Three former New York Giants assistant coaches are amongst Professional Soccer Community’s prime 10 NFL defensive coordinators of all time.
Invoice Belichick (No. 1), Steve Spagnuolo (No. 3), and Tom Landry (No. 8) had been all listed in a current ballot by PFN’s Dallas Robinson.
Landry, most famous for his three-decades-long profession as the top coach of the Dallas Cowboys, started his profession as a player-coach with Large Blue within the Fifties.
Because the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator from 1954-59, Landry was a real innovator. He devised the 4-3 protection, including a center linebacker and creating the entrance alignment nonetheless used within the NFL right now. As Dallas’ HC, Landry additionally invented the “Flex” protection, a spot scheme that allowed for elevated flexibility.
Spagnuolo, a well-traveled assistant who’s now reaching legendary standing with the present Kansas Metropolis Chiefs dynasty after three Tremendous Bowl wins over the previous 4 seasons, started his coordinator profession with the Giants.
After all, that’s not all Spagnuolo has executed within the NFL. Throughout his first stint because the New York Giants’ DC (2007-08), Spags upset the beforehand undefeated New England Patriots, shutting down arguably the best offense in league historical past en path to a Tremendous Bowl XLII.
Lastly, Belichick — maybe the best coach within the historical past of the league with a mixed eight Tremendous Bowl championships — tops the record, and rightfully so. He started his illustrious profession as Large Parcells’ DC with the Lawrence Taylor-led Giants within the Nineteen Eighties.
Working underneath Invoice Parcells with the Giants from 1985-90, Belichick received Tremendous Bowls XXI and XXV because the membership’s DC. In Tremendous Bowl XXV, Belichick’s protection shut down Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Payments, who led the NFL in scoring in 1990 and had put up 51 factors in opposition to the Raiders within the AFC title recreation. His recreation plan from the victory is now within the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame.
Anybody who was round again then for the 20-19 win over Buffalo in Tremendous Bowl XXV is aware of the greatness of Belichick. What the Giants did in that recreation was nothing wanting exceptional.
Others on the record embrace Vic Fangio (10), Monte Kiffin (9), Bud Carson (7), Dom Capers (6), Wade Phillips (5), Dick Lebeau (4), and Buddy Ryan (2).