According to Pro Football Reference, there are 517 men that have held the title of head NFL coach. Some of been interim, some of only coached one game and some have been around a long, long time. It’s truly a revered title to wear and a harder job to gain than a United States Senator. Like becoming a U.S. Senator, it takes political capital to gain election and it requires a great media campaign, winning the popular vote along with the owner’s delegates. Those doing the evaluating of the performance only view the scoreboard and never understand the situation. Some who gain entrance into this exclusive club do it well, some don’t. Some get too much respect for their wins and others don’t get enough. However, winning playoff games are the only thing that matters when the evaluation occurs for the Hall.
Take Marty Schottenheimer of the Browns, Chiefs, Redskins and Chargers. He is one of eight men that has won 200 regular season games — that’s 1.4% of the coaches — placing him in an extremely elite class of coaches. Five of the other men with 200 and more wins are in the Hall; two are still coaching — Bill Belichick and Andy Reid — and when they retire will be fitted for a gold jacket. Schottenheimer coached 21 seasons, had a 61% winning percentage and today is never mentioned for the Hall of Fame.
Schottenheimer won without an elite quarterback, from Bernie Kosar to Steve DeBerg, to Elvis Grbac, to a healing Rich Gannon, Tony Banks, a young Drew Brees, Doug Flutie, and an emerging Phillip Rivers. Gannon and Brees became outstanding players in their careers, but when they were with Schottenheimer, they were still young and developing. Rivers developed into a star leading the Chargers to a 14-2 record and a first-round loss to the Patriots, which was the last game Schottenheimer ever coached. Schottenheimer never gains the respect he deserves because he wasn’t great at playoff time. He struggled to get to the Super Bowl which unfairly blemished his whole career.
Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans might become the new Marty Schottenheimer, and I don’t mean that as a slight. The comparison comes as the ultimate compliment. You might ask, “Why isn’t Vrabel the next Belichick?” Because Vrabel isn’t winning with an elite quarterback much like Schottenheimer. In my next book I make a strong case for Schottenheimer to be in the Hall and should have gained entrance ahead of Dick Vermeil, Don Coryell and others. Vrabel has become one of the top three coaches in the NFL and is winning without an elite quarterback or roster. On Thursday night he was missing several starters, playing his third game in 11 days (one with his defense on the field for 91 plays) and yet dominated the Packers, sending them limping home with a slim chance of being a playoff team. Vrabel understands what it takes to win, each week, and how he must alter his game plan within the foundation of his tea m’s strengths to then give his team the best chance to win. He coaches the coaches; he is complete control of the sidelines, and his team has developed his mental toughness. And on Thursday night, the Titans were by far the tougher team. They were not the more talented team — they were just the better coached team and more physical.