As six retired players and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took their spots in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, legendary coaches remained on the sideline. This was the ninth time in the past 11 years that no coaches earned enshrinement. Seventy-three of 75 inductees over that span were not coaches, and with Don Coryell falling short as a finalist 31 years after coaching his final game, the guys responsible for motivating grown men could use a pep talk themselves.
There is hope. John Madden waited 28 years, Hank Stram waited 26 and George Allen waited 25, which reflects the process as much as anything.