Vince Lombardi – FootballPerspective.com

The Most Pass-Happy Coaches in NFL History

Chase Stuart — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:01:46 +0000

Belichick checks to see where he is on the list.

Yesterday, I looked at the most pass-happy active head coaches and offensive coordinators in the NFL. If you’ve been a loyal reader of my previous posts on Game Scripts, you understand the methodology I’ve used today to grade each coaches. The quick summary is I’ve come up with the term “Game Scripts” to determine the average points margin over each of the 3600 seconds in each game; from there, I also came up with Game Scripts scores for each season. If you then take each coach’s pass/run ratio, adjust for the league average pass/run ratio, and then adjust for Game Scripts, then you can determine each coach’s passing identity. I’ve done this for every season since 1940.

The table below lists the 252 coaches I have in my database who have been either a head coach or an offensive coordinator for at least four seasons. I suggest using the search box to find your favorite coaches, but as always, all columns are sortable, too. In the table below, the number of HC/OC seasons includes all seasons, but the games, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, and wins over .500 columns all include only the coach’s records as a head coach. The Game Script column shows each coach’s average Game Scripts average over each season, while the “P/R” column does the same for pass/run ratio. The next three columns are all indexes centered around 100. The “SCRIPT” column is the Game Scripts rating, the “PASS” column is the Pass/Run Ratio rating, and the Pass Identity column is a combination of the two columns. (You can read some of the other Game Scripts articles for more explanation). Based on his time in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, Joe Philbin comes in as the most pass-happy coach, but that number seems likely to decline the longer he coaches. George Seifert built his reputation as the defensive coordinator for the 49ers, but having Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice turned him into a pass-friendly coach. As for the next two men on the list, modern NFL fans need no further explanation.

