Ted Gains National Support

[Scott Campbell]

Who would you rather have?

Bellechek or Brady/moss
Shannahan or Elway/Davis
Holmgren or Reggie/brett
Manning/Harrison/Freeney or Dungy
Ray Lewis or Billick
Sapp/Brooks or Gruden

I'll bet you can plug 10 current coaches into any of the SB winning situations and they'll have similar success. I'll bet you can't plug 10 other players into Brady, Moss, Elway, Reggie, Manning or Lewis's spots and have similar results. Playmakers are not replacable. Coaches are.

I'd take Lombardi over all of those guys combined.

[RashanGary]

I'd take Lombardi over all of those guys combined.

I'd take the Patriots right now with Marty Shottenheimer over the LIons with Lombardi.

[mmmdk]

I still think it takes both coaching and talent.

KGB looks much improved this year. Think its his talent?

The best coaches know how to play to their teams strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. They teach and develop. And they gameplan to take away other teams strengths.

Everything has to be clicking to get to 9-1.

Very well put...even for a non-Euro.

[mraynrand]

I think Yogi Bera said it best when he said "Coaching and talent is like eggs and bacon. Each tastes OK on it's own, but they're a lot better together. Also, can I have some OJ with that?"

[Carolina_Packer]

Have any of you ever seen a team that had mediocre talent, but a great coaching staff? How did they do?

Have you ever seen a team with great talent, but average or below average coaching? The first one that comes to mind is San Diego this year. I think part of that one comes from the front office decision to shake things up after a 14-2 finish last year. Sure, it can take players time to adjust to a new coach/system, but then look at Dallas. Those players went through the same kind of change, except they went from a more stern, task-master type coach to Wade Phillips.

I think you can over-achieve with less experienced, less developed talent, as long you have enough talent/coaching (Green Bay 2007).

Even with a good coaching staff and system, you gotta have talent, especially if you are going to go 9-1. Front Office, Coaching Staff and Players cannot luck into a 9-1 record. There has to be a lot of buy-in and good talent evaluation.

Front Office and Coaching/Players in harmony is like:

[mmmdk]

Re: Ted Gains National Support

From JSO:

"Ted Thompson, the general manager, is doing a great job," Fox studio analyst Jimmy Johnson said. "(So is) Mike McCarthy, the head coach. The key to winning in this league is not coaching. It's bringing in the talent. They fill in when they have an injury. They bring in another guy. You say, 'Who is this?' And they are winning with him."

This from an ex-coach, mind you.

This 'who is this?' theory has major flaws; just count the times you, yourself, said: 'who is this?' about Taco, Gado plus many others during the Packer 2005/06 seasons. Coaching, preparation and mentality has loads to do with it. 80% of the players in the NFL have virtually the same talent; again coaching, preparation and mentality. Another 10% are scrubs and 10% are superior talents. You need a few superstars and coaches/leaders to show the way for the rest.

Coaching is paramount.

You'll have to forgive me for going with Jimmy Johnson over a Euro on this one.

I remember plenty of "Who is this?" concerning Jennings, Jones, Grant, Bigby, and Crosby too. You can't just pick out the ones who didn't stick as evidence of your opinion.

I am an American just like you and Danish too. Are you (even) American yourself Mr. Creepy? I don't know so I ask.

Let's say that those 6 Packer games decided by 7 points or less had gone 1-5 for the Packers. What would Jimmy boy say? This team ain't getting it done but the talent is there? HAHAHAHA! JJ would rip the talent and probably the GM and coach too. But aren't GJ, JJ, Grant, Bigby & co. the same talented guys even if the record was 4-6??? I think so. Let's say Norv Turner was our coach; where'd we be now?

Denmark won the soccer European Championship in 1992 and Greece in 2004 - with far lesser talent. Coaching and leadership are paramount; it's the difference making of 6-10 or 10-6 team in the NFL. I won't speculate how many percentages are talent or how much is coaching, preparation and mentality as that is nonsense.

...but next time you wanna go "Euro" with me...I'll be there Mr. Creepy. You set the tone.

[mmmdk]

Have any of you ever seen a team that had mediocre talent, but a great coaching staff? How did they do?

