06-26-2016, 05:15 PM
Kevin Seifert, NFL Nation
Before they coached, they played. Most of them. On some level. At least in practice.
If there is a common theme among the NFL's 32 head coaches, it's that almost none of them played with the aptitude they now see in front of them on fall Sundays. They might have reached the pinnacle of the coaching profession, but in most cases, it came after recognizing their limits as players.
There is but a single Pro Bowl appearance among them. Two stopped playing after high school, more than a dozen rode the bench in college and only a third advanced to some level of pro football -- be it the NFL, the CFL or the Arena League. Props go to three schools -- Southern California, Idaho State and Pacific -- who each produced two current head coaches.
What follows is a definitive, inarguable and almost entirely subjective ranking of NFL coaches as players. It's based on verified accomplishments of their playing careers, which in some cases meant very little, and features some pretty rad when-they-were-kids photographs. (Looking at you, John Fox.)
A Harbaugh finished atop ESPN.com's ranking of the playing careers for college coaches, but as you'll see, the NFL's Harbaugh doesn't fare quite as well.
Now, on to the rankings:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/16378780/ranking-nfl-head-coaches-players-32-1
Before they coached, they played. Most of them. On some level. At least in practice.
If there is a common theme among the NFL's 32 head coaches, it's that almost none of them played with the aptitude they now see in front of them on fall Sundays. They might have reached the pinnacle of the coaching profession, but in most cases, it came after recognizing their limits as players.
There is but a single Pro Bowl appearance among them. Two stopped playing after high school, more than a dozen rode the bench in college and only a third advanced to some level of pro football -- be it the NFL, the CFL or the Arena League. Props go to three schools -- Southern California, Idaho State and Pacific -- who each produced two current head coaches.
What follows is a definitive, inarguable and almost entirely subjective ranking of NFL coaches as players. It's based on verified accomplishments of their playing careers, which in some cases meant very little, and features some pretty rad when-they-were-kids photographs. (Looking at you, John Fox.)
A Harbaugh finished atop ESPN.com's ranking of the playing careers for college coaches, but as you'll see, the NFL's Harbaugh doesn't fare quite as well.
Now, on to the rankings:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/16378780/ranking-nfl-head-coaches-players-32-1
