Who's the most overrated NFL head coach of ALL-Time?

[Riggo#44]

Just bustin his chopps a little Riggo.. lighten up. I guess I can see how you can make the case for JJ. Surely you can understand why I think otherwise though being a Cowboy fan. In his first sting as a head coach he built a dynasty and he was a master motivator. I witnessed him outcoach many greats and his mindgames were sometimes Phil Jacksonesque. He went from 1-15 to 7-9 to 11-5 (divisional playoffs) to Two SB titles followed by a NFC Championship loss to the 49'ers who went on to win it all. He may have caught lightning in a bottle with plenty of draft picks but he still had to make the correct picks. It's hard for me to lable him overrated but I can respect that opinion.

And just bustin' yours...all in good fun.

:dallasuck

[IrishOrange15]

Good call. He put together some serious talent even if you remove the triplets from the equation. And just because you have the picks doesn't mean you know what to do with them. All you have to do is look at the Cowboys drafts between Jimmah and Parcells to prove his drafting prowess. I also think he was a pretty darn good coach. He won everywhere he went except the Dolphins and even there he took them to the playoffs 3 out of his 4 years.

I'd say the only thing that makes Jimmy Johnson overrated is the fact that many in the media put him up there as an all-time great coach and I don't see him any higher on the ladder than Mike Shanahan.

Jimmy wasn't a great X's and O's guy, but he had a few things working for him:

1. He had a great eye for talent.

2. His "wave system" of stockpiling your defense with as much speed as you can find was a bit ahead of its time.

3. All of the players thought he was a loose cannon and they feared him so much that no player dared let him down.

But as an X's on O's guy I never came away that impressed and I think that's a reason why he didn't have great success in Miami. But, if you have a good eye for talent and you're good at motivating players, I still believe you can generally be successful in the pros.

Rich...........

[ouvan59]

I would like to second the nothing of Norv Turner. No matter how terrible he does as a head coack, some team somewhere always seems to want to hire him.

I wouldn't say that Norv is the most overrated head coach because everyone knows he stinks. I do think however that he is the most overrated coordinator in the NFL by a wide margin. People still think of him as an offensive genius even though he has produced only one top 10 offense in his 13 years since leaving the Cowboys. What he does do is produce good fantasy running backs.

My vote for most overrated Head Coach is Mike Nolan. He is ranked #32 in most people's opinions (now that Mike Tice is gone) and that is too high. I would hire Rich Kotite and Ray Handley ahead of Nolan.

[Bryan_Randall]

The answer is Mike Ditka. Marty has to be there somewhere, too.

[dallasfanforlife]

Great Post...is Parcells the best coach ever...NO...is he over rated...Hell No!

I can understand saying Jimmy Johnson was overrated, but Parcells?

The 3 years before he took over the Giants they went a combined 17-24. By his second season they went 9-7 and then went 10-6 in his third season before losing to the 1985 Bears team in the playoffs. Then they went to win the Super Bowl in his 4th season in '86.

After winning his second Super Bowl, he took a couple of years off to coach the Patriots, who were one of the biggest jokes in the league, especially after the sexual harrassment scandal. The 3 seasons before he took over the Pats, they went a COMBINED 9-29. By his second season, he turned them into a 10-6 team and by his fourth season, brought them to the Super Bowl (Belichick actually served as a defensive backs coach that year, not a D-Coordinator which was taken by Al Groh). Furthermore, Parcells either drafted or brought in the following players and coaches to the Pats:

- Drew Bledsoe

- Troy Brown

- Willie McGinest

- Ted Johnson

- Teddy Bruschi

- Otis Smith

- Ty Law

- Lawyer Milloy

- Adam Vinatieri

- Charlie Weiss

- Romeo Crennel

Then Parcells went to the Jets, a team that went 10-28 the three seasons prior to his arrival and by the first year, he made them a 9-7 team. By year two, he got them to the AFC Championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Broncos. He then left them with the following players:

- Curtis Martin

- Chad Pennington

- Lav Coles

- Anthony Becht

- Jason Fabini

- Kevin Mawae

- Randy Thomas

- Ryan Young

- John Abraham

- Shaun Ellis

- Marcus Coleman

- Aaron Glenn

- Ray Mickens

- James Farrior

- Jason Ferguson

He then took over the Dallas Cowboys and took a team that went 15-33 three years prior to his arrival and went 10-6 his first season.

