Steelers Chuck Noll left out of NFL's coaching Mount Rushmore on 'Mike and Mike'

[tube517]

Just as quarterback Terry Bradshaw gets overlooked in the discussion of great quarterbacks, his coach, Chuck Noll, is often forgotten in the ranks of all-time coaches.

This was the case again Wednesday morning. In light of LeBron James stating that he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of NBA players upon his retirement, ESPN's "Mike and Mike" expanded on that idea on their radio show by creating a list naming their Mount Rushmore in each sport. They left Noll's name out of the entire discussion of NFL coaches that belong on Mount Rushmore.

Bill Belichick, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh were their choices. If that wasn't insulting enough, they didn't even mention Noll's name when discussing the great coaches that didn't make the cut. They mentioned Tom Laundry, who went 0-2 against Noll's Steelers in Super Bowls. They mentioned Don Shula, who also coached in the same era as Noll. But they didn't even throw a mention to the only four time Super Bowl winning coach. Not a word.


http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014/2/12/5404202/noll-left-out-of-nfls-coaching-mout-rushmore-on-mike-and-mike


Yeah, I know it's BSPN but fuck them. How in the world does he not even get mentioned among the all time greats.

[fansince'76]

Meh. Noll wasn't given the proper amount of respect or credit during his era, so why would he get it now?

[Butch]

Vince Lombardi knew what Chuck was doing and he gave him credit. That's good enough for me. Screw bspn and the rest of Go To Hell Godell's NFL!!!

[st33lersguy]

Noll has won more Super Bowls than Bellicheat without cheating (unlike Bellicheat)

[zulater]

Vince Lombardi knew what Chuck was doing and he gave him credit. That's good enough for me. Screw bspn and the rest of Go To Hell Godell's NFL!!!

When was that? Noll's first winning season as a head coach came over 2 years after Lombardi's death.

The 80's were mediocre and the knock on Noll was that when his top tier talent left he didn't do much as a head coach. He missed the playoffs 7 out of his last 8 seasons. Had Noll done what Lombardi did and bailed when the Hall of Fame tree's fruit went sour he would easily be considered on the same plane. Bill Walsh also exited before the talent dried up.

So the perception outside of Pittsburgh doesn't see him for how great a coach he really was.

This is the thing that is most impressive about Noll. He almost won when he had the better team. Sound easy right, maybe even self evident. But it's not the case since he's gone. Consider Cowher losing home playoff games against the clearly inferior Chargers,and almost doing the same to a crappy Colt team the following year. Consider Tomlin's 5 game losing streak in 2009 against mostly sub .500 teams, the losses to bottom feeder's like Oakland and Tennessee last year. The home loss to a mediocre Dolphin team that cost them a playoff berth. The playoff loss to Tebow! :frusty:

Noll's team's good and bad almost always played to their talent level. If they were anything it was predictable. When they were the more talented team the virtually always won. When they were the less talented team they would compete hard and even then win sometimes.

I just don't remember many games in Noll's 23 years where you were left after the game shaking you head saying how the hell did we lose to that team?

So long story short, I can see how he was left off a national show's mythical Mount Rushmore. But I think the truly informed know that Noll didn't take a back seat to many in the history of the game.

My four. Lombardi, Noll, Gibbs, and Paul Brown.

[st33lersguy]

Coaches who belong on the Mount Rushmore of coaches don't lose to an inferior Giants team twice in the Super Bowl. They also don't lose to Mark Suckchez in the playoffs

[Dwinsgames]

Coaches who belong on the Mount Rushmore of coaches don't lose to an inferior Giants team twice in the Super Bowl. They also don't lose to Mark Suckchez in the playoffs


but they do beat teams QB'd by HOFers like Staubach x2 and Tarkenton and hold the latter's entire team to 105 total yards of offense in the entire game but who else is bothering to look at facts .. my bad

[ALLD]

I place Noll just under Lombardi and just ahead of Bill Walsh.