" Some of the best coaches in the NFL never really played the game" said someone (from England ) in another post. Controversial, huh?
Well, how many of the 32 coaches of the NFL teams did play the game at a very high standard: were star or highly rated players?
If you were to ask that question of soccer and the English league, the answer would be 'almost none' ! The skills required of a coach have little in common with the skills required of a player.
Of the twenty clubs in the Premiership, the top division of the four (the divisions are ranked from the Premiership down) only 4 have managers(coaches) who ever made their mark as international players or top ranked team stars.And 3 of those are managing some of the weakest teams in the division.The top teams are all managed by men who made no mark as players at all. Of the four top teams last season only one (Manchester United) has a manager who played in the top division of his home country (Scotland ) at all and he was a journeyman type: of the remainder, the managers of the champions (Chelsea), Liverpool and Arsenal had very indistinguished careers in lower leagues of theirs (Portugal, Spain and France respectively). ++++++++++++++++ 08-19-06, 08:21 AM aminator2002 I think this article is out of date (1999) but at that time there were 7 head coaches in the league that were former NFL players:
Here are the seven current head coaches who spent time as players in the NFL, plus four others who came close:
• Bruce Coslet, Bengals NFL Playing Experience: Tight end for Bengals, 1969-1976 Claim to Fame: Career backup, but he made the team every year even though local media always predicted he'd be cut.
• Bill Cowher, Steelers NFL Playing Experience: Linebacker for Eagles, Browns, 1979-1984 Claim to Fame: Broke Jeff Fisher's leg on a tackle when the Titans coach was returning a punt for Chicago.
• Mike Ditka, Saints NFL Playing Experience: Tight end for Bears, Eagles, Cowboys, 1961-1972 Claim to Fame: Revolutionized the tight end position; inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1988.
• Tony Dungy, Buccaneers NFL Playing Experience: Defensive back for Steelers, 49ers, Giants, 1977-79 Claim to Fame: Once threw an interception and made an interception in the same game.
• Jeff Fisher, Titans NFL Playing Experience: Defensive back, punt returner for Bears, 1981-85 Claim to Fame: While on injured reserve during the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl season, he assisted defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.
• Dan Reeves, Falcons NFL Playing Experience: Running back for Cowboys, 1965-1971 Claim to Fame: Threw a touchdown pass on halfback option play in the "Ice Bowl," the 1967 NFL title game which Dallas lost at Green Bay.
• Ray Rhodes, Packers NFL Playing Experience: Defensive back for Giants, 49ers, 1974-79 Claim to Fame: In 1979, was traded to 49ers for Tony Dungy.
Other coaches with professional experience:
• Brian Billick, Ravens Tight end signed by Cowboys in 1977. Never played.
• Jim Fassel, Giants Quarterback, drafted in seventh round by Bears in 1972. Never played in NFL. Was a player-coach for the Hawaii Hawaiians of the World Football League in 1974.
• Dennis Green, Vikings Defensive back for British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1974.
• Mike Holmgren, Seahawks Quarterback drafted in eighth round by Cardinals in 1970. Never played.
08-19-06, 11:47 AM DorianGreyed I took that statement to mean that the coaches hadn't played the game at any high level, such as in college. Maybe I misunderstood what he meant.
"The skills required of a coach have little in common with the skills required of a player."
I certainly agree with this. In fact, the worst boxing trainers (boxing's equivalent of coaches), have been former champions. Only a very few have ever trained a champion. The only two that come to mind are Archie Moore and Carmen Basilio. Moore trained George Foremen, and Basilio trained billy Backus, his nephew. Backus' winning the title was more or less a fluke. He cut Jopse Napoles, far superior fighter, above the eye in the first round, and the fight was stopped in the fourth because of the cut. He lost the rematch. Backus had a record of 49(23)/20/5. Napoles' record was 78(55)/7. 08-19-06, 02:05 PM FredPuli DG Let's extend this question, since you mention college players. How many of the most promising college players go on to become star players when they move up into the NFL? Doubtless, as in soccer, young players start out as reserves; in England even the most expensive young players expect to spend whole seasons without getting a game with the first team; yet many of those never grow on over the years to become top players .
And what of expensive mistakes? There have been many older soccer players who have cost their clubs millions to buy yet who never perform as hoped. Sometimes they have been star performers, ostensibly at the same level elsewhere, but never fit in with the new outfit. Sometimes their weaknesses are soon exposed by canny managers in the opposition who have picked up e.g that they are weak on the turn on one side or 'one footed' or vulnerable in the air. Then of course they are never allowed to play to their strengths.
08-19-06, 02:19 PM DorianGreyed It's just a guess on my part, but I think that, of the first round draft picks, most becomes starters their first year. There are always flops, however.
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