With all of the head coaching changes currently going on the in the NFL and several more most likely coming in the next couple of weeks, there has been a lot of debate about potential candidates for each team. It got me thinking, “where DO successful coaches come from?â€. What are their backgrounds? What seems to be the path for success in this very competitive, demanding occupation? The league changed quite a bit in the early 90’s. The modern age of free agency began, which made the talent level on each team more level and head coaches even more important. The Cowboys were the dominant team during the early 90’s, winning 3 Super Bowls with 2 different coaches who came directly from the college ranks. But what has happened since that time? What ‘types’ of coaches are winning in the modern NFL? Since 1995, dozens of coaches have been hired to lead nfl teams. Only 11 coaches have won the Super Bowl. Some teams have attempted to duplicate the Cowboys’ success in the early 90’s by bringing in head coaches directly from the college game. Most of them have been failures of epic proportions. Some teams have chosen to promote a coordinator from within to become their next head coach. None of those ‘promoted’ individuals have won a SB. Some teams have hired previous SB-winning coaches, such as Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren, and Joe Gibbs. None have been able to win a SB after leaving the team they won it all with.......... it's hard to recreate the magic apparently ...... So, where are these SB-winning coaches coming from? Apparently it’s a fairly simple formula, because there are only 2 backgrounds where they’re coming from. The first group of SB-winning coaches are 1st-time head coaches who had extensive assistant/coordinating experience with other teams in the NFL prior to becoming a head coach for the first time. The coaches on this list include Sean Payton, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. All of these coaches won the SB with the first teams that hired them as a head coach but all of them had extensive time learning the league as a protégé under 1 or more NFL head coaches in different organizations. These coaches were not college coaches and were not wet behind the ears coaches who hadn’t been in the league very long. The second location SB winning coaches are coming from are coaches who resigned or were fired from their first head coaching job without winning a SB but were able to win it all with their 2nd head coaching gigs. These include Tom Coughlin, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, twinky Vermeil, and Mike Shanahan. No coach has been able to win another SB after leaving the team they were with when they won it all. In summary, recent history shows us that the most successful NFL coaches: 1) Are successful assistants/coordinators with other NFL teams prior to becoming a head coach with a new organization, or ………. 2) They are with their 2nd teams after failing to win it with their first teams The coaches that are NOT successful: 1) Have spent most of their coaching career in the college game, or 2) Were promoted from within their organization, or 3) Won a SB with a previous team What does all of this tell us about the current head-coaching decisions being made? Well, it may tell us that the odds are against Leslie Frazier and Jason Garrett having tons of success with their current teams. It seems clear that the deck would be stacked against Jim Harbaugh if he decided to jump to the pros. It hints that Mike Shanahan probably won’t reach the promised land ever again. And it may indicate that the next team that hires Jeff Fisher may end up very happy …………….
This the reseon I think JJ wont go after cowher,gruden bullock.....he basically said the same thing a week ago about coaches who were SB winners in one place but had never being able to duplicate it
yep, this trend does not bode well for cowher, gruden, or billick-lovers, it doesn't bode well for frazier, garrett, or other internal promotion-lovers, and it doesn't bode well for jim harbaugh or other college coach-lovers. There are a lot of new coaching hires that will be taking place over the next few weeks, so there may be more teams that have questionable head coaches, but for the teams that seem to be keeping their coaches, there are a few coaches that i would question their ability to win the big game based upon the trends: Tom Cable -- mainly a college guy Mike Shanahan -- won SB with previous team Jim Caldwell -- internal promotion Norv Turner -- 3rd team as HC Pete Carroll -- more college than pros and on his 3rd nfl team as HC Any of these coaches winning a SB would be abnormal based upon recent history.
Of the subject a bit bit you did mention Jimmy Johnson ....I just recently read that 33 day before he was hired as coach for Dallas he had talked to Landry and he was going to be the new defense corrsinater under landry and HC in waiting ....
I have never heard that.....that would've been a heck of a plot twist if this was indeed true about Landry staying and Johnson being the DC and the head coach in waiting. Landry did wanted to coach the team into the 1990's. But I believe if Landry was still the Cowboys coach in 1989......he probably would've drafted Troy Aikman himself. He did draft Michael Irvin but I'm not sure if he would've made the Herschel Walker trade that was the driving force for the Cowboys' dynasty in the 1990's.
Well this was all before the team was sold........landry let year to coach was 88. I read this in my official DC history book. Jimmy said he was surprises bc he was expecting to be a def cordinater and next thing he new he is being asked to coach the team You are right I don't think landry wouldst traded walker either
