Detroit Lions: A dynamic head coach would make a world of difference

The difference between dynamic and genius

I think that sometimes the word ‘dynamic’ is misunderstood. Especially when we talk about a head coach. Because there is a difference between a coach being dynamic and being a genius.

A head coach can be a genius and still find ways to lose. Matt Patricia was literally a rocket scientist, but he was a failure as a head coach. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is dynamic and has created a winning culture that is a big part of the Ravens’ success.

Being dynamic doesn’t make one a genius, but it’s an ability that a coach can use to get players to buy-in, play smart and hard, and create a winning culture. A dynamic coach will also understand what they want from their team on both sides of the ball and surround themselves with assistants who bring that vision to the table.

For instance, if a dynamic coach wants an explosive offense, they get an offensive pyrotechnics genius as their offensive coordinator and then become well versed with the scheme. If they want an aggressive storm the castle defense, they get a defensive wizard who can create it and, of course, make sure they are also well-schooled in that system.

The term genius is often overused in sports. Not every successful coach is Bill Walsh or Bill Belichick. Yet successful coaches create a winning culture, get the most out of their players, and surround themselves with successful assistant coaches.

In 1954 the New York Giants hired Jim Lee Howell as their head coach. Between his arrival and when he left after the 1960 season, he amassed a .663 winning percentage, won a world championship, and lost to the Baltimore Colts in sudden death overtime in what has been referred to as the greatest game ever played.

But if we take a closer look at that coaching staff, the names Tom Landry, the Giants defensive coordinator, and Vince Lombardi, the offensive coordinator, stand out like a sore thumb. Landry would go on to become the legendary coach who built the Dallas Cowboys into ‘America’s Team’.

Meanwhile, Lombardi of course became the coach of the Green Bay Packer dynasty of the 1960s and perhaps the greatest coach in NFL history. Both are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s an extreme example of a head coach that surrounded himself with dynamic assistants who were also innovative and ahead of the game. But it obviously worked.