Sporting News did a mid-season poll of 111 NFL players from 31 teams to find out which coaches, other than their own of course, they would most like to play for and which they would least like to play for. It's not a scientific poll by any means but it gives some interesting insights, perhaps, into how various coaches are viewed throughout the league.
Here are the vote results for coaches-other than their own-they'd most like to play for plus some comments from some players about why they voted as they did. It was interesting to see Adam Carriker among those who commented.
Which coach (other than your own) would you most like to play for?
Rex Ryan, New York Jets—22
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—22
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—11
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers—11
Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers—8
Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers—5
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—5
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens—4
Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders—3
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—3
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans—2
Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers—2
12 coaches received one vote
“Rex Ryan. I just like the way [the Jets] play. It’s a wide-open defense. It’s organized violence. I like to watch them, Pittsburgh, Baltimore with all the movement they do. They just get after you.”—Colts DE Robert Mathis
“Rex Ryan. I was around him when he was with Baltimore. He’s like the coaches I have here, a great motivator.”—Chiefs NT Kelly Gregg
“Rex Ryan. He’s a very player-oriented coach. He knows how to get the most out of his players, and he runs a great style of defense. He coaches with a lot of emotion and that’s what you want. I like that.”—NFC defensive player
“Mike Tomlin. He just seems like a guy who always knows how to fire up his players. He seems like a guy whose players always want to play for him. And I get that. It’s what I see from coach Smith (Bears head coach Lovie) and coach Marinelli (Bears defensive coordinator Rod). And I hope I will always have a chance to play for coaches like that.”—Bears CB Charles Tillman
“(Tomlin) is definitely a players coach, but at the same time it’s not like by any means he is close to being a pushover. He demands the most from his players and he gets it. He demands respect. He’s one of those guys that when he stands up and talks, everybody listens—a great public speaker. He always says the right thing.”—Bears tight end and former Steeler Matt Spaeth
“(Tomlin) has been in the league for three or four years and he’s already been in two Super Bowls. He was the youngest coach to ever win. That’s just impressive.”—Redskins DE Adam Carriker
“Being a fan of the game, you respect what Bill Belichick has done. You would be fortunate to play for a guy like that. Anybody who has had the success that he has had ... as a player, you would love to soak up that knowledge.”—Cowboys TE Jason Witten
“I think (McCarthy) brings a lot of energy to the team. He got them into the winning habit, and he is keeping it going.”—Cowboys G Montrae Holland
Here is the list for coaches-again, other than their own, they'd least like to play for plus a few comments.
Which coach-other than you own-would you least like to play for?
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—22
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins—21
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—15
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks—6
Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—5
Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers—5
Rex Ryan, New York Jets—5
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions—4
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens—2
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—2
Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins—2
12 coaches received one vote
“Coughlin is that old school, Bill Parcells, my way or the highway type. He won’t bend at all. That’s not the kind of coach you’d like to play for.”—Bears DT Anthony Adams
“Looking at it from the outside, I don’t know that any player in the league would say they’d want to play for Tom Coughlin. I wouldn’t.”—NFC defensive player
“Tony Sparano. They’re not winning, things aren’t going very well down there. It doesn’t look like they can turn it around. It’s just not a very good situation, not the kind of thing people like to be a part of.”—Bears CB Tim Jennings
“Bill Belichick. People speak bad of him. He's just a different type of coach. He's not understanding. He's not a players' coach."—NFC defensive player
Bill Bellichick wound up getting the third highest number of votes in both polls. I guess he just polarizes people.
Link to most favorite coaches poll:http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-11/players-poll/story/midseason-player-poll-ryan-tomlin-voted-favorite-coaches
Link to least favorite coaches poll: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-11/players-poll/story/midseason-player-poll-coughlin-least-desired-coach
Here are the vote results for coaches-other than their own-they'd most like to play for plus some comments from some players about why they voted as they did. It was interesting to see Adam Carriker among those who commented.
Which coach (other than your own) would you most like to play for?
Rex Ryan, New York Jets—22
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—22
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—11
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers—11
Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers—8
Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers—5
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—5
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens—4
Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders—3
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—3
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans—2
Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers—2
12 coaches received one vote
“Rex Ryan. I just like the way [the Jets] play. It’s a wide-open defense. It’s organized violence. I like to watch them, Pittsburgh, Baltimore with all the movement they do. They just get after you.”—Colts DE Robert Mathis
“Rex Ryan. I was around him when he was with Baltimore. He’s like the coaches I have here, a great motivator.”—Chiefs NT Kelly Gregg
“Rex Ryan. He’s a very player-oriented coach. He knows how to get the most out of his players, and he runs a great style of defense. He coaches with a lot of emotion and that’s what you want. I like that.”—NFC defensive player
“Mike Tomlin. He just seems like a guy who always knows how to fire up his players. He seems like a guy whose players always want to play for him. And I get that. It’s what I see from coach Smith (Bears head coach Lovie) and coach Marinelli (Bears defensive coordinator Rod). And I hope I will always have a chance to play for coaches like that.”—Bears CB Charles Tillman
“(Tomlin) is definitely a players coach, but at the same time it’s not like by any means he is close to being a pushover. He demands the most from his players and he gets it. He demands respect. He’s one of those guys that when he stands up and talks, everybody listens—a great public speaker. He always says the right thing.”—Bears tight end and former Steeler Matt Spaeth
“(Tomlin) has been in the league for three or four years and he’s already been in two Super Bowls. He was the youngest coach to ever win. That’s just impressive.”—Redskins DE Adam Carriker
“Being a fan of the game, you respect what Bill Belichick has done. You would be fortunate to play for a guy like that. Anybody who has had the success that he has had ... as a player, you would love to soak up that knowledge.”—Cowboys TE Jason Witten
“I think (McCarthy) brings a lot of energy to the team. He got them into the winning habit, and he is keeping it going.”—Cowboys G Montrae Holland
Here is the list for coaches-again, other than their own, they'd least like to play for plus a few comments.
Which coach-other than you own-would you least like to play for?
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—22
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins—21
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—15
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks—6
Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—5
Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers—5
Rex Ryan, New York Jets—5
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions—4
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens—2
Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—2
Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins—2
12 coaches received one vote
“Coughlin is that old school, Bill Parcells, my way or the highway type. He won’t bend at all. That’s not the kind of coach you’d like to play for.”—Bears DT Anthony Adams
“Looking at it from the outside, I don’t know that any player in the league would say they’d want to play for Tom Coughlin. I wouldn’t.”—NFC defensive player
“Tony Sparano. They’re not winning, things aren’t going very well down there. It doesn’t look like they can turn it around. It’s just not a very good situation, not the kind of thing people like to be a part of.”—Bears CB Tim Jennings
“Bill Belichick. People speak bad of him. He's just a different type of coach. He's not understanding. He's not a players' coach."—NFC defensive player
Bill Bellichick wound up getting the third highest number of votes in both polls. I guess he just polarizes people.
Link to most favorite coaches poll:http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-11/players-poll/story/midseason-player-poll-ryan-tomlin-voted-favorite-coaches
Link to least favorite coaches poll: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-11/players-poll/story/midseason-player-poll-coughlin-least-desired-coach