The Most Underachieving NFL Head Coaches Ever For All 32 Teams
By Erik Lambert
Otto Graham (Washington Redskins)
The man was an all-time great quarterback in his day, but when it came to becoming a head coach later in life, Otto Graham was a disappointment. When he took over the Washington Redskins in 1966, he had a roster that was loaded with Hall of Fame talent. He had Sonny Jurgensen at quarterback, Charley Taylor and Bobby Mitchell at wide receiver and Pro Bowler Jerry Smith at tight end.
If that weren’t enough he also had Chris Hanburger and Sam Huff at linebacker and a young kid at safety named Paul Krause. So for Graham to produce no winning seasons in three years? That’s a travesty and something that is forgotten about the early years of Redskins history. Had that roster been managed better it could’ve definitely won a championship even in the loaded NFL landscape of that time.
That might explain why it was so devastating when Vince Lombardi passed away a year after taking over the team. The problem was Graham only knew the passing offense. When it came to running the ball or playing defense, his teams were consistently mediocre to bad.