The 25 Most Overrated "Geniuses" in Sports

While sports may feature stellar athletes and vehement competitors, there are a plethora of brainiacs who linger behind the scenes, subtly creating and destroying the franchises they are hired to guide.

From pretentious general managers who are unwilling to admit defeat to ruthless coaches who relish their own self-worth, these "geniuses" often fall into mediocrity following one or two bad moves.

The problem lies in their stubborn neglect of modification. While they can be remarkable leaders and stout offensive or defensive minds, they fail to learn from their mistakes because they never believe they have made any.

The snowball effect that ensues leaves the next man to occupy the position bereft of cap room or positive team morale.

While some may be stellar in their own right, lack of better performances lands these men on this list.

Here are the most overrated minds in sports.

Enjoy.

25. Brian Burke

While he should be applauded for reviving a beleaguered Vancouver Canucks franchise after taking over in 1998 (drafting the Sedin brothers) and winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Burke may be one of the most overrated general managers in NHL history.

Trading two first-round picks for Phil Kessel is the least of his mistakes. Luck and one-year rentals have flooded Burke's career.

He lost Dustin Penner to RFA when he had plenty of time to sign him, signed Todd Bertuzzi to an exorbitant deal that made him untouchable and lucked out in signing Scott Niedermayer only because Niedermayer wanted to play with his brother Rob.

Burke gets plenty of credit for good moves that haven't necessarily been in his control and is forgiven for moves that killed his franchises.

Maybe luck is all it takes to be a genius.

24. Jeff Fisher

Having previously been the longest-tenured head coach before his somewhat recent firing, one might expect Jeff Fisher to be one of the most successful coaches in history.

His 142-120 record is respectable, but his 5-6 playoff record is not.

He had six winning seasons in almost 17 years and never realized that his team was better with Vince Young. Questionable character issues aside, Young led his team to a 30-17 record, while the Tennessee Titans went 15-18 without him (Kerry Collins mostly).

Fisher become synonymous with the term one-and-done, causing us to wonder how anyone can even hint at genius.

He can thank the Music City Miracle for a slightly better reputation.

23. Jon Gruden

For the record, Gruden's credentials should be even better considering he was on the wrong end of the "Tuck Rule" call, but we're not here to argue the past. We will challenge his genius status.

While the fiery coach had success with the Oakland Raiders early in his career, his Super Bowl win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 placed more expectations on the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl at the time.

He then led the Bucs to a 45-51 record after the title and became an NFL analyst.

A truly inspirational coach who had some bad luck may still lack the credentials to deserve the holy label placed on him.

22. Ray Shero

Don't be fooled by this choice—Shero has been a solid general manager and surrounded the youthful Pittsburgh Penguins core with positive role players, but he is no genius.

However, he inherited an elite team from preceding general manager Craig Patrick.

The solid core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, Max Talbot and Rob Scuderi was already in place when Shero arrived.

While he made a stellar move in trading for Marian Hossa, Shero failed to re-sign Matt Cooke and Scuderi and has depleted his minor league system the past few years, trading away a first-round pick and a top prospect in the Hossa trade—far too much for a rental player.

Another general manager who is star-struck, unable to discern between winning now and building for long-term prosperity.

21. Mike Krzyzewski

With an 827-225 career coaching record and four NCAA tournament championships, Coach K has solidified himself in the upper echelon of college basketball.

However, while many see him as a great coach, he is an even greater recruiter. Being labeled overrated doesn't take away from his accomplishments, but rather instills the belief that he should've won more and his alleged genius title is somewhat superfluous.

He should be supported for being able to keep 10 All-Americans on his team for three or four years when most other teams lose their stars after one season, but questioned for why he doesn't win more titles with the superior talent that is clearly more in sync with the extra time to develop.

We can appreciate the higher graduation rate and the dedication to further educating his recruits, but we must also look at the less than stellar NBA careers of his players.

Carlos Boozer, Grant Hill and perhaps Elton Brand aside, Duke's players haven't exactly flourished.

The likes of Chris Duhon, Shane Battier, Christian Laettner and William Avery continue to ring in our ears.

20. Bryan Colangelo

Always seen as an offensive-minded executive who loves to draft Europeans, Colangelo's career has been a roller-coaster ride.

As general manager of the Phoenix Suns for 11 years, Colangelo saw positives in his draftees, most notably Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire, but was criticized for some questionable trades. His poor moves, however, have often been met with lucky breaks.

He traded Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury and then found a way to dump Marbury and oft-injured Penny Hardaway to the Knicks for some expiring contracts. This cap space allowed him to sign Steve Nash back in 2004.

