Best Coach of All Time?

[State]

Shula or Belichick?

The numbers suggest Shula. And with no suitors for Belichick, who is visiting the ancestral homelands of Croatia, it’s going to stay that way.

Bias with fans here—Belichick is more recent—will assert BB as the greatest. But this Dolphins video cast of old guys including the great Larry Csonka (Is he a Croat too?) show me that indeed Shula is the greatest. And I view them as the enemy.

Listen to them and how they say Shula got them to the unnatural standard of true excellence.

 

[rochrist]

Shula had Dan Marino for 17 years with no salary cap and couldn't win even ONE championship. Give me a ****ing break.

 

[XLIX]

Shula or Belichick?

The numbers suggest Shula.

How do the numbers suggest Shula? He has a modestly better total number of victories, but I'd say the 4 extra championships Belichick has more than trumps that.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I was too young to see Shula until his twilight, but the numbers clearly point to Bill. The only Coach that is going make some noise is Andy Reid - especially if the Chiefs 3 peat.

 

[Sect140]

Shula 2-4 in Super Bowls, 0-1 with a great QB.

Bill 6-3 in Super Bowls, all with a great QB.

Not even close, Bill.

 

[Pape]

Shula or Belichick?

The numbers suggest Shula. And with no suitors for Belichick, who is visiting the ancestral homelands of Croatia, it’s going to stay that way.

Bias with fans here—Belichick is more recent—will assert BB as the greatest. But this Dolphins video cast of old guys including the great Larry Csonka (Is he a Croat too?) show me that indeed Shula is the greatest. And I view them as the enemy.

Listen to them and how they say Shula got them to the unnatural standard of true excellence.

You say we are biased - yet hang your hat on a Dolphins video, with a "cast of old guys" - who played for Shula & Dolphins - and Larry Czonka - who played for Shula & the Dolphins ...

 

[XLIX]

I was too young to see Shula until his twilight,

Shula's twilight began in 1975.

Quite honestly, I can't believe how much the guy skates by without being criticized for winning only 2 championships - and yes, I said "only 2 championships". He was a HC for 33 years. If the Super Bowl winner (or NFL champion during those 3 years he coached before there was a Super Bowl) was simply a randomly selected team, you'd mathematically expect him to have 1.3 (based on how many teams there were in the League in any given year of his tenure).

 

[Patriot Missile]

Holy damn, where to begin? Go’s George Seifert and takes over an all time team with a Hall of fame Qb in his prime that already won two superbowls without him in 58 and 59 as well as mvp. What a team build, I mean I can’t believe it. Just an incredible feat. Honestly, how did he do it? Raymond Berry, John Mackey Jim Parker, Gino Marchetti? Incredible job Don.

Then he bails for Miami, probably for the money to a underperforming team with 5 probowlers in place. Bob Griese was a rising star so it’s not like he’d have to actually build something without a QB or anything.

Obviously he could coach offense with the best of them. The loss against the 49ers in the superbowl showed him which way he should go in team building and he chose offense when maybe it should of been defense and the running game so they wouldn’t squander Marino’s career.

Thought his best coached game was against the Bears on Monday night to put the only L on their record. That was impressive.

Without a doubt BB doesn’t have as much success without Brady. Reid doesn’t have the career he’s had without McNabb and Mahomes. You can say the same for Shula who basically got hired into great situations ala Siefert.

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

Gona go with Shula due to record. Not forgetting that today’s game is way different though….id say it’s a very close call…

Csonka’s Hungarian according to the never wrong wiki…

 

[n1997y]

Lombardi. Or maybe Halas,

Landry was better than Shula.

 

[farn]

This is lunacy. I always vote for a Ray L option, but went BB here. He changed the game in so many ways. Shula is an old crankypuss who can’t let go of the past. I wouldn’t even put him top 5.

Sometimes era & longevity - while worthy to discuss - distorts ‘greatest’. Palmeiro had three more HRs than Reggie Jackson. Lou Gehrig & Fred McGriff had the same amount… Brendan Shanahan has one point more than Guy LaFleur, Vincent Damphousse is only 5 points behind Bobby Clarke… Everyone I listed was very very good / great. But those guys aren’t equal and it’s obvious to all.

 

[upstater1]

Gona go with Shula due to record. Not forgetting that today’s game is way different though….id say it’s a very close call…

Csonka’s Hungarian according to the never wrong wiki…

If Shula had Kraft as an owner, he would have been fired before he turned 60.

Then you look at playoff record:

Shula 19-17
Belichick 31-13

I think the original poster values the regular season too much.

The postseason is infinitely more important.

 

[Wozzy]

In order of championships:
Paul Brown
Bill Belichick
George Halas
Curly Lambeau
Vince Lombardi

In order of playoff wins:
Bill Belichick
Vince Lombardi
Paul Brown
George Halas
Curly Lambeau

In order of playoff win percentage:
Vince Lombardi
Bill Belichick
George Halas
Curly Lambeau
Paul Brown

In order of regular season games over 500:
George Halas
Bill Belichick
Paul Brown
Curly Lambeau
Vince Lombardi

Years in the playoffs:
Bill Belichick
Paul Brown
George Halas
Vince Lombardi
Curly Lambeau

There's only one guy on this list above who is ranked first or second in every category.

He won 31 playoff games, the next closest won 9.

 

[Pape]

In order of championships:
Paul Brown

4 of Paul Browns 7 Championships came in the All American Football Conference.

The AAFC Record and Fact book was never adopted by the NFL after the merger (unlike the AFL, whose record and fact book was adopted by the NFL)... Technically, Paul Brown has 3 NFL championships...

And this is the interesting part - If one does accept the Browns 46-49 championships, meaning Paul Brown has 7 championships to his credit, they also have to include the 1948 Browns 14-0 record, meaning the '72 fins aren't the first/only undefeated - ie. unbeaten/untied team...

 

[AQPE]

F Don Shula, manipulating the Rules Committee for two decades and still ****ting his pants year in year out in the playoffs with two HOF QBs. May he continue to burn in hell for the sanctimonious self-serving turf-watering player-dying crap-quality steak-serving **** he pulled and for all the ass-kissing he demanded from everyone.

 

[VectorPrime]

The best tactician? It’s Belichick. The best all around coach? Not Shula that’s all I’ll say.

 

[Boomer B]

Shula’s not even Top 5

No particular order I’d put ahead of Shula

Belichick
Walsh
Lombardi
Noll
Brown
Landry
Reid
Halas

 

[PatsFan2]

The Walrus says hi.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Shula or Belichick?

The numbers suggest Shula. And with no suitors for Belichick, who is visiting the ancestral homelands of Croatia, it’s going to stay that way.

Bias with fans here—Belichick is more recent—will assert BB as the greatest. But this Dolphins video cast of old guys including the great Larry Csonka (Is he a Croat too?) show me that indeed Shula is the greatest. And I view them as the enemy.

Listen to them and how they say mmmShula got them to the unnatural standard of true excellence.

Shula gets a lifetime achievement award, Belichick gets the GOAT. As others have already noted, Belichick’s achievements have been during the salary cap/ free agent systems, and that’s much more difficult than the keep your team together for as long as you want era. I would love to see the numbers of how many different players won rings under guys like Shula/Marino, Noll/Bradshaw, and Walsh/Montana, as opposed to Belichick and Brady. The difference is in the hundreds.

 

[signbabybrady]

The Walrus says hi.

SB39 and AFC Championship 2018 say hi.