A tree dies in Oakland

 

If a coaching tree falls in the NFL forest, does it make a sound?

 

Fortunately, as the dead wood was dropped in Oakland last week, some gridiron lumberjacks called the Cold, Hard Football Facts were there to hear it.

 

When the Raiders finally announced that Art Shell would fill their coaching vacancy, it was significant for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the move brought home one of the franchise's strongest links to its glorious past. A dominant offensive lineman, Shell (seen here in his bubblegum-card playing days) spent his entire 15-year career with the silver and black, made eight Pro Bowls and eventually was enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He also coached the team from 1989-94, during the period that it called Los Angeles home, amassing a 54-38 career record and guiding the Raiders to three appearances in the postseason.

 

Secondly (and the "2" theme is prevalent), the naming of Shell marked the second time in two years that a team's former head coach had resumed the post after 12 seasons away. Washington's Joe Gibbs retired from football following the 1992 campaign, a year removed from winning his third Super Bowl. He then rejoined the Redskins in 2004 and led them to the playoffs in the second season of his second stint with the team.

 

Thirdly, Shell had made history by becoming the first black head coach in the modern NFL. He now returns to the sidelines as one of seven African Americans in the position, the most ever. His hiring concluded a very tumultuous offseason of coaching changes. In all, 10 of the 32 teams will be under different leadership this fall.

 

Lost amid all of these new beginnings, however, is what looks to be a clear-cut ending. Oakland's unceremonious axing of Norv Turner means that, for the first time since 1993, the log of current NFL coaches finds no protégés of Jimmy Johnson, the former head man of the Cowboys and Dolphins. A once-promising coaching tree appears to be dead, having borne very few fruit.

 

The success that Johnson (pictured here) enjoyed in Dallas, where he won back-to-back Super Bowls in '92 and '93, opened the door for a number of his assistants to become head coaches. The first member of his staff to leave was Dave Wannstedt, who had served as defensive coordinator since Johnson's arrival in '89. After four seasons, the last of which resulted in the first championship, Wannstedt was named the new coach of the Bears.

 

Turner was brought in as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator in '91. He is credited with innovative play calling that maximized the talent of "the triplets" – quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin. Following the second title, Turner moved on to become head coach of the Redskins.

 

Two other members of Johnson's original staff in Dallas would climb the ranks as well. Dave Campo and Butch Davis were both defensive assistants who eventually ascended to coordinator. When Davis left the Cowboys organization to become coach at the University of Miami – where he had worked previously under Johnson – Campo took over the Dallas defense and later became the team's head coach. After six years with the Hurricanes, Davis returned to the NFL to guide the Browns. Both men lasted less than four full seasons before being fired.

 

A close inspection of Johnson's coaching tree reveals that his disciples have not exactly blossomed when they branched out on their own. The chart below shows how these four men have fared as head coaches:

 

 

How 'bout dem Cowboys coaches? All of Johnson's former assistants have losing career records. Counting the playoffs, they collectively went 182-242-1, for a combined winning percentage of just .429.

 

Any way you cut it, Johnson's coaching tree has been a disaster. Every branch has rotted and needed to be removed. In the end, not a single member of his staff proved to be solid head coaching timber.

 

So what does all of this say about the man at the root of the matter? Is he overrated? How much of Johnson's success was due to his coaching, and how much is attributable to being in the right place at the right time?

 

Consider the following:

Johnson certainly has an impressive résumé, having been the first coach to win both a collegiate national championship and a Super Bowl. But he also had the good fortune of two nearly ideal situations with talent-laden teams. The difficulty of building a winner is lessened considerably when you have a stockpile of skilled players. And the fact that Erickson and Switzer each won championships after replacing Johnson should stand as strong evidence that the coach was not the key to success at either Dallas or the University of Miami.

 

Johnson's ineffective protégés have also done little to prop up his legacy. These four men failed with six different teams. It seems exceedingly unlikely that any of them will get another opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL.

 

In the future, proven winners like Shell should always be among the preferred coaching candidates. Even considering former Jimmy Johnson assistants would be barking up the wrong tree.