Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

When we think of STRICT, IMPATIENT pro sports owners, who first comes to mind?? Yes, of course, it's George Steinbrenner himself! The only time when it seemed his lack-of-patience was "at bay" was when Joe Torre was still kept around well after the Yankees' WS win vs the Mets in 2000! Otherwise, he was a pit-bull as exemplified in his numerous firings of the Great Billy Martin! The NFL antithesis of this, of course, was Dallas allowing Landry to stay on beyond that '60-thru-'65 beginning (Marvin Lewis with Cincy another example).

So I'll start with...when if George bought the Steelers, and hired Chuck Noll, in '69? You could get 'cute' and say that he would have pulled the trigger as early as after the '71 season, but I don't think so! Enough respectability would have bubbled up after that very campaign to make GS give it another go which he would have clearly not regretted! Perhaps some huffing-and-puffing after '73, but the next two seasons would have 'floated' things for awhile though, sure enough, he would have huffed-and-puffed at conclusion of '77 as well.

’78 and ’79 should’ve enabled Noll to survive after '80 & '81. Each of the three playoff years that would follow would have kept him around, I think. This may be comparable to GS's respect he still had toward Torre in those later non-WS-winning years. He still keeps Noll through '85, but sadly...he lets him go after '86 ends if not already pull trigger after the 1-6 start.

Cowher? My guess is he already pulls trigger after they lose to SD in the '94 AFCCG!

Tomlin? After Steelers get eliminated by Tebow (or maybe, just maybe, after GB beats them in SBXLV)?

Yeah, although I am a Yankee-fan, thank GOD George never owned my Steelers! Yes, you WANT an owner to wants to win Titles!! But you do need that grey-area too! Got to chill!


Other hypothetical examples/thoughts about either Steelers or other teams from different eras?

I don't really know of an NFL owner that was that bad. The closest may have been DeBartolo. He basically forced Walsh out despite a third SB title at the end of the 1988 season.

Ralph Houk got tired of Steinbrenner after a single year and quit. I could picture Noll walking away before he got fired because of the interference/browbeating.

Steinbrenner was later in a position to exploit free agency--which obviously didn't exist in the NFL at the time.

His conviction for illegal campaign contributions very well might have gotten him bounced for good by Rozelle, who wielded discipline with an iron fist.

At one point, I believe Steinbrenner was seen as a potential owner for Tampa Bay, since he lived in the area.

George Steinbrenner was a student assistant football coach under Woody Hayes at Ohio State. He was an assistant football coach at Northwestern and Purdue. I recall around 1980 there was criticism of Steinbrenner for bringing a "football mentality" to baseball. Supposedly a mistake by a Yankee player would make Steinbrenner say, "Get him out of there."

Another knock against Steinbrenner: He seemed to be competing with the players for media attention.

7DnBrnc53 wrote:I don't really know of an NFL owner that was that bad. The closest may have been DeBartolo. He basically forced Walsh out despite a third SB title at the end of the 1988 season.

DeBartolo did not force Walsh out at all. He did strip him of the title of President after the 1987 season; he had wanted to fire Walsh, but cooler heads prevailed. Walsh was burned out; his own goal of achieving perfection was wearing on him. He agonized over wins as well as losses, so he retired... and almost immediately regretted it.

Bart definitely was tough, perhaps the closest an NFL owner was to George; but he was still a Saint in comparison. I think had GS bought the Forty Niners in ’79, he would have blew his top at the seven-game-skid in ’80 (after starting 3-0), blew his top after ’82; then would have ended up firing Walsh after that 49-3 Meadowlands debacle four years later.

Lombardi? Had he bought GB in ’59, I think he never fires Vince (I’m sure we all can agree)!

Paul Brown, upon buying Browns in ’46? Perhaps he drops the axe after the ’53 campaign, after losing their third-straight NFLCG; and after starting 11-0, mind you! Wouldn’t have been a wise move, obviously, but that would be George for you.

Steinbrenner was more emotionally suited to be an NFL owner, since he'd blow a gasket over a five-game losing streak or the Yankees getting swept in a a seris against a weak opponent. Over the course of a 162-game season, that pretty much happens to every team, but Big Stein could never deal with that.

I recall Len Dawson commenting about how he remembered Steinbrenner at Purdue.

At one point, Steinbrenner made Lou Saban "President" of the Yankees, although I have no clue what he actually did in that job.

Finally, having grown up in Cleveland during the early years of the Browns, Steinbrenner became quite friendly with a number of players on those teams. He had a health episode at Otto Graham's funeral that seemed to be the beginning of the end for him.

Thought I revive this topic.

Let's talk about Broncos...

George buys them in '81, does he fire Reeves as early as '84 - loss to 9-7 Steelers - before Dan even makes it to a SB?? I think likely 'yes'! And not a stretch to say even the year prior - loss at Seattle! A strong, promising 10-6 outing first year on. Then bad strike year but would still be allowed on for '83. But that year even worse regular-season-wise than '81 - and then losing to another 9-7 team in their first-ever playoff year.

Shanahan...maybe after losing to Jacksonville!!


Now let's talk about Belichick...

If GS buys Browns in '91? I don't see Hoodie making it to that lone '94 playoff berth!

GS buys Pats in 2000? I think he fires him after going 18-1!


Buys Dolphins after going back-to-back? Shula fired after '76!


Thoughts? Other scenarios/teams/coaches?


How about Gibbs?? Does he make it to '87?

conace21 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:07 am

7DnBrnc53 wrote:I don't really know of an NFL owner that was that bad. The closest may have been DeBartolo. He basically forced Walsh out despite a third SB title at the end of the 1988 season.

DeBartolo did not force Walsh out at all. He did strip him of the title of President after the 1987 season; he had wanted to fire Walsh, but cooler heads prevailed. Walsh was burned out; his own goal of achieving perfection was wearing on him. He agonized over wins as well as losses, so he retired... and almost immediately regretted it.

OK. It's just that, when I was on Reddit a few years ago, I read a comment from someone (I think it was a 49er fan) saying that Eddie forced Walsh out. I could be wrong.

George buys them in '81, does he fire Reeves as early as '84 - loss to 9-7 Steelers - before Dan even makes it to a SB?? I think likely 'yes'! And not a stretch to say even the year prior - loss at Seattle! A strong, promising 10-6 outing first year on. Then bad strike year but would still be allowed on for '83. But that year even worse regular-season-wise than '81 - and then losing to another 9-7 team in their first-ever playoff year.

Looking back, I would have had no problem with that. They could have gotten a better offensive mind that would have drafted better players to put around Elway.

Putting this Steinbrenner hypothetical aside, I believe that Bowlen should have fired Reeves after the 5-11 SB hangover 1990 season, and offered the job to Shanahan. Elway never would have won a SB with Reeves.