In 2005, he traded Joe Johnson to the Atlanta Hawks for two first-round picks and Boris Diaw.

While many resented the trade of Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford, that can be appreciated because they already had their franchise man in Chris Bosh playing the same position.

However, he drafted Andrea Bargnani first overall in the 2006 draft with LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay on the board, and he signed Bosh to a four-year, $65 million deal when the man had proved he couldn't carry a team.

Flashy scoring has overshadowed Colangelo's poor team-building skills.

A dime a dozen.

19. Herman Edwards

Fans hear the former Jets coach often speaking on ESPN about everything football, but nothing more than coaching controversy or scheming. He seems to sound like he knows his craft, but his coaching career wasn't as fruitful as he insinuates.

A 54-74 record doesn't stand out, particularly a 2-4 playoff record. A chatty and controversial leader, Edwards has always found some success, only to lead his team to mediocrity.

A 4-12 season in 2005, following three playoff appearances in four years, got him booted out of New York. He then landed in Kansas City in 2006, where he inherited a 10-6 team that also won the division back in 2003.

After winning nine games in 2006, Edwards' Chiefs won four and two games the following two seasons respectively.

You play to win the game.

18. Marvin Lewis

It can be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals head coach isn't truly a genius, though some would disagree.

Known for being a defensive guru, Lewis has seen his team finish in the top half of the league in points allowed only once.

But two winning seasons and one playoff win in eight seasons will surely get you a contract extension with the Bengals.

Lewis has tried his hand at being an offensive guru as well, pairing Terrell Owens with Chad Johnson.

We know how that worked out.

Now it's up to Andy Dalton and A.J. Green to change their fortunes.

17. Andy Reid

If he didn't eat so many cheesesteaks, we might give him the benefit of the doubt.

While he has gone 10-9 in playoff games, his questionable clock-management skills led the Eagles to a 1-4 record in five conference titles games

His tenure has been long and prosperous, with championships just around the corner, but time is always ticking in Philly.

When will he turn that corner, for good or bad?

16. Brian Billick

Currently an analyst for the NFL Network, Billick, once seen as an offensive-minded genius when he led the Minnesota Vikings to a 556-point season, rode his one Super Bowl title with the Baltimore Ravens until the end of his road.

However, this one win was due to a stellar defense, rather than a stout offense, as was expected. In his nine years with the team, the Ravens never finished higher than eighth in scoring and were in the bottom half of the league five times.

Following the Super Bowl win, his team had a 1-3 playoff record.

He got complacent.

15. Wade Phillips

"Wade being Wade" was the motto that was associated with the defensive guru during his time in Dallas.

His 82-59 regular-season record looks solid until we reveal his 1-5 playoff record. A mundane leader and seemingly oblivious manager, Phillips is most recently remembered for his treatment of Dez Bryant's rookie antics.

After Bryant refused to carry Roy Williams' shoulder pads as part of an innocent rookie hazing, players made sure to tell reporters that the situation would be handled. They refused to take sides but yearned for a leader who would lay down the law.

Phillips saw no problem and immediately disregarded the situation. This handling made him a disrespected and controversial coach. Success never seemed like an option.

There was always next year, but it never came.

Others see him as a genius.

14. Norv Turner

Once seen as an outstanding offensive guru with the Dallas Cowboys, Turner's head coaching career hasn't gone as smoothly.

His 99-105-1 career record (49-59-1 in Washington, 9-23 in Oakland and 41-23 in San Diego) may be his most rewarding achievement.

With his offense and defense ranked in the top five, he was still able to miss the playoffs last season. Maybe he should be celebrated for being able to accomplish that feat considering how ludicrous the suggestion is, but we'd rather not take that route.

Clearly he can't win the close games, and his .485 winning percentage is the worst for head coaches with 200 or more games under their belt.

He's one of those coaches that finds a way to stick around through consistent mediocrity.

13. Jerry West

Another genius who has had his title teams built for him.

He took over as general manager of the Lakers prior to the 1982 NBA season, after they had already won a title and drafted Magic Johnson. They also somehow won the lottery and were able to draft James Worthy.

Being blessed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic and Worthy made life easy for the former "Mr. Clutch."

After Kareem and Magic retired, his success faded. With only Worthy still playing, West couldn't find the same prosperity for 10 years.

Fans may say that he found a gem in Kobe Bryant, but in reality Kobe didn't want to play for the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted him, so West was able to swing a deal. Shaquille O'Neal also wanted to be a movie star, so he essentially rolled into West's lap as well. All he had to do was give up Vlade Divac for Kobe, an easy decision.

