Offensive or Defensive Head Coaches

[Hashtag]

This was an interesting topic on the live stream just now so I'll do a quick dive in the NFL and college going by wins and winning percentage of the top 10 coaches in each category.

NFL

• Wins

1. Don Shula - Defense
2. Bill Belichick - Defense
3. George Halas - Both?
4. Any Reid - Offensive
5. Tom Landry - Defensive 
6. Curly Lambeau - Offensive
7. Paul Brown - Offensive
8. Chuck Noll - Defensive
9. Marty Shottenheimer - Defensive
10. Dan Reeves - Offense

• Winning Percentage - Will only include coaches with 10+ seasons as HC

1. John Madden - Defense
2. Vince Lombardi - Offense
3. George Allen - Defense
4. Ray Flaherty - Offense
5. George Halas - Both
6. Don Shula - Defense
7. Paul Brown - Offense
8. Tony Dungy - Defense
9. Andy Reid - Offense
10. George Seifert - Defense

Wins:  5/10 are defensive oriented coaches, 4/10 are offensive oriented, 1/10 being both because he was a severe micromanager and owned the team?
Winning Percentage: 5/10 are defensive oriented, 4/10 are offensive oriented, see above for Halas(LOL)
 

College

• Wins

1. Joe Paterno - Both?
2. Bobby Bowden - Offense
3. Bear Bryant - Defense
4. Pop Warner - Offensive
5. Nick Saban - Defensive
6. Mack Brown - Offense
7. LaVell Edwards - Defense
8. Tom Osbourne - Offense 
9. Lou Holtz - Defense
10. Frank Beamer - Defense

• Winning Percentage

1. Knute Rockne - Offense
2. Frank Leahy - Offense
3. Urban Meyer - Offense 
4. George Woodruff - Offense
5. Barry Switzer - Offense
6. Tom Osbourne - Offense
7. Fielding Yost - Offense
8. Percey Haughton - Offense
9. Robert Neyland - Defense
10. Bud Wilkinson - Both?

Wins: 5/10 defensive, 4/10 offensive, 1/10 both with Joe Pa coaching both sides as an assistant?
Winning Percentage: 8/10 are offensive, 1/10 are defense, and Bud was both? Maybe y'all can help me how with how to classify him.

 

When you get winning percentage in college is where it gets completely off track and I believe that has to do with some of these guys being coaches before the forward pass was introduced. Feel free to add your theories here if you'd like as to why this may be?  Also if I got any of the designations incorrect please feel free to let me know. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Hashtag

[GDI]

In today's game I think it has to be offense,  and the offense has to be effective in both the run and passing game.  

If you are one dimensional you can only go so far.  The good teams will be able to stop you.  

I know Sark is an offensive coach,  but the team is both.  A very good combination of offense and defense on this team. 

[CJ Vogel]

It has to be offense. 

[Joe Zura]

Na give me a special teams coordinator as my head coach 👀

[MBHORNSFAN]

4 minutes ago, Joe Zura said:

Na give me a special teams coordinator as my head coach 👀

 

Keep us posted 

[Hashtag]

2024 CFP Teams(Team - HC Specialty(OFEI Ranking/DFEI Ranking): Notes
 

1. Oregon - Defense(2/15) - Offense was better with defensive HC
2. Georgia - Defense(13/12) - Relatively even
3. Boise St - Defense(12/32) - Offense was better with defensive HC
4. Arizona St - Offense(7/31) - Offense was better with offensive HC
5. Texas - Offense(18/3) - Defense was better with offensive HC
6. Penn St - Offense(5/4) - Relatively even
7. Notre Dame - Defense(9/1) - Defense was better with defensive coach
8. Ohio St - Offense(1/2) - Relatively even(easy to see why they came out as national champs)
9. Tennessee - Offense(34/11) - Defense was better with offensive coach
10. Indiana - Offense(4/20) - Offense was better with offensive coach
11. SMU - Offense(41/14) - Defense was better with offensive coach
12. Clemson - Offense(15/27) - Offense was better with offensive coach

 

 

[Hashtag]

Last 10 National Champions(HC Specialty(OFEI/DFEI Ranking): Notes
 

Ohio St - Offense(1/2): Offense ranked higher with offensive coach
Michigan - Offense(5/1): Defense ranked higher with offensive coach
Georgia - Defense(1/1): Tie
Georgia - Defense (3/1): Defense ranked higher with defensive coach
Alabama - Defense(1/17): Offense ranked higher with defense coach
LSU - Defense(1/11): Offense ranked higher with defensive coach
Clemson - Offense(5/1): Defense ranked higher with offensive coach
Alabama - Defense(7/2): Defense ranked higher with defensive coach
Clemson - Offense(2/9): Offense ranked higher with offensive coach
Alabama - Defense(17/1): Defense ranked higher with defensive coach

 

The way it looks you basically want a defensive coach or a top defense to win a national title with a HC. The caveat of that being you have historic type offense such as 2019 LSU and 2020 Bama. The other caveat being you're just like, 2018 Clemson, 2021/2022 Georgia, and 2024 Ohio St and just an all around great team offensively and defensively

 

[TexasMDcoach]

Nice job and good read Hashtag. Yes, you have to have both.  I look at Tom Landry as an example who I watched in his career. He was a strong defensive coach but also was very innovative (shotgun, motions offense and situational strategies) and was tremendously successful.  Hiring the right coordinators is key.    

[Migas & Fajitas]

Nice analysis.

I would’ve labeled LaVell Edwards offensive.