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Mid-Season NFL Report Card: Top 5 Impact Rookies
Published: November 4, 2009
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We have reached the halfway mark of the 2009 NFL season and this year’s rookie class is already making their presence felt. Out of the top five teams in the league, four of them have rookie starters that are making significant impacts. There are also a few rookies who will undoubtedly be Pro Bowl selections if they keep up their stellar play. Here is a look at the NFL’s Top 5 Impact Rookies at the halfway point.
Five of the Six NFL Black Head Coaches Have Winning Records in ’09
Published: October 20, 2009
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The Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears have all had successful seasons this year and it can be attributed to the accomplishments of their head coaches.
Out of the six African American head coaches in the NFL, five have led their teams to winning records. Jim Caldwell (Colts, 5-0), Marvin Lewis (Bengals, 4-2), Mike Tomlin (Steelers, 4-2), Mike Singletary (49ers, 3-2), and Lovie Smith (Bears, 3-2) have all made significant impacts on their organizations, which has put their names among the NFL’s coaching elite.
The only African American head coach to have a losing record this season is 33-year-old Raheem Morris, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad is 0-6.
So what does this mean for the NFL?
This means that NFL owners will be more eager to interview minorities for head coaching positions—not because of the NFL’s “Rooney Rule”—but because minority coaches have a successful track record.
This track record is already apparent if you look at the recent Super Bowls. Tony Dungy (Colts 2007), Lovie Smith (Bears 2007), and Mike Tomlin (Steelers 2009) have all lead their teams to Super Bowl appearances. Dungy in 2007 and Tomlin last year lead their teams to victory, which means two out of the last three Super Bowl winning head coaches have been African American. This is an alarming trend because in its modern era, the NFL did not have a black head coach roaming the sidelines until 1989 when Al Davis hired Art Shell to lead the then-Los Angeles Raiders.
Pro Football Hall Of Famer Fritz Pollard, who was named head coach of the Akron Pros in 1921, has the honor of being the first African American to lead an NFL team.
If everything continues the way it has so far, the NFL may witness a season where five African Americans lead their respective teams to the playoffs. This would be yet another major accomplishment for a group of coaches who are finally getting some of the respect they deserve.
It will be interesting to see what impact the success of African American coaches will have on other minority groups in the coaching world. This may be the beginning of a trend that will see minority coaches become the majority on the sidelines.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
