Vikings and Jaguars find success with old school methods

The Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars were both built for success by two “Old School” coaches, Mike Zimmer and Tom Coughlin.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and current Jacksonville Jaguars executive Tom Coughlin share a common mentor in their NFL coaching origins, a man who needs little introduction besides his name, Bill Parcells.

“The only players I hurt with my words are the ones who have an inflated opinion of their ability,” Parcells once said to Sports Illustrated, “I can’t worry about that.”

He added, “the ability I have as a coach is to see the end picture. I’ve been around enough to know what it takes to get a team to reach its potential, and I want players who want to reach their potential.”

When Parcells actually did take over bad teams, he did three things first; instilled a franchise-pervading discipline, found the right players to win, and continued to be creative as a veteran coach.

He did these three things in New York with the Giants and Jets, in New England with the Patriots and finally down in Dallas with the Cowboys.

Parcells was tough as nails on his players, unpredictable, and could take a punch. He also coached on these three “Old School” principles; run the ball, dominate with defense, and never make excuses for not winning.

Tom Coughlin learned the value of such executive administrations as the wide receivers coach of the Super Bowl winning New York Giants in 1990.

He since has applied those values to two successful NFL franchises; the two-time Super Bowl winning Giants of 2007 and 2010 (with himself at head coach) and twice with the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20 seasons apart.

Coughlin lead the expansion Jaguars to an extraordinary run during their first five seasons in which the team averaged 10 wins and made it to the AFC Championship Game twice. He did it by blending a mix of young and veteran players like receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell with quarterback Mark Brunell and linebackers Kevin Greene and Kevin Hardy.

Coughlin also did it with a military attitude that offered no rationalizations to members of a “new” NFL team. They had the players, they could win the games.

As the Giants’ head coach years later, his temperament for discipline preceded him and often irritated his players. “Colonel Coughlin” would fine players for things like being only five minutes early for meetings (they should be ten minutes early) and wearing the incorrect color socks.

He made mistakes and adversaries, but in winning two Super Bowls in New York, he was proven right in his spartan approach.