Rk	Coach	HC/OC Sea	G	W	L	T	Win%	WO.500	Game Script	P/R	SCRIPT	PASS	IDENTITY
1	Joe Philbin	6	16	7	9	0	0.438	-2	3.8	58.8%	122.5	107.6	30.1
2	George Seifert	11	176	114	62	0	0.648	52	3.8	57.6%	117.3	108.1	25.4
3	Mike Martz	12	85	53	32	0	0.624	21	1	61.4%	104.3	121	25.3
4	Andy Reid	14	224	130	93	1	0.583	37	1.9	59.4%	112	111.9	23.9
5	Pete Carmichael	5	0	0	0	0			1.1	61.7%	106.2	117.3	23.5
6	Sean Payton	9	96	62	34	0	0.646	28	2.2	59%	112.6	109.9	22.4
7	John Mackovic	4	64	30	34	0	0.469	-4	0.9	59.5%	104.3	117.6	21.8
8	Bill Belichick	18	288	187	101	0	0.649	86	3.3	56.1%	118.5	100	18.5
9	Bill Walsh	11	152	92	59	1	0.609	33	2.6	53.6%	111.5	106.4	17.8
10	Don Coryell	14	195	111	83	1	0.572	28	1.5	52.1%	107.1	110.3	17.4
11	Tom Rossley	6	0	0	0	0			1.5	57.7%	108.9	107.2	16.1
12	Jim Trimble	4	48	25	20	3	0.552	5	1.3	51.6%	102.2	113.2	15.4
13	Gary Stevens	9	0	0	0	0			0.9	58.8%	103.9	111.2	15.2
14	Sherman Lewis	12	0	0	0	0			1.3	58.4%	105.2	109.9	15.1
15	June Jones	7	58	22	36	0	0.379	-14	-2	62.5%	91.1	123.5	14.6
16	Marty Mornhinweg	13	32	5	27	0	0.156	-22	0.5	59.2%	103.1	111	14.1
17	Marc Trestman	8	0	0	0	0			0.2	59.4%	101	112.8	13.8
18	Jim Schwartz	4	64	22	42	0	0.344	-20	-2.1	63.9%	88.8	124.9	13.6
19	Clarence Shelmon	5	0	0	0	0			3	56%	117.5	95.9	13.3
20	Josh McDaniels	7	28	11	17	0	0.393	-6	2.1	57.4%	110.5	102.6	13.2
21	George Allen	12	168	116	47	5	0.705	69	2.9	46.9%	111.1	101.9	13.1
22	Mike Holmgren	20	272	161	111	0	0.592	50	2.3	56.3%	111.2	101.9	13
23	Jerry Burns	24	95	52	43	0	0.547	9	2.1	50.9%	108.2	104.6	12.8
24	Mike Smith	5	80	56	24	0	0.7	32	3.3	56%	118.3	94.4	12.6
25	Don Shula	33	490	328	156	6	0.676	172	3.1	49.8%	112.9	99.7	12.6
26	Bud Grant	18	259	158	96	5	0.62	62	1.9	49.5%	106.8	105.8	12.6
27	Bill McPeak	6	70	21	46	3	0.321	-25	-0.4	52.9%	96.9	115.4	12.3
28	Mike McCarthy	13	112	74	38	0	0.661	36	1	57.9%	105.6	106.2	11.7
29	Jason Garrett	7	40	21	19	0	0.525	2	0	60.1%	100.5	110.9	11.4
30	Mike Tomlin	6	96	63	33	0	0.656	30	2.9	55.7%	116.9	93.9	10.8
31	Gus Dorais	5	53	20	31	2	0.396	-11	-2.2	45.9%	91	119.8	10.8
32	Joe Stydahar	5	49	20	28	1	0.418	-8	0.2	50.6%	102.1	108.7	10.8
33	Dick Nolan	11	156	69	82	5	0.458	-13	0	50.5%	100	110.7	10.7
34	Bill Callahan	7	32	15	17	0	0.469	-2	1.2	57.3%	107.5	102.9	10.4
35	Max Coley	6	0	0	0	0			1.2	46.3%	104.6	105.7	10.3
36	Mike Sherman	9	96	57	39	0	0.594	18	1	57.4%	105.8	104.5	10.3
37	Jack Pardee	11	164	87	77	0	0.53	10	0.3	52.3%	101.7	108	9.8
38	Tony Dungy	13	208	139	69	0	0.668	70	2.2	54.9%	112.9	96.7	9.6
39	Tom Moore	22	0	0	0	0			1.5	54.9%	108.3	101.2	9.5
40	Don McCafferty	4	47	28	17	2	0.617	11	2.2	45.7%	108.4	101.1	9.5
41	Dudley DeGroot	4	45	26	16	3	0.611	10	1	39.6%	102.8	106.7	9.5
42	Sam Rutigliano	7	97	47	50	0	0.485	-3	-0.8	54.7%	96.5	112.9	9.4
43	John Rauch	6	70	40	28	2	0.586	12	-0.5	53.6%	96.7	112.2	8.9
44	Lindy Infante	10	96	36	60	0	0.375	-24	0.2	57.4%	100.6	108.3	8.8
45	Dennis Green	13	207	113	94	0	0.546	19	0.4	57.9%	100.3	108.2	8.5
46	Luke Johnsos	4	36	23	11	2	0.667	12	5.7	33.9%	113.5	94.9	8.4
47	Hunk Anderson	4	36	23	11	2	0.667	12	5.7	33.9%	113.5	94.9	8.4
48	Jack Patera	7	94	35	59	0	0.372	-24	-2.5	53.9%	90.1	118.3	8.3
49	Brad Childress	10	74	39	35	0	0.527	4	1.3	56.6%	107.6	100.7	8.3
50	Jim Lee Howell	7	84	53	27	4	0.655	26	3.8	41.5%	115.7	92.3	8
51	Lisle Blackbourn	4	48	17	31	0	0.354	-14	-2.9	51.7%	86.8	120.4	7.2
52	Weeb Ewbank	20	266	130	129	7	0.502	1	0.9	49.4%	103.7	103.4	7.1
53	Jim Myers	4	0	0	0	0			3.4	42.6%	111.7	95.2	6.9
54	Kevin Gilbride	19	22	6	16	0	0.273	-10	-0.1	58.5%	99.6	107.3	6.9
55	Bruce Arians	9	0	0	0	0			1.5	56.4%	108.8	98.1	6.9
56	Charlie Weis	9	0	0	0	0			2.4	54.6%	112.8	93.7	6.5
57	Mike Shanahan	26	292	167	125	0	0.572	42	2.5	53.9%	112.2	94.1	6.3
58	Ray Flaherty	7	77	51	24	2	0.675	27	1.8	38%	105	101.3	6.3
59	Kyle Shanahan	5	0	0	0	0			-0.2	58.5%	98.3	108	6.3
60	George Halas	23	280	173	99	8	0.632	74	3.1	43.1%	109.5	96.7	6.3
61	Sid Gillman	18	228	122	99	7	0.55	23	0.5	51%	101.6	104.6	6.2
62	Steve Fairchild	5	0	0	0	0			-0.9	58.4%	95.1	111.1	6.2
63	Tom Landry	29	418	250	162	6	0.605	88	1.8	48.3%	107.4	98.6	6
64	Dick Vermeil	15	229	120	109	0	0.524	11	1.2	51.8%	107.2	98.8	5.9
65	Gil Haskell	11	0	0	0	0			0.7	56.6%	104	101.9	5.9
66	Paul Brown	25	326	213	104	9	0.667	109	4.2	41.7%	113.9	91.9	5.9
67	Bob Schnelker	14	0	0	0	0			1.1	51.4%	104.5	101.2	5.7
68	George Wilson	12	160	68	84	8	0.45	-16	-1	51.5%	97.1	108.4	5.5
69	Richard Williamson	4	19	4	15	0	0.211	-11	-3.1	60.6%	85.4	120.1	5.5
70	Forrest Gregg	11	161	75	85	1	0.469	-10	0	51.5%	101.1	104.4	5.5
71	Ken Whisenhunt	9	96	45	51	0	0.469	-6	-0.2	58.2%	99.7	105.8	5.5
72	Jack Christiansen	5	67	26	38	3	0.41	-12	-1.2	53.2%	95.7	109.7	5.5
73	Red Miller	4	62	40	22	0	0.645	18	1.3	46.1%	106.6	98.8	5.3
74	Jimmy Conzelman	6	68	34	31	3	0.522	3	0.1	39.6%	100.6	104.4	5
75	Scott Linehan	11	36	11	25	0	0.306	-14	-1.8	60.3%	89.8	115	4.8
76	Norv Turner	22	237	114	122	1	0.483	-8	1.3	55.7%	106.4	98.4	4.8
77	John Ralston	6	70	34	33	3	0.507	1	0.4	46.1%	101.2	103.6	4.8
78	Mike McCormack	6	81	29	51	1	0.364	-22	-3	54.5%	87.2	117.6	4.8
79	Jimmy Johnson	9	144	80	64	0	0.556	16	0.9	55.6%	103.8	100.8	4.6
80	Alex Webster	5	70	29	40	1	0.421	-11	-1.1	49.7%	96.3	108.3	4.6
81	Jon Gruden	14	176	95	81	0	0.54	14	0.7	56%	104.6	99.9	4.5
82	Mike Tice	6	65	32	33	0	0.492	-1	-0.3	57.6%	97.4	106.9	4.2
83	Brian Billick	15	144	80	64	0	0.556	16	1.3	55.7%	106.3	97.7	4
