Quote:I'll counter a few of your overall points Bullseye with an idea that may not be so popular.

 

I am of the belief that a Head Coach should not be hired based on his football knowledge, although a certain level is required. Nor should he be hired based on his "developmental" prowess, even though some examples of such are a requirement as well. What you hire a Head Coach to do is to set a tone and lead an organization. While I am no Pittsburgh fan, look at how they have hired their past two coaches, Cowher and Tomlin; Cowher's highest coaching level prior was as the Special Teams Coordinator for Cleveland and Tomlin only had one year of Defensive Coordinator experience yet both men went on to win Super Bowls.

 

I state all of this to point out that while Payton has certainly had success, I would not hire him as a Head Coach just to develop the QB. If I hire a Head Coach, his absolute number one priority will be the overall progress of the team, including his staff. He needs to have a crystal clear vision of the kind of environment that he will develop and maintain within the building. He can hire guys to come up with X's and O's.

I need to further clarify.

 

I emphasized the development of the QB because that is the most important and most difficult player to find/develop to a championship level.  My point is that I would prefer a coach that provides an environment in which the QB can succeed.  Naturally, he has to be able to manage the entire team.  I never intended that emphasis on the QB position would be to the absolute exclusion and neglect of every other area of the team.  Bill Walsh was known as a QB guru, but without question, he had a balanced team overall that excelled offensively, defensively and on special teams.  He had good coaches underneath him to develop the various areas of the team.

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