Is it rare for somebody with a limited to no playing history to become a great coach? Sure, but it's not unheard of. Not defending Howell, just saying that's one of the dumber criticisms of him.

I don't care so much about what a guy has done. I care about what he can and is doing. Being a former player, while helpful, is not a requirement to be a coach. Bronco had seen 5+ years of Nick's coaching and decided to promote him. Some guys prove they can make that step up, and others prove they can't. Nick was the latter.


Florida decided to promote Will Muschamp from a DC to an HC. That didn't work out for them. Again, some guys can make that step up, and others can't.

Steve Spurrier promoted one of his assistants to DC a couple years ago. Everybody said this guy was a rising star. Seemed to work initially until it failed miserably last year. That guy was not fired and even retained all of his coaching titles, just like Howell. However, a new guy was hired and everybody knows the new guy is the real DC now. Smart to do it that way? Time will tell.


Perhaps Nick should have lost his DC title, but everybody knows he's no longer the real DC. Smart to do it that way? We'll find out shortly.