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Players survey rates coaches

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07:16 AM ET 10.31 | Interesting piece in the New York Times this week: Last season, the players union hired the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania to conduct an unprecedented survey of players. The players were asked which active coach they would most like to play for and the answers were: Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) followed by Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Bill Belichick (New England Patriots). Herman Edwards (Chiefs) was fourth and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) fifth. Asked to name the coaches they would least like to play for, the players named Tom Coughlin (Giants), Eric Mangini (Jets), Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Bobby Petrino (formerly of the Atlanta Falcons) and Belichick. A total of 1,440 players, or roughly 80 percent of those active in 2007, completed the study. The players also named the five worst organizations: (Oakland; Miami; Arizona; Cleveland; and Cincinnati) and the best (New England, Indianapolis, Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh).

Kansas City Star

Bill Belichick, AP Bill Belichick, AP
October 31, 2008  07:27 AM ET

And here I was thinking Belichick wasn't polarizing...

October 31, 2008  08:13 AM ET

I find it interesting the racial divide. given the racial mix of the NFL. Makes sense though. Tony Dungy is no surprise. When he has had his fill of football, I would love to see a man like him run for politicol office.
Now survey the owners and I suspect a totally different list would appear. Dungy may still be at the top of it though.
Would love to see a list of the 22 players that coaches would least like to coach.

October 31, 2008  08:15 AM ET

Most players are looking for a "Daddy", which is why the poll results land on racial lines.

October 31, 2008  08:27 AM ET

have to agree with the worst organizations. although detroit not being in there is an odd omission.

October 31, 2008  08:27 AM ET

I actually think Bellicheck being listed high on both lists points to players that play for him love him, and those that don't or haven't, just don't know him. I know there are a couple of players who have played for him that don't like him. Thats a given. But it was interesting to see him included on both lists.
Of course, it could be that his current players don't like him, and others want to play for him because his Patriots are perennial Superbowl contenders...

October 31, 2008  08:36 AM ET

Remembers Grogan, ???I suspect the reason Belicheck ended up on both lists was because Brett Favre kept voting over and over because he could not make up his mind....

October 31, 2008  08:47 AM ET
QUOTE(#2):

I find it interesting the racial divide. given the racial mix of the NFL. Makes sense though. Tony Dungy is no surprise. When he has had his fill of football, I would love to see a man like him run for politicol office. Now survey the owners and I suspect a totally different list would appear. Dungy may still be at the top of it though. Would love to see a list of the 22 players that coaches would least like to coach.

50yearfan... now you've done it... using the term "racial" in any context at all is like sounding the horn and calling out to guys like Antonio to come in and start the race wars again.

I give it until page three before this descends into a thread on racial oppression of the black coaches by the white supremacists who rule football

October 31, 2008  08:48 AM ET

Pimpy!... looking a little pale today...

everyone should be on the lookout for projectile vomit

October 31, 2008  08:51 AM ET

How on Earth is it possible that Detroit is not in that 5 worst organizations list? I think one could make a case that they are at least as dysfunctional as the other 5 listed...

October 31, 2008  08:53 AM ET
QUOTE(#6):

Remembers Grogan, ???I suspect the reason Belicheck ended up on both lists was because Brett Favre kept voting over and over because he could not make up his mind....

I know there is a good joke in their somewhere... but to be honest I am not sure about the brett favre reference... I definately am ignorant on this point...

October 31, 2008  08:54 AM ET

Anybody know how to spell Massachusetts?

October 31, 2008  08:55 AM ET

it's not suprising that 4 out of the 5 coaches on this list are African-American. 70% of the players in the NFL are African-American.

October 31, 2008  09:03 AM ET
QUOTE(#12):

Anybody know how to spell Massachusetts?

Kind of like the way you spelled it without the Texas drawl

October 31, 2008  09:04 AM ET

How is it that Mangina didn't make the top of the worst list?

October 31, 2008  09:16 AM ET
QUOTE(#14):

Kind of like the way you spelled it without the Texas drawl

Thanks. I thought the spelling looked wrong. Only NE uses so many letters to name their state. BTW, what is a Hamshire and why is this one new?

October 31, 2008  09:33 AM ET

None of you would care if the list featured mostly white coaches but since the list has mainly blacks, some of you want to make it racial. What? You don't think white players are going to vote for black coaches? The coaches on the list are all considered to be nice guys. Maybe that had something to do with it because that was the point of the survey: to name the coaches which the players would most like to play for. Remember who injected race into this.

October 31, 2008  09:36 AM ET
QUOTE(#2):

I find it interesting the racial divide. given the racial mix of the NFL. Makes sense though

your statement is ambiguious....what do you mean by "given the racial mix"?

October 31, 2008  09:38 AM ET
QUOTE(#16):

Thanks. I thought the spelling looked wrong. Only NE uses so many letters to name their state. BTW, what is a Hamshire and why is this one new?

Actually its Hampshire.
Hampshire is a popular holiday area, with tourist attractions including its many seaside resorts, the maritime area in Portsmouth, and the motor museum at Beaulieu. The New Forest National Park lies within the borders, as does a large area of the South Downs, which is also scheduled to become a National Park. Hampshire has a long maritime history and two of England's largest ports lie on its coast. The county is famed as home of writers Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
--Wikipedia--

October 31, 2008  09:39 AM ET
QUOTE(#13):

it's not suprising that 4 out of the 5 coaches on this list are African-American. 70% of the players in the NFL are African-American.

so...what does that have to do with it?....football players are football players you fekken moron...to make a statement like that means that your saying that black players arent objective in how they view coaches...total bulls--t....maybe those are the best coaches to those players...

 
October 31, 2008  09:39 AM ET

I am originally from New Hampshire.. but actually hadn't looked up the history until now.. pretty lame.

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