Tag: Dick Vermeil

Commanders’ Dan Quinn on why the NFC East is special

Dan Quinn on why the NFC East is special to him.

“It’s probably more nostalgic for me than for them.”

That was Dan Quinn Tuesday, meeting with the media when asked about coaching in the NFC East.

Quinn was born in 1970 in New Jersey and grew up in Jersey, playing his high school football at Morristown High School. So, one can understand why being a head coach in the NFC East and facing the Eagles in Philadelphia in a nationally televised Thursday night game can be “nostalgic” for him.

“It’s closer to home for me, because I grew up watching the NFC East and the battles that took place. So, for me, loving football and growing up and to see these matchups, it’s really cool for me because it does hit closer to home where I grew up. Like I said, falling in love with the game and seeing it all.”

In his first season as Washington’s coach, he must remember as a kid (age 10) that the Eagles won the NFC Championship Game over Dallas before losing to the Raiders in Super Bowl XV.

From 1982-84, it was Joe Gibbs and the Redskins who won the division, went to Super Bowls XVII (beating the Dolphins) and XVIII (losing to the Raiders). When in high school playing football, it was the Giants who won Super Bowl XXI over the Broncos and again the Redskins in Super Bowl XXII, defeating the Broncos.

Now, one of the team advisors is Doug Williams, who quarterbacked Washington to that Super Bowl XXII victory. Perhaps Quinn even remembers such defensive forces that day as Dave Butz, Darryl Grant, Charles Mann, Dexter Manley and Darrell Green.

Head coaches like Dick Vermeil, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Tom Landry were men he watched on the sidelines growing up in New Jersey. Now, he is on the sidelines coaching in these great rivalries in the same division.

“To be part of this division, it’s really cool. So, it’s probably more nostalgic for me than for them, but I do know that it’s a really cool division, and the fan bases are awesome.”

Quinn sounded like he would rather be nowhere else in the NFL. “Taking our show on the road to go up and have another division battle, Thursday night in November? Like come on, what are we talking about?”

Former Rams coach Dick Vermeil to be honored at halftime on Sunday

Dick Vermeil will be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame during Sunday’s Rams-Eagles game at SoFi Stadium

Dick Vermeil coached both the Eagles and Rams during his 15-year career, so it’s only fitting that he’ll be honored at halftime on Sunday when the two teams square off at SoFi Stadium. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday that Vermeil will be recognized this weekend with a special halftime ceremony.

Vermeil will be honored when two of his former teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, face off during Week 5. Adrian Allison, Chief Relationship Officer at the Hall of Fame, will be on hand for the ceremony at SoFi Stadium, with the game scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.

Vermeil led the Eagles to one Super Bowl appearance and won a championship with the Rams following the 1999 season, helping orchestrate an offense that earned the title of the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

In total, Vermeil went 120-109 in his career as a head coach, including a 22-26 mark in St. Louis. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.

10 best head coaches in Eagles’ franchise history

We’re ranking the 10 best head coaches in Philadelphia Eagles franchise history ahead of 2023 training camp

Philadelphia has a storied NFL franchise, but the history of head coaches reads like a list of unfinished business and mediocre shelf lives.

One of the gold standard organizations in the league, the Eagles only have eight coaches to win a playoff game in franchise history, with Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni adding to the list over the past five years.

With training camp for 2023 fast approaching, we’re ranking the top ten head coaches in franchise history from top to bottom.

Our list includes coaches who coached at least 15 games as an Eagles head coach. In our book, wins and losses are essential, but not the only factor determining the ranking.

Classic sports trivia question connects USC, UCLA, Michigan, and Ohio State

Four glamour teams which will regularly meet in the #B1G form half of the answer to a great sports trivia question.

Want a great sports trivia question with a connection to USC, UCLA, Michigan and Ohio State? Here you go: Who are the only two football coaches to win both the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl?

Before we give you the answer, we can tell you that the Rose Bowl half of this achievement flows from games which involve the old and new members of the Big Ten: USC and UCLA as the new arrivals, Michigan and Ohio State as the old-timers.

Now, here’s the answer: Pete Carroll and Dick Vermeil. They are the only two coaches to win both the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl.

USC fans know that Carroll won a bunch of Rose Bowls at USC, but his first one was a win over Michigan in 2004. He then won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks in February of 2014 over the Denver Broncos.

Vermeil might be the less-known part of this answer. A lot of people know he won Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams over the Tennessee Titans. That was the Super Bowl in which the Rams’ Mike Jones tackled the Titans’ Kevin Dyson on the 1-yard line as time expired.

