Lack of Winners

Going into the 2009 NFL season I can't help but feel that there is something missing from the game.  It had been bothering me for some time but then today I realised what was missing from the 2009 NFL season, coaches who were winners.  Going into the 2009 NFL season there will be only 3 active head coaches who have won the SuperBowl, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, and Mike Tomlin.  That leaves 29 teams with head coaches who have 0 coaching experience in the SuperBowl.  Yes some of them have been there as coordinators but that doesn't really count.  

Over the past few years the NFL has lost a ton of coaches who have won the SuperBowl.  Not all of them left voluntarily but in the end they all left.  Coaches such as Dick Vermeil, Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick and Mike Shanahan have all either been fired or have retired.

Now I understand that at some point there will be new coaches that will enter and replace the old ones but I assumed it would be more gradual.  These new breed of coaches are all younger guys who owners and GMs assume can get their players fired up in and relate to their players better than some of the "old timers."

I guess this isn't too surprising however as it seems every year and more and more coaches get fired at the end of the season.  Last year 5 coaches were axed and this year that number jumped to 9.  At this rate coaches will be given one year with a team and then fired if they don't win the SuperBowl.

The one real problem to this, besides the experience factor, is that this is going to make it harder and harder for coaches to become legends.  Never again will there be another Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry.  These guys they got now are all forgettable and will be forgotten in 3 years when their contracts expire and they are fired.  

If I was to ask you who are the longest tenured coaches currently in the NFL would you be able to name them confidently (by the way its Jeff Fisher 15 years, Andy Reid 10 years, and John Fox 7 years)?  The NFL Head Coach is starting to lose some of its prestige as these men are becoming expendable and have shorter life spans than the next female popstar de'jour.

I'm not suggesting that teams keep coaches around who lose every single year but there have been some firings lately that I wouldn't say were justified.  A coach needs time to earn the respect of his players and to establish a system for running a team.  NFL owners and Gms need to be very careful as they are heading towards a very dangerous path.

The only positive that comes out of all this is that if you are a SuperBowl winning coach and contract negotiation comes around you can make a killing because at this point you are one of three people in the whole league who can put SuperBowl winning coach on your resume.  

Random Youtube Video (Crank the Volume on This One):