84	Joe Gibbs	19	248	154	94	0	0.621	60	2.3	50.9%	111	92.8	3.9
85	Gary Kubiak	18	112	59	53	0	0.527	6	2.6	54%	113.2	90.6	3.8
86	John Madden	10	142	103	32	7	0.75	71	3.4	42.3%	113.1	90.7	3.8
87	Tom Fears	6	49	13	34	2	0.286	-21	-3.4	54.4%	86.9	116.9	3.8
88	Buck Shaw	12	150	90	55	5	0.617	35	3	42.1%	107.9	95.7	3.6
89	Ted Plumb	4	0	0	0	0			-0.2	54.7%	99.4	104.1	3.5
90	Wally Lemm	10	135	64	64	7	0.5	0	0.3	51.8%	99.8	103.7	3.5
91	Ernie Zampese	17	0	0	0	0			0	55.5%	100.6	102.6	3.2
92	Bo McMillin	4	38	14	24	0	0.368	-10	-2.2	47.4%	94.6	108.6	3.2
93	Bill Muir	8	0	0	0	0			-0.1	57%	99.5	103.5	3
94	Wade Phillips	11	143	82	61	0	0.573	21	0.5	56.2%	102.2	100.7	2.9
95	Bill Austin	4	56	17	36	3	0.33	-19	-1.7	52.1%	94.1	108.7	2.8
96	Mike Mularkey	11	48	16	32	0	0.333	-16	1.6	54.9%	109.7	93	2.6
97	Rich Kotite	12	96	40	56	0	0.417	-16	-0.4	55.8%	98.1	104.5	2.6
98	Tom Coughlin	17	272	151	121	0	0.555	30	1	55.8%	105	97.4	2.4
99	Sylvestor Croom	4	0	0	0	0			-0.7	57.7%	96.6	105.7	2.3
100	Nick Skorich	7	98	45	48	5	0.485	-3	-1.4	49.3%	94.2	108	2.2
101	Marvin Lewis	10	160	79	80	1	0.497	-1	0.4	56.5%	101.9	100.2	2.1
102	Ray Malavasi	6	85	44	41	0	0.518	3	0.8	48.7%	106	96	2.1
103	Marion Campbell	9	115	34	80	1	0.3	-46	-3.5	56.1%	84.6	117.2	1.9
104	Bobby Ross	9	137	74	63	0	0.54	11	0	56.3%	99.8	102	1.8
105	John Harbaugh	5	80	54	26	0	0.675	28	3.2	53.3%	117.7	84.1	1.8
106	Tommy Prothro	7	88	35	51	2	0.409	-16	-0.5	45.6%	98.6	103.1	1.6
107	Jim Fassel	13	112	58	53	1	0.522	5	-0.2	56.4%	99.1	102.6	1.6
108	Wayne Fontes	9	133	66	67	0	0.496	-1	-0.4	56.1%	98.2	103.4	1.6
109	Pete Carroll	7	112	58	54	0	0.518	4	0.4	56.6%	100.6	100.8	1.4
110	Vince Lombardi	15	136	96	34	6	0.728	62	3.8	42.3%	115.8	85.6	1.4
111	Bill Parcells	19	303	172	130	1	0.569	42	1.1	53.6%	104.6	96.5	1.1
112	Jim Mora	15	231	125	106	0	0.541	19	0.7	54.2%	102.9	98	0.9
113	Bart Starr	9	131	52	76	3	0.408	-24	-1	49.5%	96	104.8	0.8
114	Barry Switzer	4	64	40	24	0	0.625	16	3	51.7%	114.7	86	0.7
115	Lovie Smith	9	144	81	63	0	0.563	18	0.9	55.4%	105	95.7	0.7
116	Ted Marchibroda	20	186	87	98	1	0.47	-11	0.1	52.1%	99.4	101.2	0.6
117	Ray Sherman	4	0	0	0	0			0	56.2%	99.8	100.7	0.5
118	Ray Perkins	14	117	42	75	0	0.359	-33	-1.9	55.9%	90.9	109.6	0.5
119	Rod Dowhower	14	29	5	24	0	0.172	-19	-2.1	56.5%	90.9	109.4	0.3
120	Blanton Collier	8	112	76	34	2	0.688	42	2.6	46.2%	110.4	89.7	0.2
121	Tom Flores	12	184	97	87	0	0.527	10	0.1	52.5%	100.6	99.6	0.1
122	Allie Sherman	8	112	57	51	4	0.527	6	-0.2	50.1%	98.4	101.7	0.1
123	Joe Walton	15	111	53	57	1	0.482	-4	-0.4	51.7%	98.9	100.9	-0.1
124	Hampton Pool	5	47	26	19	2	0.574	7	-0.8	44.4%	98.9	100.9	-0.2
125	Steve Mariucci	9	139	72	67	0	0.518	5	-0.3	56.2%	97.9	101.6	-0.5
126	Jerry Rhome	14	0	0	0	0			-1.7	55.1%	92.5	106.6	-0.9
127	Ray Prochaska	9	2	2	0	0	1	2	0.5	49.4%	101.5	97.5	-1
128	John Becker	5	0	0	0	0			0.4	52.4%	102.5	96.5	-1
129	Maurice Carthon	6	0	0	0	0			-2.6	59.2%	84.8	114.2	-1
130	Jerry Glanville	9	129	60	69	0	0.465	-9	-1.5	55.5%	92.7	106	-1.3
131	Ron Erhardt	20	49	21	28	0	0.429	-7	1.5	49.2%	107	91.7	-1.4
132	Curly Lambeau	14	156	79	72	5	0.522	7	0.6	39.2%	101.8	96.7	-1.5
133	Joe Bugel	9	80	24	56	0	0.3	-32	-0.9	55%	96.2	102.2	-1.6
134	Ray Rhodes	5	80	37	42	1	0.469	-5	-1.2	57%	95.1	103.2	-1.6
135	Bob Bratkowski	15	0	0	0	0			-1	57.3%	94.4	103.7	-1.9
136	Jim Hanifan	7	93	39	53	1	0.425	-14	-1.4	54%	93	105	-2
137	Tom Walsh	5	0	0	0	0			-0.5	54.9%	97	100.9	-2.1
138	Larry Kennan	6	0	0	0	0			-1.4	56.2%	93.9	103.9	-2.2
139	Chuck Fairbanks	6	85	46	39	0	0.541	7	1.6	41.1%	107.8	89.9	-2.3
140	Gene Stallings	4	58	23	34	1	0.405	-11	-3	57.2%	86.2	111.5	-2.3
141	Buddy Ryan	7	111	55	55	1	0.5	0	-0.9	54.9%	95.6	102	-2.3
142	Buddy Parker	15	188	104	75	9	0.577	29	1.1	44.4%	103.3	94.3	-2.3
143	Jim Dooley	4	56	20	36	0	0.357	-16	-2.5	51.2%	90.8	106.8	-2.4
144	Dan Reeves	27	357	190	165	2	0.535	25	0.6	52%	102.4	95.2	-2.4
145	Howard Schnellenberger	9	17	4	13	0	0.235	-9	2.4	40.1%	109.5	88	-2.5
146	Gene Ronzani	4	46	14	31	1	0.315	-17	-4.1	52.2%	86.6	110.8	-2.7
147	Harland Svare	7	74	21	48	5	0.318	-27	-3.7	51.5%	85.9	111.4	-2.7
148	Paul Hackett	9	0	0	0	0			1.4	53.4%	106.7	90.5	-2.7
149	Cecil Isbell	4	34	10	23	1	0.309	-13	-4.5	44.6%	87.5	109.6	-3
150	Pop Ivy	6	76	32	42	2	0.434	-10	-1.6	50.3%	94.4	102.6	-3
151	Monte Clark	9	119	51	67	1	0.433	-16	0.6	47.2%	102.3	94.7	-3
152	Darryl Rogers	4	58	18	40	0	0.31	-22	-2.1	55.4%	90.1	106.9	-3
153	Bob Baker	4	0	0	0	0			-2.1	55.4%	90.1	106.9	-3
154	Cam Cameron	11	16	1	15	0	0.063	-14	1.4	53.8%	107.9	89	-3.1
155	John Shoop	4	0	0	0	0			-1.5	57.2%	91.4	105.3	-3.2
156	Greasy Neale	10	111	63	43	5	0.59	20	3.4	32.6%	109.5	87.2	-3.2
157	Ed Hughes	9	14	4	9	1	0.321	-5	1.5	47.2%	107.3	89.3	-3.3
158	Rick Dennison	6	0	0	0	0			0.7	55.1%	103.2	93.4	-3.4
159	Hank Stram	17	238	131	97	10	0.571	34	2.3	46.3%	108.2	88.3	-3.5
160	Marty Schottenheimer	21	327	200	126	1	0.613	74	1.3	52.1%	106.1	90.3	-3.7
161	Vince Tobin	5	71	28	43	0	0.394	-15	-4.6	61.3%	76.8	119.5	-3.7
162	Chuck Knox	22	334	186	147	1	0.558	39	1.1	47.9%	103.5	92.7	-3.7
163	Jim Ringo	9	23	3	20	0	0.13	-17	-1.6	50.2%	94.2	102	-3.8
164	Chuck Noll	23	342	193	148	1	0.566	45	1.5	46%	106	90.1	-3.9
165	Dennis Erickson	6	96	40	56	0	0.417	-16	-0.9	56.1%	94.5	101.3	-4.2
166	Carl Smith	13	0	0	0	0			0.9	52.3%	104	91.8	-4.3
167	Ron Turner	9	0	0	0	0			0.5	54%	102.9	92.7	-4.4
