NFL

Judging Baseball’s Approach

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last night the injured, but still proud, New York Yankees beat the uninjured, but not so proud anymore, Boston Red Sox.  The 5-3 final completed a three game sweep over the listing 2018 World Series Champions.  “Get out da broomz and swept out da trash” in a heavy “New Yawk” accent could be heard from coast to coast.  You could have watched it from coast to coast too, if you chose.

But did you?  Did you watch?  Or did you watch an NHL or NBA playoff game last night?  ESPN (the worldwide leader in hype and chasing ratings) chose the Yanks v. Sox for their national broadcast last evening.  And they will again and again this year.  The combined win percentage last night entering the game of the two teams was 38%.

Many, many seasons ago, when there were but three TV channels and one game only shown in a week every Saturday that contest would not have seen the light of the afternoon day.  Tony Kubek is shaking his head, and Curt Gowdy would be if he were still alive today.

So, why then this game?  Simple.  Always follow the money.  The only way to sell Anhueser Busch on advertising Bud Light is to grab the best ratings that you can so as to have as many fans watch as you can so as to charge as much as you can for the spot.

But is it the best route for MLB?  Local money drives TV and radio which is why all MLB teams show and tell via that route throughout the season.  So, for ESPN, the best route is to get a blackout in the combined two biggest markets that evening to sell more beer.  So, why then this way? Simple.  Always follow the money.

But, we ask again.  Is it the best route for baseball and its national branding?  Perhaps.  Its 162 game schedule and summertime slot might dictate selling the local team story to locals and hope that the playoff matchups and teams whet the appetite to a greater audience.  But, would MLB have a greater audience if it told you and sold to you the upstart teams and their starts and year-long stories?

We wonder.  Tampa, Cleveland, and Houston lead the American League three weeks in.  Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles (Dodgers) lead the National League.  Throw out Houston (who won the WS in 2017) and Los Angeles (who won the NL pennant in 2017 and 2018).  Can the casual fan name two names off of the four remaining teams?

If you asked the same three weeks into the NFL season we bet you could name five or six Buccaneers, Browns, Eagles, or Packers per team.  The NFL released its schedule just last night.  The Browns drew four prime time national spotlight games.  Their record in the last ten years combined is the 2nd worst in the league.  But suddenly, due to an improving defense, and a strong off-season free agent acquisition plan they are a coming national story.  Oh, and there is OBJ too.

The NFL sells what might be, not what was.  The NFL sells teams, their players, their coaches, and their strategies.  They sell the thought that parity gives non contenders a real good chance to contend. The NFL is making A LOT of money. It made $13.8 billion in 2017.

MLB sells beer to the two biggest markets on a given week night.  MLB is making a lot of money too.  It’s revenue, with way more games played, was $10.1 in 2017 in comparison.  It’s expenses are far greater to get there as well.

NFL regular season games, when pitted against MLB playoff games, amazingly out draw them in the most important game; the ratings game.

We fully understand that the two business models have their own benefits and challenges.  We just think one could learn A LOT from the other.

Quote the Raven “Speed Kills”

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The month ago NFL trade of eleven year veteran, Baltimore Raven Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos became official yesterday as the new fiscal year of the NFL began.  There were several other trades and a bevy of free agents signing.  To say the pace of play was fast would be understating it all.

Lamar Jackson, the 2018 first round pick and late year starter for the Ravens, was the beneficiary of the trade as the deck was cleared for him to take the full-time starting quarterback position.  The Ravens’ brass hopes that he will be the franchise’s next, well, franchise quarterback.  To say the pace of LJ’s 2018 on field play was fast would be understating it as well.

However, to say his Mercedes-Benz pace was 105 mph on Tuesday would be exactly accurate.  Like a stop watch at the combine, Lamar provided video proof of his fast driving.  He decided to video the needle on 105 and post it on Instagram complete with the no seat belt dash-board indicator on as well as his tapping on the steering wheel to the selected tune of his choice.

On Wednesday the 22-year-old tweeted out an apology saying that “he had made a bad decision.”  We wonder if the bad decision was driving 105 mph, the unhinged seat belt, the phone recording while driving, or the world-wide web post of it all.

