ESPN: Why did Steve Spurrier fail in NFL?

Your right Smack, and i drank the cool aid for a year or so. But of all the coaching changes he ranks as the worst. The Ol Ball coach can go #$%^& my %^&&in %^&*()lls!

Sums up SPurrier as a coach.


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I remember Joe Theismann ten years ago saying that Spurrier didn't have the luxury of ever being an offensive coordinator in the NFL before he was a head coach. Maybe a better question should be, why did Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer SUCCEED in the NFL?

Spurrier just didn't have the work ethic a coach needs for the NFL.

I remember Joe Theismann ten years ago saying that Spurrier didn't have the luxury of ever being an offensive coordinator in the NFL before he was a head coach. Maybe a better question should be, why did Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer SUCCEED in the NFL?

Switzer just rode in on JJ's coat tails and had a great team that was already set up to win so he just had to keep from messing things up.

JJ was successful because he recognized that the talent levels in the NFL are essentially the same so he paid attention to details on both sides of the ball and knew how to adjust as the game went on. Plus I think he ran a more "pro style" on both sides of the ball in college so he didnt have too much to do by way of adapting to the pro game.

Yeah Switzer would have been a massive failure on probably just about any other team. The Cowboys team he inherited was loaded and was basically on auto-pilot.

I remember Joe Theismann ten years ago saying that Spurrier didn't have the luxury of ever being an offensive coordinator in the NFL before he was a head coach. Maybe a better question should be, why did Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer SUCCEED in the NFL?

3 young hall of famers at the skill positions at the start of their prime didnt hurt. A great offensive line also. And back then Jones wasn't as controlling.
Cant really compare these two situations.

Yeah Switzer would have been a massive failure on probably just about any other team. The Cowboys team he inherited was loaded and was basically on auto-pilot.

Exactly! And Jimmy Johnson succeeded because the Cowboys drafted really well not to mention Johnson had established a pretty good coaching crew.

Switzer just rode in on JJ's coat tails and had a great team that was already set up to win so he just had to keep from messing things up.

JJ was successful because he recognized that the talent levels in the NFL are essentially the same so he paid attention to details on both sides of the ball and knew how to adjust as the game went on. Plus I think he ran a more "pro style" on both sides of the ball in college so he didnt have too much to do by way of adapting to the pro game.

Yeah, you're right. When Dallas won their last Super Bowl in 1995 with Switzer as HC, Jimmy Johnson's shadow still loomed greatly because those were his players on that team that he'd put together. Johnson also had a few strengths which like you said with the ability to pay attention to detail where his entire team was concerned.

Spurrier on the other hand was out of his element from day one.

The "Old Ball Coach" may have not made it in the NFL, but he's a force in college. I'm a gamecock fan, and I love watching the post game interviews with him. Dude is funny.