After the Lakers, West went to the Memphis Grizzlies and made some questionable moves immediately.

He drafted Drew Gooden and then traded him to Orlando for Mike Miller, who played the same position as their second-best player, Shane Battier. His biggest move may have been his lack of aggressiveness in finding someone to help Pau Gasol.

He gets credit for hiring Hubie Brown. The rest is insignificant.

West has always had stellar teams, but from no work of his own.

Just a name.

12. Omar Minaya

The former Mets general manager is a poor man's Billy Beane.

While with the Expos, Minaya was applauded for gaining remarkable talent with such a low payroll and keeping this team consistently average, despite being owned jointly by 29 other teams.

In 2002, Minaya traded Cliff Lee (future Cy Young winner and two-time All-Star), Grady Sizemore (future three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger), Brandon Phillips (future All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner) and Lee Stevens to the Cleveland Indians for Bartolo Colon.

He acquired Cliff Floyd from the Marlins during the outfielder's prime only to deal him to the Boston Red Sox for Sun-Woo Kim within the month.

He is also known for trading away three prospects who found future success in Jason Bay, Carl Pavano and pitcher Chris Young.

It didn't get any better when he signed with the desperate Amazin's.

While the team started out well after signing Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez to eye-popping contracts, the team was built to win in the present, and amidst plenty of other bad moves, one signing can define his career with the Mets.

In 2009, Minaya signed Oliver Perez to a three-year, $36 million deal.

Perez is now in the Washington Nationals minor league system while still earning $12 million this year.

Minaya fails this test, despite some disagreement.

11. Tony Dungy

It's still debatable whether Peyton Manning or Tony Dungy was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts during the latter's tenure.

While he has always been a solid coach (54-42 record with the Buccaneers and 85-27 record with the Colts), Dungy has always had the benefit of coaching talented teams.

But with arguably the best passer of all time running his offense, Dungy only won one Super Bowl and was criticized continuously for being the main reason the Colts could never get past the New England Patriots in the playoffs.

When Dungy left his two teams, they both made it to the Super Bowl the following season.

Teams aren't supposed to get better after losing a genius mind like that.

10. Brett Favre

While we don't need to approach the discussion regarding his legitimacy as one of the best quarterbacks ever, we must question the halo placed above his head.

He is a Hall of Fame signal caller, regardless of opinion, but he is a nuisance in the media and angers fans with his immature disregard of class.

While he was a tough and respectful player throughout most of his career, he began to crave attention in the end.

Some people saw him as a genius, but Favre continued to plague the news with his short-term retirements and ubiquitous questions of "what's he going to do?"

His newfound prima donna swagger took its toll.

9. Billy Beane

Known as the man who was featured in Michael Lewis' book Moneyball, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane deserves plenty of credit for consistently putting together a formidable team with only a $65 million payroll, most notably with stellar pitching. To most, he is a genius.

However, this man may be too frugal in his approach, and his infatuation with prospects often clouds his judgement.

There are many trades that still cause A's fans to shiver.

He traded Andre Ethier for Milton Bradley, Tim Hudson for Charles Thomas, Rich Harden for Sean Gallagher and Nelson Cruz for Keith Ginter (out of baseball, batted .161 for the A's in 2005).

While many may argue that the team couldn't afford its stars even if it kept them, his signings conflict with that opinion.

He signed Esteban Loaiza in 2006 for three years and $21 million (11-9, 4.89 ERA, waived in 2007).

In retrospect, his worst moves include trading Carlos Gonzalez (.336, 34, 117 in 2010 with Colorado), Huston Street and Greg Smith for Matt Holliday, who surely couldn't be afforded long-term.

It may be exciting to trade for prospects, but there needs to be a healthy medium.

He may be smart, but Beane needs to adjust.

8. Bill Belichick

Patriots fans will ignite at this suggestion, but this is one coach who isn't as immortal as many believe.

While he has won three Super Bowls with New England's team from 2001-2004, we must not forget his mediocre tenure before arriving in Boston.

During his tenure in Cleveland, the Browns went 36-44 before firing Belichick after five years. He alienated the Ohio fanbase and treated his players like numbers on a stat sheet.

In his first year with the Pats, the defensive guru led his team to a 5-11 record, with the future looking glum.

Jets linebacker Mo Lewis changed the fortunes of the Patriots franchise in 2001, when he ended 35-year-old quarterback Drew Bledsoe's season with a vicious hit that caused internal bleeding.