Some surely see this as a problem.  We see this as an opportunity for Lamar, his agent, and the Ravens however.  Commercial gain from endorsements, advertisements, or public service announcements can come from this.  Some awesome, and some not as awesome, possibilities follow.

  1. The Raven’s film Lamar getting in the car, buckling up, and driving exactly the posted speed.  Lamar looks into the close up of the camera and quote the  Raven “nevermore.”  A CLIO award awaits.
  2. A video of Lamar’s pure on field speed and elusiveness running in to the endzone for a touchdown fades to a dated video of his 105 mph dash.  The camera cuts to Lamar who states that “speed on the field and off the field kills.  I only speed on grass these days.”  This one is tricky due to the potential dual interpretation of the word “grass” however.
  3. Adidas has Lamar under contract.  They could film him running in his three stripe cleats and have him say “the only thing faster than me in my car is me in my adi kicks.”  Ok, ok, this one needs some work.  But, impossible is nothing.
  4. Mercedes-Benz could film him calmly walking out of the airport from his arrival gate spliced with OJ Simpson’s Hertz commercial running through the airport 30 years ago.  The tag line could be “why run and rent when you can Benz and speed?”  Ok, ok this one needs work too.  But, how about those rental choices from Hertz in 1978?  Fairmont, Mustang, or LTD anyone?
  5. Lamar could go rogue and video himself going 105 the next time he so chooses, and seat belt be damned again.  He could turn the smart phone on to himself and say to the average Joe, “don’t give me any Flaccover this!”  Ah, these kids these days.  Instant Instagram fortune awaits.

We’ll be back after these words from our fine sponsors.

 

 

What’s Important Now?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Al Davis, the unconventional owner and GM of the Oakland Raiders from its first days in the Sixties, until his last days in the New Millenium, coined the phrase “Just Win, Baby!”  And his Raiders won and won.  Two Super Bowl wins and two more appearances with several coaches and ever-changing personnel in an ever-changing league bears that out.

Of course his baby son, Mark Davis, now principal owner and GM of his dad’s beloved Raiders might be the biggest winner in Raider Nation.  His dad turned a 50k investment in a fledgling upstart American Football League into an icon valued at well over 1.5 billion dollars.   That’s billion with a “b” if your 2.0x readers are around here somewhere.

Nick Saban, the six-time NCAA championship winner, and arguably(is it even really arguable?) the greatest coach in college football history, coined the phrase “focus on the process and the results will take care of themselves.”  His focus is such that his overall w/l record is 233-63-1.  His Bama record is 141-21 with six of the losses coming in year one as he quickly rebuilt the Crimson Tide.  His coaching tree is now a coaching forest and sprouting new saplings yearly.

Tyrone Willingham, the one time head coach of Stanford, then Notre Dame, and finally Washington, coined the acronym “WIN”.  He has gone on to explain that it stands for  “What’s Important Now?”  Of the three men, Davis, Saban, and Willingham, Tyrone has by far the most modest accomplishments.  He lost more games at the helm 88, than he won, 76.  Though, we point out that coaching at three fine universities is in and of itself success.

Why might we refer to Willingham, who stands in the shadow of these two unrelated but both hugely successful men, in the same post as them?  It’s because we feel like WIN-What’s Important Now is a clean, clear, and simple to use “words to live by.”  And live by them we try daily.

This writer was fortunate to hear the impressive Willingham speak well over a decade ago.  Meticulous in his dress, he meticulously outlined what WIN meant to him.  In short after he establishes a goal or goals for himself he asks what it takes to accomplish them.  From there he writes them down. Then he organizes them from which are the most important down to the least.  And, he revisits the list daily, resorting after either accomplishing some or evaluating others, in the ever-changing world that we live in.

Note, this list isn’t what is urgent in others minds.  Failure to plan on your part does not create an emergency (urgency) on mine.  Separating what is perceived as urgent from wha tis important seems critical.  Heck it sounds one heck of a lot like “focus on the process.”

Does this sound rather simple? In theory we think it is.  In application it requires dedication and passion.  Oh, and most of all it requires the “how.”  Once the “when” to do and “what” to do, are organized the “how” separates us.  The “how,” is Saban’s process.

Getting things done through others can be tough.  But if you don’t know what’s important now then they won’t either.  If they don’t, the agenda has no direction and the urgent replaces the process.