168	Charley Winner	7	93	44	44	5	0.5	0	-1.5	48.5%	95	100.4	-4.6
169	Bill Musgrave	5	0	0	0	0			-0.5	55.9%	96.3	99.1	-4.6
170	Al Saunders	12	39	17	22	0	0.436	-5	-0.2	54.6%	99.1	95.9	-5
171	Mike Holovak	9	108	52	47	9	0.523	5	-1	52.3%	96.8	98	-5.2
172	Phil Handler	5	38	4	34	0	0.105	-30	-5.6	42.7%	85.1	109.4	-5.5
173	Art Shell	7	108	56	52	0	0.519	4	0.2	52.4%	100.1	94.3	-5.6
174	Raymond Berry	6	87	48	39	0	0.552	9	0.5	50.5%	102.6	91.5	-5.9
175	Joe Schmidt	6	84	43	34	7	0.554	9	2	42.7%	107.9	86.2	-5.9
176	Jimmy Raye	13	0	0	0	0			-2.1	56%	89.4	104.6	-6.1
177	John Robinson	9	143	75	68	0	0.524	7	0.6	50.2%	103.4	90.5	-6.2
178	John McKay	9	133	44	88	1	0.335	-44	-2.6	50.2%	89.4	104	-6.6
179	Steve Owen	14	158	84	65	9	0.56	19	1.1	35.5%	102.9	90.3	-6.8
180	Les Steckel	5	16	3	13	0	0.188	-10	0.6	52.3%	105	87.8	-7.2
181	Mike Ditka	14	216	121	95	0	0.56	26	0.8	49.7%	104	88.6	-7.4
182	Walt Michaels	6	87	39	47	1	0.454	-8	-0.7	46.8%	96.4	96.1	-7.5
183	David Shula	5	71	19	52	0	0.268	-33	-2.7	57.3%	87	105.4	-7.6
184	George Sefcik	6	0	0	0	0			-1.7	56.2%	90.2	102.1	-7.6
185	Dave Levy	4	0	0	0	0			-1.2	53.9%	94.4	97.9	-7.7
186	Dan Henning	19	112	38	73	1	0.344	-35	-0.8	53.8%	96.5	95.8	-7.7
187	Lou Saban	16	201	95	99	7	0.49	-4	-0.3	46.7%	99.3	92.9	-7.8
188	Matt Cavanaugh	8	0	0	0	0			0.4	53.5%	102.9	89.3	-7.8
189	Red Dawson	4	48	19	25	4	0.438	-6	0.1	35.7%	99.9	92.2	-7.9
190	Red Strader	5	58	25	31	2	0.448	-6	-2.5	43.9%	91.4	100.7	-7.9
191	Red Hickey	5	55	27	27	1	0.5	0	-0.1	45.5%	99.8	92	-8.2
192	Mike Heimerdinger	9	0	0	0	0			0.8	53.2%	104.6	87.2	-8.2
193	Jim Shofner	8	7	1	6	0	0.143	-5	-5.1	58.4%	77.6	114.1	-8.4
194	Herman Edwards	8	128	54	74	0	0.422	-20	-1.1	55.4%	93.4	97.7	-8.9
195	Butch Davis	4	58	24	34	0	0.414	-10	-1.8	56.3%	89.8	101.3	-9
196	Greg Olson	6	0	0	0	0			-3.7	59.6%	78.7	112.3	-9
197	Darrell Bevell	7	0	0	0	0			1.3	52.6%	106.7	84.2	-9.1
198	Pat Shurmur	4	32	9	23	0	0.281	-14	-3.3	59.7%	81.6	108.9	-9.5
199	Jim Haslett	7	108	47	61	0	0.435	-14	-2.7	57.4%	84.4	106	-9.5
200	Tom Bresnahan	5	0	0	0	0			1.8	50.5%	108.4	82.1	-9.5
201	Dick Jauron	10	142	60	82	0	0.423	-22	-1.8	56.4%	90.2	100.2	-9.6
202	Sam Wyche	12	191	84	107	0	0.44	-23	-0.9	52.1%	96	94.4	-9.7
203	Leeman Bennett	8	119	50	69	0	0.42	-19	-2	49.6%	89.6	100.7	-9.7
204	Greg Landry	4	0	0	0	0			0.2	50.5%	100.7	89.6	-9.7
205	Jeff Fisher	18	278	149	129	0	0.536	20	0.4	53.3%	101.9	88.3	-9.8
206	Chan Gailey	12	80	34	46	0	0.425	-12	0.6	52.7%	102.1	88	-9.9
207	Marv Levy	17	255	143	112	0	0.561	31	0.4	49.3%	101.7	88.1	-10.2
208	Todd Haley	7	45	19	26	0	0.422	-7	-2	57.4%	88.4	101.3	-10.3
209	Brian Schottenheimer	7	0	0	0	0			0.6	53.4%	103.7	85.4	-10.8
210	Jock Sutherland	4	45	28	16	1	0.633	12	0.9	30.1%	103.1	85.9	-11
211	Bruce Coslet	17	124	47	77	0	0.379	-30	-1.3	53.5%	93.6	95	-11.4
212	Eric Mangini	5	80	33	47	0	0.413	-14	-0.2	54%	99	89.5	-11.5
213	Joe Pendry	12	0	0	0	0			0.7	51.1%	102.5	86	-11.5
214	Tony Sparano	5	61	29	32	0	0.475	-3	-0.3	54.2%	99.2	89	-11.8
215	Chris Palmer	10	32	5	27	0	0.156	-22	-2.5	56.8%	86.4	101.8	-11.8
216	Phil Bengtson	4	47	21	25	1	0.457	-4	-2.5	47.5%	91	97.1	-11.9
217	Norm Van Brocklin	13	173	66	100	7	0.402	-34	-1.4	45.7%	94.1	93.9	-12
218	Rob Chudzinski	5	0	0	0	0			-0.8	54.9%	94.8	93.2	-12
219	Ron Meyer	9	104	54	50	0	0.519	4	-2.2	52.1%	90.8	97.1	-12.1
220	Hue Jackson	4	16	8	8	0	0.5	0	-1.9	56.5%	88.8	98.5	-12.6
221	Mike Sheppard	4	0	0	0	0			-4.9	58.7%	75.3	111.8	-12.9
222	Dave Wannstedt	11	169	82	87	0	0.485	-5	-0.1	52.4%	100.3	86.7	-13
223	Bill Cowher	15	240	149	90	1	0.623	59	1.7	49.9%	109.4	77.4	-13.1
224	Bum Phillips	11	159	82	77	0	0.516	5	-1.1	45.8%	94.8	91.4	-13.8
225	Don Breaux	4	0	0	0	0			0.4	51.9%	102.4	83.5	-14.2
226	Joe Kuharich	11	142	58	81	3	0.419	-23	-1.9	43.7%	94.1	91.7	-14.2
227	King Hill	7	0	0	0	0			-1.9	48.1%	91.1	94.3	-14.6
228	John Idzik	4	0	0	0	0			-2.7	43.6%	88	97.2	-14.8
229	Terry Robiskie	7	9	2	7	0	0.222	-5	-0.6	51.3%	95.7	89	-15.3
230	Mike McCoy	4	0	0	0	0			-1	55.4%	92.5	92.1	-15.4
231	Dirk Koetter	6	0	0	0	0			-0.8	54.9%	94.6	90	-15.4
232	John Michelosen	4	48	20	26	2	0.438	-6	-0.9	36.5%	97.2	86.5	-16.3
233	Walt Kiesling	8	82	29	49	4	0.378	-20	-4.5	37.9%	85.1	98.5	-16.4
234	Dan Devine	4	56	25	27	4	0.482	-2	0.5	36.8%	101.3	81.9	-16.7
235	Dom Capers	8	128	48	80	0	0.375	-32	-2.3	54.6%	87.7	94.8	-17.5
236	John Fox	11	176	94	82	0	0.534	12	-0.1	52.5%	98.6	83.7	-17.7
237	Zeke Bratkowski	6	0	0	0	0			-3.9	53.2%	83	98.3	-18.7
238	Jack Del Rio	9	136	73	63	0	0.537	10	-0.9	52.8%	95.1	85.5	-19.4
239	Romeo Crennel	6	83	28	55	0	0.337	-27	-3.4	55.9%	82.2	98.4	-19.4
240	George Henshaw	5	0	0	0	0			-0.4	50.4%	97.9	82.4	-19.6
241	Greg Knapp	10	0	0	0	0			-1.1	52.7%	94.4	84.5	-21.1
242	Ken Anderson	5	0	0	0	0			-4.2	55.5%	80.8	97.9	-21.2
243	Dave McGinnis	4	57	17	40	0	0.298	-23	-6.4	59.9%	63	115.5	-21.5
244	Ken Meyer	4	14	5	9	0	0.357	-4	-0.1	38.9%	99.8	76.6	-23.6
245	Mike Shula	4	0	0	0	0			-0.2	49.3%	99	76.7	-24.3
246	Neill Armstrong	4	64	30	34	0	0.469	-4	-0.8	41.6%	96.7	78.4	-24.9
247	Jim Mora	4	64	31	33	0	0.484	-2	-1	51.2%	94.5	80.5	-25
248	Jack Reilly	4	0	0	0	0			-2.6	54%	86.1	88.9	-25
249	Rex Ryan	4	64	34	30	0	0.531	4	0.1	50.5%	101.9	72.6	-25.5
250	Jeff Davidson	5	0	0	0	0			-2.2	53.4%	87	87	-25.9
251	Mike Nolan	4	55	18	37	0	0.327	-19	-4.6	56.1%	73.5	100.4	-26.1
252	Brian Daboll	4	0	0	0	0			-2	52.3%	90.9	80.5	-28.6

