No substitute for age and experience
by Liam Blackburn
11/3/2010
The rather intelligent Albert Einstein once declared that "the only source of knowledge is experience". It's a mantra that NFL teams seem to have considered long and hard this off-season when considering who should fill the position of the most-knowledgeable man on the sidelines.
As it stands, there will be three new head-coaches in the NFL next year but for Pete Carroll, Chan Gailey and Mike Shanahan it's more a case of welcome back than hello. The trio of 'newcomers' have nearly twenty years of head coaching experience between them. For the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins, new directions have a familiar feel to them.
This though hasn't always been the case and we only need to rewind twelve months to see just how different it was. Of the nine new head coaches hired, eight were rookies with only Eric Mangini having previously held the top job. Society in general has a strong desire to change things by bringing in the next bright young hope and sport is no stranger to doing exactly this. After Pittsburgh's 2005 Super Bowl win, the NFL franchises were falling over themselves to find the next Mike Tomlin. The oversight that many of them made was that rookie head coaches don't have to be in their early thirties. The two most successful rookie head coaches last year, Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell, were also two of the oldest.
The plethora of rookie head coaches that entered the league last year may well be the chief reason why there aren't any this time around. Rome, as the saying goes, was not built in a day and it certainly takes time to build a franchise capable of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. The likes of Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Schwartz and Raheem Morris can not be expected to instantly make gold from rusty copper.
Age, as previously stated, is perhaps a vital factor here, particularly as it directly correlates with experience. This seems to have been a problem for the much maligned Josh McDaniels, head coach of the Denver Broncos. McDaniels may have the credentials and certainly, when you look at the success he achieved as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, the man's knowledge of the game cannot be disputed. But his people skills and his man management style have created dressing room unrest at Denver.
Many of his players are slightly younger or the same age as him and Vonnie Holliday and Brian Dawkins are even older than their own boss. We may be taught from a very young age to respect our elders, but that's not something that applies to the 33 year-old McDaniels. His heavy-handed actions and controversial decisions have emanated from a man desperate to command respect and assert his authority. At his age, McDaniels can maybe relate to the players more but he needs to establish the aura that a good head coach should have. All too often this year, he seems to have overcompensated for his age.
Similarly Kansas City's Todd Hayley made the rookie error of removing his offensive coordinator just weeks before the regular season's curtain was brought up. Obviously a head-coach wants to stamp his mark all over a team straight away but a more laissez-faire approach also breeds results, just look at the Colts' Jim Caldwell.
So have franchises considered the rookie errors made by McDaniels and Hayley when considering their own head coaches this year? Perhaps they even factored in the dismal seasons, rookie head coaches had in Detroit, St Louis and Tampa. Or perhaps it was a lack of credible options. Very few coordinators were touted around as potential head coaches with Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier remaining the biggest exception to this.
But across the board, teams tend to be hiring men who've seen and done it before. The coordinators that have rejoined the league, Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis and Mike Martz, have a wealth of experience under their belts. Even those rumoured to be considered as potential head coaches, Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden, have Super Bowl rings. It simply cannot be a coincidence that so many teams are willing to offer second, third or fourth chances to those who've graced the league.
With only the three changes, the coaching carousel never really got spinning this year but that won't ease the pressure on a host of coaches going into the forthcoming season. Wade Phillips and Norv Turner may have secured longer contracts but the pressure is on those two to finally turn a talented pool of individuals into champions. Over in Chicago, it's all or bust for Lovie Smith who needs to see the Jay Cutler trade pay dividends. Anything could happen in Oakland with Tom Cable and you can bet Mike Holmgren will be intently watching how Eric Mangini goes about his business in Cleveland.
Those hot-seats are only a few degrees from scorching temperatures and don't be surprised to see those under pressure experience a few third-degree burns as the season wears on.
In the meantime however, all eyes will be focused on the fortunes of the returning brigade. As Carroll, Shanahan and Gailey have been here before, don't expect them to be afforded the same time and patience that some of the younger guys are currently receiving. There may be no substitute for experience but if the results aren't coming, head-coaches are certainly expendable.
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