First, I didn't know they had a specific coaching category. I thought coaches got put into the pool with other "contributors". But here we go.
In other news, they changed the waiting period for coaches from five years to one year, presumably to speed up the induction of Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo at some point.
Here are the twelve candidates for this year.
- Bill Arnsparger: Longtime defensive coordinator. Won two Super Bowl titles with Miami Dolphins and appeared in two other Super Bowls (Miami and San Diego). Also head coach of New York Giants.
- Tom Coughlin: Spent 20 years as an NFL head coach with Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and New York Giants (2004-2015), totaling 170 wins and leading the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
- Jeff Fisher: NFL head coach for 22 seasons with Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams.
- Alex Gibbs: Assistant head coach and/or offensive line coach for 27 NFL seasons with seven different Clubs. Best known for training broncos linemen to wear vegetable oil and dive at the knees of defenders.
- Mike Holmgren: Head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992-98 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008. Won a Super Bowl and appeared in another as a head coach.
- Chuck Knox: NFL Coach of the Year in 1973, 1980 and 1984. He went 186-147-1 during 22 regular seasons as an NFL head coach for the Rams, Bills and Seahawks.
- Richie Petitbon: Promoted to Washington’s defensive coordinator in 1981. Joe Gibbs ran the offense and Petitbon the defense on a team that would win three Super Bowls over the next 11 seasons.
- Dan Reeves: Head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-1992 (saddled by mediocre quarterbacking), New York Giants from 1993-96 and Atlanta Falcons from 1997-2003.
- Marty Schottenheimer: Head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88, Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1998, Washington Redskins in 2001 and San Diego Chargers from 2002-06.
- George Seifert: Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the San Francisco 49ers. Coached 11 years with 49ers and Carolina Panthers.
- Mike Shanahan: Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89, Denver Broncos from 1995-2008 and Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Won two Super Bowls. Expert at cheating the salary cap.
- Clark Shaughnessy: Head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-49 and assistant coach for the Washington Redskins from 1944-47 and Chicago Bears from 1951-1962.
You get one vote to pick the formal finalist. Who's it for?
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My thoughts:
Arnsparger - He's fine. He did okay with no big stars on his teams. Whatever.
Coughlin - Ordinarily, I would consider him a good candidate. However, his quarterback was a whiny entitled draft dodger, and no one affiliated with Eli Manning should ever get accolades. No.
Jeff Fisher. Wait, what? No.
Alex Gibbs. I would burn the hall down before I'd let them put this dirty cheating garbage anywhere near the admission booth. Screw this guy.
Mike Holmgren. Eh, he probably had to put up with a lot of genital pics and bad jokes from Favre. I'm fine if he's the choice.
Chuck Knox. I don't mind Knox, but he wasn't exactly innovative. Not a strong choice.
Richie Petitbon. Is he the same thing as Dick Lebeau? I can't tell. I'm okay if he's the choice.
Dan Reeves. He had to put up with a lot of garbage from his overrated prima donna quarterback. Once he get a real quarterback in Chris Miller or Chris Chandler or whoever, he almost got a Super Bowl. Probably a no since he was tainted by getting a prima donna draft dodger quarterback, even if it was a mediocre one.
Marty Schottenheimer. He came so close. We all appreciate Marty bringing back the franchise from the dead, but man oh man, at some point you have to win a playoff game. Probably a no here, sadly.
George Seifert - Seems like a good guy. Basically a seat warmer, though. No.
Mike Shanahan - We don't reward cheaters for cheating. Screw this cheating cheater.
Clark Shaughnessy - I thought he was coach of the best statistical offense in NFL history, but that happened the year after he left. So no.
Honestly, I'd probably go with Holmgren.
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