Willingham may not have been the most successful, but for us one evening, and to this day, he was the most inspirational.

Who doesn’t want to win?

WIN-What’s Important Now?

 

February Made Me Shiver

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We were singin’ bye bye January.  February made me shiver.  Kudos to Don McLean.  His no. 1 hit, American Pie, sung a long, long, time ago (1971) hit the cold nail on the frozen head.  A bit of the lyrics follow.

But February made me shiver 
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step

Those of us at BBR think McLean may have been looking at the major US sports calendar when he wrote some of those lines.  For the four biggies look rather small right about now.

The day after the MLB All Star game is the only day of the year when there is no activity in any of the four of NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.  But, a day is but a day.   February is a month.  Sure there is some action, but February has to be the worst month weather wise in the US and the least interesting for the groupies like us that have an insatiable need for the action.  Thankfully February is but 28 days long most years.

Ok, ok, there is the Super Bowl for football.  But, then what?  The Combine in Indy comes to mind.  It’s a junkie fix but the supply is scarce. Where is the Walt White of football?   NCCA football,  as we digress, is dormant too.

Well, well you say, the NBA is in full swing.  And, there is the NBA All Star game. Correct, and correct.  We just don’t see too much value in watching pros go through the motions in many midseason games that don’t have much to do with post season games. The NBA’s best start to collide in playoff series in, oh, about three months from now.  The NBA All Star game you say?  Even “The Arnold” couldn’t sell it when he introed it in LA a dozen years or so ago when he uttered, “Velcome to de All Starz.”

The NHL has some high sticking, a few fist fights, and a few slap shots for us.  That’s not too bad.  Though looking at frozen ice for two hours inside after looking at frozen tundra outside for the other 22 hours make us think of a song once sang by Don McLean.  Never mind.  We just don’t see too much value in watching pros go through the motions in many midseason games/matches that don’t have much to do with post season games/matches.  Perhaps that sounds(identically) like our thoughts on the NBA?  Is it a match or a game anyway?

Well MLB teams have their pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mid to late Feb.  Hope for spring does spring eternal.  This is exciting for about 24-48 hours as you may pay attention to your favorite team’s reports for a day or two.  The problem is if you don’t live in Arizona or Florida you won’t see it live.  And if you do see it live after hopping a flight to one of those destinations you’ll soon see lots of dudes that you really don’t know, who are soon to board flights to minor league designations in towns that you hope you never hop a flight to.  Meh.

There’s always soccer, tennis, golf, and bowling.

February made me shiver.

 

Super (Bowl)Head Coach Countdown II

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday part six of our Super Bowl worst, best, first, and last series rolled on.  Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.

We continue to examine those very questions in part seven of our series.   Today we finish our attempt to answer the question “who is the best head coach to win a Super Bowl?”   Yesterday we chose Joe Gibbs at no. 5 and Bill Walsh at no. 4.  Clearly the choices are nothing but a who’s who of head coaching.  Let the subjectivity begin.

Criteria, in no particular order, that we feel is mandatory to be considered follows.

  1.  Longevity in the league– Longevity usually equates to demand for your ability.  Health reasons were considered.
  2.  Won/loss record– Bill Parcells once famously said ” at the end of the year you are what your record says you are.”
  3.  Pregame and in-game strategy– You have to have a plan of attack and you have to adjust to your opponents plan of attack.
  4.  Maximizing your team’s ability– Coaches eventually have 53 players to work with.  Did they get all that they could out of the group?
  5. Recognizing talent and using it– Coaches today have more say in personnel than yesterday.  Those that do have to obtain value (if FA cheaper than performance, if drafted better than round, if UDFA seeing something that others do not in a player).
  6. Super Bowl wins and appearances You are ultimately judged by getting your team to the biggest game of all and taking home the trophy.

We suspect that when objectivity (1,2,and 6 above) and subjectivity(3,4, and 5 above) cross paths the task of definitively ranking coaches is not possible.  When art meets science the eye and the mind don’t always agree.   Regardless, we press on.  Today we countdown nos. 3, 2, and 1.  Also, there are many who deserve mention, honorable mention at that.  But, we chose to skip those for now to further the discussion.   Let the disagreement begin.

