ESPN: Why did Steve Spurrier fail in NFL?

[SmootSmack]

This is right in my wheelhouse. Believe I've shared many of these stories over the years here

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

This is right in my wheelhouse. Believe I've shared many of these stories over the years here

any favorites you like to humorous with?

[irish]

In college the talent mis-matches are so big that a lot of times any scheme will work. Spurrier was so used to having much better talent than his opponent that he took it for granted and assumed it was his schemes that were making the difference. He never realized it wasnt the schemes but the superior talent that made him look so good. As we all know everyone in the NFL is good and its the schemes and attention to detail that matter. Spurrier never figured that out.

I'm not surprised special teams are mentioned as something OBC didnt care about. When you are crushing Cupcake U by 40 missing a field goal in the 4th quarter doesnt matter. In the NFL its the difference between winning and losing.

[Daseal]

I'll say this, everyone knows I'm a Spurrier fan. I was disappointed with his tenure here, but he clearly had a lot stacked against him in DC. He was putting up more PPG with his absolutely pathetic roster than Gibbs did with a much better roster. I wonder what would have happened if he went to a program with a real front office. He did an okay job scheming up ways to get points with subpar talent. Better suited for an O coordinator position.

[SmootSmack]

Players lazy in meetings:http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...tml#post524128

Spurrier didn't give a damn who was playing defense. He couldn't name more than two or three players on defense without a script in front of him.

Under Spurrier, meetings where chaotic and no one was held accountable. Ladell Betts on multiple occassions would doze off and call people on his cell phone. Rod Gardner would do the same. Heck he called me once during a meeting. Players were regularly late to meetings. No one was ever held accountable. Under Gibbs (granted I wasn't actually there for Gibbs, I left right before) there was accountability and an understanding of the consequences of not being responsible. Not in terms of fines but in terms of the respect of your colleagues and the effects on the field.

For all intents and purposes, the true head coach that first year was Marvin Lewis. He was the leader of many meetings, he knew both the offense and defense.

As for player acquisitions and personnel, Snyder just gave Spurrier whatever he wanted, with the occasional minor disagreement. But it was such a joke because Spurrier never attended any personnel evaluation meetings, he would vacation at the start of free agency. You know how most coaches, Gibbs for example, call up a potential free agent, fly out to see him, fly him in to Redskins Park, etc., Spurrier couldn't even be reached by phone during the first days of free agency. The whole Jetskins ordeal of 2003, there was no rhyme or reason to that. That was just Dan and Vinny (mainly Dan) scrambling to do something based on the offense Spurrier said he needed.

That was pretty much the last straw. Snyder wanted Spurrier to succeed, for selfish reasons as well. But changes were ready to happen the next offseason. I believe it would have started with putting Cerrato in charge of the football operations, and responsible for the roster. The same way he is now, but five years earlier. But when Spurrier quit, and Gibbs came aboard, VC took a back seat.

In short, there was no sense of responsibility under Spurrier and he constantly skipped out on important meetings and off-season decisions. It was every man for himself in the locker room. There was no "team"

Snyder and Ramsey: http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...tml#post824076

Not to sidetrack this conversation, but that's not exactly true about #1. Regardless of what Snyder told the WaPo Magazine. Ramsey was not their first choice. Choice #1. Heck 1-3 was Joey Harrington. They tried desperately to move up to get him. When that option failed, they decided they would sit at #18 and wait to see if Donte Stallworth fell to them. When that didn't happen is when they mobilized a trade down with the Patriots to get Ramsey and add picks later in the draft. He can say he "discovered" Ramsey (whatever that means) and that Ramsey was the guy they wanted. But I can tell you first hand it was really Joey Harrington all along. Why do you think they were so close to trading Ramsey to the Bears before he even took a snap with the team?

Bruce Smith: http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...tml#post609354

Bruce Smith did worse than go to Dan Snyder, he (and Fred Drasner) used to go to Snyder's father and had Snyder's father berate Dan Snyder for not seeing to it that Smith got more playing time

__________________

[Chico23231]

God Spurrier was a joke and thats pretty bad by Bruce Smith. So glad that crap is over. Thanks SS

[SmootSmack]

People forget also how in demand Spurrier was. Several NFL teams threw big money his way

[CultBrennan59]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

People forget also how in demand Spurrier was. Several NFL teams threw big money his way

Just like what will happen with Chip Kelly..

[CrustyRedskin]

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!

[NC_Skins]

Sums up SPurrier as a coach.

[REDSKINS4ever]

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?

[irish]

Originally Posted by REDSKINS4ever

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.

[REDSKINS4ever]

Originally Posted by irish

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.

[Zerohero]

Originally Posted by REDSKINS4ever

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.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Zerohero

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.

Wasn't as controlling? He ran JJ out of town because he wanted to be GM.