Cleveland Browns

It's Time Marty Schottenheimer Got Hall of Fame Consideration

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) runs the ball as Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) defends during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

One of the bad things about the NFL is it’s reactionary. They do things long after they should’ve done them only because a tragedy had struck.

A perfect example is their enshrining Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler. By rights he should’ve gone in years ago. Not until after his death did the league see fit to put him in Canton. That makes it look like a last, ditch effort to inform fans they appreciated how great a player he was in fact not blackballed for years because of his renegade reputation.

One must hope the same thing won’t happen to Marty Schottenheimer. For many fans the former head coach has become a punch line. He’s remembered more for his incredible big-game losses than his accomplishments across 30 years on the job. Games like “The Drive”, “The Fumble”, and “The Strip” are painted over him as some sort of badge of failure.

Now he’ll be best known as the former head coach battling a terrifying disease.

That isn’t fair. Schottenheimer was one of the best coaches in the NFL for a long period of time. Don’t believe it? Here’s an irrefutable stat. Just five men have more wins in the history of coaching professional football than him (200). Those men are Curly Lambeau, Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, George Halas and Don Shula. All five of those men are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Schottenheimer took three different organizations to the playoffs on top of that. Somehow that all gets thrown the wayside because he didn’t win a Super Bowl. Brian Billick has one. So does Sean Payton. Neither are anywhere close to touching Marty’s overall numbers. Put it this way. If Dan Fouts could reach the Hall of Fame without playing in a Super Bowl, why can’t Schottenheimer do the same as a coach?

It’s time to make this right. Marty is one of the most memorable and motivational head coaches of the modern era. He even has a brand of football names after him. If he can hold that gleaming trophy he chased for years, at least give him a gold jacket to wear.