Why Coaching is harder in the NFL than college

[Bobhaze]

As the clamor to hire some young rising college coach like Lincoln Riley keeps echoing with some Cowboys fans, I think a closer look may reveal that tapping the brakes a little may be wise.

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college. And it’s for two simple reasons-

• The talent level is a lot closer in the NFL than in college.
• Being a good college HC may depend more on your ability to recruit and build a program than actually coaching Xs and Os.

Remember when Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins? He sucked. Sure, he is certainly a great college coach but he did not translate well at the next level. Jimmy Johnson translated well of course. Some college coaches do. Some don’t.

Again- the talent gap in College is often huge. The athletes that OU, Alabama and Clemson can recruit are light years ahead of the athletes at most other schools. That makes coaching a lot easier when you have a huge talent advantage.

In the NFL, the talent gap is small. That’s why coaching matters more in the NFL. That’s why THE most overrated coaches in football are usually at the big college programs where they can recruit huge talent advantages. Some are great coaches. But some are just great recruiters and program builders.

Seriously the talent gap between the athletes at Alabama and the athletes at a team like Vanderbilt is huge. Saban walks onto the field with a talent advantage no NFL coach will ever have.

So bottom line- is Lincoln Riley a great coach ready for the NFL? Who knows? With the athletes he has at OU, he certainly has an easier job than an NFL coach trying to win against talent levels that are much closer.
Having a young stud HC like Sean McVey is all the rage now. It’s why Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury. But I’m for tapping the brakes on the idea that Lincoln Riley would easily translate to the NFL.

Thoughts?

 

[CATCH17]

I too question if his style will fully translate to the Pro’s but he’s a brilliant playcaller.

Still. Dallas just calls a standard offense. Nothing to it. We need change.

 

[cern]

same game. but when it comes to personnel, totally different set of rules.

 

[Vtwin]

A lot of Johnson's success was due to him being fresh from college with knowledge of the players coming into the pros and the draft picks to "recruit" them.

 

[Bobhaze]

I too question if his style will fully translate to the Pro’s but he’s a brilliant playcaller.

Still. Dallas just calls a standard offense. Nothing to it. We need change.

I agree with that. And I’m not knocking Riley per se. He may be a great NFL coach. I just wanted to make the point that it’s so much harder to succeed in the NFL because of the talent similarity. When Saban didn’t have a massive talent advantage, he was just average when he was in Miami.

 

[xwalker]

As the clamor to hire some young rising college coach like Lincoln Riley keeps echoing with some Cowboys fans, I think a closer look may reveal that tapping the brakes a little may be wise.

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college. And it’s for two simple reasons-

• The talent level is a lot closer in the NFL than in college.
• Being a good college HC may depend more on your ability to recruit and build a program than actually coaching Xs and Os.

Remember when Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins? He sucked. Sure, he is certainly a great college coach but he did not translate well at the next level. Jimmy Johnson translated well of course. Some college coaches do. Some don’t.

Again- the talent gap in College is often huge. The athletes that OU, Alabama and Clemson can recruit are light years ahead of the athletes at most other schools. That makes coaching a lot easier when you have a huge talent advantage.

In the NFL, the talent gap is small. That’s why coaching matters more in the NFL. That’s why THE most overrated coaches in football are usually at the big college programs where they can recruit huge talent advantages. Some are great coaches. But some are just great recruiters and program builders.

Seriously the talent gap between the athletes at Alabama and the athletes at a team like Vanderbilt is huge. Saban walks onto the field with a talent advantage no NFL coach will ever have.

So bottom line- is Lincoln Riley a great coach ready for the NFL? Who knows? With the athletes he has at OU, he certainly has an easier job than an NFL coach trying to win against talent levels that are much closer.
Having a young stud HC like Sean McVey is all the rage now. It’s why Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury. But I’m for tapping the brakes on the idea that Lincoln Riley would easily translate to the NFL.

Thoughts?

Buddy Ryan quote about Jimmy Johnson during Jimmy's 1st year with the Cowboys:

"Tell your pretty boy coach there ain`t no University of Cincinnati up here in this league. Ain`t no East Carolina, either.''

Obviously less than 5 years later their Super Bowl records as Head Coaches:
Jimmy 2 Super Bowl wins
Buddy Zero SB wins as a Head Coach

 

[Risen Star]

You have more power as a head coach in college than you do in the NFL.

If Frank Reich and Andrew Luck butt heads who do you think wins? The money invested in players in the NFL comes at the expense of the head coach's authority.

 

[Bobhaze]

A lot of Johnson's success was due to him being fresh from college with knowledge of the players coming into the pros and the draft picks to "recruit" them.

