College coaches v. Pro coaches

[stinkfish]

Why do some guys fail at the pros, to then succeed in college? For example, Pete Carroll. Awful pro coach, great college coach. Other guys that fit this role are Wanny, Saban, Spurrier.

[DZA]

You really cant put Wanny in their yet.   Wanny  suckin donkey-doo doo in Pitt well not really and saban; well hmm Alabama may be on its way to become an elite  but still has some ways.  But in no doubt Saban is a good college coach.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

You can't put Spurrier in that group either.  He did well at Florida but is still a work in progress at South Carolina.

[JoblessJayFiedler]

Wanny isn't that great of a coach at any level.

Current NCAA record: 16-21
NFL record: 82-86

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Coaching pros and coaching college requires different things.  And being a great pro-coach might suck at the college level.

In college you a design a much simpler game plan and have much less time practice. So if you can excel at putting a decent plan together and coach the team to basic plan quickly you will be successful.

In the Pros you need to put together a plan that is much more complex and precise.  Well beyond anything done in college.

[Sunstroke]

I think it depends more on the situation than anything else.

A lot of times, a college coach will simply get his first shot as an NFL coach in a situation where he not only doesn't have the player talent to be successful, but isn't given enough time to change the player-talent levels before he's axed by a franchise that wants to "win now" without putting in the franchise-building work necessary to win.

[Dave Gray]

It's a partially different skill-set, first of all.  In the Pros, success comes from drafting, choosing contracts, and then the Xs and Os and prep stuff.

In college, you still have the Xs and Os and prep stuff, but you replace drafting with scouting, and don't have to deal with money.


Plus, I don't think it's fair to call Pete Carrol a terrible NFL coach.  He was elite or anything, but he wasn't a joke.  Plus, he was a lot younger, maybe he's learned since then...maybe he relates better to the college game.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Plus, I don't think it's fair to call Pete Carrol a terrible NFL coach.  He was elite or anything, but he wasn't a joke.  Plus, he was a lot younger, maybe he's learned since then...maybe he relates better to the college game.

In many ways Carrol's legacy never had decent shot.  He is sandwiched between two of greatest coaches ever -- Parcels & Belichick. 

Also lots of folks do a better job when given a second shot.  Belichick didn't rackup Canton type qualifications in Cleveland.  Norv Turners best season was his 10th with his third team.  Etc.