| There are two head-coaching vacancies left,
Cleveland and Buffalo, and the two defensive coordinators still coaching this season
appear to be in line to fill them. The Ravens’ Marvin Lewis leads a record-setting
defense into Super Bowl XXXV, while the Giants’ John Fox continues to display
profound ingenuity entering the big game. Both appear on the Browns’ and Bills’
short lists of head-coaching candidates.
Though it would seem Lewis has the luxury of sitting back and watching his top-notch
talents go about their business, a la Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, but that’s not
the case.
Lewis’ boss, Ravens head coach Brian Billick, says Lewis already has demonstrated
his ability to assemble a staff, one of the toughest parts of being a head coach.
"The best thing he did was take in a lot of strong personalities on the defensive
staff," Billick said, "guys who had been coordinators or play-callers to a
degree, and meld them into one consistent philosophy."
Ravens DT Sam Adams has praised Lewis’ leadership skills. "He’s
well-prepared, technically sound," Adams said. "He has the qualities you look
for in a leader. He has the respect of the players. We play for him. Where leaders go,
people follow them."
Lewis’ ability as a coach can’t be discounted either. But there’s
nothing flashy about what Lewis has done. He’s simply stuck to the fundamentals of
football.
Asked what makes his defense special, Lewis said it was his players’ ability to
run to the football, stay on their feet and tackle. That’s it. He spoke of a basic
element that has become "a lost art."
"You have to work at it and stay after it every day," Lewis said. "Even
when you don’t tackle in practice, you’ve gotta make sure they’re finishing
in a good football position, and I think that’s the thing that our guys have
continually responded to and have gotten better at."
Fox has received an equal amount of praise to Lewis. Quietly, Fox’s defense
finished fifth in the league in yards allowed per game and second against the run.
"Defensively, there’s not a better mind," Giants DT Keith Hamilton said.
"He takes away the other offense’s strength and negates it. If a team runs, we
make you throw.
"He makes you want to play hard for him. So much today for a head coach is
motivating, getting players to play hard and getting the most out of guys. He’s a
great communicator, a player’s coach. You don’t want to lose for him. The things
he’s done with defense is the key to the success this team had this season."
How did Fox become so smart? He took a year off. In 1996, Fox worked as a consultant
for the Rams. He was in the team’s office every day studying defenses, every defense.
Jack Reilly, who was the Rams’ offensive coordinator at the time, told PFW
columnist Jerry Magee, "It was one of the greatest growth spurts by a coach I have
seen."
It’s become quite apparent that Fox used his study time wisely. Elements of the
scheme he used in the Giants’ 1999 meeting with the Rams were copied by the
Buccaneers for their NFC championship game against St. Louis that season.
"I’ve prepared my whole career to have the opportunity some day to be a head
coach in this league," Fox said. "Right now, we’re doing our best to
prepare the team for Sunday. The other stuff will wait on the back burner until next week.
I’m sure Marvin feels the same way."
The two coaches feel the same way about something else too: They like their current
jobs.
Said Lewis: "There is a lot of speculation about what could happen for me. But if
it’s not right, I have a great job. I love the guy I work with, and that’s what
I would do. I would stay put."
Something tells me neither will.
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