Peter King ranks the five greatest pro football coaches of all time

[flasox27]

Keeping in mind that Walsh and Noll were Brown disciples and BB is a second generation follower of Brown, so give Brown his due.

 

[Triumph]

Carson Wentz leads the young NFL quarterback revolution | The MMQB with Peter King

1. Brown
2. Belichick
3. Lombardi
4. Noll
5. Shula

Would rather have Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, or Bill Walsh instead of Shula in my Top 5.

Shula is a doosh.

Another NE fan and myself were in the media hotel for SB42 and Shula called the front desk and got us thrown out. We came back in through another door later. F him!

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

1. Vince Lombardi
2. Paul Brown
3. Curly Lambeau
4. George Halas


Nobody else in their class. Or, to put it another way, the next batch of great coaches is a level below. Nothing personal, not a popularity contest. Based upon what criteria? Leadership, innovation, ability to assemble top assistants and players and add it up to winning.

5. Bill Belichick
6. Chuck Noll
7. Tom Landry
8. Bill Walsh

Establishing a culture of winning and dedication, and maintaining it over a long period of time.

9. Don Shula
10. Joe Gibbs
11. Bill Parcells
12. George Allen


People around here like to dump on Rod Rust, but he was an outstanding defensive coach. If he swapped places with Seifert, you'd get the same results on both sides, I believe.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Shula is a doosh.

Another NE fan and myself were in the media hotel for SB42 and Shula called the front desk and got us thrown out. We came back in through another door later. F him!

Shula has always been a loser schmuck. It's too bad, I'm not happy about it, but it's clear that Patriots fans have always been best able to view the jerk objectively.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

There is no way BB would name his team the New England Belichicks.

Eh, how 'bout the Boston Bills?

...the Bay State Krafts?

 

[Clonamery]

1. Vince Lombardi
2. Paul Brown
3. Curly Lambeau
4. George Halas


Nobody else in their class. Or, to put it another way, the next batch of great coaches is a level below. Nothing personal, not a popularity contest. Based upon what criteria? Leadership, innovation, ability to assemble top assistants and players and add it up to winning.

5. Bill Belichick
6. Chuck Noll
7. Tom Landry
8. Bill Walsh

Establishing a culture of winning and dedication, and maintaining it over a long period of time.

9. Don Shula
10. Joe Gibbs
11. Bill Parcells
12. George Allen


People around here like to dump on Rod Rust, but he was an outstanding defensive coach. If he swapped places with Seifert, you'd get the same results on both sides, I believe.

You saw the top 4 coach?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Shula is a doosh.

Another NE fan and myself were in the media hotel for SB42 and Shula called the front desk and got us thrown out. We came back in through another door later. F him!

Why did they throw you out? Did you tell him his steakhouses sucked?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

You saw the top 4 coach?

Yep, saw him in the Yankees outfield in '19

 

[Triumph]

Why did they throw you out? Did you tell him his steakhouses sucked?

HaHa, no on his steakhouse. Shula was going up to his room and the other NE fan with me went up and shook his hand.

We got tossed out because the hotel was for media and VIPs. Every super bowl has a media hotel. We met Matt Hasselbeck down in the lobby and he was a real cool guy, Spoke with us for awhile.

 

[long distance]

1. Vince Lombardi
2. Paul Brown
3. Curly Lambeau
4. George Halas

Nobody else in their class. Or, to put it another way, the next batch of great coaches is a level below. Nothing personal, not a popularity contest. Based upon what criteria? Leadership, innovation, ability to assemble top assistants and players and add it up to winning.

5. Bill Belichick

BB is doing that under salary cap ...

 

[Triumph]

Why did they throw you out? Did you tell him his steakhouses sucked?

At the media hotel for SB46. I met Moose Johnson and John Gruden. Both good guys talking with fans and taking pictures. Drew Brees walked right passed me. Guy is short.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

BB is doing that under salary cap ...

True; each era has its societal, financial and competitive aspects...you need to judge each guy's ability to manage within his own generation...we simply can't pick and choose and insert one restriction and cram it into a previous or future context.

 

[nabwong]

Cleveland - the team that fired 2 of the greatest coaches of all time. (More accurately Modell)

 

[Deus Irae]

1. Vince Lombardi
2. Paul Brown
3. Curly Lambeau
4. George Halas


Nobody else in their class. Or, to put it another way, the next batch of great coaches is a level below. Nothing personal, not a popularity contest. Based upon what criteria? Leadership, innovation, ability to assemble top assistants and players and add it up to winning.

5. Bill Belichick
6. Chuck Noll
7. Tom Landry
8. Bill Walsh

Establishing a culture of winning and dedication, and maintaining it over a long period of time.

9. Don Shula
10. Joe Gibbs
11. Bill Parcells
12. George Allen


People around here like to dump on Rod Rust, but he was an outstanding defensive coach. If he swapped places with Seifert, you'd get the same results on both sides, I believe.

This is a great example of why we try to teach our children to avoid drugs.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Was Cleveland even an NFL team when Brown coached? I'm not sure. He does have some remarkable accomplishments, though.

yes, Art Modell fired him in the early 60's....real rocket surgeon that one was....

 

[RobertWeathers]

HaHa, no on his steakhouse. Shula was going up to his room and the other NE fan with me went up and shook his hand.

We got tossed out because the hotel was for media and VIPs. Every super bowl has a media hotel. We met Matt Hasselbeck down in the lobby and he was a real cool guy, Spoke with us for awhile.

Great story!

I was in his steakhouse in Tampa (or Naples maybe) in 2004 or so and I saw him walking around. Didn't say anything to him. I was busy eating.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

One guy who'd pick Brown over Belichick, I think, is Belichick.

Brown was the original systems coach - granddaddy of Belichick.

 

[NormZauchin]

True; each era has its societal, financial and competitive aspects...you need to judge each guy's ability to manage within his own generation...we simply can't pick and choose and insert one restriction and cram it into a previous or future context.

While I don't disagree with the sentiment, the case for Belichick being the greatest coach goes beyond won/lost record. He has produced winning teams year after year, at a time when the league has legislated parity and even gone so far as to single out the Pats for various punishments to keep them from winning. None of the other great coaches had to deal with this.

In addition, coaching is so much more sophisticated in this era, with miles of film, hoards of assistants, and various computer applications to analyze opponents and evaluate talent. Because of this rationalization of the sport, I believe the coaching opponents whom BB has faced are likely of higher quality (let's forget the Ryans) than those who were on the other sideline from a Curly Lambeau or George Halas.

And did I mention having to deal with the media and their 24 hour, around-the-clock news cycle? One of your players gets caught smoking a joint at 12 midnight and your phone is ringing at 12:15.

Considering everything Belichick has mastered, he is, hands down, the greatest coach in NFL history.

 

[Fencer]

yes, Art Modell fired him in the early 60's....real rocket surgeon that one was....

It takes a special kind of stupidity to fire both Paul Brown AND Bill Belichick.

 

[Mike the Brit]

There is no way BB would name his team the New England Belichicks.

'An early name-the-team contest had resulted in the club announcing, in the spring of 1946, that it would be known as the Cleveland Panthers. But when the owner of a failed minor league franchise of the '30s claimed rights to the name, Brown decided to ditch it. "We don't want to have any association with a loser", he said, ultimately agreeing to let the team use the most common name suggested by the fans, Cleveland Browns.'

Michael MacCambridge, America's Game, p.28
​

It wasn't as though Brown just named them the Browns on his own initiative.