Super Bowl Retreads
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James Joyner | Tuesday, January 20, 2009 |
DMN’s Kevin Sherrington has an amusing quip: “I know what you’re thinking: He’s doing research? Is it because newspapers are in trouble? Yes, it is. Keep reading.”
But, alas, while I’m sympathetic to his thesis — “If you want to go to the Super Bowl, don’t expect to make it on retreads.” — he needed to do more research. He notes, correctly, that teams whose head coaches have held that position for another organization — or, especially, more than one other organization — have poor track records. And, he notes, “it turns out that in every Super Bowl but two, at least one coach was working his first NFL head coaching stop. “
Fine. But here’s the thing: The goal isn’t merely to get to the Super Bowl but to win it. Thus far, there have been 42 Super Bowls. The following teams won it with retread head coaches:
Giants, Tom Coughlin, 42
Colts, Tony Dungy, 41
Patriots, Bill Belichick, 39
Patriots, Bill Belichick,38
Buccanneers, Jon Gruden, 37
Patriots, Bill Belichick,36
Rams, Dick Vermeil, 34
Broncos, Mike Shanahan, 33
Broncos, Mike Shanahan, 32
Dolphins, Don Shula, 8
Dolphins, Don Shula, 7
Jets, Weeb Eubank, 3
So, 12 of 42 — 28.5 percent — of the Super Bowls were won by retreads. Further, 9 of the last 11 have been won by retreads. The most recent contest featured two retreads. So, perhaps the lesson is simply to avoid hiring people like Wade Phillips, Norv Turner, and Dave Wannstedt — who have failed in multiple stops — rather than to avoid retreads altogether?
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Forget retreats, my theory is that no one named "Weeb" will ever win a SuperBowl again.
