It's a common narrative that all a baseball manager can do to affect the outcome of the game is set the lineup, manage the bullpen and decide when to pinch run and hit. I am sure there is behind the scenes value the manager can create or destroy but baseball seems to be the team sport where in game coaching is least important. On the other hand coaching (especially play calling) seem extremely important in football. I think in game coaching can also be pretty important in basketball and hockey as well.
Shill me the sport(s) you think coaches (managers) can most impact the result of the game.
Sats for all.
Cheers, GR
I've always thought it was football, but Spoelstra made a strong case for basketball during this past playoff run.
It probably only matters a lot in playoff basketball, as no one seems to take the regular season very seriously. That actually makes the comparison a little easier, since NBA Playoffs are about as long as an NFL season.
I think I would take Spoelstra's or Pop's playoff impact as being similarly important as Belichick's. There are definitely many games where those coaches were considered to be the decisive factors in the outcome.
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I definitely think coaching strategy is quite important in NBA. I would say more so than Baseball and Hockey for sure but maybe not NFL.
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There seem to be more impactful coaches in the NFL, but think how dominant certain coaching systems have been in the NBA. I feel like there are more cases of NBA coaches implementing a system that the rest of the league just can't figure out or making an in-game adjustment that completely changes the rest of the game. The play-by-play strategy definitely seems much more intense in the NFL, though.
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Hockey!! It’s crazy how a coach can squash young hockey talent. Paul Kruger ruined my buffalo sabers. Had great players like Jeff skinner in the press box or on the 4th line. Team couldn’t score in comes Don then bam my boy Tage Thompson becomes a scoring machine!
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I agree with hockey, while hockey does have systems its less prominent than basketball or football. Team plays a bigger role than basketball where 1-2 guys can take over and momentum plays a bigger role than in football which feels like more play calling. Coaches really needs to press the right buttons with personnel (scratching or benching and moving up and down the lineup).
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Plus a great goalie can really cover a bad coach plus I think hockey is the sport you can’t just show up and expect to win a few bad shifts and you can lose to the worst team in the league while basketball and football a few stars can keep you from losing to the worst team in the league
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The Rangers have had good goalie play cover up for bad coaching forever
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I think pre-game strategy and certainly line changes (matching up) is pretty important in hockey but much of the game is winning the little battles for the puck so I still think it has less than football.
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