What Makes a Great Head Coach?

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In comment 15558104 Mike from Ohio said:

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Lol...I was going to say wins.

Reading on this site about Mike McCarthy.

but what coach would have won more than 4 games with the shit roster the Giants had this year?

1. Lets their team play to their strengths.
2. Takes advantage of their opponent's weaknesses.
3. Takes away the other team's strengths, and
4. Adapts and adjusts the game plan based on how the other team reacts.

Having a great QB can make the HC job look somewhat easier, but how often do you see a good/great QB succeed in spite of their mediocre HC? I think it is harder to win without a good HC regardless of the QB's talent.

Clock management and 2 minute drills are something the next guy needs to be an improvement at.

Judge wasted a lot of timeouts, especially this year.

But managing a game is also huge. Situational football, because so many games come down to a possession or two, is a big, big deal. So, the HC really need to have that down.

And the other big piece is surrounding yourself with the best staff possible. Critical.

Second tier: Coughlin and Parcells.

All great though

great head coaches have really good/great players.

i can't think of one "great" coach who didn't have hall of fame players on the team

look at Greg Popovich. The Spurs have been bad since the talent left. he was "great" when he had Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, David Robinson

Coaches can plan and scheme all they want. If your player isnt faster, stronger, smarter than the opponent, none of that matters

Are first and foremost good administrators and leaders. They are relentlessly driven, detail oriented, know when to delegate, and how to manage a staff.

They are also good teachers, meaning that they can express their ideas in a way that their coaches and players can understand and apply those ideas systematically and consistently.

Finally, they are most likely innovative, but not always. If they are not innovators then they can identify innovative minds and hire them as subordinates. They also have the ability to compartmentalize their emotions and make important decisions calmly and coldly.

What'd I miss?

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I never saw the Judge coached Giants do anything to outsmart the other team. I was always just happy that they snapped the ball on time and did not get kicks blocked or go offsides.

In comment 15558704 Spirit of '86 said:

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I never saw the Judge coached Giants do anything to outsmart the other team. I was always just happy that they snapped the ball on time and did not get kicks blocked or go offsides.

In Defense of Nika Muhl I think the opposite but I agree with your tone. The Blockhead in a couple of games was going against teams with bottom-tier run defenses and here we are chucking the ball all over the field as if we're The Chiefs.

In comment 15558565 BigBlueBuff said:

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Are first and foremost good administrators and leaders. They are relentlessly driven, detail oriented, know when to delegate, and how to manage a staff. They are also good teachers, meaning that they can express their ideas in a way that their coaches and players can understand and apply those ideas systematically and consistently. Finally, they are most likely innovative, but not always. If they are not innovators then they can identify innovative minds and hire them as subordinates. They also have the ability to compartmentalize their emotions and make important decisions calmly and coldly. What'd I miss?

I like this. One thing I would add:

The inability to seldom get lost in the moment.

Coaching from the living room is a lot easier than on the sideline, when you are right in the middle of it.

A very rudimentary comparison I'd make is for anyone that's ever refereed a game. Any sport (in my case, hockey). When you're right in the middle of it, everything seems to happen much faster and viewing angles are not as easy to see.

I feel like what separates the good from the great is the inability to stay in the moment and not lose yourself within the game. When plan A fails what is plan B, if that doesn't work - how quickly do you recognize and work on and execute plan C. Some good coaches are able to make halftime adjustments...but making them on the fly is very, very difficult.

Can be boiled down to fast and accurate evaluation. Maybe that sounds too simplistic, but the team's talent needs to be assessed as quickly and accurate as possible so that the right players are participating and the wrong ones aren't. The team's performance needs to be evaluated as well, so when adjustments are introduced they're actually worthwhile adjustments to the problems that most need addressing. In-game conditions and risks need the right evaluation. And so on

In comment 15558242 Big Blue '56 said:

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Second tier: Coughlin and Parcells. All great though

Is this just coaches with Giants' ties? Because Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan belong in the conversation too at the second tier level, don't they? And Pete Carroll could make a case as well.

And of course, if this is beyond NFL, then Saban needs to be on the list.

- good motivator, can get the best effort from everyone
- can see big picture, put coherent strategies together
- good game planner, can find route to success for the team vs opponent
- good talent evaluator
- holds team together through adversity
- adaptable to personnel/strength
- creative
- detail oriented, has team prepared
- forward thinking, what’s good now vs later this season
- good at boiling things down to key elements
- develops people
- knows when to defend team, when to send message
- handles media well
- likes and is liked by players, but knows he’s the boss not a friend
- has strong demands, but for reasons explained to the team

Those are some of mine