I’ll give you some quick thoughts, but I’d love to hear your reaction in the comments. For the most part, these results aren’t surprising. Rex Ryan, Jack Del Rio, and Romeo Crennel rank as very run-heavy coaches, which jives with what we have all witnessed over the last few years. Bill Belichick is the most pass-happy coach among the group with 150 wins. It helps to have Tom Brady, although Belichick had some pass-happy years in Cleveland, too. Take a look at his yearly results:

Year	Tm	G	W	L	Game Script	Pass	SCRIPT	PASS	IDENTITY
2012	nwe	16	12	4	7.7	56.1%	133.2	95.4	28.6
2011	nwe	16	13	3	4.3	60.2%	124.6	110.6	35.2
2010	nwe	16	14	2	7.4	55.2%	143	90.6	33.6
2009	nwe	16	10	6	6.6	57.5%	138.4	103	41.4
2008	nwe	16	11	5	3.1	54%	117.8	91.8	9.6
2007	nwe	16	16	0	10.3	58.4%	159.6	106	65.6
2006	nwe	16	12	4	4.6	54.3%	126.4	95.3	21.7
2005	nwe	16	10	6	0.9	57.8%	105.4	109.1	14.5
2004	nwe	16	14	2	6.1	50.6%	135.1	79.9	15
2003	nwe	16	14	2	3.1	55.5%	117.8	101.1	18.9
2002	nwe	16	9	7	0.4	62.1%	102.2	121.1	23.3
2001	nwe	16	11	5	3.9	53.7%	122.5	89.6	12
2000	nwe	16	5	11	-0.8	59.1%	95.5	111.3	6.9
1995	cle	16	5	11	-2.6	59.6%	87.2	107.5	-5.3
1994	cle	16	11	5	4.3	53.7%	121.1	93.7	14.8
1993	cle	16	7	9	-0.6	55.2%	97.4	100.9	-1.8
1992	cle	16	7	9	0	48.9%	100.1	81.9	-18.1
1991	cle	16	6	10	1.5	58.4%	106.4	110.9	17.4

