Ranking the Cowboys Head Coaches

[MichaelWinicki]

Coaches are easy to rank. Superbowl victories first, then Superbowl appearances, then playoff victories.

Boy, not for me...

Campo was a lousy coach but he had **** for talent. Between the dead-cap space and the aging roster... It was a car-wreck.

Phillips had a ton of talent given to him from the Parcell's regime and did squat with it. And he was an idiot on top of it. Being run out of the last game in Texas Stadium along with the "We quit" game vs. Philly to end the 2008 season stick in my craw. On top of that there was his stupidity in saying "It's like we're 1-0 in the playoffs" heading into the game vs. the Giants in 2007. Terrific coordinator. But then when he does the head coach thing it's like he has to leave his brain at the door.

 

[Alexander]

Not for me.

I despised Phillips as a head coach.

And that is a personal thing.

I didn't care for him either.

His chuckling, self-deprecating style was completely disgusting.

In contrast, Garrett's robotic fake mannerisms are equally annoying.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

And that is a personal thing.

I didn't care for him either.

His chuckling, self-deprecating style was completely disgusting.

In contrast, Garrett's robotic fake mannerisms are equally annoying.

To an extent.

I like Gailey as a HC... He doesn't get much respect for what he did in Dallas but I rate him above Phillips.

 

[T-RO]

Parcells is a hall of fame coach. He took a team with no talent--and no money because of the salary cap--and took it to the playoffs.

X's and O's - Parcells > Garrett
Motivation - Parcells > Garrett
Team Building - Parcells > Garrett

 

[Alexander]

Boy, not for me...

Campo was a lousy coach but he had **** for talent. Between the dead-cap space and the aging roster... It was a car-wreck.

Phillips had a ton of talent given to him from the Parcell's regime and did squat with it. And he was an idiot on top of it. Being run out of the last game in Texas Stadium along with the "We quit" game vs. Philly to end the 2008 season stick in my craw. On top of that there was his stupidity in saying "It's like we're 1-0 in the playoffs" heading into the game vs. the Giants in 2007. Terrific coordinator. But then when he does the head coach thing it's like he has to leave his brain at the door.

Garrett has had equal failures. He is just not as honest as Phillips was and therefore escapes blame.

The man is Teflon, no doubt.

 

[dallasdave]

Garrett is a turd.

Don't flush him

 

[Doomsay]

Garrett over a HOF coach that saved Jerry, LOL.

 

[negativecreep]

Love the guy but that pic made me crack up...who has a pic of him at sea world? Seems like the nicest guy in the world, but I can't help it...hard knocks was friggin embarrassing.

 

[Aven8]

To an extent.

I like Gailey as a HC... He doesn't get much respect for what he did in Dallas but I rate him above Phillips.

Gailey's undoing was 95% Aikman. The other 5% was he didn't like players cussing!

Good coach however and underrated.

 

[Aven8]

Parcells is a hall of fame coach. He took a team with no talent--and no money because of the salary cap--and took it to the playoffs.

X's and O's - Parcells > Garrett
Motivation - Parcells > Garrett
Team Building - Parcells > Garrett

Anybody that can get a QB that can't throw a freakin spiral to 10-6 and the playoffs is a miracle worker as far as I'm concerned!!!

 

[perrykemp]

Surely you can be more nuanced than that.

If a coach can't win playoff games, is he even worth ranking?

It's not like players where regular season stats have at least a modicum of value.

 

[Idgit]

Coaches are easy to rank. Superbowl victories first, then Superbowl appearances, then playoff victories.

Really? That's not how I'd rank them. At least not at the start of a job. Some great coaches have made a career out of rebuilding bad teams and getting them competitive, but don't necessarily stay with a program long enough to rack up playoff wins. Some other great coaches never had a lot of personnel support to ever get them over the top. You really have to look at how guys perform relative to their respective rosters.

As for Garrett v. Parcels, I think Bill would say you are what your record says you are. And his record says Garrett has outperformed him.

 

[robjay04]

And that is a personal thing.

I didn't care for him either.

His chuckling, self-deprecating style was completely disgusting.

In contrast, Garrett's robotic fake mannerisms are equally annoying.