True. But it did take Jimmy a couple of years to really grasp the NFL. He inherited a terrible roster and it took him some time to restock the talent. But he also had to learn how the NFL is different.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

The talent gap in college is far more immense. Not a lot of great coaches on teams that recruit poorly. It's not entirely that, but it's a big reason why average coaches with 8+ games every year.

 

[wecasa]

A lot of Johnson's success was due to him being fresh from college with knowledge of the players coming into the pros and the draft picks to "recruit" them.

Johnson was a great evaluator of talent. Some coaches are that way. they see value in a guy and put him in position to be successful. Leon Lett maybe the perfect example. Small school guy who filled a role at the nfl level.

 

[CATCH17]

I agree with that. And I’m not knocking Riley per se. He may be a great NFL coach. I just wanted to make the point that it’s so much harder to succeed in the NFL because of the talent similarity. When Saban didn’t have a massive talent advantage, he was just average when he was in Miami.

Because Saban runs the same style as we do. It’s all talent dependent.

Nebraska use to be dominant and they never threw the ball but they were so much more talented then everyone else.

 

[xwalker]

As the clamor to hire some young rising college coach like Lincoln Riley keeps echoing with some Cowboys fans, I think a closer look may reveal that tapping the brakes a little may be wise.

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college. And it’s for two simple reasons-

• The talent level is a lot closer in the NFL than in college.
• Being a good college HC may depend more on your ability to recruit and build a program than actually coaching Xs and Os.

Remember when Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins? He sucked. Sure, he is certainly a great college coach but he did not translate well at the next level. Jimmy Johnson translated well of course. Some college coaches do. Some don’t.

Again- the talent gap in College is often huge. The athletes that OU, Alabama and Clemson can recruit are light years ahead of the athletes at most other schools. That makes coaching a lot easier when you have a huge talent advantage.

In the NFL, the talent gap is small. That’s why coaching matters more in the NFL. That’s why THE most overrated coaches in football are usually at the big college programs where they can recruit huge talent advantages. Some are great coaches. But some are just great recruiters and program builders.

Seriously the talent gap between the athletes at Alabama and the athletes at a team like Vanderbilt is huge. Saban walks onto the field with a talent advantage no NFL coach will ever have.

So bottom line- is Lincoln Riley a great coach ready for the NFL? Who knows? With the athletes he has at OU, he certainly has an easier job than an NFL coach trying to win against talent levels that are much closer.
Having a young stud HC like Sean McVey is all the rage now. It’s why Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury. But I’m for tapping the brakes on the idea that Lincoln Riley would easily translate to the NFL.

Thoughts?

On the flip side, it's considered a fail when a high profile college team loses 1 game.

Lincoln Riley has to compete against Texas which has more resources than any college football program (OU is 6th in football revenue in the Big 12).

It really just depends on the specific coach.

Some NFL coaches would be terrible recruiters (Belichick...).

Some college coaches are accustomed to being a dominant authority figure to the players and don't mesh well with Pro athletes with multi-million dollar contracts.

 

[viman96]

Huge difference between college pros. Just start with the number of active players per roster and lack of salary cap. Also a bad coach in the NFL will be much more apparent than the college ranks where the AD can control the schedule. There is no hiding in the NFL.

 

[Ranched]

True. But it did take Jimmy a couple of years to really grasp the NFL. He inherited a terrible roster and it took him some time to restock the talent. But he also had to learn how the NFL is different.

Jimmy built a Dynasty in just 4 years. The next magician to come along in the league was Belichick. Makes one wonder who will join this dynamic duo in the near future.

 

[DFWJC]

Buddy Ryan quote about Jimmy Johnson during Jimmy's 1st year with the Cowboys:

"Tell your pretty boy coach there ain`t no University of Cincinnati up here in this league. Ain`t no East Carolina, either.''

Obviously less than 5 years later their Super Bowl records as Head Coaches:
Jimmy 2 Super Bowl wins
Buddy Zero SB wins as a Head Coach

And several East Carolina players on those Super Bowl teams, ironically.
Robert Jones, Vinson Smith, John Jett….

Making Ryan look doubly silly

 

[xwalker]

And several East Carolina players on those Super Bowl teams, ironically.
Robert Jones, Vinson Smith, John Jett….

Making Ryan look doubley silly

Much of the NFL, the media and fans (including Cowboys fans) thought Jimmy/Jerry were in completely over their heads.

What actually happened was almost unprecedented in sports when considering the dismal state of the team and what Jimmy built in his 5 years.

