Every position on the field; quarterback, runningback, linebacker, receiver, offensive lineman, kicker, punter, defensive lineman, safety and corner, all of them, have had more than one athlete win a Super Bowl for one team and then go on to another squad and win another Vince Lombardi Trophy.
You know the one position on a team that has never had a man win a Super Bowl with one team and then go on to win again with another franchise?
Head coach.
Bill Parcells won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, got back to the big game with the New England Patriots and into the playoffs as head coach of the New York Jets, but didn’t capture a second Super Bowl after his success with the Giants. Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers, but when he moved on to Washington he didn’t get close.
Tom Flores won a pair of Super Bowl rings as head coach of the Raiders, but didn’t have the same success when he mentored the Seattle Seahawks. George Seifert, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Ditka, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin all won Super Bowls at their initial head coaching posts but failed in future attempts with new assignments.
Today, there are three current NFL head coaches who have won Super Bowls at their initial head coaching post and are trying to lead a second team to the promiseland. Those men are Mike McCarthy, Doug Pederson and Sean Payton. McCarthy won with the Green Bay Packers to complete the 2010 season and now mentors the Dallas Cowboys. Current Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton led the New Orleans Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLIV and now works the sideline with the Denver Broncos. Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to the title six years ago and now plies his trade in Jacksonville for the Jaguars.
This year, only McCarthy of that trio working now , appears to have a solid chance to be the first to lead a team to a Super Bowl win with a second franchise. The Jaguars have won only one of their first three outings this season and the Broncos have lost all three of their 2023 games. The most recent Denver loss is notable because they allowed 70 points, the first time a team has surrendered that many since 1966 and only the third time in NFL history.
What I find interesting about these facts is that all three of these coaches, despite having a combined 3-6 straight-up record this season, are favored in tomorrow’s games. Okay, the Cowboys, who beat the Giants and Jets before being upset by the Arizona Cardinals last week, are certainly understandable as a favorite this week at home against the New England Patriots. Even the Jaguars, who have lost two straight after opening with a win over the Indianapolis Colts, perhaps deserve to be favored for their game in London against the Atlanta Falcons.
But the Broncos?
How can this underachieving squad in Payton’s first year with the team be favored? Does somebody have advance word that their scheduled opponent is not going to show up this Sunday?
No, the Broncos are favored, and the line has gone up with heavy public backing, for their game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. A Broncos team that lost their first two games at home to the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders and then got pulverized in Miami by a 70-20 score is now favored for the third time this season and the public likes their chances?
It’s all because of Chicago.
The Bears opened this season as a favorite against their NFC North Division rival Green Bay, and lost by double-digits, 38-20. They lost by double-digits in Tampa during second week action to the Buccaneers, 27-17. Last week, they met their first quality team, and they got crushed by the Kansas City Chiefs, 41-10.
So, the public sees the Bears as something worse than a winless squad that just gave up 70 points.
Here is the formula on this one; when a team is a road favorite not because they are good but because of the perception of their opponent, the underappreciated home team has a huge advantage.
And, let’s get real, if the Bears are going to come out of hibernation and win a game, they are going to have to have a huge advantage.
They do.
Qoxhi Picks: Chicago Bears (+3½) over Denver Broncos