3.  Tom Landry- The ever impeccably dressed leader Landry coached for 29 NFL seasons all with the Dallas Cowboys.  One guesses if you looked up the word “Institution” in Funk and Wagner that Tom’s picture (with his hat of course) might be next to the word.  Two hundred and fifty regular season wins, 36 playoff wins, five SB appearances, and two Lombardi Trophies makes his body of work hard to describe.

Landry coached good players and made them better.  Walt Garrison comes to mind.  He coached great players and helped them get enshrined.  Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Mel Renfro and many, many others come to mind.  His culture of out working and out thinking others created a sustainable winning expectation.  After all you were a Cowboy.   Landry encouraged the organization to look at the draft and the pool of players differently than others.  Gil Brandt his GM masterfully assembled the roster accordingly.  The Cowboys dug deep to find talent in undrafted free agency as well as lesser scouted conferences like the SWAC.

He won by strategically putting his offense, defense, and special teams in familiar spots from meticulous preparation. Landry is known as the “inventor of the 4-3 defense” as he was the first to take a lineman out and add a middle linebacker.   Landry also invented and popularized the use of keys (analyzing offensive tendencies) to determine what the offense might do.

2.  Don Shula- It’s hard to top Landry’s resume’ but Shula did.  He was an NFL head coach for 33 seasons, 26 with the Miami Dolphins and seven with the Baltimore Colts.  He won 328 games in all with an amazing 67.7 win percentage.  He too won 36 playoff games.  One Colt and five Dolphin SB appearances later gave Shula two Lombardi trophies.

Shula changed his coaching strategy as his personnel changed. His Super Bowl teams in 1971,2,3, and 1982 were keyed by a run-first offensive strategy and a dominating defense. In 1983, shortly after losing Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins drafted quarterback Dan Marino out of the University of Pittsburgh. Marino won the starting job halfway through the 1983 regular season, and by 1984, the Dolphins were back in the Super Bowl, due largely to Marino’s record 5,084 yards through the air.

Shula’s Miami teams were known for great offensive lines (Larry Little, Jim Langer, and Bob Kuechenberg), strong running games (Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris), solid quarterbacking (by Bob Griese and Earl Morrall), excellent receivers (Paul Warfield)and a defense that worked as a cohesive unit. The Dolphins were known as “The No-Name Defense”, though they had few good to great players, including MLB Nick Buoniconti.

In 1972, the Dolphins were unbeaten in the regular season, 14–0–0. They swept the playoffs and finished 17–0–0.  They remain the only team in the modern era to do so.

1.  Bill Belichick – Is there really any doubt as to who is the most successful coach of all time?  There really isn’t.  But, “most successful” and “best” may not be exactly the same.  With Belichick we think it is the same.  What is not debatable is 1) on Sunday he will be coaching in the SB for the ninth time which is three more than Shula’s six, and 2) he can put further distance in the win column between himself (five now and maybe six soon) and Chuck Noll who has four.

In 24 years as head coach (5 Cleveland and 19 New England) the irascible one has won 261 regular and 30 post season games.  That’s a 68% win percentage overall and 74% in NE alone.  Seventy four percent equates to an average season being 12-4.  There’s nothing average about that!

Belichick is a grand master at finding a opponent’s weakness and exploiting it.  A defensive side of the ball head coach with perhaps the GOAT QB in Tom Brady is the perfect combo for long term success.  This is especially true with the rules the league has put in place in the last 15 years to protect QB’s.

His coaching tree grows significantly each offseason.  Eight of his former assistants to date have become NFL head coaches.  Seven have become NCAA head coaches, one of which is Nick Saban.

But, perhaps his most significant measure of success is one that is actually hard to measure.  How good has the Patriots personnel (outside of Tom Brady, which is a big “outside of”) been during his incredible run?  Current and future Hall of Famers are few.  Their best RB has been?  WR?  LB?  DL?  You get the picture.  There have been many, many good to real good ones no doubt.  Perhaps Belichick has the key to making the whole far greater that the sum of the individual parts.

Tomorrow we briefly examine two who were strongly considered for the final five, but ultimately left out.

