Why NFL Coaches are Valuable

Source: 670 The Score

The economic principle I’m exploring is “Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost.”

 My research question to help me study the economic principle is “Who is the Most Important Asset In the NFL? ”

 The article Bill Barnwell wrote and is published on Grantland titled "The NFL’s Most Valuable Person"  demonstrates this economic principle by discussing the coach's value, what the coach actually does, and what separates a good coach from a bad one.

First, The most important asset in the NFL, is a good coach. In this case it is a coach. John Harbaugh and the author states, “San Francisco gave Harbaugh a five-year, $25 million deal to replace Mike Singletary and take over a franchise that had gone 46-82 since Steve Mariucci left town. Since then, with virtually the same roster Harbaugh inherited, the 49ers have gone 21-6-1. and made it within a premature whistle of making the Super Bowl. It’s the best decision a franchise has made of their own volition (e.g., without having an obvious choice fall into their laps) in recent memory. By acquiring Harbaugh, the 49ers created value for themselves in a way that is virtually impossible to match. They might, in fact, have the single most valuable asset in all of football.” Not only can a good coach change the record of a team, he can also change the culture. He brought San Francisco from losing seasons back to success and even a superbowl appearance.


Second, John Harbaugh is also a very good asset to have because of how valuable he is for what he gets paid. His contract is 25 million for five years, while some players make 25 million a season. Harbaugh wins and he does it in a much less expensive way than having to pay the players. For example the article states, “Jim Harbaugh is making $5 million per season to be, arguably, the best person in the league at his exceedingly important position. You know Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson? Maybe the 10th-best 4-3 end in the league? He received $34 million in compensation in 2011 alone. That’s more than Harbaugh will receive over the life of his entire deal, with $9 million left over for Johnson to write thank-you notes to Marty Hurney. A top-five head coach is being paid what an average cornerback would make in a given year. Doesn’t that seem wrong?” It is amazing to think that the most important position in the league is a coach. It is a position that does not require a lot of money, does not require supervision. It all depends on how gritty a person is and how much work they can put into winning.


Third, All along, I knew that a coach was the most important position for a NFL organization. It requires extreme focus and dedication to your craft in order to win, the greatest coaches are on the teams that win. Bill Parcells, John Gruden, and Bill Belichick are all mentioned in this article. They have all won a superbowl, but they have also dedicated their lives to the sport. They are successful because they are motivated by passion and a pure love for the game. Without these types of coaches leading the game, there is no way that teams would be as successful. To put it as analogy, if a NFL team was a car, the coach would be the engine that makes the car go.


In the next blog I will be completing a summary of my research.