Why hiring former players as HC with zero coaching experience is a bad idea

gtb1943

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atlantacowboy said:
Then there is Dieon who does have HC experience in college.... a lot of it. He's proven that he can teach, motivate, and communicate effectively which are the cornerstones of any good HC. So, he's not in the same category as a Romo or Witten who only has high school coaching experience.

We couldn't wait to get rid of Moore a few years ago. Kinda bizarre so many look to him now as some kind of savior. He washed out of SD taking the same job in Philly. I don't see him as HC material.
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how many years has Deion been a HC of even a big time program?
so claiming he has a lot of experience is leaving out significant parts of the story
 
shabazz

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Whirlwin said:
Kellen Moore grew up with football since he was five years old. It’s actually bread into him.
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And that's an excellent start. Now the next things a HC needs is superior communication skills, executive-like experience and the presence or gravitas to hold the lockerooms respect and the networking to bring in a great group of coaches under him

The Xs and Os are possibly the least biggest part of the equation, lol.
 
FuzzyLumpkins

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Bobhaze said:
This would not have been a serious idea twenty years ago, but in the celebrity media age we occupy today, the idea of hiring a former beloved player as a head coach because of their knowledge, success as a player and popularity has become a vogue idea. I’ve seen several threads over the last few weeks supporting the idea that guys like Jason Witten or Tony Romo without any NFL coaching experience could step in and be a success.

First of all, I have great respect for both those guys as former Cowboys players. Witten is a HOFer in waiting and Romo will probably make the ROH someday. But that does not mean they are ready to step in as an NFL HC with no prior experience. The degree of difficulty in the coaching profession is greatly misunderstood IMO.

There are some examples from NFL history of former players with no experience (or even just a little experience) that didn’t work out. One even recent. Here are some examples:
  • In 2022, the colts hired their former great C and HOFer Jeff Saturday, who is an outstanding NFL analyst, as their interim head coach. Other than a brief stint being the head coach at a private Christian school, Saturday had never had any coaching experience. It was not a success. Saturday was the first NFL HC with no prior college or pro coaching experience since…..
  • HOF QB Norm Van Brocklin was hired by the Vikings as HC in 1961, and in his 5 seasons there as HC was 29-51-4. Van Brocklin later coached the Atlanta Falcons and was a little better going 37-49-3.
  • This next example of a great player who was a bad HC is Mike Singletary. The bears HOF great DID have a little NFL coaching experience - as in 4 years as an assistant coach before being named the niners HC in 2009. He was not a success going 18-22 as a HC there.
Let me repeat…I have nothing against Witten or Romo. I just believe being a HC in the NFL is a lot more than just knowing Xs and Os or having a great career as a player. Most great players don’t make great coaches because coaching is so much more than knowledge.

I was never a coach myself but one of my sons is a HS coach having coached basketball and football at the HS level. Obviously coaching HS is not the NFL, but I believe at all levels, coaching is not as easy as it looks, lol, even at the HS level.

Surely we can hire a head coach who has more experience than the broadcasting booth or a private school.
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Of the candidates typically listed, your reasoning only precludes Witten. Moore for example has been coaching for years at this point and had success as an OC at two locations. His best performance is also his most recent.

Deion is a bad candidate but would pass muster according to this test.
 
John813

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shabazz said:
And that's an excellent start. Now the next things a HC needs is superior communication skills, executive-like experience and the presence or gravitas to hold the lockerooms respect and the networking to bring in a great group of coaches under him

The Xs and Os are possibly the least biggest part of the equation, lol.
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Sort of what is going on in Miami, IMO. McDaniel seems like he knows the X & O's, but is a little off and I doubt he has the presence to lead all 53 guys.
 

gtb1943

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FuzzyLumpkins said:
Of the candidates typically listed, your reasoning only precludes Witten. Moore for example has been coaching for years at this point and had success as an OC at two locations. His best performance is also his most recent.

Deion is a bad candidate but would pass muster according to this test.
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I will never believe that a high pressure coaching job like the Cowboys is a good place for a first time HC
 
Cmac

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....how about me knocking on NASA HR for the astronaut opening? Never been in space, but I've flown before.....that should count for something.
 
GimmeTheBall!

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Bobhaze said:
This would not have been a serious idea twenty years ago, but in the celebrity media age we occupy today, the idea of hiring a former beloved player as a head coach because of their knowledge, success as a player and popularity has become a vogue idea. I’ve seen several threads over the last few weeks supporting the idea that guys like Jason Witten or Tony Romo without any NFL coaching experience could step in and be a success.

First of all, I have great respect for both those guys as former Cowboys players. Witten is a HOFer in waiting and Romo will probably make the ROH someday. But that does not mean they are ready to step in as an NFL HC with no prior experience. The degree of difficulty in the coaching profession is greatly misunderstood IMO.

There are some examples from NFL history of former players with no experience (or even just a little experience) that didn’t work out. One even recent. Here are some examples:
  • In 2022, the colts hired their former great C and HOFer Jeff Saturday, who is an outstanding NFL analyst, as their interim head coach. Other than a brief stint being the head coach at a private Christian school, Saturday had never had any coaching experience. It was not a success. Saturday was the first NFL HC with no prior college or pro coaching experience since…..
  • HOF QB Norm Van Brocklin was hired by the Vikings as HC in 1961, and in his 5 seasons there as HC was 29-51-4. Van Brocklin later coached the Atlanta Falcons and was a little better going 37-49-3.
  • This next example of a great player who was a bad HC is Mike Singletary. The bears HOF great DID have a little NFL coaching experience - as in 4 years as an assistant coach before being named the niners HC in 2009. He was not a success going 18-22 as a HC there.
Let me repeat…I have nothing against Witten or Romo. I just believe being a HC in the NFL is a lot more than just knowing Xs and Os or having a great career as a player. Most great players don’t make great coaches because coaching is so much more than knowledge.

I was never a coach myself but one of my sons is a HS coach having coached basketball and football at the HS level. Obviously coaching HS is not the NFL, but I believe at all levels, coaching is not as easy as it looks, lol, even at the HS level.

Surely we can hire a head coach who has more experience than the broadcasting booth or a private school.
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Bravo!
:clap:
love it when mods use reason and NOT riducule.
 
FuzzyLumpkins

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gtb1943 said:
I will never believe that a high pressure coaching job like the Cowboys is a good place for a first time HC
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The situation in Dallas is problematic for any coach. Moore has sat through the weekly press conferences here in Dallas as OC. He knows all the reporters, the city, and the team's national landscape. More importantly he knows the Joneses.

The most important thing to me is that Jerry will listen to him. Jones is a glory hound of the worst sort and will take as much credit as he can but he will listen to others be it Jimmy, Lacewell, Parcells, Garrett, or whoever. Jerry picked Moore much like he chose Garrett. He put him into the QB and OC room for two coaches. Jerry's credit is baked in.

KM might well turn him down, but given past history, KM has to be at the top of the list.
 
maryquality

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GimmeTheBall! said:
Naw, lass. You joke;)
But the Landry posse was passwé 30 years ago.
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Oh, I don't mean to be our head coach now. I was just responding to those who were commenting on former players who were good head coaches. Dan was good in his day. Certainly not now, especially since he died 3 years ago.
 
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