Succession success: Caldwell has good examples

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by NewsGrabber, Jan 15, 2009.

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  1. NewsGrabber

    NewsGrabber Guest

    <p><em>Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky</em></p> <p>The Colts had Jim Caldwell in place ahead of time and expect a seamless transition into the post-Tony Dungy era.</p> <p>It looks like a sound plan.</p> <table border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right"> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td><img src="http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/0113/nfl_ap_jcaldwell1_200.jpg" alt="" hspace="4" width="200" height="300" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em">AP Photo/Michael Conroy</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em"><strong>Jim Caldwell has big shoes to fill in Indianapolis, but many in his position have been successful before.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> <p>But popular wisdom says you don't want to be the guy to replace <em>the guy</em>. It's the replacement's replacement, the theory follows, who gains the distance necessary from a legendary name to be able to succeed.</p> <p>For many, the thought of replacing a popular and successful coach brings back memories of some infamous NFL names.</p> <p>Former Minnesota coach Les Steckel is still remembered for a 3-13 year in 1984 that wound up being a sabbatical season for Bud Grant. Ray Handley replaced Bill Parcells for the Giants in 1991 and went 14-18 in two seasons. Richie Petitbon replaced Joe Gibbs in 1993 and flamed out with a 4-12 season.</p> <p>Are you familiar with Phil Bengtson or Paul Wiggin? Me neither.</p> <p>Bengtson followed up Vince Lombardi in Green Bay and managed three third-place finishes. Wiggin was 11-24 in two-and-a-half seasons following Hank Stram in Kansas City.</p> <p>But none of that is reason for Colts devotees to fear the dawn of the Caldwell era as he replaces a potential Hall of Famer who takes a .668 winning percentage with him into retirement.</p> <p>Thanks to some help from Keith Hawkins of ESPN Stats & Information, we can take a detailed look at how the successors to the most-winningest coaches have fared.</p> <p>While there were some strikeouts, the history is hardly a horror story. Two successors won multiple Super Bowls, two more were playoff regulars and another is leading his team into the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.</p> <p>So here's a run through how things have panned out after big-time winning coaches stepped away or were removed. These are the top 10 coaches with the best winning percentages in the Super Bowl era (minimum 100 games coached since the 1966 season):</p> <table border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right"> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0114/nfl_g_tflores_300.jpg" alt="" hspace="4" width="300" height="200" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em">Andy Hayt/Getty Images</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em"><strong>Tom Flores did very well as John Madden's successor, winning two Super Bowls for the Silver-and-Black.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> <p>1) <strong>John Madden</strong>, .759 (Raiders)</p> <p>Tom Flores replaced Madden in 1979 and Flores went 91-56 in nine seasons, leading the Raiders to wins in Super Bowl XV and XVII.</p> <p>2) <strong>George Allen,</strong> .712 (Rams and Redskins)</p> <p>Jack Pardee replaced Allen in Washington, and Pardee was 24-24 in three seasons (1978-80). Joe Gibbs replaced Pardee and won 140 games from 1981-92 and three Super Bowls.</p> <p>3) <strong>Tom Landry</strong>, .674 (Cowboys)</p> <p>Jimmy Johnson replaced Landry in 1989 and Johnson won three Super Bowls in a four-year span. Johnson was 51-37 from 1989-93.</p> <p>4) <strong>Don Shula</strong>, .672 (Colts and Dolphins)</p> <p>Like Landry, Shula was replaced by Johnson. In four seasons (1996-99), Johnson was 38-31 and 2-3 in the postseason. Since Shula, Miami has had six different head coaches.</p> <p>5) <strong>Tony Dungy</strong>, .668 (Buccaneers and Colts)</p> <p>Replaced by Caldwell this week.</p> <p>6) <strong>George Seifert,</strong> .648 (49ers and Panthers)</p> <p>Seifert did some replacing himself, following Bil Walsh. Steve Mariucci replaced Seifert in San Francisco in 1997, and Mariucci got the Niners to the NFC Championship in his first season. In six seasons, Mariucci made the playoffs four times. Since Mariucci left, the 49ers have had three different head coaches.</p> <p>7) <strong>Bill Cowher</strong>, .623 (Steelers)</p> <p>Mike Tomlin replaced Cowher in 2007. In his second season, Tomlin is preparing the Steelers to host Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.</p> <p>8-T) <strong>Joe Gibbs</strong>, .621 (Redskins)</p> <p>Petitbon was a dud.</p> <p>8-T) <strong>Bud Grant, </strong>.621 (Vikings)</p> <p>Returned for another season after Steckel bombed, then saw Jerry Burns go 55-46 from 1986-91.</p> <p>10) <strong>Bill Belichick</strong> .616 (Browns and Patriots)</p> <p>When he finishes his term in New England, he'll leave a tough headset to fill.</p> <p>And here's one from outside the top 10: a succession scenario the Colts would be thrilled to mimic.</p> <p><strong>Bill Walsh</strong>, .609 (49ers) -- Replaced by Seifert in 1989, Seifert went on to win two Super Bowls in his first six seasons. He won at least 10 games in all eight of his seasons and only missed the playoffs once. Like Caldwell, Seifert inherited a pretty good quarterback situation, getting two years of Joe Montana and six with Steve Young.</p> <table border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right"> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0114/nfl_u_collier_200.jpg" alt="" hspace="4" width="200" height="300" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em">David Boss/US Presswire</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td align="left"><font size="1" style="line-height: 1em"><strong>Blanton Collier replaced the legendary Paul Brown, and never had a losing season.</strong></font></td> </tr> </table> <p>As I couldn't stop asking, here are the succession stories of some other Hall of Fame coaches:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Paul Brown</strong> -- Blanton Collier was in Cleveland from 1963-70, and didn't have a losing season, going 76-34-2.</li> <li><strong>Weeb Eubank</strong> -- Charley Winner took over the Jets in 1974 and went 9-14 and didn't last two seasons. He was let go after nine games in 1975.</li> <li><strong>George Halas</strong> -- Following the 1967 season in Chicago when Halas left the Bears' post for the final time, he was replaced by Jim Dooley, who was 16 games under .500 (20-36) from 1968-71.</li> <li><strong>Marv Levy</strong> -- Was replaced by Wade Phillips in 1998, and Phillips went 29-19 in three seasons, losing two playoff games.</li> <li><strong>Chuck Noll</strong> -- Bill Cowher took over in 1992 and went 149-90-1 in 15 seasons, reaching two Super Bowls and winning one.</li> </ul>

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