SHULA vs PARCELLS

[74_75_78_79_]

Both of them having two Rings, of course, is just tip of iceberg. Two of the best ever, if not the two best ever, at being able to readjust and still win with whatever roster is in front of them. Neither to be pigeonholed as 'meat-and-potatoes', running-and-defense. Shula proved it with Marino, Parcells with Bledsoe; neither one 'forcing' a running game. One difference - big difference - is one of them staying much, much longer with the same team while the other moved around quite a bit. I'd guess Shula gets the nod for being more so an innovator to today's game while Tuna gets nod for having a better eye for talent, but I'm quite torn after that. This is a tough one.

Each had an assistant who went on to win 4 SBs as a HC.

[Bryan]

Without looking into anything in great detail, it seemed like Shula's teams were ALWAYS competitive, whereas Parcells' teams had more difficulty sustaining success. Shula's early-70s Dolphins teams are amongst the best in history...the closest thing Parcells has to that is his 1986 Giants team, and its really not even that close. I don't know if that makes Parcells "better" or "worse" in the context of the discussion. If I am ranking all-time coaches, I have Shula in a tier above Parcells (although both were great).

[rhickok1109]

After his 8-season stint with the Giants, Parcells couldn't stay long with one team because players got sick of his insults and his deceit. His record was basically mediocre over his last 11 seasons and he had a 3-5 record in the playoffs. I wouldn't rank him anywhere near Shula.

[SixtiesFan]

After his 8-season stint with the Giants, Parcells couldn't stay long with one team because players got sick of his insults and his deceit. His record was basically mediocre over his last 11 seasons and he had a 3-5 record in the playoffs. I wouldn't rank him anywhere near Shula.

I've wondered if Vince Lombardi had lived and coached another 10 years or so if his career would have gone somewhat like Parcells' did after he left the Giants.

[BD Sullivan]

After his 8-season stint with the Giants, Parcells couldn't stay long with one team because players got sick of his insults and his deceit. His record was basically mediocre over his last 11 seasons and he had a 3-5 record in the playoffs. I wouldn't rank him anywhere near Shula.

I've wondered if Vince Lombardi had lived and coached another 10 years or so if his career would have gone somewhat like Parcells' did after he left the Giants.

Given how virulently anti-union (at least when it came to the NFL) he was, he probably would have lost the Redskins as a team unit in 1974.

[rhickok1109]

After his 8-season stint with the Giants, Parcells couldn't stay long with one team because players got sick of his insults and his deceit. His record was basically mediocre over his last 11 seasons and he had a 3-5 record in the playoffs. I wouldn't rank him anywhere near Shula.

I've wondered if Vince Lombardi had lived and coached another 10 years or so if his career would have gone somewhat like Parcells' did after he left the Giants.

It's a good question and, of course, impossible to answer definitively. But I don't think the comparison is quite apt. Lombardi didn't vilify his players and question their manhood the way Parcells constantly did. He knew which buttons to push with each player; some needed criticism, some needed babying, and there were all shades in between. Lombardi was a good intuitive psychologist to know the best way to treat each player and acted accordingly. And Lombardi never lied to a player.

I don't know of a player who hated Lombardi after playing for him for any length of time but I would guess that a majority of those who played for Parcells in New England, Dallas, and New York ended up hating him.

[74_75_78_79_]

QBs in particular don't seem to look back fondly on playing for Parcells. I can remember Bledsoe complaining publicly about Parcells the year after he left NE while praising the new HC, Pete Carroll. This, of course, was eons before Pete would truly get to prove himself as a legit NFL HC. At the time it seemed as if Drew was 'immature', wining about a coach being too tough even if it meant making you a better player as well as the team you're on. Correct me if wrong, but I think Testaverde was treated relatively well by Tuna in both his stints for NYJ and later Dallas. And let's face it, Vinny's best years as an NFL QB, bar-none, were when he played for the Tuna.

Then you got Shula whose QBs all seem to look back quite fondly playing for him, but Johnny U seems to be the exception. I heard they truly didn't see eye-to-eye. Johnny would change the plays in the huddle constantly and I believe he gave a quote later on (don't know it verbatim) about not so much as urinating on him if he saw him across the street and on fire. Seemed like a classic case of clash of personalities to me unless some of you in here may know the real lowdown of it all. I know Unitas and MIke Curtis clashed quite a bit as well. Perhaps Shula/Unitas can be compared a bit to Marino/JJohnson.

I wonder how Unitas and Parcells would have got along?

[SixtiesFan]

QBs in particular don't seem to look back fondly on playing for Parcells. I can remember Bledsoe complaining publicly about Parcells the year after he left NE while praising the new HC, Pete Carroll. This, of course, was eons before Pete would truly get to prove himself as a legit NFL HC. At the time it seemed as if Drew was 'immature', wining about a coach being too tough even if it meant making you a better player as well as the team you're on. Correct me if wrong, but I think Testaverde was treated relatively well by Tuna in both his stints for NYJ and later Dallas. And let's face it, Vinny's best years as an NFL QB, bar-none, were when he played for the Tuna.

Then you got Shula whose QBs all seem to look back quite fondly playing for him, but Johnny U seems to be the exception. I heard they truly didn't see eye-to-eye. Johnny would change the plays in the huddle constantly and I believe he gave a quote later on (don't know it verbatim) about not so much as urinating on him if he saw him across the street and on fire. Seemed like a classic case of clash of personalities to me unless some of you in here may know the real lowdown of it all. I know Unitas and MIke Curtis clashed quite a bit as well. Perhaps Shula/Unitas can be compared a bit to Marino/JJohnson.

I wonder how Unitas and Parcells would have got along?

I've read that any coach has a hard time with an accomplished veteran QB. This theme was in books by Y.A. Tittle and John Brodie. Both Brodie and Tittle indicated a QB and coach fight for control of the offense. In an interview I saw with Pete Gent, he said Meredith battled Landry for a long time but eventually gave up. Then he retired.

[BD Sullivan]

Then you got Shula whose QBs all seem to look back quite fondly playing for him, but Johnny U seems to be the exception. I heard they truly didn't see eye-to-eye. Johnny would change the plays in the huddle constantly and I believe he gave a quote later on (don't know it verbatim) about not so much as urinating on him if he saw him across the street and on fire. Seemed like a classic case of clash of personalities to me unless some of you in here may know the real lowdown of it all. I know Unitas and MIke Curtis clashed quite a bit as well. Perhaps Shula/Unitas can be compared a bit to Marino/JJohnson.

I wonder how Unitas and Parcells would have got along?

Shula and Unitas were actually teammates in 1956, and Shula was only three years older than him. The fact that both had pretty big egos made it inevitable that there would be friction.

[Andrew McKillop]

After his 8-season stint with the Giants, Parcells couldn't stay long with one team because players got sick of his insults and his deceit. His record was basically mediocre over his last 11 seasons and he had a 3-5 record in the playoffs. I wouldn't rank him anywhere near Shula.

I'd hardly say Parcells's post-Giants career was mediocre. It's important to keep in mind that he took over teams that were in the toilet. You could make a strong argument that two of the franchise's he took over (Patriots, Cowboys) are still benefiting from his decisions.

With that said, Shula was the better all-around head coach.