-1 (80.0%) | 2-3 |
| Matt Patricia | 1-4 (20.0%) | 3-2 |
| Mike Vrabel | 1-4 (20.0%) | 2-2-1 |
| Vic Fangio | 1-1 (50.0%) | 0-2 |
| Matt LaFleur | 1-0 (100.0%) | 1-0 |
| Freddie Kitchens | 1-0 (100.0%) | 1-0 |
| Brian Flores | 1-0 (100.0%) | 1-0 |
| Kliff Kingsbury | 1-0 (100.0%) | 0-1 |
| Zac Taylor | 0-1 (0.0%) | 1-0 |
