In the wake of his book regarding the all-time most overrated and underrated teams, players, coaches, and moments in NFL history, ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio has carved out a niche of sorts when it comes to opining on whether a given team, player, coach, and/or moment is overrated or underrated.
Most recently, Paolantonio takes aim at Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis as two of the currently overrated head coaches.
Fisher, in 14 seasons as coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans, has only two more winning seasons than the franchise for which he works has had names. Fisher also has five losing campaigns and four 8-8 marks.
In the playoffs, Fisher is 5-5 as well, with one Super Bowl appearance. But for the Music City Miracle, Fisher’s postseason mark would be 2-5, with no Super Bowls.
And Fisher, not former G.M. Floyd Reese, is the person who made the call on drafting Pacman Jones.
As to Lewis, we’re not sure he’s overrated. He’s done a good job in a bad situation. Absent evidence that Lewis personally insisted on drafting the various turds who have made his tenure more complex, it’s hard to blame him for the team’s troubles. If anything, the solid coaching abilities of Lewis have helped a team that would still be “earning” a top-five pick in every draft regain some respectability.
Though Paolantonio doesn’t point out any underrated head coaches (he focuses on two underrated assistants), we think that the most underrated head coach is Dick Jauron of the Bills, who has done very well despite difficult situations in Chicago, Detroit (on an interim basis), and Buffalo.
There was also a great discussion of the topic between Paolantonio, Bob Papa, Randy Cross, and Peter King on Wednesday’s Opening Drive on Sirius NFL Radio.
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June 5th, 2008 at 8:09 am
No one should ever quote anything from Sal Paolantonio of
ESPN. Sal has proven with his book how he lacks football
knowlege. Mike Ditka said about Sal’s book on the air.
Who is Sal and what knowledge does he really have that
qualifies him to write and say what he does in his book.
That is a paraphrase from Ditka. Analysts in the media do
not on the air criticize each other unless it is warranted.
This notion of overrated and underrated is based on Sal’s
unqualified opinion.
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June 5th, 2008 at 8:16 am
How dont people see the obvious. Fisher went from coaching the Houston Oilers to the Tennessee Oilers to the Titans. Its quite obvious that their was a budget as tight as a bee in a rats ass for all of those years. Thats not to mention the stadium move they also went through. Most coaches are fired during rebuilding seasons, but Fisher has always stayed put. He fought through those losing seasons to bring the Oilers/Titans back up to Superboul contention. Fisher has brought together a talented group of football players for the 2009 season, now it all rests on Youngs shoulders to play like he can and get that offence moving.
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June 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Lewis overrated? You have to be rated average or better to be overrated.
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June 5th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I think Sal Pal is overrated.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Sal Pal has fallen into the trap of being outrageous for its own sake (well, that and to sell some books). Since the book, I will not even bother reading any columns he writes and if his mug shows up on TV, I flip the channel.
Calling Sal Pal garbage is overrating him.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Paolanonio is a punk. He runs his mouth with hope of gaining attention. He is truly in the mold of the average ESPN talking head…lots of gum flapping wihout really saying much. (see also Steven A Smith, many others)
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:30 am
ProMike, I don’t think Ditka is one to talk about legitimate opinions(Mr. Trade my whole draft for a stinky cheap pot-head). That’s an old and tired line of thinking that’s usually seen in baseball players: How can anyone who never played the game criticize someone who has? Never mind that there are a lot of knowlegable analysts out there, including Sal. Besides, Ditka’s always been an angry blowhard.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:35 am
i like how he has 2 coordinators ahead of Fisher and Lewis….someone needs to tell him that coordinators only have to worry about one side of the ball.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:39 am
@Dirty Waters AKA Hater
Lewis has done a fine job.
“Lewis’s overall record is 35-30, including one postseason game.Since 2007. Bengals went 7-9 last year which would put him “rated average or better”
Thanks for your comment but your ignorance is painful… stick to what you know
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Agreed Casanova
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Fisher has been a great coaches face for the franchise. I’ll admit that I am biased as I coached his son in baseball a few years back and got to know him a little, he is a regular guy without the huge ego you see from others guys around the league.
I think he has a knack for hiring some of the best position coaches, Mike Munchak (OL), Jim Washburn (DL), Alan Lowry (Special Teama), Dave McGinnis (Asst. Head & Linebackers), Jim Schwartz (Def. Coord.),Steve Watterson (Strength & Rehab)& Mike Heimerdinger (Off. Coord.).
Fisher’s love to play for him and he is a winner. Players can spot a phoney and a loser. He has also served the league well on the all iomportant rules committee. Word is that he has significant respect and influence on the committee. If Bud Adams fires him, he would have other head coach job offers in 24 hours.
Sal is a smart guy, but he had a brain fart on this one.
.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Funny Sal…he has as many Super Bowl appearances as Andy Reid.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I agree with Morgan. Fisher has a record just above .500… with a franchise that has had the level of talent that would excuse several awful seasons.
