ESPN's Top 20 NFL Coaches Ever

Why would Schottenheimer be in there? That guy defined playoff choking. Not only did he not win the big one, he actively prevented his team from doing it. Check how many games they lost at home as the better team, it blows the shit out of anything Dungy ever did.

MartyBall was a real thing.

 

Schottenheimer also won a lot more games and turned around some worse teams than Dungy. He is the poor man's parcellls.

 

Schottenheimer: 200-126-1 (.613)
Dungy: 139-69-0 (.668)

I guess you can say Schottenheimer had more longevity but you'd also have to believe Pete Rose was a better hitter than Ty Cobb.

Franchise turnarounds: Schottenheimer Browns and Chiefs, Dungy Bucs and Colts. Browns and Bucs were the shits, Chiefs and Colts were teams that had some success to build on, about a draw.

And Schottenheimer just couldn't win in the playoffs. Didn't know how to do it. Made possibly the single greatest team-defeating coaching move in NFL history when he switched back to Grbac after KC had become the best team in the NFL playing under Gannon. Probably cost his team a Super Bowl appearance with that one. Made many other smaller but still boneheaded moves throughout his illustrious playoff career too.

It has become fashionable for some reason to say Dungy wasn't all that, but many of the guys on your list (Coryell, Allen) also had every flaw that people want to make a big deal of with Dungy.

 

Chiefs were coming 4-11 and 4-11-1 seasons when schottenheimer took over in1989 and went 8-7-1. The chargers were coming off 1-15 & 5-11 seasons. They got to 8-8 under schottenheimer. Yes, his teams shit the bed in the playofgs, but he was (to me) more impressive than dungy.

 

All right ... but, just so you know, Dungy's winning pct is 13th all-time and it wasn't like he was taking over after Bill Walsh's retirement either.

 

Believe it or not, actually defended dungy earlier in this thread. I think he is top 30, just not top 20.

 

I agree. On no level is he a bad coach. Just not top 20. I'd lump him with this crew in the 20-30 range.


Cowher 149-90 - .623 12-9 in the playoffs
Holmgren 161-111 - .592 13-11 in the playoffs
Dungy 139-69 - .668 9-10 in the playoffs
Schottenheimer 200-126 .613 5-13 in the playoffs
Reid 130-93 .583 10-9 in the playoffs

Cowher vs. Dungy in the playoffs with two similarly talented teams, who would you take?

 

There's a reason for this ... did you see the way the Carolina Panthers disintegrated under his "leadership"?

If you were correct, Jerry Richardson would have looked sharp. Instead, it was probably his worst transaction as owner (and it takes a lot to outpace giving Dom Capers and Co. the go-ahead to sign Sean Gilbert to a ridiculous contract and give the Redskins two first-round picks for the right to do so).

Put it like this ... I wouldn't hesitate to rate Jon Gruden or Mike Tomlin ahead of him based on the list's basic criteria ...

 

Schottenheimer's playoff winning percentage should automatically take him out of any conversation of top 20 coaches ever. I mean, sub-.500 (Dungy, .474 with a championship) is one thing, but .278? That's Romoesque. I mean, if you think Dungy "drastically underachieved" in the postseason, can you really say Schottenheimer was better?

 

What's the best QB Shotty ever coached?

 

He had Bernie Kosar, he had Rich Gannon until he dumped him on the side of the road, he had Drew Brees and he had Philip Rivers who was good enough for a 14-2 season.

I don't think the quarterback was the problem.

 

But if a quarterback is any good, he wins a Super Bowl! So since Marty Schottenheimer's teams never won a Super Bowl, all of his quarterbacks sucked!