Don Shula Passes Away at 90

[Pelt]

Hitting all the news outlets now.

 

As far as any 'Mt Rushmore' of NFL head coaches go for me, it'd be Shula, Belichick, Bill Walsh and Paul Brown.

 

EDIT: It was a toss up between Lombardi and Brown for me.

[PrincetonTiger]

RIP DS

[2006Coltsbestever]

Good man, top 5 Coach ever IMO in there with Belichick, Lombardi, Knoll, Walsh, and Landry. He lived a great life, a great 90 years. RIP Coach.

[King Colt]

Best coach the Colts ever had. The King of The Undefeated.

[Mel Kiper's Hair]

A good man and a good coach. RIP Coach Shula.

[rockywoj]

I propose this topic be moved to Colts Football.  Shula is my all-time favourite coach and he became Colts coach in 1963, the year I was born.  Though most may remember him as coach of the Dolphins, he was extremely successful as the Colts HC for the better part of a decade.  An indelible part of my Colts love!

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001112598/article/don-shula-dies-at-age-90-iconic-coach-left-indelible-mark-on-nfl

[PrincetonTiger]

I didn’t like him growing Up but probably would have if was older since not only did he coach the Colts he coached the fellow Pocketeer Bob Griese

[cdgacoltsfan]

Great coach, even better person. RIP DS

[Coltsman1788]

Why isn’t this in the Colts thread??? He was the head coach of some legendary Colts teams.  That 68 Colts that lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III was perhaps the greatest Colts team ever.
 

RIP Coach Shuler. 

[Coffeedrinker]

It's always sad when a legend passes away, and while I didn't like Shula because his Dolphins usually beat the Colts  .  The man was a great, innovative coach and one of the reasons why the NFL is the most popular sport in the US today.

[LockeDown]

Growing up, Colts were my number 1 team and the Dolphins were my 2nd, so I loved Don Shula. I’m glad he had a long life.

[Rackeen305]

Although I'm not a Dolphin fan, there are alot of Miami locals who are. And I can tell you this. Iron jaw Shula brought an undeniable since of Dolphin pride for the city. Hate him or love him, you have to respect Shula. Pound for pound, the greatest NFL coach of all time. Rip Don Shula.

[The Old Crow]

Let me first say, Don Shula was a great coach. His record was 71-23-4 with the Baltimore Colts over seven seasons. 
 

One interesting story is that Shula went to Carroll Rosenbloom for a raise after the Colts had lost Super Bowl 3 to the Jets . Despite winning the NFL Championship in 1968, Rosenbloom was still enraged over the Jet’s loss. He told Shula he wouldn’t give a raise to a coach who lost to a coach he had fired, Weeb Eubank . This sent Shula on the road to Miami, and the rest is history. 

[LockeDown]

1 hour ago, The Old Crow said:

Let me first say, Don Shula was a great coach. His record was 71-23-4 with the Baltimore Colts over seven seasons. 
 

One interesting story is that Shula went to Carroll Rosenbloom for a raise after the Colts had lost Super Bowl 3 to the Jets . Despite winning the NFL Championship in 1968, Rosenbloom was still enraged over the Jet’s loss. He told Shula he wouldn’t give a raise to a coach who lost to a coach he had fired, Weeb Eubank . This sent Shula on the road to Miami, and the rest is history. 

As a kid, I remember my father had Weeb Eubanks physical fitness book sitting in his bedroom but I do t think he ever used it. Haha. Only years later did I realize he beat my Colts. 

[The Old Crow]

2 hours ago, LockeDown said:

As a kid, I remember my father had Weeb Eubanks physical fitness book sitting in his bedroom but I do t think he ever used it. Haha. Only years later did I realize he beat my Colts. 

He won for us in 58 and 59, and broke our hearts in Super Bowl 3. I remember Weeb as a somewhat portly guy, so his fitness book may have consisted of a few jumping jacks and a knee bend !!!!

[jameszeigler834]

On 5/4/2020 at 12:01 PM, King Colt said:

Best coach the Colts ever had. The King of The Undefeated.

Rip to one of the best and if you see his record I would think the best outside of maybe Lombardi. Belichick is a cheating pile of trash im never gonna give that fill in the blank any credit or respect.

[bleevit]

I remember being stationed at Key West in the Navy in 72 and enjoying how the Dolphins kind of put south Florida on the map. Go with God coach!

[King Colt]

On 5/5/2020 at 5:31 PM, jameszeigler834 said:

Rip to one of the best and if you see his record I would think the best outside of maybe Lombardi. Belichick is a cheating pile of trash im never gonna give that fill in the blank any credit or respect.

That brings up the question of how Belichick will be remembered. If he goes in to the HoF how many commentators will bring up his cheating? Pete Rose is not allowed in the baseball HoF for betting so why should Belichick go in when he is proven without question to have cheated on more than one occasion?

[FortheWin]

On 5/7/2020 at 11:21 AM, King Colt said:

That brings up the question of how Belichick will be remembered. If he goes in to the HoF how many commentators will bring up his cheating? Pete Rose is not allowed in the baseball HoF for betting so why should Belichick go in when he is proven without question to have cheated on more than one occasion?

