This is the time of year that old coaches become new again. We will hear about several coaches who never won a Superbowl, or even taken a team to a Superbowl. Yet they will get a second/third chance at running a team. Why did Jim Fassel never get a second chance? I'm not saying he should have a chance now, but I've always wondered why?
It was said at the time that Fassel came off as arrogant.
the NFL owners are definitely a boys club, there had to be an understanding (as there was with La'el Collins)
Beyond that, I don't think details have ever really been verified.
the NFL owners are definitely a boys club, there had to be an understanding (as there was with La'el Collins)
IIRC, Fassel almost had the Redskins job twice. The first time, Gibbs came out of retirement. The second time, he had already started assembling his staff, including Zorn as offensive coordinator. Then Snyder pulled the rug out from under him by hiring Zorn as head coach.
we are talking about a coach who got to the Super Bowl, well-liked by his players, was a known QB guru and had some excellent assistant coach hires.
i can't recall a more successful guy who never got another chance
His own friend dismissed him in Baltimore, and the word was that the commitment wasn't there to the job but to prepare for another HC gig. His interviews with Buffalo and Washington went well, and he had the Skins job before Danny Boy changed his mind due to public backlash and hired Zorn.
Unfortunately, I think Jim's time has passed. He should've went back to college and coached at a Pac-12 school.
Fassel recaps the whole mess at the link below.
Personally, I think Fassel had some off the field problems that he carried into the room with him. He was allegedly a big partier/drinker, there were rumors that he didn't get the team prepared appropriately for XXXV because he was too busy celebrating, and his stop in Baltimore with Billick ended in him being fired because he apparently wasn't taking the job seriously, figuring he was too good for it. That kind of shit is not going to get you hired at that level.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/01/14/jim-fassel-remembers-when-he-was-supposed-to-get-the-redskins-head-coaching-job/ - ( New Window )
I would again like to point out that Sean Payton in his tenure in NO has done much more off-the-field dirt than what got Gentleman Jim blacklisted by the Maras. Time, place and who your friends are, I guess.
Shocking that those didn't translate to another head coaching job. (not really)
we are talking about a coach who got to the Super Bowl, well-liked by his players, was a known QB guru and had some excellent assistant coach hires.
i can't recall a more successful guy who never got another chance
I think it might be a bit different when it comes to Mara, who had a ton of pull with owners. He wasn't normally a guy who said much, but when he did he got people to listen.
It's very small, but here's what I could find regarding Mara giving a poor reference when Fassel was interviewing with the Bills:
Multiple sources confirmed that Giants owner Wellington Mara called Bills owner Ralph Wilson before Jim Fassel interviewed with Buffalo. Mara and Wilson have been friends for years, and Mara wanted to warn Wilson of Fassel's 'occasional questionable' off-field behavior that had embarrassed New York management at times during Fassel's tenure.
Old URL - ( New Window )
I would again like to point out that Sean Payton in his tenure in NO has done much more off-the-field dirt than what got Gentleman Jim blacklisted by the Maras. Time, place and who your friends are, I guess.
They will cut you slack if you're the guy bringing the hydrocodine.
He was a better coach than you give him credit for. Unlike, say, Jeff Fischer, he was intimately involved in offensive game planning, and called plays for most of his tenure here. I'm not saying he was Vince Lombardi reincarnated, but far worse coaches got more chances than Fassell did.
I think Wellington let all owners know that Fassell couldn't be trusted, and owners didn't want to risk hiring him. By the time Wellington had passed, Fassel's time had, as well.
But all that said, if an asshole like Rex Ryan can get a second job immediately after getting canned, Fassel surely deserved a 2nd chance.
ultimately while he was a good strategist and great QB coach, he had too many epic collapses, stinkers and upset losses against backup quarterbacks/inferior opponents that demonstrated his team was not always prepared.
Well, Mara wanted Parcells back yet Young had already offered the job to Fassel.
Can you imagine what could have happened?
Belichick followed Parcells. Parcells could have returned to the Giants and Belichick could have taken over.
We made out ok but, ya know.
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I would again like to point out that Sean Payton in his tenure in NO has done much more off-the-field dirt than what got Gentleman Jim blacklisted by the Maras. Time, place and who your friends are, I guess.
They will cut you slack if you're the guy bringing the hydrocodine.
Vicodin!
Vicodin!
Vicodin = hydrocodine
He was considered by many to be the next Bill Walsh. He was in demand and could waited for several jobs.
I also think the way he treated Sean Payton hurt him. It worked short term but he lost some credibility. Strahan rebelling while he was at his Mom's funeral was a black mark. The chips speech was a low point in NFL history.
You know what a low point is, right?
Well, Zorn was and disaster and was shown the door along with Cerrato. On a side note, Vinny does a sportstalk show here in Baltimore and comes off like a complete tool.
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like to hire people who had previously worked for the GMen. .
Well, Mara wanted Parcells back yet Young had already offered the job to Fassel.
Can you imagine what could have happened?
Belichick followed Parcells. Parcells could have returned to the Giants and Belichick could have taken over.
We made out ok but, ya know.
aaah, what might have been.
You know what a low point is, right?
You know what hyperbole is, right?
Man in the boat overboard!
Great point. It was a chicken shit game plan, neck and neck with Dan Reeves' fetal position offense at SF in 1993. 2 of the most disgraceful Giants performances in my lifetime.
if every coach or player who ever had some fun on a party boat or cheated on their spouse was blackballed from the league, there wouldn't be enough players to form 32 teams.
I think there may be some truth to how he did not perform as an assistant in Baltimore as a major reason he was never hired again as a HC.
You forget how terrible our offense was when he became head coach. He managed to get us a capable QB in Kerry Collins, and helped him turn his life around.
Also, very good coaches surround themselves with great coordinators. He had John Fox and Sean Payton. Both very successful coaches.
After the Giants he interviewed poorly and when given an opportunity with the Ravens he had a bad attitude even with his buddy who hired him, he was bitter. Maybe rightfully, but that is it in a nutshell.
IMO he was a better coach than he often gets credit for - but his tenure was also marred by some epic meltdowns - 97 playoffs vs Vikings, no-show in the Super Bowl, 2002 wild card game in SF.
Still, all things being equal if it were based on coaching ability alone, he would have gotten another shot. The rumors of arrogance, being unprepared and extra marital shenanigans clearly dogged him
Then we lose our long snapper leading to the famous missed FG snap leading to the NFL apologizing and saying we should have had another chance leading to Steve Marioucci's "bummer" quote. And Bryant getting let go.
Fassel had the Skins job theoretically locked up prior to Gibbs emerging, and as a result he half asses his AZ interview because he knew he was already taking a better job. His off field partying penchant did him in in Buffalo and elsewhere.
Fassel was a good coach - he got very good results considering what he had to work with. But he had very bad juju. Very very very very bad juju.