What's the criteria for an NFL HC to be in the HOF?

If Vermeil, Schottenheimer and Reid all join Stram in the Hall of Fame that would give the Chiefs four coaches in Canton and one Super Bowl victory in Kansas City between them (so far, maybe Reid can get it done).

 

I think that this past year, the final spot in the voting was between Sapp and Strahan.

Parcells was getting in. A wide receiver was getting in. Ogden and Allen were going to be first-timers. So there was only one spot left.

Do I think Strahan is getting in solely because the game is in NYC? No. If they went Strahan instead of Sapp, I'd put Sapp as getting in this time. But there's no way Strahan gets passed over this time in favor of guys who have waited longer. The fact that it is in NYC and not Houston or Tampa or Indy is a bonus.

I wouldn't have been surprised if they waited until this year to put Parcells in as well because of the location and the fact they strung him out longer than they needed to, so what's one more year.


The last couple of years, the holdover 10 finalists go right back to the finals.

Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Edward DeBartolo, Jr.
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Art Modell
Andre Reed
Will Shields
Michael Strahan
Aeneas Williams

I think that will change this year, because I can't see Modell, Dungy and DeBartolo all making it — and the voters are going to want to debate Dungy in the room.

The newcomers that will be finalists:

Tony Dungy
Derrick Brooks
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones

So only one holdover who was not a finalist will break the top 15 if nothing changes

There's no combo of five that will trump keeping Strahan out. And if the voters go with the four newbies and have just one slot left, they are not leaving out Strahan in NYC for Shields or Haley or Reed/Brown, etc.

The only upcoming site that plays into that before 2018 is San Fran in 2016 when you could do a Haley-Debartolo combo, which makes sense at this point because the voters keep passing over Haley and if Dungy gets in before then, I think Debartolo is the next non-player in and that would line-up timewise.

 

And if you don't think that voters go in there with some sort of pecking order, you are fooling yourself, as the voting the last decade has shown.

 

your point about championships vs Super Bowls is well taken

 

Out of that list on the first page, I only see Belichick as a lock.

Seifert, even with two titles, doesn't deserve to get in. He may have been pushed out of San Francisco a year or two early to make room for Mariucci but his second act in Carolina was dreadful.

Kinda surprised that Tom Flores isn't in. I think he does belong and was a damn good coach. Also the last coach I remember not wearing a headset on the sidelines. Met Flores a few years ago, hours before the Raiders were playing. Generous with his time and a wonderful person to get insights from.

Holmgren? Cowher? I don't know about either as they both walked away for GM positions or broadcasting. Same with Jimmy Johnson -- his rebuilding of the Cowboys made them a true dynasty but, again, he didn't have that success in Miami and didn't return after that.

I could see Dungy getting in but I'm afraid his HOF speech would hit a wall and then Gruden would have to come in and finish it off.

 

I believe Marv Levy also falls under this category.

 

Yep, except Levy's already in the Hall of Fame unlike Reid, Schottenheimer and Vermeil.

 

Right. Should've been clearer, just meant to underscore the Chiefs' fortunes with such an impressive coaching roster.

 

Here's the argument against Tom Flores:

97-87 record in 12 regular seasons.
Five of those seasons were a losing record -- 7-9, 5-10, 2-14, 6-10, 6-10. The last four were his last four seasons, preceded by an 8-8. So it's really easy to split his career in half. On one side he was 29-51. The other half was 68-36.

As of today, there are 36 coaches who have won more games. Among coaches with at 10 or more seasons as a head coach, 43 have won a better percentage of games. In 12 seasons of coaching, that number is still 28.

He went 8-3 in the playoffs. Seven of those wins were during the two Super Bowl runs. His only other playoff win came in a strike-shortened season. Twice they were one and done as a double-digit win team. Both of those losses were at home.

 

Based on current precedent -- Dungy could certainly change things -- the voters will put in Belichick in his first year of eligibility and Shanahan and Coughlin will have to wait anywhere from four to seven years after they are eligible.

A guy like Andy Reid will have to wait at least a decade before gaining traction, and his case will probably hinge on whether Tomlin/Harbaugh/Payton/McCarthy had a ring or more in the next decade.

 

Depending how this RGIII thing plays out for the next 3-4 years, I don't think Shanahan is a slam dunk for the HOF.

 

6 times Dungy went out losing in the first round, twice his team was the #1 seed, 5 times with 10 or more wins and 3 times with 12 or more wins. Aside from Shottenheimer, has anyone done less with more in the playoffs than Dungy?

If Shanahan loses his job during or after this season, is he HOF toast?