I mean, think of the 49ers. The 49ers and the Titans both went through binge-and-purge cap spending habits. Remember the day a few years ago when the Titans had to essentially release their entire team? Samari Rolle, Derrick Mason, Kevin Carter, Robert Holcombe, Fred Miller and Joe Nedney… all gone. The next season the Titans begin rebuilding and go 4-12. The next season they’re 8-8. In 2007 they go 10-6 and make the playoffs in an incredibly hard division. That’s an amazing turnaround.
Now compare that revival to the SF 49ers. The 49ers spent like crazy to win some Super Bowls and still haven’t recovered. They spent a ton of money on guys like Winfred Tubbs and JJ Stokes and they still haven’t gotten their act together. It’s been 9 years since Steve Young left and the 49ers have 2 playoff appearances and a total record of 57-87.
Pretty similar situations if you ask me. And it’s not as if the Titans are riding some lucky draft picks or a single superstar to good records. They’re competing in the AFC South and doing very well. The 49ers are in a lay-up of a division and can’t get out of their own way. Who’s the prime suspect for the difference between the two teams? Jeff Fisher.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I think you’ve got that absolutely ass backward Florio. Fisher’s Titans teams have routinely overachieved based on the lack of talent he’s generally had to work with. Lewis’s Bengals teams have routinely underachieved based on the abundance of talent he’s generally had to work with. Lewis has had Carson Palmer (probably the 3rd best QB in the league) for his entire tenure there and they have had exactly 1 winning season. If you can’t do better then that with an elite talent at QB like Palmer, then you’re a crappy coach.
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Sal Pal sucks…..but i do agree Marvin Lewis is overrated.
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I completely disagree with Florio’s assessment of Marvin Lewis. For years, Lewis had Carson Palmer throwing to Chad and TJ while Rudi Johnson provided solid ground support. How many playoff wins did Marv manage to scrape together with this Pro Bowl offense? Zero. As to the defense not being great, although plenty of the blame belongs on Mike Brown for insisting on drafting turds/busts, that doesn’t excuse Marvin Lewis, much-heralded for his defensive prowess. Further, this season has really been the first time that Lewis has even attempted to get control of the locker room by cutting players and taking a hardline stance with Chad Johnson. He publicly attempted to excuse players’ bad behavior in the years leading up to this big showdown with Johnson.
Marvin Lewis deserves credit for bringing Cincinnati from miserable to average, but he’s been underachieving from 2004 on.
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I know the broncos were good a decade ago with Elway… but i kinda want to put Shanahan on an overrated list.
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am
“Analysts in the media do not on the air criticize each other unless it is warranted.”
Two words: Sean Salisbury’s “crypt keeper” comments.
After the Ricky Williams fiasco, what makes Mike Ditka think he’s qualified to question anything about matters pertaining to the NFL?
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I must respectfully disagree with the criticism of Jeff Fisher by Sal Paolantonio. The Titans have often overachieved under Fisher, and even the seasons with losing records were often better than they could have been due to the team being cut apart after getting into salary cap trouble after its Super Bowl run.
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June 5th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Exactly Dirty_Waters. I was thinking the same thing. Who’s saying he’s a great coach?? The shine wore off that turd a long time ago.
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June 5th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I’m not a fan of the Titans but I would say you have to respect a coach that can get his young team into the playoffs in the AFC South within a couple years of purging almost your entire roster due to “salary cap hell”.
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June 5th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Fisher is a good coach, but he’s not God. In terms of winning percentage, he’s right under Jon Gruden and over Tom Coughlin, and both those guys have won a Super Bowl. And during the transition to Nashville, he went 32-38 — so it’s not like the move deflates the winning percentage a whole bunch. Really, 32-38 is about what you’d expect during a youth movement. You could argue that was his best coaching.
I took SalPal’s article in that vein: this guy is a good coach, but it’s odd to think Jerry Jones wanted to break the bank for this guy, especially when you consider his coaching style (run the ball, play good D) is anything but flashy.
As far as Ditka’s crap goes, remember that he drafted Fisher. He’ll defend him to the hilt and play the I-played-the-game-and-you-didn’t card.
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June 5th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
“great” discussion with Peter King???? Must have been about Starbucks. Who are, by the way, hugely overrated.
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June 5th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Did we really need Sal to point out the obvious to us. I wouldn’t worry about Fisher, at the rate Vince Young is going he will help get Fisher canned. Lewis, I would worry about… he seems to have carte blanche to do whatever the wants to keep the Bengals perpetually in the cellar of the AFC North. He’s not going to say a word, but Carson Palmer is out of that town the moment he becomes a free agent.
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June 5th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Sal Pal for years has had an axe to grind with Fisher. Back in either 2000 or 2001 befor a Titans/Ravens game Fisher used an analogy (if I remember correctly it had something to do with beating them with sticks or 2×4s) and it was said off the record, however Sal Pal decided to go share it with the Ravens and since then Fisher kinda cut Sal Pal off and this is his way of showing his bias and dislike for Fisher.
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