the proof is in bold
Esiason vs. Greene
Thumbs up for Dom, Marty
By Kevin Greene
NFL Insider
Only the football gods know how successful an incoming coach will be with his new team. But we sometimes can get a sense by examining the clubs.
As a rule of thumb, team owners will hire a coach based on his track record. Case in point: Dom Capers and the new
Houston Texans.
A well-respected coach throughout the league, Dom has been there, done that with an expansion team. He took over the new
Carolina Panthers in 1995, and in 1996 he took them to the NFC Championship Game and was named NFL coach of the year. If there's a harder-working head coach than Capers in the NFL, I haven't met him.
Capers loaded the Panthers with a good blend of young potential stars and old crusty warriors, and he created magic.
He's apparently doing the same thing in Texas, selecting rookie David Carr as his star-quarterback-in-training and bringing in solid Pro Bowl players who still have juice in their tanks, such as Tony Boselli and Aaron Glenn.
A second indicator of how a new head coach will fare is the quality of the players he inherits. Let's take a look at the case of John Fox, former defensive coordinator with the
Giants, now head coach of the Panthers.
Because this is his first head-coaching opportunity, we don't have the benefit of looking back at his track record. But we can check out his talent pool. Fox may be behind the eight ball here. When I look at the Carolina roster, I honestly don't see a lot. I'm sure these guys will play hard. But are they going to dramatically influence the outcome of the game in a positive way? That seems questionable.
Sure, the Panthers drafted
Julius Peppers as their sackmaster, but how much can you rely on a rookie to make game-changing plays? Most rookies, no matter their draft position, struggle for years to adjust to this new level.
Another indicator of how a new coach will perform is the latitude he has to make his own personnel decisions. In other words, you need to have leeway to make headway. Take Steve Spurrier with the
Washington Commanders.
Spurrier's track record is impressive, obviously. He was stellar at the University of Florida. He also inherits some playmakers -- I'm thinking of cornerback
Champ Bailey, linebacker
LaVar Arrington, and running back
Stephen Davis. More important, I believe owner Dan Snyder has given Spurrier complete control of the wagon's reins. Spurrier's salary proves that Snyder wants to win. Give a man $5 million a year, and you've got to give him the authority to build his team his way.
Spurrier signed some of his old Gator quarterbacks, and
Shane Matthews may be the pick of the litter. Spurrier also got a head-coaching candidate and hired him as his defensive coordinator -- Marvin Lewis from the
Baltimore Ravens. Lewis' defenses were among the best in the league the last couple of years. So I think Spurrier is tracking correctly.
There is a lot pressure on NFL coaches to win immediately. But owners have to realize that it's extremely difficult to assemble a winning team in a year or two. There are too many intangibles involved. First, you need talent. Then, you have to get the players on your bandwagon, believing in your philosophy.
Marty Schottenheimer was the Commanders' coach for all of one season. One! It doesn't make sense to fire a coach after one year unless the team is absolutely hopeless. But the Commanders weren't. They went 8-8. They still had visions of a winning season until week 15. After a slow start, Schottenheimer had the team playing at close to playoff level. I think he will do well in
San Diego.
Sometimes ownership will make changes just for the sake of change. That happened to two of my old coaches, John Robinson with the Rams and then Capers in Carolina. Both got fired after poor seasons. But to me, it was the players who let down the coaching staff, not the other way around. And their respective replacements, Chuck Knox and George Seifert, didn't fare much better.
We all like to think we can forecast the winners in an NFL season. I know what I'd like to see: Dom Capers and Marty Schottenheimer kicking some butt in 2002.
Reprinted from the 2002 preview issue of NFL Insider.