Before sixth-round gem Tom Brady took over under center, Belichick had a combined record of 41-57. Since finding his diamond in the rough, the coach continuously associated with "Spygate" has gone 86-24.

There are no coincidences.

7. Mike D'Antoni

Not only was D'Antoni next to Bryan Colangelo during the four consecutive seasons that the Suns won 50 or more games, his style is oddly similar.

Naturally labeled an offensive guru, his game plan, which features a "seven seconds or less" mindset, has always presented fans with plenty of excitement, while his teams score 130 points and give up 125.

This has never led to postseason success, however, as he could never move past the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. With the Knicks it's been a parallel performance, recently getting swept in the first round by the aging Boston Celtics.

A poor leader who avoids defense can never lead to consistent success.

However, he was the first Italian to lead an NBA team.

Well done.

6. Eli Manning

Peyton's younger brother was seen as a franchise savior when he left Ole Miss for the 2004 NFL draft, and a smart one at that.

After scoring 39 on the Wonderlic test, compared to the older Manning's 28, fans expected him to dominate with the same swagger that Peyton displayed, essentially playing chess with the defense.

Eli may change the cadences and chat a lot at the line of scrimmage like his brother, but this wonder child has become a solid yet unspectacular quarterback who continues to boggle fans with his untimely mistakes.

He looks like a genius one moment, as shown during his game-winning drive in the Giants' Super Bowl upset over the Patriots, and then shatters all momentum the next, as displayed during a game against the Eagles.

We continue to shake our heads.

5. Marty Schottenheimer

He may have 200 wins, but this head coach lacked the keen instinct to win in the playoffs, despite being termed a defensive guru.

Now a head coach in the UFL, Schottenheimer used his running style to hold on to games during his time in the NFL. His playoff appearances consisted of running and punting.

His record in the postseason was 5-13.

He was the NFL coach with the most wins since 1966 to never coach a team in the Super Bowl.

After losing in the AFC Divisional Round to the Patriots in 2006 after finishing the season 14-2, Schottenheimer was fired.

Only a matter of time.

4. Bill Parcells

The Big Tuna should buy Bill Belichick dinner for the rest of his life.

He never won anything of significance without Belichick leading his defense and had a tendency to alienate players, cutting them without hesitation.

While he was a remarkable motivator, he finished his tenure in Dallas at 34-32 with no playoff wins.

There have been subtle glimpses of future success in Miami with Jake Long holding down a stout offensive line, but the Dolphins lack a franchise quarterback.

He is seen as a legend.

3. Mike Shanahan

This coach's handling of Donovan McNabb this past season reignites our fiery disdain for this egomaniacal self-proclaimed genius.

While Shanahan is known for making any running back seem solid with his zone-blocking scheme, he has fallen in love with the genius mantle that was undeservedly placed over his head during the John Elway years.

It is baffling as to why he is widely regarded as an offensive guru, considering he inherited Steve Young and Elway and failed to groom any quarterback whom he drafted into anything of worth (most notably Brian Griese).

After Elway's retirement, he only won one playoff game.

Alex Gibbs and an elite offensive line helped block for many 1,000-yard rushers, including draft gem Terrell Davis.

He hit gold with Clinton Portis in 2002, when the Broncos took the bruising Miami Hurricane in the draft. Portis lit up the field, rushing for 1,508 and 1,591 yards in his first two seasons, while setting an NFL record of 5.5 yards per carry in his first two years. The future looked bright.

The offensive-minded coach decided to trade his star back for defensive help in cornerback Champ Bailey. The Broncos defense didn't improve at all, and Peyton Manning threw for 457 yards passing against that "improved" defensive backfield, a record for a non-overtime playoff game.

True genius.

2. Charlie Weis

The offensive genius behind the Patriots dynasty, Weis didn't see the same success at Notre Dame, as seen by his 35-27 record.

While his Erhardt-Perkins offensive system was in place when the Pats won three Super Bowl victories, the team was never ranked higher than No. 17 in his five years, ranking in the lower half of the league four times during that tenure. 

Maybe he just missed Brady Quinn, considering he went 19-6 with Quinn at the reins and 16-21 without.

Always someone to blame.

1. Rex Ryan

Reaching the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons his first two years, Ryan has become one of the brightest minds of today's game.

His defenses have never been ranked lower than No. 6 in the league, and he turned a No. 29-ranked Jets defense into a No. 1 unit.

"Ground and Pound" has definitely given the Jets a warm identity, but let's take a step back.

He's had a good start, but people see him as a genius, and he has yet to earn that status.

Consistent domination is the only stat that builds immortality.

Ask Vince Lombardi.