Don Coryell or Jimmy Johnson for HOF - if you must pick one

[74_75_78_79_]

It is tough. Always liked Coryell/those exciting Charger teams, but I think I’d have to take Jimmy. Every now and then an exceptional OC or DC gets in based on their coordinator work alone, and Don is deserving, but HC-ing accolades should go first and Jimmy I simply ‘treat’ as a 3-time SB-winner. Yes the Herschel trade (and, yes, I once gave too much credit to that at his expense), but that immediate turnaround, making that team his own, discipline, psychology simply can’t be ignored. And those even-better back-to-back Dolphin teams of ’00 & ’01 that he set the table for...had he only stuck around! Perhaps they would have been even better than the 11-5 outputs that Wannstedt produced. It’s not as if his (2nd) time with Miami was like Flores’ with Seattle. Belichick sees JJ as one to go to for coaching advice/guidance.

Both are deserving to me, but IMO it’s Jimmy if I must pick one of the two. I once made a comparison post between Coryell and forever-overshadowed/forgotten John Robinson. Both as HCs produced the same amount of playoff berths, each appeared in two CCs, but Rob has the edge in playoff victories, 4-3. Of course Don has that exceptional coordinator feather in his cap that makes him HOF material. Strictly-HC-wise, they’re both in the same boat just the same while Jimmy and (as already opined by some) Buddy Parker are of the same; and why isn’t Parker already in?

[Ness]

Coryell. I think what he did to help revolutionize the pass game for the NFL can't be ignored. His coached a long time and made the Cardinals and Chargers into decent squads for a while. The Cardinals especially were terrible before he got there and pretty terrible for about 20 plus years after he left.

I think Jimmy suffers from the shooting star effect. I know that barrier has been broken down recently with the additions of Terrell Davis and Kurt Warner. Still, even though what he did in Dallas was incredible personally I can't get on board with his addition to the HOF. Also, what came later in Miami with Marino I think hurts his legacy more than it helps it. One could say it was his team that won the Super Bowl in 1995 and it was his actions that set the groundwork for the Dolphins defenses around the turn of the century, but at the end of the day he wasn't there himself to guide the ship.

[rewing84]

Im More Of a Don Coryell fan than i am of jimmy johnson

[DavidSollender]

It pains me, but I would pick Jimmy. However, to segue into a question I previously pondered: is there a place in the HOF for a contributor whose primary role was as a coordinator that never achieved success as a head coach? Such as Wade Phillips (I'm not advocating his candidacy, just posing the question).

[Reaser]

We had a Dungy v. Johnson thread a few years back. If anyone wants to see what people posted then. I remembered because the old forum had a lot of "Johnson sucked in Miami" or "Johnson's Miami years ruined his HOF chances" and so on. Always was ridiculous and a lot of people had/have a very odd view of his time in Miami. So I posted about that in the Dungy v. Johnson thread; http://www.profootballresearchers.com/f ... f=5&t=2820

[Bryan]

However, to segue into a question I previously pondered: is there a place in the HOF for a contributor whose primary role was as a coordinator that never achieved success as a head coach? Such as Wade Phillips (I'm not advocating his candidacy, just posing the question).

I've always thought that there needs to be some type of HOF recognition gallery for the long-time assistant coaches, because they slip through the cracks otherwise. I hoped the 'contributor' category would be the means of accomplishing this, but it might be a long time before they get around to assistant coaches after sifting through all the owners and GMs.

[sluggermatt15]

I voted for Johnson in another thread over Coryell, but after reexamining the two, I have to change my mind. I'll now take Coryell because of his greater innovative contributions to football.