GumboBC

Coaching is the key. Right? Now, I know coaching is important. But, then again, the "long snapper" is pretty important too. Let's take a look at some of the coahing "geniuses" and see what they have done!!


Jimmy Johnson, once considered the best coach since Bill Walsh, started out his coaching career with a record of 1-15. Followed that up with a 7-9 record. Then coaches his team to an 11-5 record and a playoff win. Then breaks the door down with two super bowl wins in the following 2 years. Jimmy Johnson then retires and is widely considered to be a football genius. Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones disagrees and comes out publicly and says there are 20-coaches that could win a super bowl with the Cowboys. And to prove it, Jerry Jones hires Barry Switzer and wins another super bowl.

To prove his genius, Jimmy Johnson decides to come out of retirement and coach the Dolphins to the super bowl. Maybe Jimmy Johnson wasn’t quite the genius he thought he was though as Jimmy was never was never able to win more than one playoff game in any of his 4 years coaching the Dolphins. Jimmy Johnson decides to retire again. With Parcells, Vermil, and Joe Gibbs returning to the NFL, we might see Jimmy Johnson back soon.

But, let's look at some curent NFL head coahes. The ones fans are in love with. Like...... Jeff Fisher.

Jeff Fisher starts his career out with a record of 7-9. Then follows that up with three 8-8 seasons. Things aren’t looking too good for Fisher. Four seasons without a winnig record. Suddenly Fisher breaks out from mediocrity and coaches the Titians to a 13-3 record and a trip to the super bowl. Fisher follows that up with another 13-3 year but looses in the first round of the playoffs. Then coaches his team to a 7-9 record. Followed up by an 11-5 and 12-4 record. In 9 seasons Fisher only got his team to the playoffs 4 times and only has 4 seasons above .500. That’s 5 non-winning seasons out of 9 with a super bowl loss.

Then there is the new breed of head coaches who come on the scene like Brian Billick. Billick starts his coaching career out with an 8-8 record. Through his pure coaching genius, Billick is able to coach the Ravens to a 12-4 regular season record and win a super bowl in only his second year. Billick built the best defense since the “steel curtain� they say. Only problem was Billick’s team got bounced out of the playoffs the following year and followed that up with a 7-9 record. Billick does get his team back to the playoffs in 2003, but loses in the first round of the playoffs.

Forget all of those guys though. Let’s talk about a REAL coaching genius. Let’s talk about one of those coaches who can “walk on water.� A guy that can step in and coach any team to a super bowl victory. Let’s talk about Bill Parcells. Just one problem though. Parcells last super bowl victory was in 1990 when he had one of those dynasty teams with Lawrence Tayler and co.

Bill Parcells would retire from coaching after the Giants last super bowl victory in 1990. Parcells would return to coaching with the New England Patriots in 1993. In his first year Parcells went 5-11. Followed that up with a 10-6 record and a playoff loss. Then followed that up with a 6-10 record. It’s all so confusing. Fist year: 5-11. Second year: 10-6. Third year: 6-10.

But, in his 4th year as head coach of the Patriots, Parcells would take his first step “walking on water� as he coached the previous 6-10 Patriots to an 11-5 record and a trip to the super bowl. Someone get a life preserver out, though, because the Patriots would lose the super bowl to the Packers 35-21. The roller coaster ride with the Patriots proved to be more than Parcells could bear as he retired following the super bowl loss.

Parcells would emerge again as head coach of the Jets. He would take the Jets to a 9-7 record. Then to a 12-4 record before falling back to a .500 team. Never getting the Jets to a super bowl.

But, we hadn’t heard the last from Bill Parcells. He was determined to prove he could indeed “walk on water.� Parcells would land in the Big D in 2003. There was little doubt Parcells had his work cut our for him with the Cowboys. I don’t remember what the Cowboys record was when Parcells became the head coach. Maybe 1-15, 3-13, or 4-12. Who remembers? Does it really matter? When you can “walk on water� no odds are too great. What does Parcells do in his first year as head coach with the Cowboys? Only take the Cowboys to the playoffs in his first year. He’s "walking on water" in Dallas. Keep that life preserver handy, though. Remember, he took the 10-6 Patriots to a 6-10 record the following year. Hey, I'm just kidding Bill. We are sure you will get the Cowboys to a super bowl victory. Aren't we???

Then there’s Bill Billichick. He started out his coaching career by, well … getting fired. No, not right away. They gave him 5-years before giving him the axe. Billichick started out as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns by going:

1991: 6-10
1992: 7-9
1993: 7-9
1994: 11-5
1995: 5-11……………Fired!!!!!!!!

Proving you can reinvent the wheel, Billichick returns to head coaching with Parcells former team (the patriots) in 2000. Looks like much of the same from Billichick as he goes 5-11 with the Patriots in his first year. Somehow, Billichick pulls off one of the great turnarounds in NFL history as he takes the 5-11 Patriots and wins a super bowl in only his second year with the Patriots. To prove his coaching genius, Billichick and the Patriots miss the playoffs the following year. But, guess what? Billichick and the Patriots strike again as they win another super bowl in 2003. Let’s take a look at Billichicks record as head coach of the Patriots:

2000: 5-11
2001: 11-5 Super Bowl Victory
2002: 9-7 Misses Playoffs
2003: 14-2 Super Bowl Victory


A new coaching genius is born. But, it seems like Billichick is only a genius in the “odd� numbered years. Since this is 2004, I’m betting against Billichick and the Patriots, no matter how much of a genius he might be. Hey, don’t laugh. In 9 years Billichick has only had ONE winning record in “even� numbered years. That’s not bad odds and it makes as much sense as anything??



Then there are coaches that got their team to the super bowl once in the last decade.

1. Jim Fassel – Fired
2. Dan Reeves – Fired
3. Jon Gruden - Super Bowl Vitory, then misses playoffs.

Now, John Fox is a coaching genius. What do you wanna bet the Panthers miss the playoff this year?


I don’t know. I was convinced for a while that coaching was the key to getting a team to the super bowl. But, now all I’m convinced of is a team somehow gets on a roll and ends up in the super bowl.

Maybe someone can explain to me how coahing can be so responsible for a teams success one year and that same coach misses the playoffs the follwing year. It's just too confusing for me!!

















[Edited on 3/7/2004 by GumboBC]