Ted Cottrell: Great Defensive Coach or OVERRATED? (1 Viewer)

[azcards33]

I was going over an issue of Sports Weekly today that was reviewing the draft, and a Minnesota Vikings fan pointed out that he had some concerns about Ted Cottrell. The basic concern was this - 'If Cottrell is such a great coach, then why has he bounced around from team to team?'What do the Sharks know about this guy, and what do you guys think about him?Thank you!

 

[Rovers]

Don't ask this Jets fan. I'm far too biased. Oh, on the con side.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

He had a great run in Buffalo under Wade Phillips and almost got the head coaching job in San Fran before they decided to go with Dennis Erickson. However, he didn't mesh well with the Jets and doesn't appear to be a great fit with the Vikings either.I think he's still a solid coordinator, but if he doesn't get it done with all the talent he has in Minnesota now, then he might not be a coordinator for much longer.

 

[Z-Dog]

Hard to say. With good talent in Buffalo, he did great. With old linebackers and no interior defensive line on the Jets, he was awful.

 

[Reaper]

As a Jets fan, I too have mixed reviews.... His hands were tied as a Jets coach though - He was a 3-4 coach in Buffalo and was brought in to NY to coach some kind of Hybrid-Dungy Cover-2 4-3 Defense with parts of what he knew plus parts of what Herm brought from Tampa and mixed with aging LB's and mediocre talent he struggled.....That said - He doesn't seem to be one of the Defensive geniuses that can make something work with what they have - When Parcells and Bellichik were here, they seems to be able to work with what they had much better....And now in 1 Year what Donnie Henderson has done has been remarkable - I think this guy will be a HC in the league real fast and no doubt I'd take him over Cotrell.....At this point Cotrell's successes in Buffalo are going more to Wade Phillips and I think Cotrell has to prove himself... He seems to have the horses this year so, It's put up or shut up......But, I wouldn't take him back.

 

[jcjets]

I think he is a great coordinator when he is allowed to run his defense. In NY Herm hired him, then he had to run Herms idea of the TB defense without the TB talent. He then was allowed to bring in Sam Cowart his Buffalo MLB (which they over payed him). But Cowart wasn't a 3-4 guy he was a 4-3 MLB. Why bring in and pay for a MLB and then not play that defense.I think Cotrell is great at what he does, and he adapted to Herm D style, then got blamed for it, and is now in Minnesota. S.Cowart is also in Minnesota this year, so expect them to actually play him.Cotrell likes to attack with the defense, the Jets liked to react with the defense. You dhould expect big things in Minn this year from the defense. But then again anything is an improvement with the Minn defense

 

[Rovers]

I think he is a great coordinator when he is allowed to run his defense. In NY Herm hired him, then he had to run Herms idea of the TB defense without the TB talent. He then was allowed to bring in Sam Cowart his Buffalo MLB (which they over payed him). But Cowart wasn't a 3-4 guy he was a 4-3 MLB. Why bring in and pay for a MLB and then not play that defense.

I think Cotrell is great at what he does, and he adapted to Herm D style, then got blamed for it, and is now in Minnesota. S.Cowart is also in Minnesota this year, so expect them to actually play him.

Cotrell likes to attack with the defense, the Jets liked to react with the defense. You dhould expect big things in Minn this year from the defense. But then again anything is an improvement with the Minn defense

I don't recall Cotrell running a 3-4 on the Jets. It was a 4-3, primarilly, but Cowart was on the outside, not the middle, where Mo Lewis was. Besides that, I don't think Cowart ever regained his old form after the injury he sustained in Buffalo. Cotrell, it seems to me, is a guy who has a defense he wants to play, and implements it whether or not the personnel fit the scheme, so I have it the other way around. With the right players, I think he is OK, no more than that. He can do the job, but he'll never be a D guru, IMHO.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I think he is a great coordinator when he is allowed to run his defense. In NY Herm hired him, then he had to run Herms idea of the TB defense without the TB talent. He then was allowed to bring in Sam Cowart his Buffalo MLB (which they over payed him). But Cowart wasn't a 3-4 guy he was a 4-3 MLB. Why bring in and pay for a MLB and then not play that defense.

I think Cotrell is great at what he does, and he adapted to Herm D style, then got blamed for it, and is now in Minnesota. S.Cowart is also in Minnesota this year, so expect them to actually play him.