 

 

 

Super (Bowl) Head Coach Countdown

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday part five of our Super Bowl worst, best, first, and last series rolled on.  We offered a fun trivia quiz about coaches in the big game.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.

We continue to examine those very questions in part six of our series.  Today we begin to attempt to answer the question “who is the best head coach to win a Super Bowl?”   Clearly the choices are nothing but a who’s who of head coaching.  Let the subjectivity begin.

Criteria, in no particular order, that we feel is mandatory to be considered follows.

  1.  Longevity in the league– Longevity usually equates to demand for your ability.  Health reasons were considered.
  2.  Won/loss record– Bill Parcells once famously said ” at the end of the year you are what your record says you are.”
  3.  Pregame and in-game strategy– You have to have a plan of attack and you have to adjust to your opponents plan of attack.
  4.  Maximizing your team’s ability– Coaches eventually have 53 players to work with.  Did they get all that they could out of the group?
  5. Recognizing talent and using it– Coaches today have more say in personnel than yesterday.  Those that do have to obtain value (if FA cheaper than performance, if drafted better than round, if UDFA seeing something that others do not in a player).
  6. Super Bowl wins and appearances- You are ultimately judged by getting your team to the biggest game of all and taking home the trophy.

We suspect that when objectivity (1,2,and 6 above) and subjectivity(3,4, and 5 above) cross paths the task of definitively ranking coaches is not possible.  When art meets science the eye and the mind don’t always agree.   Regardless, we press on.  Today we give you our fifth and fourth best.  Tomorrow we get to nos. 3, 2, and 1.  Also, there are many who deserve mention, honorable mention at that.  But, we chose to skip those for now to further the discussion.   Let the disagreement begin.

5.  Joe Gibbs- Gibbs won 154 regular season games in two head coaching stretches covering 16 NFL seasons all with the Washington Redskins.  An impressive four SB appearances resulted in three Lombardi Trophies.   Gibbs’ teams could score a lot, play stiff defense, and close out games.

Although Gibbs helped craft a passing-oriented attack during his time in San Diego as an OC, his Redskins teams were known to incorporate a smash-mouth, down hill rushing heavy attack.   By building a strong offensive line (“The Hogs”) Gibbs’ teams controlled the line of scrimmage, allowing workhorse running backs such as John Riggins, George Rogers, and Earnest Byner to power the ground game. Gibbs added a deep passing attack to this which complemented the ground game. Gibbs’ offense was aided during his tenure by aggressive defensive units under the direction of defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon.

Gibbs’ system and scheme were robust enough to be successful without a Hall-of-Fame-caliber quarterback at the helm. The Redskins’ Super Bowl victories were won featuring Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien—capable players who were complimentary parts.

Gibbs is credited with inventing the single back, double or triple tight end set. He used it to slow down Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, realizing that to successfully block him with just a running back was all but impossible.   Gibbs was also credited for creating the Trips formation by stacking three wide receivers to one side. He added confusing shifting and motions to his offenses to further the complexity. The formations created defensive confusion. He is also one of a few coaches that used the H-back position prominently in his offense.

From 1981 to 1992 he lead the Skins to a 124-60 record.  That win percentage would rank fourth all time.  His second stint, nearly a decade removed from the game and at the begging of Daniel Snyder, finished 30-34.

 

4.  Bill Walsh- From 1979 to 1989 no one was better than the former Stanford coach.  Walsh, with an assist from Joe Montana, won three Super Bowls in ten seasons while making seven playoff runs.  His regular season winning percentage was a real good, but not great, 60%.  However, he inherited a team and an organization that was void of talent, leadership, and a winning culture.  His first two teams were 2-14, and 6-10 as the turnaround began.  Therefore, in his final eight years the San Fransisco 49ers record averaged an incredible 13 wins against three losses.  His final season(1988) and the Super Bowl win(1989) was followed by the team winning it all yet again under his disciple George Seifert in 1990.

Perhaps the eye Walsh had for on field talent was only surpassed by the eye he had for coaching excellence.  His coaching tree

Bill Walsh Coaching Tree.svg

is alive and well even today and is second to no one who came before or after.

