by Bill Barnwell

One of the tasks I have as a young, relatively new football writer is to assemble a library of football reference books. While my collection isn't exactly Tanier, let alone Belichick, the magic of the Internet has allowed me to procure a fair share of books for relatively cheap.

Recently, the 1988 Sporting News Pro Football Guide showed up at my door. While the season it covers in detail -- the 1987 campaign -- is given far better treatment in Mr. Tanier's Year of the Scab, there's still plenty of information available in the book that I'll use in one place or another.

In flipping through the book, though, my eyes were drawn to the detailed coaching staff provided for each team. While staff weren't as large as they are today, there's still plenty of interesting lineups out there.

I'll run through the notable coach(es) on each team's staff, what they were doing at the time, and then tie it all in with a goofy metric at the end.

Atlanta (Head Coach: Marion Campbell)

All of Campbell's notable on-staff talent was on the offensive side of the ball, where offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower had two future NFL coordinators underneath him, wide receivers coach Jimmy Raye (now the 49ers' OC, and yes, I'll call it that) and tight ends/special teams coach Foge Fazio. Those two positions don't seem to lend themselves to mutual coaching, but what do I know?

Buffalo (Marv Levy)

As Levy managed to make it to Super Bowl after Super Bowl shortly after this timeframe, his staff consisted mostly of veteran coaches. Their famed passing coordinator was Ted Marchibroda, who ended up with head coaching stints in Indianapolis and Baltimore, where he developed a number-one ranked offense just before the defense began to percolate. The receivers' coach was Ted Tollner, who had been let go as USC head coach the year before. The man in charge of the defensive line was Ted Cottrell, who is starting his first head coaching gig at any level as the leader of the UFL's New York Sentinels.

Chicago (Mike Ditka)

In a strange coincidence, both of the coaches on Ditka's staff that ended up becoming head coaches at the NFL level did so for the Arizona Cardinals: Defensive coordinator Vince Tobin, and linebackers coach Dave McGinnis.

Cincinnati (Sam Wyche)

In a strange coincidence, both of the coaches on Wyche's staff that ended up becoming head coaches at the NFL level did so for these same Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet (who also coached the Jets), and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Cleveland (Marty Schottenheimer)

The eventual success stories in Schottenheimer's staff were at the lower levels in 1988. His offensive coordinator was Ray Brown, who I can't find anything on since every Google search I can think of takes me to information on the offensive guard. The defensive coordinator was Dave Adolph, who left after the season and would eventually serve as Schottenheimer's defensive coordinator in Kansas City from 1992 through 1994.

Below them, though, was an elite positional coach in offensive line leader Howard Mudd, and a potential Hall of Fame head coach in the secondary, Bill Cowher. When Schottenheimer went to Kansas City after this season, it would be Cowher who became his defensive coordinator, not Adolph.

Dallas (Tom Landry)

Another coach with a veteran staff, but this time for a middling team; Landry had Paul Hackett as his offensive coordinator, Dick Nolan, father of Mike, as his defensive backs coach, and future Chiefs offensive coordinator Mike Solari as his offensive line coach. Dallas also had the only person in the league (well, in the book) assigned to "Research and Development", Neill Armstrong.

Denver (Dan Reeves)

The Broncos didn't have anyone specified as their offensive coordinator, but their quarterbacks coach was a future NFL head coach (and the man who replaced Solari as Chiefs offensive coordinator), Chan Gailey. The only person of note on staff was a young coach just getting his start in the league, special teams coach and assistant linebackers coach Mike Nolan, son of Dick.

Detroit (Darryl Rogers)

Rogers didn't make it through the season, getting fired after a 2-9 start. He was replaced by his defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Wayne Fontes, who held the reins for nine seasons and is, scarily, the best coach Detroit has had in the last quarter-century.

