It’s been about a week since the end-of-season coach reshuffling began, but the feeling of shock still remains. Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll – all gone from their respective long standing posts, with Saban and likely Carroll done for good.
Three of the greatest coaches this sport has ever seen are out of office right now. While all signs point to Belichick being snatched up by a different NFL team, seeing him in a different team’s gear will be a sight that will take getting used to. Even though there were numerous reports leading up to the parting of ways between the New England Patriots and Belichick, it still was an “I’ll believe it when I see it” type of feeling for most. Often referred to as the greatest coach in NFL history, Belichick spent 24 seasons in Foxboro, Mass., most of which came with Tom Brady, accruing a 266-161 record and six Super Bowl championships.
Though the Patriots already moved on to their successor, 37-year-old Jerod Mayo, it will take a lot more for fans of the sport to get used to seeing someone other than Belichick roam the sidelines at Gillette Stadium.
Ask anyone who’s seen a lick of college football over the past two decades who the best coach in the sport is, and they’ll tell you in unison: Nick Saban. After he arrived in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2007 after a pair of seasons with the Miami Dolphins, the Crimson Tide, the SEC and the sport of college football was changed forever. He won 201 games against 29 losses, including six national championships and nine SEC titles. The 2023 season marked the first time the Tide had not been ranked atop the AP poll at any point in the last 15 seasons, a staggering statistic for sure.
Oh, and did I mention he also won a national championship at LSU prior to his Dolphins and Tide tenures?
Alabama replaced Saban, who will still be involved in some capacity, likely in an advisory role, with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer in what might be the biggest shoes to fill that we’ve ever seen. He’s been a winner everywhere he’s ever been, but he has never coached in the South and he’s not Nick Saban. Good luck, sir.
And then there’s Pete Carroll, who isn’t regarded as the greatest coach of all time in either college or the NFL like Saban and Belichick are, but he may be the greatest to ever do both. Carroll’s first two head coaching jobs in the NFL were unremarkable – a one-season tenure with the New York Jets and a 6-10 record followed by a three-year stay in New England preceding Belichick – but his third (and likely) final stop is what gave him the respect he deserves. He made the playoffs 10 times in his 14 seasons in Seattle, including a Super Bowl title in the 2013 season. Then, the very next season, he was one play away – an ill-fated pass by Russell Wilson instead of a handoff to Marshawn Lynch – from another. This would have given him two Lombardi trophies to go with his two national championships he won at Southern Cal.
His 2003 title was shared with Saban’s LSU title, due to LSU winning the BCS Championship Game while USC finished No. 1 in the AP poll. Then, his 2004 championship has since been vacated due to Reggie Bush’s controversy. The NCAA doesn’t include this title in the record books, but I will. Carroll’s Trojans played in five Rose Bowls – the pinnacle of the then Pac-10 and Big Ten seasons – winning four. He may not be the greatest coach of all time, but he deserves his flowers.
It is unclear whether or not Carroll will coach again, as he said he wanted to continue coaching prior to the Seahawks “promoting” him to an advisory role. At age 72, it’s unlikely whether or not he’ll get another head coaching gig, but he’s certainly the most energetic 72-year-old I’ve seen.
On any other week, Mike Vrabel shockingly being let go by the Tennessee Titans would garner the top headlines. That was an unfathomable move by the Titans – one that they will regret – but that move pales in comparison to the exits of three coaching legends.
To put it in perspective, I was eight-years-old when the Seahawks hired Carroll. I was six when the Crimson Tide hired Saban. I wasn’t even born yet when the Patriots hired Belichick. Growing up, these three were the embodiment of football for me. Now, the sport’s just a little bit different.