Did Joe Montana have physical talent?  Yes.  But the cerebral Montana bought into Walsh’s ever evolving “west coast offense.”  Suddenly defenses needed to cover the total breadth and length of the field as Walsh would run when you thought he would throw it and throw it when you thought he would run it.  His formations and iterations thereof created mismatches the field over.  All of his offensive skill positions could catch and run afterwards putting enormous pressure on all 11 defensive players to properly cover their assignments.

Only Walsh’s relatively early retirement (10 years as a HC), hence shorter body of work, kept him from being listed higher.

Tomorrow we press on with our choices.  These five men are the some of the very best of the all time best.

 

 

Super Bowl Head Coach Trivia Time

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Friday part four of our Super Bowl worst, best, first, and last series rolled on.  We offered our opinion on who the worst head coaches were to win a Super Bowl.  Gary Kubiak took home first place.  Unfortunately, first meant worst for the eight year Texan and two-year Bronco’s head coach.  After stepping away from the game in 2018 Kubiak will be back in 2019 as the OC in Minnesota.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.  There are outliers of course.  So, who might be those outliers?

We were going to continue to examine those very questions in part five of our series of our series.  But, today rather than examine the question “who is the best head coach to win a Super Bowl?”  we offer a fun trivia quiz about the quarterbacks and coaches in the big game.  The best coaches to ever coach in the big game heads your way tomorrow.   Enjoy the audible.  The answers are below Bill Belichick and yet another trophy hoist and to avoid the urge to peak.

  1.  Five coaches have coached in exactly four Super Bowls.  Three have lost all four.  Two of them lost all four with the same team.  Who were they?
  2. Another coach lost four but accomplished this with two teams.  Who was he and what teams did he coach?
  3. Only one coach appeared in four games and won the Vince Lombardi trophy in all four appearances.  Who is he?
  4. Bill Belichick will be coaching this Sunday for an amazing 9th time easily the most ever appearances and counting.  Who has the second most appearances?
  5. Only four coaches have won more than two Super Bowls.  Belichick is one.  Name the other three.
  6. Marv Levy, with four consecutive appearances leads that category.  Only one head coach has worked in three straight.  Who?
  7. (extra point) Twelve coaches have been to two big games.  All won at least once except one who went 0-2.  His losses were 10 years apart and he brought a different team to each.  Who?

 

 

The Answers

  1.  Marv Levy went 0-4 with the Bills in four consecutive years amazingly from 1991-4.  Bud Grant lost all with the Vikings in 1970,4,5,and 7.
  2. Dan Reeves lost three with the Broncos in 1987,8, and 1990.  He coached the Falcons in 1999 to a 34-19 loss to the Falcons.
  3. Chuck Noll led the Steel Curtain and Terry Bradshaw to four appearances and four wins in 1975,6,9, and 1980.
  4. Don Shula won two and lost four.  Joe Willie and Weeb beat his Colts in SB III.  He went on to five Dolphins appearances winning two and losing three.
  5. The previously mentioned Chuck Noll won four, sneaky Joe Gibbs won three, and the great Bill Walsh won three.
  6. If you guessed Bill Belichick we understand.  However, Don Shula lost SB VI to Tom Landry and the Cowboys, then won back to back in 1973 (the undefeated year) and 1974 over Bud Grant’s Vikings.
  7. John Fox and the Carolina Panthers lost to NE in 2004.  He took the Broncos to SB XLVIII ten years later and lost to Pete Carroll’s Seahawks  in a beat down 43-8.

 

 

Super Bowl Jumbo Shrimp.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday part three of our Super Bowl worst, best, first, and last series rolled on.  We offered our opinion on who the worst quarterbacks were to appear or lose a Super Bowl.  David Woodley took home first place.  Unfortunately, first meant worst for the former LSU hero.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.  There are outliers of course.  So, who might be those outliers?

We continue to examine those very questions in part three of our series.  Today we examine the question “who is the worst head coach to win a Super Bowl?”  Our take from bad to worse is below.

Our NFL only criteria includes longevity, w-l percentage, playoff appearances, playoff wins, and coaches hired that went on to great success in the league.  Like the previous quarterbacks that we have selected, we note that these are men who have risen to the very top of their profession.  So, we are calling them the worst of the best really.

This was a tough task.  Undeterred we march on.  We decided on four for very different and difficult reasons.   Drum roll please.