Green Bay (Lindy Infante)

Back when it was easier to hate stats, Greg Blache did so as the Packers' defensive line coach. He was on a staff with defensive backs coach Dick Jauron underneath Hank Bullough, who had previously coached the Buffalo Bills and was one of the forerunners of the 3-4 defense.

Houston (Jerry Glanville)

Ah, the run-n-gun. Glanville's quarterbacks coach was June Jones, who would leave to join Fontes in Detroit after the year. Glanville and Jones would have an on-again, off-again friendship for the next 15 years or so. The linebackers coach was Floyd Reese, who is one of the rare coaches who made it off the field and solely into player personnel as the Titans' GM for a decade. He's now working in the Patriots' personnel department. The defensive backs coach would also eventually get an NFL job: Nick Saban was in his first year as an NFL coach, and would stay in the job for another season before a year as Toledo's head coach. He'd end up after that with Bill Belichick in Cleveland, serving as Belichick's offensive coordinator.

Indianapolis (Ron Meyer)

The only coach of any note on Meyer's staff was Rick Venturi, who would serve as an interim head coach on two separate occasions in the NFL. One was replacing Meyer, in 1991, after the Colts got off to an 0-5 start.

Kansas City (Frank Gansz)

In Gansz's final year as Chiefs head coach, he improved on a 4-11 record by going 4-11-1. It was a slight improvement. I recognize exactly one of his coaches, defensive coordinator Rod Rust, who would coach the Patriots in 1990 to a 1-15 record in his only season as an NFL head coach. That miserable performance was recently equalled by Cam Cameron in his lone season up top.

Los Angeles Raiders (Mike Shanahan)

That will always feel weird to type. Shanahan had some notorious people on staff, though, including his eventual replacement in offensive line coach Art Shell, as well as Shell's eventual offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh. They were joined by future Broncos cut block coach Alex Gibbs, and Terry Robiskie (who isn't particularly notorious) was a "coaches' assistant".

Los Angeles Rams (John Robinson)

Scariest way to tell how old this book is? The Rams' wide receivers/tight ends coach is one "Norval Turner", who apparently hasn't dropped the 'al' yet. Although he's known now as a competent quarterbacks coach when he's not being an incompetent head coach, that role was filled by Boston Breakers (USFL) head coach Dick Coury. Alongside them as a position coach was offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who would later become the most expensive position coach in the league and then the most expensive fired position coach in the league for Miami, and the very solid set of coordinators included Ernie Zampese (offense) and Fritz Shurmur (defense).

Miami (Don Shula)

Did any NFL head coaches ever come out of Shula's staff? The only person who got anywhere in this iteration was David Shula, who was billed strictly as an assistant coach.

Minnesota (Jerry Burns)

Burns had some hidden gems for defensive positional coaches: The linebackers coach was Monte Kiffin, and the secondary coach was Pete Carroll, who would leave after 1989 to become the defensive coordinator for the Jets.

New England (Raymond Berry)

A wasteland of a staff. Worth noting is Dante Scarnecchia, who is the only coach I noticed still coaching on the same staff in 2009, albeit with a stint in Indianapolis inbetween. He's been the team's offensive line coach for over a decade now.

New Orleans (Jim Mora)

Vic Fangio was the Saints' linebackers coach for nine seasons before being replaced by Jim Haslett and becoming the Panthers' first defensive coordinator. His boss there? Dom Capers, who was the Saints' secondary coach at the time.

New York Giants (Bill Parcells)

OK, this might take a while. On the offensive side of the ball, the man coordinating things was Ron Erhardt, who had spent three-plus years at the end of the seventies as the head coach of the Patriots. Underneath him was running backs coach Ray Handley, the man who would disastrously replace Parcells and force Erhardt out in the process, and receivers coach Tom Coughlin, who would become the next Giants head coach to win a Super Bowl.

On the other side of the ball was Bill Belichick, who followed his tenure as defensive coordinator by fading into obscurity. He also handled linebackers. Strangely, no one underneath him made it to a coordinator position at the pro level besides defensive assistant Mike Sweatman, who did so on special teams. The special teams coach was Romeo Crennel, who handled that role for seven years.

