Talent vs. coaching

1DS

Registered
Joined
May 12, 2005
Posts
1,147
Reaction score
0
Location
Maryland
In the NFL, everyone has AMAZING physical talent. What separates teams from 5-11 and 11-5 is coaching. The ability to put that talent in the right place and be utilized properly is the difference. Can we finally squash the debate once and for all. Look what an amazing coaching staff has done for us.
 

RedRob

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jan 15, 2003
Posts
1,078
Reaction score
88
Location
Somewhere in TX
Agree on the fact we have a great coaching staff however you could stick this crew with some of the McGinnis teams of old and we still wouldn't have sniffed 8 and 8.

I think you need the players AND a great coaching staff.
 

Gaddabout

Plucky Comic Relief
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
Posts
16,043
Reaction score
11
Location
Gilbert
In the NFL, everyone has AMAZING physical talent. What separates teams from 5-11 and 11-5 is coaching. The ability to put that talent in the right place and be utilized properly is the difference. Can we finally squash the debate once and for all. Look what an amazing coaching staff has done for us.

I agree to a point. NFL is a lot like NASCAR -- everything's regulated to make it fair to a point. In NASCAR, the most disciplined team drivers with the best pit crews who know how to shave a hair here make a little lighter there, those are the teams who win.

That said, in the NFL, the difference between the best teams and the worst teams remains talent. Don't know how it could be anything else. Good coaching can only hide so many holes before a team without holes exposes them like a mouthful of rotting teeth. The only thing more important than strong starting talent is quality depth. Or at least contributing depth.

Fans put too much emphasis on things like play calling. They don't put enough emphasis on things like smart receivers who always make the right adjustments on third down to sustain a drive or over-matched right tackles who make every drop step count or third-string running backs who sacrifice their bodies to pick up a blitz or slow back-up safeties who sustain their NFL value by using good instincts and always knowing where they need to be.

Great coaching, IMO, is pretty rare. The number of coaches who could take almost any level of talent and raise them a level or two ... maybe less than 5 percent of all the coaches in the NFL at any given time. One of my favorites was Fritz Schurmur, and his secret was an abundance of pragmatism. He would take his zone schemes and manipulate them each week. But instead of focusing on what parts of the field his defenses need to cover, he would focus on the parts they DIDN'T have to cover. He would find ways where he could cheat a safety two yards inside the hashmark, or cut short a linebacker zone drop a step on 3rd downs to take away (for example) the Jerry Rice slant. There aren't many coaches who can also think in reverse like that.
 
Last edited:

SuperSpck

ASFN Addict
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Posts
7,977
Reaction score
15
Location
Iowa
Like the rushing game, winning football is a combination of coaching and playing.

A good offensive line can make an average back look better, as good coaching can make average players look better.

A good running back can make an average line look better, as skilled players can make average coaching look better.

Clearly, some of the Cardinal coaches are very good and some of the players are very good.
 

Rats

Somanyfreaks,SofewCircus'
Joined
Sep 28, 2002
Posts
4,075
Reaction score
6
There is no substitute for experience and this coaching staff is receiving this. They have taken a really talented team that has been together for some time and are molding it into a championship team. They have gotten greatness out of some great players in the playoffs and that is a sign of good coaching. But you have to have great players that want to be great. I do not feel they were a top staff during the season as we layed down for several games but they have got the stars playing at there best and with a chip on there shoulder. For me the jury is still out on Whis as Coach of the year but he has won me over as our coach for many seasons. Any coach that takes this organization to the Super Bowl should be made coach for life if he wants it IMO.
 

anks106

Registered
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Posts
854
Reaction score
2
I'd say in the regular season Talent shines more while in the post season when you pull out all the stops you see the difference in coaches. That Panthers team we blew out is pretty stacked, the only thing they didn't have is a Whiz.
 

Rats

Somanyfreaks,SofewCircus'
Joined
Sep 28, 2002
Posts
4,075
Reaction score
6
Sorry but had they not turned the ball over 6 times we would not be talking about this improbable Super Bowl run. DRC's talent, Kurts Talent, Larrys talent, Edges Talent, Dansby, Dockett, and Adrians talent are the reason not some extraordinary game planning,( although important)got us to this point and forced those turnovers. Our team wanted it more. They had been degraded for many weeks leading up to the playoffs and some said they did not belong. They have heart. These experiences will mold them into a championship team. Great Coaches bring innovation to the league and have success at the highest level with there system. Not sure Whis has given any of that to the league at this point. He has a lot of talent on that sqaud.
 
Last edited:

slanidrac16

ASFN Icon
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2002
Posts
15,627
Reaction score
15,978
Location
Plainfield, Il.
I don't know , but I do believe is Dennis Green were still here, we wouldn't be where we are today.
 

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
553,853
Posts
5,411,850
Members
6,319
Latest member
route66
Top