It’s easy to think of the old ’70s Dolphins when thinking of Don Shula, but the Larry Csonka years weren’t enough to overshadow the Dan Marino and Johnny Unitas seasons. Shula’s teams hovered right around league average in pass/run ratio, but since his teams were generally very good, he gets labeled as a passing coach. The table below shows Shula’s yearly results:

Year	Tm	G	W	L	T	Game Script	Pass	SCRIPT	PASS	IDENTITY
1995	mia	16	9	7	0	2	60.1%	109.5	109	18.6
1994	mia	16	10	6	0	0.4	59.8%	102.1	111.3	13.4
1993	mia	16	9	7	0	0.5	59.3%	102.1	116.4	18.5
1992	mia	16	11	5	0	2.2	59.2%	109.8	116.9	26.7
1991	mia	16	8	8	0	-0.3	60.9%	98.7	119.2	17.9
1990	mia	16	12	4	0	2.8	56.9%	111.9	107.4	19.3
1989	mia	16	8	8	0	-0.4	60.4%	98.4	117.8	16.1
1988	mia	16	6	10	0	-1.2	65.2%	93.7	133.8	27.5
1987	mia	15	8	7	0	1.8	59.4%	108.3	123.7	32
1986	mia	16	8	8	0	-0.3	65.5%	98.7	133.9	32.6
1985	mia	16	12	4	0	4.4	57.3%	122	111.8	33.8
1984	mia	16	14	2	0	6.3	54.8%	123.1	104.6	27.7
1983	mia	16	12	4	0	3.4	45%	116.9	82.3	-0.8
1982	mia	9	7	2	0	3.8	42.8%	117.1	74.4	-8.5
1981	mia	16	11	4	1	0.8	49.7%	103.8	95.5	-0.7
1980	mia	16	8	8	0	-2.3	51.5%	88.8	102.5	-8.8
1979	mia	16	10	6	0	3.1	44.2%	119.7	88.9	8.7
1978	mia	16	11	5	0	5.7	42.6%	129.5	93.4	22.9
1977	mia	14	10	4	0	5.7	40.1%	124.9	92.4	17.3
1976	mia	14	6	8	0	0.1	43.8%	100.2	99.7	-0.1
1975	mia	14	10	4	0	4.2	33.7%	113.7	66.3	-20
1974	mia	14	11	3	0	3.6	35.5%	116.6	68.3	-15.1
1973	mia	14	12	2	0	9.1	34.7%	130.4	81.8	12.1
1972	mia	14	14	0	0	8.7	31.4%	128.9	71.2	0.1
1971	mia	14	10	3	1	4.9	39.6%	118.1	83.8	1.9
1970	mia	14	10	4	0	3.5	40.5%	115.3	76.6	-8.1
1969	clt	14	8	5	1	-0.4	51.8%	98.3	104.7	3
1968	clt	14	13	1	0	10.1	45.6%	133.2	91.7	24.9
1967	clt	14	11	1	2	6.7	52.1%	126.3	103.9	30.2
1966	clt	14	9	5	0	2	50.8%	107.5	100.1	7.7
1965	clt	14	10	3	1	3.3	49.8%	119.6	101	20.6
1964	clt	14	12	2	0	7.2	45.7%	131.5	88.4	19.8
1963	clt	14	8	6	0	2.1	54.6%	108.1	116.9	25

While Shula might be more pass-happy than his reputation, Paul Brown goes the other way. Brown is rightly remembered as a passing innovator, and he and Otto Graham gave the Browns an unstoppable offense for close to a decade. But he also coached Jim Brown for six years, and had some run-heavy teams with the Bengals in the pre-Bill Walsh days.