Jerry took a team that was literally losing money when he purchased it and made it into the most profitable in the league.

 

[buybuydandavis]

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college.

Which makes an NFL coaching position much less attractive than many assume. The top college coaches make near *top* NFL money, and they can do it for decades.

They've got their system and contacts. They live there. They have a life. Why overturn all that?

 

[kskboys]

As the clamor to hire some young rising college coach like Lincoln Riley keeps echoing with some Cowboys fans, I think a closer look may reveal that tapping the brakes a little may be wise.

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college. And it’s for two simple reasons-

• The talent level is a lot closer in the NFL than in college.
• Being a good college HC may depend more on your ability to recruit and build a program than actually coaching Xs and Os.

Remember when Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins? He sucked. Sure, he is certainly a great college coach but he did not translate well at the next level. Jimmy Johnson translated well of course. Some college coaches do. Some don’t.

Again- the talent gap in College is often huge. The athletes that OU, Alabama and Clemson can recruit are light years ahead of the athletes at most other schools. That makes coaching a lot easier when you have a huge talent advantage.

In the NFL, the talent gap is small. That’s why coaching matters more in the NFL. That’s why THE most overrated coaches in football are usually at the big college programs where they can recruit huge talent advantages. Some are great coaches. But some are just great recruiters and program builders.

Seriously the talent gap between the athletes at Alabama and the athletes at a team like Vanderbilt is huge. Saban walks onto the field with a talent advantage no NFL coach will ever have.

So bottom line- is Lincoln Riley a great coach ready for the NFL? Who knows? With the athletes he has at OU, he certainly has an easier job than an NFL coach trying to win against talent levels that are much closer.
Having a young stud HC like Sean McVey is all the rage now. It’s why Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury. But I’m for tapping the brakes on the idea that Lincoln Riley would easily translate to the NFL.

Thoughts?

Yup.

To add, all the players you are playing against in the NFL are the best at what they do. So, weaknesses simply are not as weak.

 

[75boyz]

As the clamor to hire some young rising college coach like Lincoln Riley keeps echoing with some Cowboys fans, I think a closer look may reveal that tapping the brakes a little may be wise.

IMO it is much harder to be a successful HC in the NFL than in college. And it’s for two simple reasons-

• The talent level is a lot closer in the NFL than in college.
• Being a good college HC may depend more on your ability to recruit and build a program than actually coaching Xs and Os.

Remember when Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins? He sucked. Sure, he is certainly a great college coach but he did not translate well at the next level. Jimmy Johnson translated well of course. Some college coaches do. Some don’t.

Again- the talent gap in College is often huge. The athletes that OU, Alabama and Clemson can recruit are light years ahead of the athletes at most other schools. That makes coaching a lot easier when you have a huge talent advantage.

In the NFL, the talent gap is small. That’s why coaching matters more in the NFL. That’s why THE most overrated coaches in football are usually at the big college programs where they can recruit huge talent advantages. Some are great coaches. But some are just great recruiters and program builders.

Seriously the talent gap between the athletes at Alabama and the athletes at a team like Vanderbilt is huge. Saban walks onto the field with a talent advantage no NFL coach will ever have.

So bottom line- is Lincoln Riley a great coach ready for the NFL? Who knows? With the athletes he has at OU, he certainly has an easier job than an NFL coach trying to win against talent levels that are much closer.
Having a young stud HC like Sean McVey is all the rage now. It’s why Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury. But I’m for tapping the brakes on the idea that Lincoln Riley would easily translate to the NFL.

Thoughts?

The 3 constants in sports for the last decade or a little longer are UCONN girls basketball, Alabama Football and New England Patriot football.

The first 2 can thank the gigantic talent gap in recruiting as Bob alluded to with honorable mentions for the overall success of the program falling on a couple of outstanding coaches in their own right.

The last, and always accompanied by an asterisk or referred to as an outright outlier, are the Patriots and the indescribable efficiency of how both Brady and Belicheck perform their jobs year in and year out for well over a decade now. In a league designed for parity no less.

I've reached a point where even the Spygates and Deflategates of their past no longer bother me they are such consistent winners.

So given all that is said here and as usual, I agree mostly with everything Bob said, those freakin Patriots are that infamous "exception" to every rule it seems, NFL related anyway.

New 30 something's coaches and their innovative offenses are all the rage right now until you look across the way and see Hoodie with his 41 year old quarterback by his side trying for their 6th ring in 9 tries as of tomorrow. Exception or Exceptional either way you wanna look at it I guess.

 

[tyke1doe]

Money, contracts and can't recruit the bulk of your players.