New York Jets (Joe Walton)

One of Walton's coaches was about to get his shot at a head coaching job; Defensive coordinator Bud Walton took over for Schottenheimer in Cleveland, going 9-6-1 before starting the 1990 season 2-7 and getting canned. The offensive coordinator was Rich Kotite, who would eventually go 4-28 as the Jets head coach in 1995 and 1996.

Philadelphia (Buddy Ryan)

Only two head coaches came out of Ryan's staff, but they did well for themselves. They're two of the few people we've mentioned that still have jobs, although each is in some trouble: Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and secondary coach Jeff Fisher, who took over the defense when Phillips left for Denver after the season.

Phoenix (Gene Stallings)

Offensive line coach Tom Bresnahan would become the Bills' post-Marchibroda offensive coordinator; defensive line coach Jim Johnson would go on to much greater fame as the Eagles' longtime defensive coordinator. That's it. There's a reason the Cardinals weren't very good. Well, a lot of reasons.

Pittsburgh (Chuck Noll)

The coordinators from this team would later link up to yield great success, as defensive coordinator Tony Dungy later hired offensive coordinator Tom Moore to run the attack alongside Peyton Manning in Indy. Ron Blackledge, father of Todd, was the offensive line coach, and Mean Joe Greene was the defensive line coach.

San Diego (Al Saunders)

Gunter Cunningham was listed as an "Assistant Coach". He'd later become the Chiefs head coach for two years before being fired and replaced by Dick Vermeil. Vermeil brought in his offensive coordinator of choice there, Cunningham's boss in San Diego, Saunders. In his final year as quality control coach was Jim Mora Jr., who didn't start working for his father until 1992.

San Francisco (Bill Walsh)

Overrun by head coaches, Walsh had four different position coaches that would go on to become head honchos elsewhere. They include quarterbacks coach Mike Sherman, receivers coach Dennis Greeen, defensive line coach George Seifert, and secondary coach Ray Rhodes. Joining them on the roster was running backs coach and expert Bingo caller Sherman Lewis, who might become a head coach very shortly.

Seattle (Chuck Knox)

Despite winning the AFC West in this season, the only Seahawks coach who would later go onto achieve fame was linebackers and special teams coach Rusty Tillman. His fame? He coached the NY/NJ Hitmen of the XFL, which teased one week that Tillman and color commentator Jesse Ventura might come to blows.

Tampa Bay (Ray Perkins)

No NFL coaches, but two mediocre SEC head coaches in running backs coach Sylvester Croom and defensive line coach Mike DuBose were on Perkins' staff.

Washington (Joe Gibbs)

Little is more demeaning than being fired for Norval, but assistant head coach-defense Richie Petitbon went 4-12 when he took over for a retiring Gibbs. Assistant head coach-offense Joe Bugel did little out West with the Cardinals, while Dan Henning would also struggle in a stint coaching the Chargers. Petitbon, Bugel, and Henning combined for 13 seasons of NFL coaching without a single winning record. At least Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas, a defensive assistant, came close by going 1-2 as an interim coach for the post-Petrino Falcons in 2007.

So, who had the best staff? As a simple metric, let's just add up the number of seasons that each team's assistants served as NFL head coaches. Since this isn't exactly the most important research in the world, I'm not assigning partial seasons; if a person served as the interim head coach of a team for just one game, it counts.

And the winner for best staff is...

...no one, since it's a tie. That was disappointing. It is a tie for just this lone season, though, as the Giants have two head coaches in jobs at the moment (Belichick and Coughlin), while it seems unlikely that Sherman, Green, Seifert, or Rhodes will be head coaches in the league again.

Posted by: Bill Barnwell on 25 Oct 2009

18 comments, Last at 27 Oct 2009, 7:53pm by Kellerman