Vermeil’s Rose Bowl win is something a lot fewer people know about. Vermeil coached at UCLA for only two seasons, but in 1975, he led the Bruins to the Rose Bowl, where they upset Woody Hayes and Ohio State, led by two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

A USC-Michigan Rose Bowl and a UCLA-Ohio State Rose Bowl will no longer exist now that the four teams will play each other in future Big Ten regular seasons. When the Rose Bowl was still Big Ten versus Pac-8 or Pac-10, however, Pete Carroll and Dick Vermeil made football history in Los Angeles.

Get more Michigan news, analysis and opinions at Wolverines Wire.

Get more Ohio State news, analysis and opinions at Buckeyes Wire.

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Former Rams coach Dick Vermeil can relate to Sean McVay’s situation

Dick Vermeil, who left coaching for 15 years, can relate to Sean McVay’s situation

Sean McVay is undecided on whether he’ll continue coaching the Rams. He’s considering some time away from the sport, feeling the strain and toll the job has taken on him in recent years.

McVay said recently that he doesn’t feel he’s close to being done coaching, but he’s unsure about his immediate future on the sidelines. He’s not the first coach to experience burnout and he won’t be the last.

Former Rams coach Dick Vermeil can relate to McVay’s situation, seeing as he also left coaching for a while in the 1980s and ’90s.

After seven years as the Eagles’ head coach from 1976-1982, Vermeil took a break and began a career in broadcasting, working for CBS and ABC. In 1997, he returned to the sidelines with the Rams, leading them for three years and winning Super Bowl XXXIV.

He got to a point where, despite all the success he had, the winning didn’t feel as good as the losses hurt.

“The loss hurt far more emotionally than the win affected you positively,” Vermeil told Sam Farmer of the LA Times. “I found myself thinking about what I should have done last week to win when I should have been thinking about what I had to do to win next week.”

Vermeil was a head coach for 15 years, but they weren’t all consecutive. He took a 15-year break from 1983-1997, and then took another year off in 2000 after leading the Rams to a ring. He finished his career by spending five years in Kansas City before retiring after the 2005 season.

Not every coach is cut out to be a “lifer,” as they’re often called, spending their entire careers in the NFL. McVay doesn’t seem to be one of those, and in Vermeil’s opinion, that could prevent him from making the Hall of Fame one day, despite being one of the most talented in the game.

“There’s only a few Bill Belichicks or Andy Reids out there,” Vermeil said. “There’s only a few Don Shulas or Bud Grants around. I think coach McVay has proven he’s in that talent level. He’s a potential Hall of Fame coach. But if he doesn’t have that personality make-up, no fault of his own, then that may not happen.”

If McVay does leave the Rams this year, it’s hard to believe it’ll be a permanent retirement. He’s a coach who could spend some time in the booth before eventually returning to the sidelines.

But right now, the Rams hope he puts off a hiatus and sticks with them for at least one more year.

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Former Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil to serve as drum honoree vs. Broncos in Week 17

2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and #Chiefs Hall of Fame head coach Dick Vermeil will serve as drum honoree for Week 17 vs. the #Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs have selected their drum honoree for their final home game of the regular season.

Recently inducted Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Dick Vermeil will serve as the team’s drum leader on Sunday. Vermeil, of course, coached the Chiefs from 2001-2005. During his tenure with the team, Vermeil coached up some all-time franchise greats such as QB Trent Green, RB Priest Holmes, TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Dante Hall, LT Willie Roaf, RG Will Shields and more.

Ahead of kickoff, Vermeil will be up on the GEHA Drum Deck at Arrowhead Stadium, banging the drum to get the raucous crowd at Arrowhead Stadium fired up before the team takes on an AFC West rival. This is a rival that he’s plenty familiar with as the Mike Shanahan-led Broncos were a big thorn in his side for his tenure with the Chiefs.

During his Hall of Fame speech, Vermeil called the people of Kansas City a combination of the most compassionate and passionate fans that he’s ever been around. Well, he’s going to get another taste of that and get to see what it looks like during the Patrick Mahomes era.

Other pregame festivities will include the national anthem, which will be sung by singer-songwriter Symonne Sparks. The Leawood Police Department will present the colors during the anthem.

The team will have a flyover for this game, conducted by a KC-135 Stratotanker from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas.

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The 1972 Washington Redskins were a ‘special’ team

Washington’s 1972 team was a special group.

50 Years ago, the 1972 Washington Redskins became the first team in Washington history to play in a Super Bowl.

Kicking off the season was a Monday Night Football contest, as Washington traveled to the Minnesota Vikings of Fran Tarkenton, the Purple People Eaters and coach Bud Grant.

When future Hall-of-Famer Tarkenton connected with John Gilliam for the only score of the third quarter, Washington trailed the Vikings 14-10. Washington would come back to win 24-21, behind touchdown runs by Larry Brown and Charley Harraway. Surprisingly the Vikings had outgained Washington 382-203 and collected 26 First Downs to only 11 by the Redskins.