I don't think it will be mentioned at all. People barely bring it up now. The winning is just so astounding especially when compared to other coaches like Shula, Parcells, Gibbs. 

[crazycolt1]

12 hours ago, FortheWin said:

I don't think it will be mentioned at all. People barely bring it up now. The winning is just so astounding especially when compared to other coaches like Shula, Parcells, Gibbs. 

Parcells? Did you know that Jeff Fisher has one more win than Parcells?

Parcells is 12th on the list. 

Gibbs is 18th.

[FortheWin]

18 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

Parcells? Did you know that Jeff Fisher has one more win than Parcells?

Parcells is 12th on the list. 

Gibbs is 18th.

I did not know that. I was more referencing Parcells 2 SB wins which generally puts him in most lists of greatest coaches of all time.

[crazycolt1]

11 hours ago, FortheWin said:

I did not know that. I was more referencing Parcells 2 SB wins which generally puts him in most lists of greatest coaches of all time.

Yeah, that is the general consensus but one wide right kick by Scott Norwood may have had something to do with that? 

My point is take Tom Coughlin. He has just two less career wins than Parsells but he has two super bowls wins as well. Both with the Giants. He is not in the HOF? 

Just food for thought.

[2006Coltsbestever]

It's tough to do a MT Rushmore of all-time coaches because you can only choose 4. If I had to choose the 4 they would be:

Lombardi, Belichick, Walsh, and Shula. It's seems crazy to leave off Knoll and Landry though.

[FortheWin]

1 hour ago, crazycolt1 said:

Yeah, that is the general consensus but one wide right kick by Scott Norwood may have had something to do with that? 

My point is take Tom Coughlin. He has just two less career wins than Parsells but he has two super bowls wins as well. Both with the Giants. He is not in the HOF? 

Just food for thought.

I think Coughlin will get into the HoF eventually. Do you have something against Parcells?  I admit I am not his biggest fan but I respect his career and do feel he is HoF worthy give he turned around a lot of franchises.

[Dogg63]

5 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It's tough to do a MT Rushmore of all-time coaches because you can only choose 4. If I had to choose the 4 they would be:

Lombardi, Belichick, Walsh, and Shula. It's seems crazy to leave off Knoll and Landry though.

Lombardi, Walsh, Shula, Halas, in that order.

 

Further down the list: Knoll, Landry, Belichick, Brown, Gibbs, and Lambeau

[crazycolt1]

5 hours ago, FortheWin said:

I think Coughlin will get into the HoF eventually. Do you have something against Parcells?  I admit I am not his biggest fan but I respect his career and do feel he is HoF worthy give he turned around a lot of franchises.

Personally I think how Parcells handled Lawrence Taylor is truly a crime. 

He knew Taylor was doing cocaine in Taylor's rookie year and choose to turn his back on the problem. The problem escalated as Taylor's career went on. He let maybe the best player in the history of the game ruin his life just for the sake of winning.  You ask if I had a problem with Parcells? Well, there it is. 

 

[IkeAramba]

On 5/5/2020 at 11:31 PM, jameszeigler834 said:

Rip to one of the best and if you see his record I would think the best outside of maybe Lombardi. Belichick is a cheating pile of trash im never gonna give that fill in the blank any credit or respect.

 

On 5/7/2020 at 4:21 PM, King Colt said:

That brings up the question of how Belichick will be remembered. If he goes in to the HoF how many commentators will bring up his cheating? Pete Rose is not allowed in the baseball HoF for betting so why should Belichick go in when he is proven without question to have cheated on more than one occasion?

 

Saw an article (https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/05/11/nfl-season-dr-fauci-coronavirus-fmia-peter-king/) which indicated that when in 1973 he was offered an opportunity to cheat by using the Raiders gameplan that one of his players had found when using their training facilities, he said "Tear it up. If we can’t beat ‘em straight up, we shouldn’t beat ‘em."  The Dolphins lost the game, but his actions make it clear he is a very different man than Belichick.

[FortheWin]

To me Shula was always the epitome of a guy that underachieved. To have Dan Marino all those years and never win is a real head scratcher as Marino is considered by many to be the GOAT. I do wonder how Shula's legacy would be looked at if the 72 team did not go undefeated.

[crazycolt1]

14 minutes ago, FortheWin said:

To me Shula was always the epitome of a guy that underachieved. To have Dan Marino all those years and never win is a real head scratcher as Marino is considered by many to be the GOAT. I do wonder how Shula's legacy would be looked at if the 72 team did not go undefeated.

I guess you overlooked 1968 with the Colts and the TWO super bowls in 1972 and 1973 with the Dolphins.

No head coach with a record of 328-156-6 can be called an underachiever. 

He is the main face on the Mt. Rushmore of NFL head coaches. 

[FortheWin]

1 minute ago, crazycolt1 said:

I guess you overlooked 1968 with the Colts and the TWO super bowls in 1972 and 1973 with the Dolphins.

No head coach with a record of 328-156-6 can be called an underachiever. 

He is the main face on the Mt. Rushmore of NFL head coaches. 

