A Bears fan's list of favorite opposing coaches

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Over the years the Bears have had an eclectic bunches of coaches, most of whose work I grew to dislike.  I liked Mike Ditka during the Bears heyday during the 1980s but grew disenchanted with him as time wore on.  I loved the 1985 Bears, but that group of players should have won more than one Super Bowl.  Marc Trestman started off fast but quickly completely lost the team.

The Bears coach that inspired the least confidence was Abe Gibron.  Watching Abe confer with starting QB, Bobby Douglas wasn’t exactly faith inspiring.  Actually, I thought Gibron was to head coaching what Douglas was to quarterback play, a square peg in a round hole.  Or in Gibron’s case a round peg in a square hole.  Regardless, it was a poor fit.

In addition to guys that stand out and not necessarily in a good way, are some run of the mill guys like Neil Armstrong and Jack Pardee.  Over the years I’ve also taken note of other NFL coaches I like that coached other teams.  Most of these guys are good to excellent coaches, but sometimes other factors came into play on this list.  Look it over and let me know your favorite NFL coaches who coached teams other than your favorite NFL team.  And here we go.

10: Bill Walsh.  Bill Walsh was the coach of the 49ers during 1980s.  Walsh just seemed like a smart guy who wasn’t overbearing. That’s the type of guy I want coaching my team.  He seemed to coach a sophisticated offense.  Of course, having Joe Montana didn’t hurt.  I’m sure Abe Gibron would have seemed smarter if he had coached Joe Montana instead of Bobby Douglas.

9: Marv Levy.  Marv got the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls and won none of them.  Still getting to four Super Bowls is a great accomplishment and Levy comported himself with class.  I’d be fine with a coach like Levy.

8: Don Shula.  Shula coached the only perfect season in NFL history.  In his day, Don was the prototype of what a great NFL head coach should be.

7: Bud Grant.  Like Marv Levy, Bud Grant also made it to four Super Bowls and won none.  I like the way Grant coached disciple and controlling emotions.  Unlike other coaches, Grant didn’t see the need to work around the clock.  I kind of like that.

6: Vince Lombardi.  Lombardi makes this list because of his discipline and attention to detail.  Because of those qualities, Lombardi coached winners.  I don’t know how Vince would have fared in today’s game, but he was the greatest coach of his time.

5: Don Coryell.  Watching the Chargers during the days of Air Coryell was a treat.  It was something a Bears fan could hardly imagine.   

4: George Allen.  George is the guy that should have followed George Halas as head coach instead of Jim Dooley.  Allen worked with veterans known as “The Over the Hill Gang” with the Redskins with much success.

3:  Tom Landry.  Remember The Captain of Captain and Tennille fame?  Remember how a lot of his personality came from his hat?  That kind of remands me of Tom Landry.  Tom was coach of the Cowboys when they really were America’s team.   His teams were innovative on defense and dynamic on offense.  But mostly, Tom came across as classy, a commodity that is much more rare in today’s game.

2: Hank Stram.  Hank was a great coach, but what gets in this high on this list was the way the Chiefs would “matriculate the ball down the field.”  No team matriculated the ball like Stram’s Chiefs did.

1: Bum Phillips.  Bum was an excellent football coach, but he was also down to earth and extremely entertaining.  When Bum was asked about Earl Campbell’s inability to complete a mile run, Bum replied, “When it’s first and a mile, I won’t give the ball to him.”  While on the Johnny Carson show Bum said he took his wife on road trips because she was too ugly to kiss good-bye.  You don’t see that type of humor coupled with political incorrectness anymore.  Bum was one of a kind.