I would rank Garrett ahead mainly because of the team structure. In my opinion, Phillips inherited a hell of a team and didn't do much. On the other hand, Garrett had to completely rebuild the roster outside of maybe 5 players.

Part of that is probably credit to the front office as well. I can say that I have never seen the team show an ounce of quit in them, even in the 4-12 season, like I did at times with Phillips.

Anyways, I guess it's just a personal preference.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Phillips has not been tangibly worse than Garrett, yet he gets the garbage rating.

Wrong.

Phillips was 24-22 as Cowboys coach with most of his success coming with the team Parcells built.

Garrett is 58-46 with most of his success from the roster that was built during his tenure. He treaded water with the garbage Phillips left him.

The playoff record is a wash.

That all seems tangible to me.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

And that is a personal thing.

I didn't care for him either.

His chuckling, self-deprecating style was completely disgusting.

In contrast, Garrett's robotic fake mannerisms are equally annoying.

So you are evaluating on the basis of press conference demeanor? Mumbles in NE must be the worst coach ever then.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Parcells is a hall of fame coach. He took a team with no talent--and no money because of the salary cap--and took it to the playoffs.

X's and O's - Parcells > Garrett
Motivation - Parcells > Garrett
Team Building - Parcells > Garrett

i disagree strongly on team building. Jacob Rodgers, Al Johnson, Bobby Carpenter, the kick returner du jour, and prioritizing Merriman and Spears over Ware all speak to his ability to draft.

Garrett's drafts have been outstanding.

I think that Parcells underestimated his own ability to motivate and otherwise improve prospects and held a misguided/unfounded belief about pedigree that people still hold onto.

 

[Idgit]

I would rank Garrett ahead mainly because of the team structure. In my opinion, Phillips inherited a hell of a team and didn't do much. On the other hand, Garrett had to completely rebuild the roster outside of maybe 5 players.

Part of that is probably credit to the front office as well. I can say that I have never seen the team show an ounce of quit in them, even in the 4-12 season, like I did at times with Phillips.

Anyways, I guess it's just a personal preference.

Wade's style was a breath of fresh air after Bill Parcells, and the team responded to him. He didn't handle Jerry or the Dallas press all that we'll, though, and didn't set any standards or expectations for the scouting department, saying instead it was his job to coach whoever they brought in. His style wasn't sustainable.

He's got a better HC record than most casual fans realize, though. And he's a hell of a coordinator.

 

[Idgit]

Parcells is a hall of fame coach. He took a team with no talent--and no money because of the salary cap--and took it to the playoffs.

X's and O's - Parcells > Garrett
Motivation - Parcells > Garrett
Team Building - Parcells > Garrett

Parcels was great. He didn't do HoF work in Dallas though. He was a master at bringing in his veteran guy's and identifying players he wanted who would fit his mold and getting the quick turnaround. Really contending was a different story.

As a coach, the game had already started to move past him by the time he got to Dallas. And a significant part of his genius was his DC in the first place.

He was a master motivator. Overall, Garrett's approach has been better though, and we're only starting to reap the benefit of it now.

 

[Paniolo22]

i disagree strongly on team building. Jacob Rodgers, Al Johnson, Bobby Carpenter, the kick returner du jour, and prioritizing Merriman and Spears over Ware all speak to his ability to draft.

Garrett's drafts have been outstanding.

I think that Parcells underestimated his own ability to motivate and otherwise improve prospects and held a misguided/unfounded belief about pedigree that people still hold onto.

I sort of agree here. Parcels drafts, unlike the recent ones, were thick in the middle and weak at the top, sans Ware. If he would have taken Spears first, that draft may have been an epic bust, so I thought his early draft choices were completely suspect. (Ex:Julius Jones over taking Jackson). As far as motivation and coaching, he is one of the best. That Quincy Carter/ Hambrick/Antonio Bryant playoff team may have been one of the worst playoff rosters EVER to make the playoffs. Campo was 5-11 three times with the same type of team.

 

[Paniolo22]

My order would be:
Landry- HOF coach
Johnson- HOF coach
Parcells- HOF coach
Garrett- Still writing his story
Switzer- Managed to not screw up a SB team
Gailey- Better offense than Wade, didn't get along with QB
Phillips- Better defense than Chan, better offensive players than Chan, but I will never forget how the team quit on him....never
Campo- Better commentator than HC