The Man for the 'Skins, Part One: Mike Holmgren vs. Mike Shanahan

“One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority.”—Napoleon Bonaparte

On Monday, we introduced the concept of pretending to be Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder as he surveys the landscape of out—of—work head coaches who have won Super Bowls. 

Today and Wednesday, we’ll break down those five coaches and shed light on what “The Daniel” can expect if he were to hire any of them. All bring unique qualities to their profession, all have unique styles and all take different approaches to winning in the NFL.

Remember, becoming a head coach in the NFL is a tougher professional achievement than becoming a U.S. Senator.

It’s a very small group of leaders that should be the best and the brightest. Often, however, the hiring process does not bring the best and the brightest to the forefront—but that’s a story for another column. Today, we need to help Mr. Snyder pick the right coach.

(Side note: I have always been a Redskins fan, starting with the day Edward Bennett Williams hired Vince Lombardi from the Packers. Even though Lombardi died in 1970, I remained a ‘Skins fan until my hiring by the San Francisco 49ers in May 1984. So I have a soft spot in my heart for them and want them to do well.)

I have not included former Indy Colts coach Tony Dungy or former Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys coach Bill Parcells in this breakdown since they’ve indicated they are officially retired from coaching—and I’m taking them at their word.

Dungy is a man who values significance over success, so I don’t expect him to jump right back into the fire of NFL coaching.

Do I think he’ll never come back? I’ve learned after 23 years in the NFL to never say never. As for Parcells, I really believe he enjoys his current role with the Dolphins and honestly think his coaching days are over. But again, never say (or write) never.

Each of these head coaches will bring a “band of brothers.” Much like when Joe Gibbs brought back his posse, expect each one to have a select group of coaches or administrators attached to his infrastructure.

If for some reason we don’t like any of the “band of brothers,” it might seriously damage our chances of securing the head coach’s services. So, we must evaluate the head coach along with the organizational infrastructure attached to him.

On to the evaluations.

For the record, I’ve worked with all of these men except Brian Billick. Today, we’ll examine the two Mikes—Shanahan and Holmgren—then look at Bill Cowher, Jon “Love You Bro” Gruden and Billick on Wednesday. On Thursday, we’ll make a recommendation to “The Daniel” if, in fact, he needs a coach next January.

Another factor to consider in each evaluation is what I call the “Art Modell Hiring/Firing Procedure.” Modell was a great owner—funny, honest and caring, but most of all, he wanted desperately to win a championship.

He was a joy to work for; he might have fired a few coaches and executives, but he always cared about people. The firings were business, not personal.

What I learned from working for Mr. Modell was that he would often fire someone for doing three things poorly, but ignore the 25 things the person did very well.

Then he would hire someone who did those three things very well but only did 10 other things well. So at the end of the day, he never improved the situation. As Bill Walsh once said, “the search for the perfect player never ends.”

The theory goes when searching for a coach as well.

Mike Shanahan: 56 Years Old, 146-95 Overall Record, Two Super Bowls

The above quote by Napoleon applies to Mike. Leaving Denver might be the best thing that has happened to Shanahan, because it’s given him a chance to recharge his batteries, review what he did well in Denver, as well as the things he did poorly.

Shanahan is the type of leader who learns from his mistakes. He has a great sense of pride, craves information, wants to excel, and is not afraid to change.

This firing was not expected; it will serve as a rallying cry for him to get back to basics and come back better than ever. Self-evaluation has probably been a big part of Mike’s life in the past six months.

Mike is also the type of leader who has to be in full control of the roster, the personnel movement, and the organization’s philosophy. When hiring Mike, you get a comprehensive program, one that can win Super Bowls.

Now that he’s had time to reflect on the closing years in Denver, it’s my belief that when Mike returns to the sidelines, it will be with an improved plan that accounts for his mistakes.

Someone I respect greatly in the NFL once told me, “If Mike Shanahan ever had the right personnel man to help him, he would win Super Bowls every year.” That line was one of the main reasons I went to Denver to see if I could assist him.

Personnel issues on defense became his downfall as the players he counted on to be effective didn’t perform. Mistakes were made, huge money was lost and the residual effect of each bad signing eventually cost Mike his job.

Shanahan is one of the best strategic coaches in the NFL. He brings instant credibility to a franchise, along with a huge boost to the offense. He understands the essential elements of what it takes to win an NFL championship. He also has two years left on his contract, averaging around $7 million per season.

There’s an old Army adage that goes, ”The hungry solder is the best soldier.” That theory may apply to Mike, whose hunger to prove he’s still a top—flight coach yearns inside.

 

Mike Holmgren: 61 Years Old, 170-111 Overall Record, One Super Bowl

Mike is one of my all—time favorite people in the NFL, in large part because I can still remember the day I clipped his picture out of the BYU media guide and glued it to a white piece of paper for Coach Walsh to review.

It was 1986, and Paul Hackett had just left to go the Cowboys. Hackett coached quarterbacks and wide receivers for the 49ers, and Coach Walsh wanted to split the positions, hiring someone for quarterbacks and someone else for wide receivers.

Eventually, Holmgren became the quarterbacks coach and his career took off, becoming head coach in Green Bay in 1992.

Mike brings a demanding presence to any organization. He has strong beliefs in how he runs his version of the west coast offense.

He may not change much of the basic concepts of the offense, but he still is able to achieve success. No matter who hires Holmgren next season, the offense will look the same, but will run effectively. Much like Shanahan, his quarterback will perform at a very high level.

Holmgren will bring the 49ers’ infrastructure to any organization that hires him. He will want control over the personnel, but what matters most is for the personnel man to know exactly what Holmgren wants in each player.

This concept has gotten out of control. Holmgren should have control over each player, but he needs a personnel man who can read his mind, knowing exactly what it takes to play for Mike.

And like Shanahan, Holmgren is hungry to coach again. He has a bad taste in his mouth from his last year with the injury-riddled Seahawks and doesn’t want to end his career on a sour note. I was very excited to learn that Holmgren has made it clear he wants to be back in the game. He’s rested, revived and determined.

Another hungry soldier.