When I think of Jimmy Johnson the HC, I don't think he was in it long enough to garner HOF; however, when I add to it that he was actually doing the talent part of the GM job as well, that makes all the difference. He built the team that turned it around before teams were able to do that with FA.
I am sure there are voters that credit that 3rd ring to his team as well and think they might have gone 4 in a row with him at the helm because there was no relaxing with him.
Yes, the Walker trade was the catalyst as was the fact he didn't have the traditional owner or GM that was more talent focused, he had one trying to get out of the red so he wouldn't have to sell the team. However, he turned that Walker trade into gold and built the youngest team to ever win a SB and had the #1 D without one pber on it. A team mentioned with only a few others as a candidate for best ever, that's HOF stuff. Had he stayed two more years, that team was more than a candidate.
I don't think there's any question he does get a job in the NFL but I don't think he has as much authority as Booger gave him. And that Walker trade was just magical. Jimmy happened to land on the one team that had the one player the GM in MIN wanted so badly, his missing piece.
And while I think Booger is a total awesome person there is one more part to this. He bought a team losing 1M a month and allowed his HC to pull that deal together knowing he was losing his only draw and would be lucky to win one game. Say what you will, takes big brass ones and a hell of a strong belief in a person to attach your dream to them. If that had backfired, no jacket for either of them and most likely, no team for Booger.