Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Two short NFL head coaching runs that aren’t quite un-identical. Each made the playoffs three-straight years with a Super Bowl berth to boot.

Who was the better HC of the two IYO?

Both did go head-to-head in 1979, Week #2. Rams beat Denver, 13-9, at Mile High.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:Two short NFL head coaching runs that aren’t quite un-identical. Each made the playoffs three-straight years with a Super Bowl berth to boot.

Who was the better HC of the two IYO?

Both did go head-to-head in 1979, Week #2. Rams beat Denver, 13-9, at Mile High.

This seems like a real coin flip. Both Miller and Malavasi were assistant coaches in Denver from 1963-1965. Miller spent 17 years as an assistant coach from 1960-1976 before getting a head coaching opportunity with the Broncos. Malavasi went 4-8 as interim head coach with Denver in 1966, then became the Rams head coach in 1978, replacing George Allen.

Miller was an offensive line coach for years. He finally got recognition in 1976 when the New England Patriots rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry. Malavasi was a defensive specialist who molded the Rams defense into one of the NFL's best units during the 1970's.

Both men inherited quality teams and their head coaching achievements are similar:

Red Miller 1977-1980 (Broncos):
40-22 Regular Season
2-3 Post-Season
42-25 Overall
1 AFC Championship (1977)
2 AFC West Championships (1977-1978)
3 Playoff Seasons (1977-1979)
NFL & AFC COY 1977 (unanimous)
*Note Miller compiled at 4-7 record with the USFL's Denver Gold in 1983.

Ray Malavasi 1966 (Broncos), 1978-1982 (Rams):
44-41 Regular Season
3-3 Post-Season
47-44 Overall
1 NFC Championship (1979)
2 NFC West Championships (1978, 1979)
3 Playoff Seasons (1978-1980)

Miller has the edge in winning percentage and Coach of the Year honors. Malavasi has one more post season win. Also, his '79 Rams squad put up a better performance in Super Bowl XIV than the Broncos did in Super Bowl XII. However, the Rams fell off sharply during his final two seasons.

I think I would give Miller a slight edge as head coach, despite some questionable personnel moves during his tenure. While the Rams may have been a more talented team from top to bottom during those years, Miller got the Broncos over the hump in the AFC West in 1977 and 1978.

Malavasi gets high marks as an assistant based on his years with the Rams. Also, he was the defensive architect of the 1967 Grey Cup Champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, considered one of the CFL's all-time greatest defensive units. The Ti-Cats did not allow a touchdown in their final 6 games. They outscored their Playoff opponents 61-4.

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Malavasi is the easy choice for me here. Malavasi was the defensive coordinator for the Rams before he took the job. Rams defense in 1978 was great. He got better performance in the playoffs than Chuck Knox did.

Miller was an offensive coach who kept the holdover defensive coordinator, Joe Collier. The Broncos got value out of Craig Morton, I will give them that. Steve Ramsey was a terrible QB for a winning team, overmatched. The negative was Miller's stupid obsession with rotating his running backs. Miller was a Peter Principle guy who rode being assistant on a hot team to a head job, and likely knew his own limitations enough to get out of the way mostly. It explains why he never fought very hard to get another job.

Jay Z wrote:Malavasi is the easy choice for me here. Malavasi was the defensive coordinator for the Rams before he took the job. Rams defense in 1978 was great. He got better performance in the playoffs than Chuck Knox did.

Miller was an offensive coach who kept the holdover defensive coordinator, Joe Collier. The Broncos got value out of Craig Morton, I will give them that. Steve Ramsey was a terrible QB for a winning team, overmatched. The negative was Miller's stupid obsession with rotating his running backs. Miller was a Peter Principle guy who rode being assistant on a hot team to a head job, and likely knew his own limitations enough to get out of the way mostly. It explains why he never fought very hard to get another job.

Some excellent points Jay Z, it's hard to argue with your analysis. Wins and losses don't necessarily tell the entire story. I do think the Rams had an easier path to the playoffs based on strength of schedule during the late '70's and early '80's:

Strength of schedule - Miller era
1977 Broncos #2
1978 Broncos #6
1979 Broncos #7
1980 Broncos #3

Strength of schedule - Malavasi era:
1978 Rams #22
1979 Rams #18
1980 Rams #27
1981 Rams #7
1982 Rams #26

Retro Rider wrote:

Jay Z wrote:Malavasi is the easy choice for me here. Malavasi was the defensive coordinator for the Rams before he took the job. Rams defense in 1978 was great. He got better performance in the playoffs than Chuck Knox did.

