The recent dispute between Vikings head coach Brad Childress and quarterback Brett Favre got me thinking; who are the most overrated head coaches in sports? There are plenty to choose from but keep in mind there is a difference from being overrated and just plain bad. In order to be overrated as a head coach, you must have people believing that you are actually good. Here are the top five.
1. Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers: There is no current coach who has benefited from one player quite like Brown has. He has also been fortunate to play in a largely inferior conference over the last few years. After making the finals in the 2006-07 season, the Cavs have regressed over the last two seasons losing the in the conference quarterfinals and conference finals. Unfortunately for Brown, his free ride may come to an end sooner rather than later if LeBron leaves Cleveland when he becomes a free agent after this season.
2. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings: Childresswould not really be overrated if not for the contract extension he recently received becuase he would have still been in his first contract as an NFL head coach. But now that he is going to be making between four and five million dollars a season, he is definitely overpaid and overrated. Usually a career postseason record of 0-1 doesn’t earn a head coach an extension, but apparently that’s what happens when you get Brett Favre to join your team.
3. Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics: Prior to Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joining the Celtics for the 2007-08 season, Rivers had managed to lead Boston to an abysmal 102-144 record in three seasons. His job appeared to be on the line before the Celtics landed two superstars in one offseason. That was when we found out something crazy; good players make bad coaches look good. The secret to winning a title with a mediocre head coach is to sign veteran star players and let them do the leading. Rivers is the perfect example of this. Before winning the 2007-08 finals, Rivers had never won a postseason series in eight years as a head coach.
4. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles: Reid is the coach on this list most fans would probably be inclined to argue with, but if we truly value championships, there isn’t much of an argument against him being overrated. In big games, Reid has a history of being out coached by his opponents. No one is going to claim that a coach like Wade Phillips is better than Reid, but the problem is that no one in their right mind actually thinks Wade Phillips is a good head coach. Yes he did lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl, but he also has a history of losing games to inferior teams like this year’s Week 6 loss to the Raiders.
5. Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox: Although Guillen did lead the White Sox to their first World Series victory in nearly a century, he hasn’t done a whole lot since. Guillen has really become more well known for his outspoken personality than his actual managerial ability. A stat to remember with Guillen; if you take out the year Chicago won the World Series in 2005, the White Sox have only made the playoffs one time in his other five years as manager, winning only one game.