Sure, he's had some struggles in Dallas. But if he's "overrated", I'd imagine you are almost impossible to impress.

Rich................

[ouvan59]

I can understand saying Jimmy Johnson was overrated, but Parcells?

I don't think that anybody with a level head would argue that Parcells isn't a great coach. If he lost every game this year and was caught molesting a donkey he would still be elected into the HOF on the first ballot. I think the reason some people consider him overrated is because of the way the media fawns all over him. He is the best thing that ever happened to reporters. He wins and his press conferences are never dull.

If I put a poll out on the ESPN boards right now asking who was the better coach, Bill Parcells or Tom Landry, Parcells would win hands down and that's just wrong.

[pjfootballer]

I don't know if I can come up with just one, but a few come to mind:

Mike Ditka- 1 great season w/best d coordinator in the game

Dennis Green- Good teams, no SB's

Marty Schottenheimer- See Denny Green

Dan Reeves- Had Elway as crutch and then got lucky w/falcons vs. Vikes

and a lot of people will disagree with me, but I honestly think Don Shula is overated:

he coached for over 30 yrs and won only "TWO" SB's. I will give him credit for winnning the most games and the undefeated season, but he racked up a lot of wins with Dan Marino the last 10-12 yrs. See Reeves and the Elway factor.

[James Moss]

I can’t believe his name hasn’t been mentioned yet—and he’s right up the road in an ugly purple stadium. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most overrated NFL coach of all-time, Mister Offensive Genius; Mister Brain Billick. Where would Mr. Billick be without the defensive genius of Marvin Lewis and the excellent front office drafting of Ozzie Newsome?

[robotfire]

I can understand saying Jimmy Johnson was overrated, but Parcells?

The 3 years before he took over the Giants they went a combined 17-24. By his second season they went 9-7 and then went 10-6 in his third season before losing to the 1985 Bears team in the playoffs. Then they went to win the Super Bowl in his 4th season in '86.

After winning his second Super Bowl, he took a couple of years off to coach the Patriots, who were one of the biggest jokes in the league, especially after the sexual harrassment scandal. The 3 seasons before he took over the Pats, they went a COMBINED 9-29. By his second season, he turned them into a 10-6 team and by his fourth season, brought them to the Super Bowl (Belichick actually served as a defensive backs coach that year, not a D-Coordinator which was taken by Al Groh). Furthermore, Parcells either drafted or brought in the following players and coaches to the Pats:

- Drew Bledsoe

- Troy Brown

- Willie McGinest

- Ted Johnson

- Teddy Bruschi

- Otis Smith

- Ty Law

- Lawyer Milloy

- Adam Vinatieri

- Charlie Weiss

- Romeo Crennel

Then Parcells went to the Jets, a team that went 10-28 the three seasons prior to his arrival and by the first year, he made them a 9-7 team. By year two, he got them to the AFC Championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Broncos. He then left them with the following players:

- Curtis Martin

- Chad Pennington

- Lav Coles

- Anthony Becht

- Jason Fabini

- Kevin Mawae

- Randy Thomas

- Ryan Young

- John Abraham

- Shaun Ellis

- Marcus Coleman

- Aaron Glenn

- Ray Mickens

- James Farrior

- Jason Ferguson

He then took over the Dallas Cowboys and took a team that went 15-33 three years prior to his arrival and went 10-6 his first season.

Sure, he's had some struggles in Dallas. But if he's "overrated", I'd imagine you are almost impossible to impress.

Rich................

I gotta admit, that's a pretty good resume. My first thought was Parcells, but I think I see that I was wrong. People act like Parcells is better at coaching than Gibbs, which makes me think Parcells is overrated. But the fact of the matter is, Gibbs is underrated enough that Parcells gets more praise.