How had Washington won this MNF game? They sacked Tarkenton four times. They won the turnover battle 2-1, and there was the one play I have recalled all of these years from watching the game in my youth.

Early in the opening quarter, Washington had stopped the Vikings deep in their own territory forcing a punt. Vikings punter Mike Eischeid lined up on his own 18-yard line to punt. Washington reserve receiver Bill Malinchak lined up outside on the right of the rushing Washington line. As Eischeid’s foot met the ball on the 20-yard line, suddenly a thump was heard as an outstretched Malinchak’s hand blocked the punt, sending the ball toward the left to Eischeid’s right. Malinchak scooped up the ball at the 16 and ran into the end zone untouched for the game’s first score.

Head coach George Allen had already been an NFL innovator. When the defensive coordinator for George Halas’ Bears, Allen had invented the nickel back, replacing a linebacker with an extra defensive back on passing downs. In 1969 as head coach of the Rams he had hired the first special teams’ coach in the NFL (Dick Vermeil).

In ’72 Allen repeatedly preached the importance of special teams preparation and making big plays on special teams. Special teams coach Marv Levy and Allen produced remarkable results as Washington blocked 5 field goals and 4 punts in the ’72 season. In 1990-93 the same Levy coached the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive AFC Championships and 4 Super Bowl appearances.

Special teams played a major role 50 years ago as Washington (11-3) won the NFC East, the NFC championship, and played in Super Bowl VII. This present generation of coaches stands on the shoulders of those like Allen who changed the NFL forever with his emphasis on special teams.

 

 

 

Dick Vermeil thankful for Chiefs organization in Hall of Fame speech

A gracious Dick Vermeil thanked several members of the #Chiefs organization and #ChiefsKingdom during his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

Former Kansas City Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil was filled with gratitude on Saturday, thanking anyone and everyone during his Hall of Fame Enshrinement speech.

After running through the many people who had an impact on his career and life leading up to his time with the Chiefs, Vermeil spoke of the Hunt family and some visitors he received at the famed Gold Jacket dinner on Friday night.

“Thank you, Lamar Hunt and Norma (Hunt) — the finest couple, I think, I’ve ever met in pro football. Unbelievable. Clark Hunt and Tavia (Hunt), son and daughter-in-law, came here to see me last night and this morning. Thank you for making that effort.

“Along with them came Andy Reid and Tammy (Reid). A head coach, in training camp, left training camp and flew here to say congratulations to me personally last night. I have never had, in my coaching career, a better display of respect for someone else in the profession that you are in than what Andy Reid did for me last night. It will always, always touch me. Thank you, Andy and Tammy. That was unbelievable.”

There was one more person who came out to congratulate Vermeil personally too, and right in the thick of what is his biggest undertaking of the year.

“Allen Wright (Chiefs equipment manager), my equipment guy was with him as well,” Vermeil said. “Gosh darn it, I just wish I had time to go through every one of them.”

While Vermeil didn’t get a chance to go through and thank every individual person, he did find the time to thank Chiefs fans. He spent the last five seasons of his NFL career in Kansas City. Based on his comments, I’m not sure he would rather have been around any other fanbase.

In his closing remarks, Vermeil also advocated for another former Chiefs head coach to become a Hall of Famer.

“I will forever be appreciative and grateful for this honor,” Vermeil said. “The only thing that will make me feel a little better about standing here as the 28th Hall of Fame football coach is when I see Mike Holmgren come in, when I see Dan Reeves come in, when I see Marty Schottenheimer come in, when I see Mike Shanahan come in, when I see Tom Coughlin come in, when I see George Seifert come in, when I see Don Coryell come in. Believe me, if I deserve it, so do they.”

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Watch Dick Vermeil’s full 23-minute Hall of Fame speech

Former Rams coach Dick Vermeil was inducted into the Hall of Fame and went a little bit over the 8-minute limit

The Rams sent another member of the franchise to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday as the Class of 2022 was enshrined in Canton. Dick Vermeil was one of the eight inductees after winning one Super Bowl with the Rams in 1999.

Vermeil was with the Rams for only three seasons, and in his final year with St. Louis, he led the team to the playoffs and won Super Bowl XXXIV. One of his claims to fame was leading three separate franchises to the playoffs.

Vermeil gave the final speech of the afternoon and though he was supposed to be limited to 8 minutes he went a little bit over.

His speech ran 23 minutes long, thanking anyone and everyone he could think of. Watch his full speech from Canton below.

WATCH: Highlights from every Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech

Watch highlights of all eight Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speeches.

On Saturday, eight men joined football’s greatest fraternity, as they were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sam Mills, LeRoy Butler, Richard Seymour, Art McNally, Tony Boselli, Bryant Young, Cliff Branch, and Dick Vermeil either accepted their honors in person in Canton, Ohio, or were represented

Here are highlights of each induction speech.