Are most successful coaches "mean?"

[Silock]

I'm having a hard time thinking of many great coaches that don't yell at their players. Belichick doesn't seem like a yeller. Nor does Phil Jackson. But looking at other successful coaches, it seems that being a hard-ass and yelling seems to do more than being a nice guy. Bill Self yells at his players a LOT. So did Mangino.

Tom Coughlin is a hard-ass. Jim Harbaugh. Bill Cowher. Marty. Nick Saban (college only, it seems). Bobby Knight.

It seems like it takes a special kind of coach to motivate his players without yelling at them to really get their attention. I'm not saying that yelling is indicative of success (lol Haley), just that, in general, it seems like more coaches have more success with being mean than they do with taking the Romeo approach.

I'm also certain that I'm leaving out a ton of coaches that are successful and DON'T yell. So, I'm open to being wrong about this, but it just struck me the other night that I can think of more successful "mean" coaches than successful "nice" coaches.

It also seems as though players today are less comfortable being yelled at than we were back in my day. And I'm only 31, so it's not like I'm THAT old. But I never had a problem with a coach yelling at me to either motivate me or point out mistakes I made on the field. I feel like it made me better as a player.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by NewChief

My sampling size is small, but if I'm judging on Bobby Petrino (mean) vs. John L. Smith (nice), I will take the asshole every day.

Come on, Dude. That's coaching ability, no personality.

And Petrino had his shit pushed in during his NFL stint.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Come on, Dude. That's coaching ability, no personality.

And Petrino had his shit pushed in during his NFL stint.

Petrino got handed a shit sandwich in the NFL, but I agree that his skills probably don't translate to the NFL (he's similar to Saban). The mother****er is a genius at the college level, though, even if he's a completely ****ed up individual.

[NewChief]

But my point remains:

When John L. Smith took over, the players were happy as hell. They were all super convinced they were going to be awesome. "We're like a big family." "We're having a great time!" "Everyone feels really positive."

They were all on Cloud Nine after the tyranny of Petrino (mother****er ran a tight ship that involved serious discipline for missed assignments, not doing enough film study, not making proper reads in the film room due to lack of study). John L. Smith was all touchy feely, and they were all feeling the love.

Then the reality of the season hit, and they got their shit pushed in by the Sun Belt. Awesome.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by scho63

Yelling can only deliver results when it comes sporadically, not as SOP. People who yell 99% of the time to try and motivate or prove they are the boss, lose respect quickly. There are always exceptions to the rule like Bobby Knight or Woody Hayes but that was more about the legacy of the school and the program.

Any boss in my life who tried ruling by being a tyrant had the shortest and least successful career.

As people age, they respond less and less to people yelling.

There's a difference between office life and the NFL life.

But what guys like Haley don't get enough credit for is, for as much as they yell, they're also really good about rewarding those who try hard.

Rex Ryan always felt artificial to me. And I never bought into Singletary's ridiculous shtick. Josh McDaniels looked like a guy who was trying to be tough. The best coaches know how to balance being a dick while also giving you credit when you did things right.

[DaWolf]

It's not about yelling. It's about holding guys accountable and demanding excellence. You also have to have some credibility to do that, so as a first time or young coach, you need to work hard to earn that trust and respect.

I was watching the "Football Life" show on Jimmy Johnson recently, and he said something that made sense. He said that as the head coach, when you walk into the building, you need to make sure that you are able to touch everyone in the organization, and let them know that you recognize them, and are watching them, and be able to motivate everyone from the QB to the backup guard to the guy breaking down film to put in that extra effort to reach excellence. He also said you treat everyone differently, and there is a lot of psychology involved.

That's why I think it is hard for a coach to come in and double as coordinator as well, because the coach needs to spend time motivating those around him to produce at a high level, and display that there are consequences when you aren't cutting it...

[the steam]

Dan Gable. Most successful coach in any sport. Total hard ass

[beach tribe]

Give me the hard ass. A hell of a lot more hard asses have won in this league than pussified "plaers coaches"

[otherstar]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

Lombardi was a total hard ass. He could be nice when he needed to, and treated his players well...but he was a yeller for sure.


-- gotta love the mix of Facenda and Lombardi!

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

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[Mr. Laz]

strict vs mean vs crazy vs ranting


i think all successful coaches are strict and most are mean-ish but i also think they know how to read players and adapt that to fit the players.


crazy and ranting tends to wear out and players stop listening.