Biggest CFB-to-NFL coaching busts...

[GatorNation]

Maybe some of you caught it on the NFL network, but they listed the top 10 biggest HCing busts in the NFL by college coaches. The list included:

1. Bobby Petrino
2. Lou Holtz
3. Steve Spurrier
7. Nick Saban

That's all I can remember...but I thought it was interesting that the SEC was well represented.

:brick:

If anyone can fill in the list, that'd be great. Anyone else catch this???

[Tider27]

It's a true testament to how much of a step up the NFL really is, but with that said...we all rather watch College Football. :laugh:

[crusse10]

Pretty sure that Lombardi guy should be on this list.
I know he was at Army, but once he made it into the NFL, he just fizzled out...




;)

[GatorNation]

It's a true testament to how much of a step up the NFL really is, but with that said...we all rather watch College Football. :laugh:


Of course. But I'm just kind of surprised that SEC HCs struggle so much in the NFL considering that the SEC is the best conference in cfb.

You'd think they would be best prepared to handle the jump...

I forgot...Pete Carroll was on the list as well....at no. 9, I think.

[crusse10]

It's a different game.

It requires different styles of coaching, different gameplans, and different roles.

As a coach in the NFL, you've got to be able to treat the players as practically equals. There is no longer the huge difference between coach and player.
An SEC coach is used to being in the driver's seat, and in the NFL, that just doesn't work.

[D^3]

Of course. But I'm just kind of surprised that SEC HCs struggle so much in the NFL considering that the SEC is the best conference in cfb.

You'd think they would be best prepared to handle the jump...

I forgot...Pete Carroll was on the list as well....at no. 9, I think.



Not really fair to include either Holtz or Petrino as SEC coaches. Holtz spent most of his days outside of the SEC, and Petrino has yet to coach a single game in our conference... so we don't know if he'll even be successful or not here. As far as Spurrier goes... my opinion on that is just that he never could adapt to handling professionals who he couldn't treat like college kids. Saban... well, he just didn't give it enough time.

[Tider27]

Of course. But I'm just kind of surprised that SEC HCs struggle so much in the NFL considering that the SEC is the best conference in cfb.

You'd think they would be best prepared to handle the jump...

I forgot...Pete Carroll was on the list as well....at no. 9, I think.

To think of how successful they are in College Football and then be so horrible in the NFL...it really is confusing. There just isn't a well known reason as to why they struggle so much when they make the jump. Dealing with men that have tons of money as opposed to boys who have to go to class is definitely one aspect. When it comes down to it though, all they have to do is coach. You can also make a argument that most of those coaches didn't have anything to work with in the NFL either. Talking about their caliber of players they had on their team.

[crusse10]

We're thinking alike on the idea of how to treat the players. I agree completely.

[volimhtown]

I think SOS easily goes to the top of that list and it's a long fall to whoever you want to put at second... in terms of expectations relative to results! Petrino didn't have the long track record of success that SOS and Holtz did and neither Petrino or Holtz had near the expectations that SOS did.
Daniel Snyder through rediculous money at the "sure thing" in SOS. Spurs was also incredibly confident that he would be successful and made no bones about it. I'm certainly not degrading Spurs for that confidence, but he should have kept his mouth shut about it. He was pretty arrogant for thinking he could run his mouth off in the NFL and back it up like he did in Gainesville. The NFL coaching fraternity is a different beast... one that Spurs had no respect for. Opposing teams and coaches had fun putting it to the Skins during his tenure and did so with consistency.
Hell, I think it's humbled SOS to a level he has still yet to recover from. Easily the worst move of his career!!

[M2J]

I saw that list, I remember Erickson and John Mckay were there too. I think Butch Davis was there too.

And that list was pretty much BS. How is Petrino number 1? The reason he was there was to work with Vick, he never did, the team wouldn't have won with more than 5 games with Bellichick (and you could say the same thing with a lot of the teams some of these coaches had). Spurrier did bomb in the NFL.