4.  Don McCafferty- The HC that no one remembers or heard of led the Baltimore Colts to 16-13 win of Tom Landry and the Cowboys in SB V in 1971. It was an error filled forgettable game.   It was his first year as a HC replacing Don Shula who left the Baltimore to go south to Miami.  In his third year he refused to bench Johnny Unitas and was fired as a result.  He signed on to coach the Detroit Lions in 1973.  After one year there he dropped dead of a heart attack while mowing his lawn.

3.  Brian Billick- After getting much credit as an OC at Minnesota Billick took over the HC reins for the Baltimore Ravens in 1999.  Nine years later he amassed an 80-64 regular season record.  He rode DC Marvin Lewis and Mike Nolan’s historically great defenses,

led by Ray Lewis, as his offenses were annually anemic.  This included the 4 game playoff run that culminated in the SB XXXV victory in 2001. His other eight seasons ended in three playoff berths.  His one-dimensional teams went one and one in one and one and done in the other two.  His coaching tree was solid.  Rex Ryan and Mike Singletary are two other notable ones.

2.  Weeb Ewbank- When the NY Jets and Joe Willie Namath shocked the football world-beating the heavily favored Baltimore Colts(Don Shula again) in SB III in 1969, Wilbur Charles “Weeb” Ewbank rode off on his players shoulders crew cut hair and all.  Weeb was a head coach for 20 years.  The last 11 were with the J-E-T-S.  In eight of those 11 his teams were .500 or less and in total were 71-77.  His total won loss record was one above .500 at 130-129-7.  His teams only totaled 5 playoff games.  Although in fairness to Wilbur Charles his Baltimore Colts head coaching days prior to the Jets included two one game championships when there weren’t really any playoffs. Chuck Knox and Buddy Ryan both toiled under Weeb.

1.  Gary Kubiak- In 10 NFL seasons (8 Texans, 2 Broncos) Kube’s teams appeared in the playoffs only three times.  Two Texan teams went 1-1 and done.  The 3-0 record with the SB winning Broncos and Peyton Manning was his only deep run.  His teams won 82 regular season games and lost 75.  Multiple medical maladies forced him to resign in 2016.  His coaching tree includes Mike Sherman, Wade Phillips, Ray Rhodes and a few other retreads.  He will resume coaching as OC in Minnesota in 2019.  Perhaps his head coaching days are done.

Head coaching a team to a Super Bowl triumph and being called one of the worst is an oxymoron like the phrase “jumbo shrimp.”   But they are our “only choices” for the worst of the best of the “civil war” known as the Super Bowl.

 

 

 

 

Super Bowl Blind Squirrels.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday part two of our Super Bowl worst, best, first, and last series rolled on.  We offered our opinion on who the worst quarterbacks were to win a Super Bowl.  Doug Williams took home first place.  Unfortunately first meant worst for the former Grambling St. hero.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.  There are outliers of course.  So, who might be those outliers?

We continue to examine those very questions in part three of our series.  Today we examine the question “who is the worst quarterback to start and lose a Super Bowl?”  Our take from bad to worse is below.

The competition for this (dis)honor is surprisingly strong.  Honorable mentions and yellow spirit ribbons go to……..

…Billy Kilmer for being the most out of shape and for throwing more ducks than fly in south Louisiana in the fall.

…Chris Chandler for lasting 17 years in the league, but having seven different teams let him walk to the next one.

…Tony Eason who threw for a measly 11k yards in 9 years in the league and getting Super Bowl shuffled and pulverized by the 1986 Chicago Bears.

The envelopes for third to worst please.

3.  Vince Ferragamo- Ferragamo gave it his all v. Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979 before losing 31-19.  The third round pick of the Rams, Ferragamo was 27-26 as a starter throwing for 11k yards in an otherwise undistinguished career.  He threw more interceptions, 91, than touchdowns, 76.  His career passer rating of 70.1 places him 151st all-time, just a hair ahead of the one and only Joey Harrington.  Whew.