Year	Tm	G	W	L	T	Game Script	Pass	SCRIPT	PASS	IDENTITY
1975	cin	14	11	3	0	4.8	48.3%	115.6	109	24.6
1974	cin	14	7	7	0	2	46.7%	109.3	103.8	13.1
1973	cin	14	10	4	0	1.8	40.9%	106	95.6	1.6
1972	cin	14	8	6	0	1	45.4%	103.2	102.3	5.5
1971	cin	14	4	10	0	1.5	46.7%	105.4	100.9	6.4
1970	cin	14	8	6	0	2.8	44.5%	112.3	88.7	1
1969	cin	14	4	9	1	-3.5	50.1%	86.5	97.9	-15.6
1968	cin	14	3	11	0	-4.8	45.5%	86.1	88.6	-25.3
1962	cle	14	7	6	1	0.8	49%	103.3	99	2.2
1961	cle	14	8	5	1	3.4	41.7%	113.8	78.2	-8
1960	cle	12	8	3	1	7.5	44%	125.8	91.5	17.3
1959	cle	12	7	5	0	2.4	39.4%	108.7	76.7	-14.6
1958	cle	12	9	3	0	3.7	32.4%	114.4	69.9	-15.7
1957	cle	12	9	2	1	3	30%	115.6	73.9	-10.5
1956	cle	12	5	7	0	1.3	31.9%	105.7	83.7	-10.6
1955	cle	12	9	2	1	5.1	33.3%	128.9	72.7	1.6
1954	cle	12	9	3	0	9.2	40.4%	125.7	76.4	2.1
1953	cle	12	11	1	0	7.6	46.8%	122.8	93.8	16.6
1952	cle	12	8	4	0	4.9	50.9%	115.5	116.4	31.9
1951	cle	12	11	1	0	8.8	43.3%	130.9	98.8	29.7
1950	cle	12	10	2	0	5.9	39.5%	120.6	90.9	11.5
1949	cle	12	9	1	2	6.8	42.3%	119.5	107	26.4
1948	cle	14	14	0	0	8.3	38.7%	119.9	92.5	12.4
1947	cle	14	12	1	1	10	38.2%	123.9	102.7	26.6
1946	cle	14	12	2	0	10	32.3%	128.4	87.8	16.3

And, just because, how about Saint Vince?

Year	Tm	G	W	L	T	Game Script	Pass	SCRIPT	PASS	IDENTITY
1969	was	14	7	5	2	-1	56.2%	96.1	117.9	14
1967	gnb	14	9	4	1	4.3	44%	116.9	85.3	2.1
1966	gnb	14	12	2	0	6.2	42.4%	123.4	72.3	-4.3
1965	gnb	14	10	3	1	2.1	44.7%	112.6	83.2	-4.2
1964	gnb	14	8	5	1	3.5	42.6%	115.3	79.7	-5.1
1963	gnb	14	11	2	1	5.1	42%	119.3	76.9	-3.8
1962	gnb	14	13	1	0	7.7	40.1%	132	74.4	6.4
1961	gnb	14	11	3	0	5.7	40.5%	123.1	74.5	-2.4
1960	gnb	12	8	4	0	4.7	38.8%	116.2	76.9	-6.9
1959	gnb	12	7	5	0	-0.6	40.3%	97.8	80.4	-21.8
1958	nyg	0	0	0	0	3.3	38.4%	112.9	82.3	-4.8
1957	nyg	0	0	0	0	3.2	38.5%	116.4	93.2	9.6
1956	nyg	0	0	0	0	4.4	35.9%	119.2	92.3	11.5
1955	nyg	0	0	0	0	4	42.4%	122.5	97.1	19.5
1954	nyg	0	0	0	0	4.7	48.1%	113.1	97.7	10.8

Losing in the title game: the Harbaugh 49ers and the Lombardi Packers

Chase Stuart — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:09:28 +0000

The winner of the first Super Bowl.

Congratulations to Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, and the Baltimore Ravens on winning Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens and 49ers treated us to an exciting Super Bowl, and the Hall of Fame chances of Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Matt Birk, Anquan Boldin, and yes, Joe Flacco, are a lot better today than they were 24 hours ago. And while most writers today will focus on the champions, I’m going to go in a different direction.

Two years ago, the 49ers were 6-10 and floundering; they had the 5th worst record in the league from 2004 from 2010 in the pre-Jim Harbaugh era. Today, San Francisco possesses arguably the NFL’s most talented roster and best coaching staff, but is coming off a painful loss in the title game.

When I look at the 49ers, it’s hard not to see the striking similarities to an incredible turnaround executed 52 years ago. From 1953 to 1958, the Green Bay Packers were one of the league’s most poorly-run franchises. The team won just 20 games over that six-year period, the second fewest in the league. Vince Lombardi arrived in 1959, and the Packers won the NFL’s West Division in 1960, losing in the final seconds in the title game that year to Philadelphia. It was a heartbreaking loss, but the Packers used that game as motivation to win NFL titles in ’61, ’62, ’65, ’66, and ’67, with the latter two coming in the Super Bowl.

In 2011, I read and reviewed John Eisenberg’s excellent book That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory. Eisenberg looked at a subject that always fascinated me: the 1958 Packers, despite being the worst team in the league, had seven future Hall of Famers.

The table below shows the starting lineups for the 1-10-1 ’58 Packers, the team in Lombardi’s first year, and the roster in ’60 that went to the NFL championship game. On offense, only one of the eleven starters on the 1960 team was actually acquired by Lombardi, who traded for LG Fuzzy Thurston in the summer of ’59. Four of the starters — quarterback Bart Starr, running back Paul Hornung, receiver Max McGee, and center Jim Ringo — were also starters in 1958, the last pre-Lombardi year. The remaining six starters on the ’60 team were all on the roster before Lombardi arrived: RB Jim Taylor (’58 draft), WR Boyd Dowler (’59 draft) ^[1]Back in those days, the draft actually took place at the end of the prior season. The 1959 draft was completed over a month before Lombardi came to Green Bay., TE Gary Knafelc (on the team since ’54), LT Bob Skoronski (’56 draft), LG Jerry Kramer (’58 draft), RT Forrest Gregg (’56 draft). The “green” rows show the players that were starters pre-Lombardi, while the yellow rows represent those players on the Green Bay roster Before Vince:

Pos	1958	1959	1960
QB	Bart Starr	Lamar McHan	Bart Starr
RB	Paul Hornung	Paul Hornung	Paul Hornung
RB	Don McIlhenny	Jim Taylor	Jim Taylor
WR	Billy Howton	Gary Knafelc	Boyd Dowler
WR	Max McGee	Max McGee	Max McGee
TE	Steve Meilinger	Don McIlhenny	Gary Knafelc
LT	Norm Masters	Norm Masters	Bob Skoronski
LG	Hank Bullough	Fuzzy Thurston	Fuzzy Thurston
C	Jim Ringo	Jim Ringo	Jim Ringo
RG	Jim Salsbury	Jerry Kramer	Jerry Kramer
RT	Ollie Spencer	Forrest Gregg	Forrest Gregg
DE	Nate Borden	Jim Temp	Willie Davis
DT	Dave Hanner	Dave Hanner	Dave Hanner
DT	J.D. Kimmel	Henry Jordan	Henry Jordan
DE	Len Ford	Bill Quinlan	Bill Quinlan
OLB	Dan Currie	Dan Currie	Dan Currie
MLB	Ray Nitschke	Ray Nitschke	Ray Nitschke
OLB	Bill Forester	Bill Forester	Bill Forester
CB	Hank Gremminger	Hank Gremminger	John Symank
CB	Billy Kinard	Jesse Whittenton	Jesse Whittenton
S	John Symank	Emlen Tunnell	Emlen Tunnell
S	Bobby Dillon	Bobby Dillon	Hank Gremminger

