t’s what is known as an occupational hazard — or the George Seifert syndrome. If there’s a difference with Caldwell it’s only that nobody is saying that, like Seifert, he won with someone else’s players … but you know they’re thinking it.
“That’s exactly what’s happening,” said former Baltimore coach Brian Billick, now a TV analyst, “and that’s OK. I’m not sure Jim will fully get credit for what he’s done, just like George Seifert never did, until he goes with another team or until Peyton Manning leaves.
“You hear this all the time: How good would [New England coach Bill] Belichick be without Tom Brady? Well, how good would Tony [Dungy] have been without Peyton all those years? When Bill [Walsh] left [the 49ers], as much as the players liked him and [respected] the brilliance of Bill Walsh, they reveled in getting to the championship the next year because — and no disrespect to Bill — they’re going, ‘You know what? We’re not too bad.’
“That’s what, for my money, makes Joe Gibbs so brilliant. He won with different quarterbacks. Taking nothing away from Bill Walsh or Jimmy Johnson with Troy Aikman or Bill Belichick with Tom Brady. It’s probably not fair for a coach, but when you win it with somebody else you’re validating that ability to win with your input as a coach.”
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