2.  Rex Grossman- Grossman and the out manned Chicago Bears lost to Indianapolis in the 2006 Super Bowl.  Peyton Manning won his first of two SB’s in an otherwise forgettable contest.  For his career he was only 25-22 as a starter that somehow lasted 10 years in the league.  He too tossed more in his time to the other team, 60, than he threw for touchdowns to his own team, 56.  His career completion percentage was 55.2%.  Given that he played until 2012 when many helpful rules and protections are afforded QB’s makes that inaccuracy hard to believe.  Whew.  He must have carried a mean clipboard.

1. David Woodley-  Woodley was an 8th round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1980 when the league still had 12 rounds.  He played for a brief 6 years in the NFL, only two as a starter, and compiled stats befitting of an 8th rounder.   A 53 percent completion percentage, 8k total passing yards, 48 tds, and 63 picks add up to a QB rating of 65.7.  Billy Joe Tolliver is two points better.  Woodley and his Dolphins lost to Joe Theisman’s Redskins in SB XVII 27-17.  Woodley, true to his NFL form,  was 4-17 for 80 yards and an interception in that contest. Whew.  Seventy six of those yards came on one pass play.  A short three years later Woodley retired from the NFL before the NFL could retire him.

As we stated yesterday, no NFL level quarterback is actually bad.  But, how these three found their way to a Super Bowl reminds us of the proverbial blind squirrel finding a runners up Super Bowl ring.   Or, something like that.

 

 

 

The Worst Finished First.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last week we wrote the following.

Should one or two slight upsets occur, Jared Goff and Tom Brady would lead either or both of the Rams and Patriots to the very lovely(ahem) and picturesque, beautiful Atlanta.  Therefore, regardless of the outcome of the games, a “franchise” quarterback will eventually lead his team to the podium to cherish the coveted Lombardi Trophy.  Brady and Brees are the old guard great qbs.  Goff and Mahomes are the up and coming ones.

Roger Goodell will (we hope and think) get booed loudly prior to the presentation.  But, we digress.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.  There are outliers of course.  So, who might be those outliers?

We continue to examine those very questions in our run up to the Super Bowl features continuing today.  Today we examine the question “who is the worst quarterback to have won a Super Bowl?”  Our take from bad to worse is in reverse order below.

3.  (tie) Mark Rypien– Rypien led the Washington Redskins to a 37-24 SB win over the Buffalo Bills in 1991.  The sixth round pick by the Skins in 1986 started for only 5 years, won just 47 games, and completed a modest 56% of his career pass attempts.  His team bettered the Bills led by Jim Kelly who we selected as the third best QB to have played in but never won a Super Bowl.  His career passing rating is 78.9.  That’s 80th all-time for qb’s who have met the minimums to qualify.  He’s tied with Byron Leftwich.  Ouch.

3.  (tie) Jeff Hostetler– A real gamer Hostetler filled in for half of a season and the playoffs for Phil Simms.  He rode a dominate Bill Parcells defense to a 20-19 triumph over the Jim Kelly led Bills a year before Rypien did the same.  He won only 51 games as a starter(4 years) in his career and completed 58% of his passes.  He did get one trip to Hawaii for a Pro Bowl.  His 16k career yards ranks 136th just 100 yards ahead of one Rodney Peete. Ouch.

Ray Said Get Out of the Way!

2.  Trent Dilfer– Dilfer was a first round pick of the TB Buccaneers in 1994.  After moving to the Baltimore Ravens he won a ring with them punishing the New York Football Giants 34-7.  In the 4-0 playoff run that year he threw for only three touchdowns.  He basically stayed out-of-the-way of one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history led by Ray Lewis.  For his career Dilfer threw 129 interceptions v 113 touchdowns and completed only 56% of his attempts.  His 70.2 passer rating is 149th all time and ranks below Rex Grossman.  Ouch.

1.  Doug Williams- Williams also was a first round pick of the TB Buccaneers.  As a starter in his nine-year career he lost 42 and won only 38 games.  After TB he went to Washington and played lights out in SB XXI whipping John Elway and the Denver Broncos 42-10.  He threw 100 NFL TD’s against 93 picks.  His passer rating was a quite low 69.4.  His 49 percent career completion percentage held true to form in the 1987 playoff run to the SB as he completed 49% of those attempted as well.  It was a bit of a different era back then, but 49% is 49%.  Ouch.

No NFL level quarterback is bad.  But relatively speaking these four “bad ones” won the biggest game of them all.

Some how. Some way.