How Good of a Head Coach Was Tom Landry?

How Good of a Head Coach Was Tom Landry?
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Answer by John DeMarchi,

Upfront: I hate Dallas.

My team, the Bills, was on the receiving end of two Jimmy Johnson era butt kickings in the Super Bowl.

But you have to give greatness its due. And for years, Tom Landry was as good as it got in the NFL.

Bill Belichick is a great coach - one of the best ever, arguably, with Shula, Walsh, Paul Brown, Gibbs, Parcells, and that Lombardi guy the Super Bowl trophy is named after.

But Tom Landry needs to be on that list, too.

Landry went 250-162 in his coaching career, but before he lost his fastball in his last five seasons, he was 202-119 with five Super Bowl appearances and two wins. http://www.pro-football-referenc...

Belichick is 187-101 with five Super Bowl appearances and three wins - better, but it is close.

From 1966-1983, Landry's teams went 189-66. Process that. He coached 14 teams with 10+ wins in 16 years, and in a lot of those years, teams played just 14 games!

Since 2001, Belichick has been 146-46. http://www.pro-football-referenc...

From 1981-88, Bill Walsh went 84-35-1.. Double that, and you have 168-70-2, worse than Landry! http://www.pro-football-referenc.... Walsh was one of the best ever, but statistically, at both men's zenith, Landry did slightly better for twice as long.

Lombardi was 89-29-4 with the Packers (http://www.pro-football-referenc... Madden was 103-32-7 with the Raiders (http://www.pro-football-referenc...).

From 1970-85, Don Shula went a ridiculous 168-63-2. Landry was even better from 1966-83, as aforementioned.

Landry was one of the best ever.

If Belichick passes him in career playoff wins this season, hopefully it will help people recall just how great of a Head Coach Tom Landry really was.

And a gentleman, too.

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