Have you ever seen a team with great talent, but average or below average coaching? The first one that comes to mind is San Diego this year. I think part of that one comes from the front office decision to shake things up after a 14-2 finish last year. Sure, it can take players time to adjust to a new coach/system, but then look at Dallas. Those players went through the same kind of change, except they went from a more stern, task-master type coach to Wade Phillips.

I think you can over-achieve with less experienced, less developed talent, as long you have enough talent/coaching (Green Bay 2007).

Even with a good coaching staff and system, you gotta have talent, especially if you are going to go 9-1. Front Office, Coaching Staff and Players cannot luck into a 9-1 record. There has to be a lot of buy-in and good talent evaluation.

Front Office and Coaching/Players in harmony is like:

Wow, you said it.

Agreed, talent is needed but coaching too. Teams like the Glanville Houston Oilers comes to mind. Super talented team but an ass coach. Glanville saw no talent in Favre either. A very important Part of the coaches job is to spot the talent and develop it. COACHING. You gotta utilize the talent and mold it. Talent with the right mentality is the coaches job to add and to a much lesser extend the player himself. There are exceptions though.

Many doubted Favre even in his first few years. Gannon was a nobody untill McCarthy gave him tools to develop into a MVP player. I think the list goes on...

[The Leaper]

Good coaches put players in position to succeed. Obviously, even the best coaches also need playmakers in order to be successful. No coach can build a winner with a bunch of stiffs. You can have all the talent in the world...if it isn't utilized properly, you won't win squat.

Just look at the New York Yankees.

[mmmdk]

Good coaches put players in position to succeed. Obviously, even the best coaches also need playmakers in order to be successful. No coach can build a winner with a bunch of stiffs. You can have all the talent in the world...if it isn't utilized properly, you won't win squat.

Just look at the New York Yankees.

True, stiffs are stiffs.

[SkinBasket]

Re: Ted Gains National Support

I am an American just like you and Danish too. Are you (even) American yourself Mr. Creepy? I don't know so I ask.

You're so totally a Euro.

Let's say.....?

Well let's say the earth exploded six weeks ago. Then Jimmy also wouldn't be talking about the Packers... because we would all be dead. Come up with all the "what ifs" you want because they don't mean squat. Brett said it best when he said if his aunt had nuts she would be his uncle.

Denmark won the soccer European Championship in 1992 and Greece in 2004 - with far lesser talent. Coaching and leadership are paramount; it's the difference making of 6-10 or 10-6 team in the NFL. I won't speculate how many percentages are talent or how much is coaching, preparation and mentality as that is nonsense.

Well I coached my dog to shit outside. It didn't always work. I believe I had poor talent to work with. Others probably saw me as a bad coach. Either way, I sold her for glue.

...but next time you wanna go "Euro" with me...I'll be there Mr. Creepy. You set the tone.

I don't want to go Euro with you. Gay sex tends to cause too much chaffing.



The original point being I tend to agree with Johnson that a GM gives his coach a chance to win with the talent more often than a coach is able to elevate crappy players through schemes and teaching.

[The Shadow]

Do we really need a media analyst to legitimize what we all know?
Ted Thompson has put this 9-1 team together, and 'the proof is in the pudding'.

[Joemailman]

You can coach guys all you want, but if they don't have talent and football intelligence they won't amount to jack. Sherman wasn't a bad coach. He didn't do himself any favors as GM though. Instead of finding Ruvell Martin, he found Taco Wallace.

I agree with your general point Harv, but I believe Taco Wallace was a Thompson signing in the dreaded 2005 season.

[the_idle_threat]

I think Yogi Bera said it best when he said "Coaching and talent is like eggs and bacon. Each tastes OK on it's own, but they're a lot better together. Also, can I have some OJ with that?"

You can have some OJ, but it won't help you win championships. OJ will get you a ton of rushing yards, though, but watch out for the murderous rages.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Think coaching is unimportant? Ya just ask the chargers.

You think GM is unimportant..ask the CHARGERS.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

I think coaching is 20%. Players are 80%.


KGB always got about 10 sacks per year. He also got run over and wore down becaue they didn't have Jenkins playing well untill last year.

Surely a case can be made for coaching, but I think the much stronger case is made for talent and the guys who did it for a living echo that sentiment consistantly.

Talent vs. coaching. Hmm.

Has to be talent. Barry Switzer won with talent.