I didn't overlook it at all. It is precisely because he won in the late 60s and early 70's and didn't win anything with Marino that I feel he underachieved. Still a great coach though for sure.

[crazycolt1]

Just now, FortheWin said:

I didn't overlook it at all. It is precisely because he won in the late 60s and early 70's and didn't win anything with Marino that I feel he underachieved. Still a great coach though for sure.

I suppose if you think Super Bowls are the measuring stick. 

That is a team accomplishment while the QB (Marino) is just one player. 

Shula collected a lot of those wins when the NFL didn't play 16 games a season. 

Think what you want but you will be a minority. 

[King Colt]

On 5/11/2020 at 8:59 AM, FortheWin said:

To me Shula was always the epitome of a guy that underachieved. To have Dan Marino all those years and never win is a real head scratcher as Marino is considered by many to be the GOAT. I do wonder how Shula's legacy would be looked at if the 72 team did not go undefeated.

Marino's Achilles heel: One name: Joe Montana

[Imgrandojji]

On 5/7/2020 at 11:21 AM, King Colt said:

That brings up the question of how Belichick will be remembered. 

as a ruthless coach with an excellent eye for talent and a disdain for the rules.  And as one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history, no matter what asterisks you want to try to give him. 

 

I guarantee you that he was the first head coach to do exactly zero of the things he was accused of doing, for whatever that's worth.

[Imgrandojji]

On 5/8/2020 at 11:56 AM, FortheWin said:

I don't think it will be mentioned at all. People barely bring it up now. The winning is just so astounding especially when compared to other coaches like Shula, Parcells, Gibbs. 

I agree, the big thing here is that Belichick isn't exactly the first coach or team to play dirty.  The two consistently dirtiest teams in NFL history are the Broncos and Steelers.  The Pats are somewhere in the lower middle of the pack, even if you assume everything that is rumored to have happened is exactly true.

 

https://yourteamcheats.com/

 

Summary: the cheating thing doesn't have a ton to do with why they won.  Lots of cheating teams were nowhere near this successful.

[FortheWin]

18 hours ago, Imgrandojji said:

I agree, the big thing here is that Belichick isn't exactly the first coach or team to play dirty.  The two consistently dirtiest teams in NFL history are the Broncos and Steelers.  The Pats are somewhere in the lower middle of the pack, even if you assume everything that is rumored to have happened is exactly true.

 

https://yourteamcheats.com/

 

Summary: the cheating thing doesn't have a ton to do with why they won.  Lots of cheating teams were nowhere near this successful.

 

In general, I think the cheating thing in all pro sports is waaay overblown due to our culture these days. We all know teams and players have cheated/bent rules since the beginning of time. There is no bastion of integrity anywhere. For Shula to say he did things the right way is laughable. The Dolphins tampered with the Colts to hire him in the first place which cost them a first round pick. He also had players on steroids and was named in the lawsuit as one of the coaches forcing his players to take pain killers so they would play. To me, none of it really matters. He is still a Hof coach. 

[crazycolt1]

18 hours ago, Imgrandojji said:

I agree, the big thing here is that Belichick isn't exactly the first coach or team to play dirty.  The two consistently dirtiest teams in NFL history are the Broncos and Steelers.  The Pats are somewhere in the lower middle of the pack, even if you assume everything that is rumored to have happened is exactly true.

 

https://yourteamcheats.com/

 

Summary: the cheating thing doesn't have a ton to do with why they won.  Lots of cheating teams were nowhere near this successful.

The NFL disagrees with you.

The Patriots have been the most fined team in the history of the NFL. 

That would have been added to if Kraft's issue with hookers hadn't suddenly disappeared. 

[crazycolt1]

18 hours ago, Imgrandojji said:

I agree, the big thing here is that Belichick isn't exactly the first coach or team to play dirty.  The two consistently dirtiest teams in NFL history are the Broncos and Steelers.  The Pats are somewhere in the lower middle of the pack, even if you assume everything that is rumored to have happened is exactly true.

 

https://yourteamcheats.com/

 

Summary: the cheating thing doesn't have a ton to do with why they won.  Lots of cheating teams were nowhere near this successful.

The site you are using is a huge pile of horse dung. And you know it. 

So just stop it. 

[FortheWin]

10 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

The NFL disagrees with you.

The Patriots have been the most fined team in the history of the NFL. 

That would have been added to if Kraft's issue with hookers hadn't suddenly disappeared. 

Denver has actually incurred the most fines in NFL history --1.9 million total for messing with the salary cap rules. The harshest punishment ever handed out was to the Saints for bountygate where they were fined, lost draft picks and had executives and coaches suspended.

[crazycolt1]

10 minutes ago, FortheWin said:

Denver has actually incurred the most fines in NFL history --1.9 million total for messing with the salary cap rules. 

Not since Goodell took over. 

Kraft and Belichick both have been fined 1.5 million combined. 

[FortheWin]

1 minute ago, crazycolt1 said:

Not since Goodell took over. 

Kraft and Belichick both have been fined 1.5 million combined. 

Ok. But the NFL goes back 100 years. Teams have been getting caught for cheating since the beginning and it will continue as long as pro sports are played.