Cotrell likes to attack with the defense, the Jets liked to react with the defense. You dhould expect big things in Minn this year from the defense. But then again anything is an improvement with the Minn defense

I don't recall Cotrell running a 3-4 on the Jets. It was a 4-3, primarilly, but Cowart was on the outside, not the middle, where Mo Lewis was. Besides that, I don't think Cowart ever regained his old form after the injury he sustained in Buffalo. Cotrell, it seems to me, is a guy who has a defense he wants to play, and implements it whether or not the personnel fit the scheme, so I have it the other way around. With the right players, I think he is OK, no more than that. He can do the job, but he'll never be a D guru, IMHO.

Just wanted to add a couple minor corrections to the last 2 posts.Sam Cowart played ILB in the 3-4 in Buffalo, and had phenomenal success. The team switched to a 4-3 when Gregg Williams took over and were excited to see how Cowart would do as the MLB, but he tore his Achilles in the 1st game of the season. The following year, he was a free agent but wasn't fully recovered so the Bills were reluctant to give him a big contract. He wound up signing with the Jets, who played him at WLB in their 4-3 since they had Marvin Jones in the middle. Mo Lewis played on the strongside. Cowart did alright as a WLB, but it wasn't his natural position and he didn't seem to have the speed that he had pre-injury. Last year, he held off Vilma at MLB and got off to a great start with a 10+ solo tackle game in week 1...but, then got injured and lost his job. I really hope he stays healthy long enough in Minnesota this year so we can see what he's truly capable of. It may be the last chance for him and Cottrell both.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I don't know anyone that calls Cottrell a great defensive coach.

 

[Reaper]

Things haven't gone well AT ALL since he left Buffalo...

From HC candidate to this....

Vikings | Cottrell to retire

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:52:07 -0800

Don Seeholzer, of the Pioneer Press, reports former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell revealed Monday, Feb. 13, that he has filed retirement papers with the NFL. "I don't want to retire," Cottrell, 58, said. "I'm being forced into retirement." Cottrell has been unable to land a job with an NFL team, despite 10 head coaching changes. "It's been a bizarre year," Cottrell said. "All these openings but no jobs. I've called some people and it's the same old story. 'We'll let you know if anything opens up.'"

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Things haven't gone well AT ALL since he left Buffalo...

From HC candidate to this....

Vikings | Cottrell to retire

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:52:07 -0800

Don Seeholzer, of the Pioneer Press, reports former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell revealed Monday, Feb. 13, that he has filed retirement papers with the NFL. "I don't want to retire," Cottrell, 58, said. "I'm being forced into retirement." Cottrell has been unable to land a job with an NFL team, despite 10 head coaching changes. "It's been a bizarre year," Cottrell said. "All these openings but no jobs. I've called some people and it's the same old story. 'We'll let you know if anything opens up.'"

I think the defensive talent in BUF hid some coaching deficiencies.

 

[nygiants56]

He had a great run in Buffalo under Wade Phillips and almost got the head coaching job in San Fran before they decided to go with Dennis Erickson. However, he didn't mesh well with the Jets and doesn't appear to be a great fit with the Vikings either.

I think he's still a solid coordinator, but if he doesn't get it done with all the talent he has in Minnesota now, then he might not be a coordinator for much longer.

cotrell sucks..he was good under wade phillips because OF wade phillips..its like being a defensive coach under bill bellichick..yeah,your defense is going to be great, whether you are a good coach or not...phillips is a masterful coach

 

[Jason Wood]

I would say he's neither "Great" or "Overrated" to answer your initial question.

We all bestow "greatness" on people far too easily, and he's simply not worth bringing into that conversation. Gregg Williams is doing "Great" things. Buddy Ryan was a "great" DC.

But I don't know that he's overrated either. To be overrated he has to be considereed a superior defensive coach and I don't think he holds that mantle any longer. As Aaron pointed out, a few years ago he was well regarded times change. Not long ago Chris Palmer was viewed as a QB genius and named the head coach of the Browns.

Cottrell wasn't given serious consideration as a DC in a year when 10 teams changed coaching regimes, that should tell you that he's not regarded as either great nor are many people inaccurately bestowing that title upon him.

 

[AB in DC]

I'm not a Minnesota fan, but it seemed like the Vikings defense was light years better this year than in the past. They've had lots of talent before, but this is the first time in several years that I did not get the impression that they were massively underachieving.