Clint

[pjfootballer]

I can’t believe his name hasn’t been mentioned yet—and he’s right up the road in an ugly purple stadium. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most overrated NFL coach of all-time, Mister Offensive Genius; Mister Brain Billick. Where would Mr. Billick be without the defensive genius of Marvin Lewis and the excellent front office drafting of Ozzie Newsome?

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[1028046]

Jimmy Johnson.

He showed up from the college ranks just as a bevy of draft picks fell into his lap, so he was extremely familiar with the upcoming talent at the same time that he was able to go get it. He was the right man at the right place at the right time, and put together an amazing team. But he wasn't a great coach.

Johnson without that talent was unspectacular. He took over a 9-7 Miami team and after four years got them to ... 9-7. And in the four years Johnson was the Miami coach, the Dolphins won fewer games (36) than they had the previous four years (39).

Dallas, however, did just fine without Johnson, going to two more straight NFC Championship games and winning another SB before the dust settled. Johnson may have kept the ride going a little longer than Switzer, but that's not saying much.

I agree with you Henry

Johnson would make a better GM then coach. He did have some decent draft classes in Miami also.

I know the skins fans say they don't need a GM but if Accorsi left I would not mind seeing this guy run our draft and I doubt Gibbs would either.

[GrimReefa]

I can’t believe his name hasn’t been mentioned yet—and he’s right up the road in an ugly purple stadium. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most overrated NFL coach of all-time, Mister Offensive Genius; Mister Brain Billick. Where would Mr. Billick be without the defensive genius of Marvin Lewis and the excellent front office drafting of Ozzie Newsome?

He would have been on my list if people thought he was a great coach - but they don't. Pretty much everyone has the same opinion of him that you have.

Even in Baltimore they want him gone.

[Skins n' Bones]

Here's another one: Brian Billick

Everybody knows that the Ravens SB run was because of Lewis's defense and the talent they had on that side of the ball. But every year, it seems like they are still considered playoff contenders. Why? He was considered an offensive genius in Minn, but what has he done in Baltimore? Not much...

Someone may say the Redskins current success is due to Williams D, and possibly after this season, Saunders O, plus the talented players, but the key is who puts and keeps it all together? Joe Gibbs. Billick has had a good GM to put the team together his entire tenure, so what exactly does he do??? Again, not much apparently...

[Henry]

Good call. He put together some serious talent even if you remove the triplets from the equation. And just because you have the picks doesn't mean you know what to do with them. All you have to do is look at the Cowboys drafts between Jimmah and Parcells to prove his drafting prowess. I also think he was a pretty darn good coach. He won everywhere he went except the Dolphins and even there he took them to the playoffs 3 out of his 4 years.

Like I said, he came to the Cowboys as a college coach. He not only had the advantage of uncommon familiarity with the current college players, he also had the means to draft a lot of them. To his credit he picked the right ones and built an amazing team, but I think his drafts in Miami debunked the notion that he was a master evaluator of talent (Kareem Abdul Jabbar?)

The Dolphins went to the playoffs three of the four years preceding Johnson as well. He didn't elevate that team beyond where it already was. At all.

I'd say the only thing that makes Jimmy Johnson overrated is the fact that many in the media put him up there as an all-time great coach and I don't see him any higher on the ladder than Mike Shanahan.

Well, and that's why I listed him. I've heard him listed as one of the top ten coaches of all time. I think he was a good coach. Even a great one. But I wouldn't put him on the list of elites. That's all I'm saying.

Ditka's a good choice too, but I don't think he's thought of as highly as Johnson. We're not talking about straight-up ability, just overrated-ness.

[ouvan59]

Well, and that's why I listed him. I've heard him listed as one of the top ten coaches of all time. I think he was a good coach. Even a great one. But I wouldn't put him on the list of elites. That's all I'm saying.

Ditka's a good choice too, but I don't think he's thought of as highly as Johnson. We're not talking about straight-up ability, just overrated-ness.

I agree 100% with that.

