{"id":56976,"date":"2019-01-21T21:14:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T02:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=56976"},"modified":"2021-03-14T15:50:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T19:50:06","slug":"don-coryell-deserves-consideration-for-the-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/01\/21\/don-coryell-deserves-consideration-for-the-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Don Coryell Deserves Consideration for the Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

If one knows much NFL history, then they\u2019ve probably at least heard about Don Coryell<\/strong> at some point. And any Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> fan who knows much about their team\u2019s history most likely knows who he is as well. The former Chargers and Arizona Cardinals<\/a> (then in St. Louis) head coach who ran the \u201cAir Coryell\u201d offense is a finalist this year for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Someone with less knowledge may look at a snapshot of his career and scoff, saying that he doesn\u2019t deserve it because of the lack of Super Bowls. But in this case, that simply doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. The case for Coryell getting to the Hall of Fame \u2013 be it this year or another one \u2013 is not decided entirely by rings (or lack thereof), but by his impact on the game. And in that\u00a0latter\u00a0department, not many can boast having a lot more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Case for Putting Don\u00a0Coryell\u00a0in the Hall of Fame\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Inventing the Modern-Day Passing Game with the Chargers\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Coryell joined the Chargers (who were still in San Diego then) in 1978 early in the season after their previous coach Tommy Prothro<\/strong> resigned. Not only did he bring the Chargers to their first playoff appearances since the 1960’s, but he also proceeded to redefine the passing game. Back then, it wasn\u2019t a passing league. And it still really wasn\u2019t even\u00a0one quite yet\u00a0after Coryell was gone–at least not the way it is today. But Coryell was really the first to create a pass-first offense,\u00a0and also\u00a0one that relied so much on the deep pass game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To be clear on the effectiveness, Dan Fouts<\/strong><\/a> (who *is* in the Hall of Fame) became only the second quarterback ever at the time to throw for 4,000 yards in 1979 (the other being Joe Namath<\/strong><\/a>). That\u2019s something we take for granted now, but at the time it was practically unheard of. And then he proceeded to break his own passing yardage records two seasons in a row. Furthermore, the Chargers offense led the league in total yards five times in six years. Coryell essentially invented the vertical passing game that we\u2019re used to today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Reinventions of Offense\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Making the quarterback pass more often wasn\u2019t the only thing that Coryell did to\u00a0help\u00a0reshape football offenses. Although he didn\u2019t\u00a0quite\u00a0do this by himself, he was one of the fathers of the pass-catching tight end we\u2019re used to now with Kellen<\/a> Winslow<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Ozzie Newsome<\/a> <\/strong>was doing great things as well at the time for the Cleveland Browns<\/a>, but stat-wise he wasn\u2019t as prolific as Winslow was at the top of his game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, he sat some records with the usage of all-purpose running backs at the time. That may not have been as groundbreaking, but it\u2019s still notable. During his tenure with the Cardinals, running back Terry Metcalf<\/a><\/strong> sat a then-record for most all-purpose yards in one season. Later one of Coryell\u2019s running backs in San Diego broke that record (Lionel James<\/a><\/strong>)\u00a0and also\u00a0sat the record for most receiving yards by a running back in one season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Forget the Cards\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Coryell will be remembered for his career with the Chargers. But he did some good things when he was with the Cardinals as well. He was there from 1973-1977. At the time of his arrival, the Cardinals had not made the playoffs since the 1940\u2019s. They were still the Chicago Cardinals back then. Coryell led them to two division\u00a0titles. He also received his lone Coach of the Year award in 1974 in the process. The tenure was short-lived as Coryell left after Metcalf (the all-purpose yardage record-breaker) was not re-signed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Keeping Him Out?<\/h2>\n

Okay, the answer to the question of why Coryell isn\u2019t already there is probably\u00a0pretty obvious: no Super Bowl rings. He never even made it to one; the closest he got was two AFC Championship appearances. Given the\u00a0emphasis that is placed upon championships and rings in basically all sports, that\u2019s the biggest glaring reason. He wasn\u2019t even a finalist until 2010 \u2013 almost 25 years after his last year of coaching.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But he still has a 114-89-1 coaching record (including the playoffs). That\u2019s not too shabby, and it\u2019s\u00a0actually better\u00a0percentage-wise\u00a0than the record of the other finalist coach this year (Tom Flores<\/strong><\/a>, with a 97-87 record). And as has been shown, he was an offensive genius and his impact on the game of football is undeniable. He deserves a spot for that; especially since many of the players he coached (namely Fouts and Winslow) have gone on to the Hall of Fame, also without any rings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This Year, Perhaps?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Flores is the only other coach this year that is a finalist. When comparing the two, Coryell has a better win-loss record. However, Flores has two Super Bowl rings as a head coach. It may seem surprising that Flores hasn\u2019t gotten in already based on that, but if anything, it\u2019s proof that rings aren\u2019t necessarily the only thing on voters\u2019 minds\u00a0after all, because otherwise he would have gotten in a while ago and this is\u00a0actually his\u00a0first year ever as a finalist.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Between the two coaches, a decent argument could be made either way. But the nod ought to go to Coryell based on his impact. There’s also\u00a0the fact that there\u2019s a been a longer wait for Coryell, who passed away in 2010. Of course, there\u2019s also a chance that between player finalists like Tony Gonzalez<\/strong><\/a>, Ed Reed<\/a><\/strong>, Champ Bailey<\/a><\/strong>, Edgerrin James<\/a><\/strong>, and Isaac Bruce<\/a><\/strong> (just to name a few), neither of them might get the nod in 2019. But if either Coryell or Flores is to get the nod this year, the former is the one who ought to be enshrined.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>