Miller was an offensive coach who kept the holdover defensive coordinator, Joe Collier. The Broncos got value out of Craig Morton, I will give them that. Steve Ramsey was a terrible QB for a winning team, overmatched. The negative was Miller's stupid obsession with rotating his running backs. Miller was a Peter Principle guy who rode being assistant on a hot team to a head job, and likely knew his own limitations enough to get out of the way mostly. It explains why he never fought very hard to get another job.

Some excellent points Jay Z, it's hard to argue with your analysis. Wins and losses don't necessarily tell the entire story. I do think the Rams had an easier path to the playoffs based on strength of schedule during the late '70's and early '80's:

Strength of schedule - Miller era
1977 Broncos #2
1978 Broncos #6
1979 Broncos #7
1980 Broncos #3

Strength of schedule - Malavasi era:
1978 Rams #22
1979 Rams #18
1980 Rams #27
1981 Rams #7
1982 Rams #26

Surprising, to me, seeing that the '78 Rams were only #22 in strength of schedule. As has been discussed before here numerous times, the Rams that year were 7-1 vs winning teams with Steelers & Cowboys being among those whom they defeated. Looking at the '77 Broncos...not counting that meaningless finale loss to their SB-opponent-to-be, they were 5-1 vs winners.

Then again, looking at the rest of those '78 Rams victories outside those SBXIII-participants, three of those were against 9-7 teams, and another was the 8-7-1 Packers whom they knocked out (for Minnesota) in the finale. So plenty of mediocrity nestled in there, actually. The other win remaining? The 10-6 Oilers.

Red's AFC champ Broncos - win or lose - had that finale vs 12-2 Dallas, two vs 11-3 Raiders, one vs 10-4 Colts, one vs 9-5 Steelers, and two vs 8-6 teams in Cincy & Houston. In the opener they had Coryell's Cardinals who were still "good" at that very moment, starting out 7-3 before losing-out for the remainder; and they had two other 7-7s which were both against San Diego. This means that Denver only played against four losing teams in '77 - Buffalo, at Seattle (but only once did they play them), and twice vs KC - so after looking at all of it (without actually rolling up sleeves and actually applying all the math), it makes enough sense to me they having an overall stronger schedule than '78 Rams. But, still, for those Rams to "only" be #22??


I guess I'd pick Malavasi over Red as well even if not by a big margin. His time with LA seemed to have more 'bite' to it. Miller's only playoff wins were compacted in that very out-the-gate Super Bowl campaign although you should give him credit for not having a letdown. At least Broncos won the division again in '78 and were still a finale-win from doing it yet again in '79 not to mention they could have also clinched 2ND-SEED!

Malavasi was clearly a "players coach". Youngblood(s) & Co would have run through a brick wall for him! Yes, a better Rams playoff resume than Knox, having appeared in as many NFCCGs his first two years as Chuck did total with Rams. And, of course, not just making it to the Super Bowl, but giving the Steelers all they could possibly handle! All due respect to Knox (not saying that Ray was actually an overall better HC than he), but I'm not sure he would have led Rams to SB had he still been at the helm in '79. In 1980, the Rams looked oh-so-SB-win-capable coming down the stretch! Especially when you consider the even-field going into those playoffs! Barely losing at frigid Rich followed by blasting Big D on that penultimate Monday Night...

...but then the bottom fell-out two weeks later at Texas Stadium in the rematch, thus the bad '81/'82 campaigns, basically, already arriving during that very WC game. The Rams had such a run going back to the late-'60s. They, sadly, were due to have a sudden drop-off. No matter who was HC going into '81/'82, I think that LA most-likely still struggles. Whether successfully building a losing team from scratch, or hopping onboard LA in '73, or '83, and being no less successful (maybe even better) than what actually did happen in each case...I like Ray's chances in each hypothetical.

Not too sure how Red does in a build-a-bad-team-from-scratch situation. Less-likely as successful IMO. But making Craig Morton the best he ever was (a la Testaverde under Parcells), immediately propelling a never-in-the-playoffs-before franchise to 12-1 going into a meaningless finale followed by playoff wins over super-seasoned Steelers & Raiders...and at least, FWIW, still being in the hunt in 1980 at 7-5 with four to go, two vs Oakland, thus still in-control-of-destiny...(okay, still more-so an underachieving campaign than not, I guess; that's where the "FWIW" comes in)...yes, all that should be said of Miller. He overall did well from '77-thru-'80!

Malavasi would have still stayed coach of the Rams had Ferragamo not bolted to Canada in my opinion. His leaving, and the team signing Pastorini, had disastrous results in 1981. It was bad enough that management would allow MLB Reynolds to leave and join the 49ers but they made other mistakes once John Robinson replaced Malavasi by letting Wendall Tyler join the 49ers as well. Ferragamo came back for 1982 but wasnt the same and the team underachieved.