[slappy434]

I don't think that anybody with a level head would argue that Parcells isn't a great coach. If he lost every game this year and was caught molesting a donkey he would still be elected into the HOF on the first ballot. I think the reason some people consider him overrated is because of the way the media fawns all over him. He is the best thing that ever happened to reporters. He wins and his press conferences are never dull.

If I put a poll out on the ESPN boards right now asking who was the better coach, Bill Parcells or Tom Landry, Parcells would win hands down and that's just wrong.

Very well said. With no doubt, he's great, but he's always seemed way too over-hyped by alot of folks. He's smart about football, but he hasn't proven to come thru in the clutch alot. BP might not be the most overrated, but he sure seems to get alot of credit, and more often than not its just because he's had some good seasons without alot that is spectacular. For example, having a few stars and mediocre players work as a team and win when it counts.

[IrishOrange15]

If I put a poll out on the ESPN boards right now asking who was the better coach, Bill Parcells or Tom Landry, Parcells would win hands down and that's just wrong.

That's because most of the poll voters probably either don't remember Landry, only remember him from his last few dwindling seasons, or have a vague recollection of him. OTOH, Parcells is still pretty fresh in their mind.

No, I don't think Parcells is better than Landry, but I can see why that poll would produce opposite results.

Rich............

[Chachie]

I don't think it's fair to pick on Spurrier. He was a rookie NFL coach and his hands were tied by Snyder and the talent left over from previous years. Also- to be overrated, first one must be "rated." Steve never got on the map.

To call Marty overrated is unfair as well. The guy has made the playoffs alot and never had big-time talent on his teams until San Diego. One could argue that his KC teams had talent but I can't remember his rosters from those years.

I'll go with Ditka.

[dg28daman]

Mike Shanahan is so rediculasly overrated. Give me Terrell Davis in his prime, Rod Smith in his prime, and a hungry, savvy vet Elway, and I'd win the SB also.

[Streater101]

I don't understand why so many are nominating the likes of Spurrier, Turner or Switzer. I don't think anyone is actually fawning over their coaching prowess. With that said, I nominate Holmgren, Reid, and Denny Green.

[SonnyJ]

Mike Shanahan is so rediculasly overrated. Give me Terrell Davis in his prime, Rod Smith in his prime, and a hungry, savvy vet Elway, and I'd win the SB also.

This is the answer. Since Elway left and Davis blew out his knee, Shanahan has won exactly ONE playoff game. Joe Gibbs has won that many in two seasons back after a 12 year layoff.

His teams, for the most part, have been decent. But the organization has certainly spent A LOT of money on players and a coach as well thought of as Shanahan should have done much more.

[computerclone]

As a head coach Norv aint that good.. but he is Very Good as an offensive coach.

He will prob bring back San Fran to respectable times.

I tell you you I never liked was Dave Wannastad or whatever his last name was. Norv was the one who kept them going a few years ago in Moami before he went to the Raiders

Although not as successul, I'm thinkin Norv Turner is up there with some of these guys. "Offensive genius" gimme a break. He's has had about one succcessfull season as an NFL coach. Cant put it together anywhere he goes

[grhqofb5]

Ditka is one coach i've always seen as overrated. Think about the kind of talent that team had back in the 1980s and early 90s. Everyone knows that that defense was designed and executed by Buddy Ryan, a coach whose personality often overshadows his brilliance.

After Ryan left (carried off the field after SB XX) the Bears still had the talent to become a true dynasty. That leaves one to believe that the problem was in the coaching staff. The offense never got it's act together, and the team could never muster the testiclular fortitude to win the big playoff games (another coach may have had a little something to do with that).

It can't be said that Ditka wasn't a good coach. But he failed miserably in new orleans, and now does Viagra commericals. He wouldn't dare take another shot at the NFL.

[heatman28]

Steve Spurrier

Barry Switzer

[NewCliche21]

Steve Spurrier

Barry Switzer

How the hell is Spurrier overrated? He was a massive bust. That's like calling Ryan Leaf an overrated NFL quarterback.