Greatest Coach Ever...Living or Dead

[MissionCoach]

Thomas Wade Landry...



Coaching Highlights:
• First head coach of the Dallas Cowboys (1960-1988)
• Set an NFL record with 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966-1985)
• 1966 NFL Coach of the Year
• 1975 NFC Coach of the Year
• Won 13 NFC East titles
• Won five NFC titles
• Won Super Bowl VI and XII
• Introduced the flex defense
• Developed the 4-3 defense
• Revived the shotgun offense
• Introduced motion offenses
• Popularized situational substitutions
• Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1990


Opinions?

[Gooch]

Love Tom, but Vince Lombardi and George Halas come to mind.

[Wolverine]

Mike Zimmer.


There are all kinds of people in here that think Zimmer can do no wrong. How he has never even had 1 talented player to work with on D. If he only had talent how great he would be. Even if he could just have 1 player with talent he would be the best ever. Zimmer can do no wrong so that means he is the greatest ever.

[SultanOfSix]

Landry. The guy did everything from coaching to designing offense and defenses. Your stats say everything.

[Rocky]

College: Paul Bear Bryant

Pro: Vince Lombardi
.........Chan Gailey a close second

[Juke99]

The top guys are so close, it's hard to draw a distinction.

BUT...if Landry had beaten Lombardi even once, I think he'd clearly be at the top of the list, no questions asked.

[Cbz40]

I have to say Landry.......20 consecutive winning seasons will never be matched.

[DayOne1960]

I would have to go with Vinny Lombardi followed by my man Tom Landry.

[Juke99]

Originally Posted by DayOne1960

I would have to go with Vinny Lombardi followed by my man Tom Landry.

The interesting thing is, you couldn't find two more contrasting styles and philosophies of coaching than Lombardi and Landry...yet both were extremely successful.

[Billy Bullocks]

Ill make a case for Walsh as well. Great eye for talent..Montana in the 3rd, Rice in the 1st( no one thought he would make it). West Coast Offense. Laid the groundwork for 5 titles in 14 years, but oh how I hate the Niners. But you gotta give respect when it's due.

[MissionCoach]

Originally Posted by Juke99

The interesting thing is, you couldn't find two more contrasting styles and philosophies of coaching than Lombardi and Landry...yet both were extremely successful.

Landry was always seen in contrast to the more fiery Vince Lombardi. They coached together under Jim Lee Howell with the 1950s New York Giants, Lombardi running the offence and Landry the defence. Lombardi believed in simplicity, inspiring through intensity and fear; Landry was a master strategist, said to enjoy preparing for the game more than the game itself.

[View Full Quote]Only 29, one year removed from playing, he stopped the mighty Cleveland Browns by devising the 4-3 defence, still standard for most National Football League teams. Lombardi moved to Green Bay, turning the Packers into champions. Two years later, Landry took over the brand-new Cowboys, stocked through an expansion draft with other teams' castoffs. He coped by developing, with general manager Tex Schramm and scout Gil Brandt, computerised scouting, uncovering unlikely gridiron stars like Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes. He won no games in his first season, but within seven years Dallas met Green Bay for the NFL championship, the famed "Ice Bowl", played in temperatures so cold announcer Frank Gifford told his audience he was taking "another bite of coffee". The Packers could dominate most 4-3 defences, so Landry invented the "flex", and developed a shifting, multiple offence that is also standard today.

When the Packers won that game, America saw it as a triumph of Lombardi's individualism over Landry's systems. But consistent success turned Dallas into "America's Team": 20 consecutive winning seasons, 13 division titles, and two Super Bowl victories.

The thought of these 2 Legends coaching on the same team is mind boggling!

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by Wolverine

Mike Zimmer.


There are all kinds of people in here that think Zimmer can do no wrong. How he has never even had 1 talented player to work with on D. If he only had talent how great he would be. Even if he could just have 1 player with talent he would be the best ever. Zimmer can do no wrong so that means he is the greatest ever.

Yet again...overboard.

Good way to be taken seriously.

[blindzebra]

Knoll and Shula are both right there as well.

[Juke99]

Originally Posted by MissionCoach

The thought of these 2 Legends coaching on the same team is mind boggling!

Hey...thanks for the quote...interesting stuff.

Lombardi was all fire and emotion. His attitude was "We're going to run a handful of plays to perfection and dare you to stop us even IF you know what's coming"

Landry was controlled and calculating. He believed in disguising his plays with multiple sets, motion, etc.

Really fascinating stuff...

I'm glad I was able to watch these two lock horns.

[JrGaf]

i also believe Mr Landry also was the Only Coach in the History of the league to coordinate the Offense AND the Defense. Its tough when you get to those top guys. My question is, IF parcells wins a SB here, where do you rank him. Building the Giants, Patriots, the Modern day jets, and bringing us back to where we belong. BP would have to be up there.