On defense, all three linebackers and defensive tackle Dave Hanner were starters in 1958. Once he arrived, Lombardi then picked up three defensive starters from Cleveland. Lombardi chose to unload Billy Howton for various reasons in exchange for Browns defensive end Bill Quinlan. He also added defensive tackle Henry Jordan from Cleveland in ’59, and went back to the Browns for defensive end Willie Davis in ’60. (Coincidentally, Jason just published his excellent interview with Davis here, promoting his book Closing the Gap.)

In the secondary, Lombardi brought in Emlen Tunnell, whom he had coached with the Giants, and switched the positions of Hank Gremminger and John Symank. Cornerback Jesse Whittenton had been with the Packers in ’58, and moved into the starting lineup in Lombardi’s first year. The takeaway: of the 22 starters on the 1960 team that went to the NFL title game, 10 were starters on the ’58 squad that went 1-10-1, and another seven were backups on that same team. Yet those players formed the foundation for the team of the ’60s. ^[2]Lombardi also drafted Willie Wood in 1960, a future Hall of Famer who was a punt returner as a rookie and a fixture at safety the rest of the decade. Then in ’61 he drafted Herb Adderley. … Continue reading

It’s hard not to draw the similarities to Harbaugh’s 49ers. In fact, Harbaugh inherited even more starters on his first team to make the title game than Lombardi did. If not for the switch at quarterback, the 2012 49ers offense would have only three new starters compared to the 2010 version that went 5-10 under Mike Singletary. The second wide receiver position has been a revolving door opposite Michael Crabtree, and will likely feature a new face soon (perhaps first round pick A.J. Jenkins). The other two new starters are on the offensive line: Center Jonathan Goodwin was picked up from New Orleans, while RG Alex Boone was on the team before Harbaugh arrived (and has now blossomed into one of the game’s best guards).

Pos	2010	2011	2012
QB	Alex Smith	Alex Smith	Colin Kaepernick
RB	Frank Gore	Frank Gore	Frank Gore
WR1	Michael Crabtree	Michael Crabtree	Michael Crabtree
WR2	Josh Morgan	Ted Ginn Jr.	Randy Moss
TE1	Vernon Davis	Vernon Davis	Vernon Davis
TE2	Delanie Walker	Delanie Walker	Delanie Walker
LT	Joe Staley	Joe Staley	Joe Staley
LG	Mike Iupati	Mike Iupati	Mike Iupati
C	David Baas	Jonathan Goodwin	Jonathan Goodwin
RG	Chilo Rachal	Adam Snyder	Alex Boone
RT	Anthony Davis	Anthony Davis	Anthony Davis
LDE	Ray McDonald	Ray McDonald	Ray McDonald
NT	Aubrayo Franklin	Isaac Sopoaga	Isaac Sopoaga
RDE	Justin Smith	Justin Smith	Justin Smith
LOLB	Manny Lawson	Ahmad Brooks	Ahmad Brooks
LILB	Takeo Spikes	Navorro Bowman	Navorro Bowman
RILB	Patrick Willis	Patrick Willis	Patrick Willis
ROLB	Parys Haralson	Aldon Smith	Aldon Smith
LCB	Shawntae Spencer	Carlos Rogers	Carlos Rogers
RCB	Nate Clements	Tarell Brown	Tarell Brown
SS	Reggie Smith	Donte Whitner	Donte Whitner
FS	Dashon Goldson	Dashon Goldson	Dashon Goldson

The winner of the next Super Bowl?

On defense, Isaac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald, and Justin Smith were on the defensive line before Harbaugh arrived, as were Patrick Willis and Dashon Goldson. Linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Navorro Bowman were backups in 2010, but pre-date Harbaugh, as well. That leaves just 2011 first round pick Aldon Smith, and free agent defensive backs Carlos Rogers (Washington) and Donte Whitner (Buffalo) as 2012 starters that weren’t also on the 2010 team.

Like Lombardi, Harbaugh deserves credit for unlocking the potential in a host of players he inherited. San Francisco has become the most talented team in the league not because Harbaugh was able to find new players (with one obvious exception), but because he and his staff maximized what they inherited. Lombardi’s tale is similar: yes, the team he inherited was 1-10-1, but they also featured seven Hall of Famers (and Jerry Kramer). Of course, at the time, no one much of Starr, Hornung, Taylor, Gregg, Kramer, or Nitschke. Of the other two future Hall of Famers, Ringo was an established star pre-Lombardi, but Len Ford retired after the ’58 season. Harbaugh knew he inherited great players in Willis, Gore, Davis, and Smith, but he’s maximized the talents of Staley, Iupati, Boone, Bowman, McDonald, Crabtree, Brooks, and Brown.

Like Lombardi, year two for Harbaugh ended in painful fashion. But his team is full of young players that could set the stage for a dynasty. Look at the list of players on the 49ers roster who were 25 or younger in 2012: Colin Kaepernick (25), LaMichael James (23), Kendall Hunter (24), Michael Crabtree (25), Mike Iupati (25), Alex Boone (25), Anthony Davis (23), Aldon Smith (23), Navorro Bowman (24), and Chris Culliver (24). And players like Patrick Willis (27), Joe Staley (28), Dashon Goldson (28), and Vernon Davis (28) are still in the primes of their careers. For many in 49ers nation, today is a very painful day. That just makes the similarities between Jim Harbaugh and Vince Lombardi even more striking.

References[+]

References
↑1	Back in those days, the draft actually took place at the end of the prior season. The 1959 draft was completed over a month before Lombardi came to Green Bay.
↑2	Lombardi also drafted Willie Wood in 1960, a future Hall of Famer who was a punt returner as a rookie and a fixture at safety the rest of the decade. Then in ’61 he drafted Herb Adderley. Dave Robinson, the newest member of the Hall of Fame, was added in 1963.