Regarding Gruden, other than Rich Gannon I don't see where he took a QB to the next level. Don't tell me Brad Johnson because that was a pure bus driver QB who had a perennially dynamic defense to lead that team to that championship. We're asking Romo to lead this team and take it to the next level, not be a bus driver.
Yes, I do realize the rest of the team has to produce as well, that goes for any football team that even has Peyton Manning or Tom Brady behind center. Especially those teams because those guys demand greatness and perfection.
You want a West Coast coach? No better than Walsh's understudy anyways. Shanny baby!!!! Worked with Montana and Elway. Remember how a title was eluding Elway with all of those great physical gifts he had? Shanny is the one who reached him mentally and got him to fulfill the legend his was meant to be.
Holmgren did a wonderful job with Favre but I'll take Montana and Elway over Favre any day. Shanny is the one that can give Romo what he's missing. Get him to reach his potential. He understands Tony and wanted to trade for him before they drafted Cutler and Romo was 4th string behind all the wash ups and never will be's we had on the roster. Parcells wouldn't let him go because Payton swore by Romo. Payton wanted him when he left, even though Brees was on the market as a FA. Couldn't snag him though.
There are only 3 guys around that are going to get Romo to where he could be and that's David Lee, Sean Payton or Mike Shannahan. Out of those three, looking to a championship? I take Shanny. Parcells couldn't even get Tony to where he could go at this point.
Shanny told Elway he was better than Montana before they won that first Superbowl. Whether he really believed it or not, he knew what it was going to take to get Elway to the next level of winning those championships. He found that motivational mechanism using Montana's legacy so that Elway could fulfill the legend he was supposed to become.
Only 1 coach in this league who has been more successful than Shanny the past 12 seasons. He's in New England right now. Cowher, Holmgren, Dungy and Gruden are 3rd, 4th and 5th fiddles to those 2. Coughlin, Reid and Fischer are the next batch after them. Shanny with some rest will be a monster. The game has not yet passed him by.