IN NFL, PATIENCE IS A LOST ART; OWNERS WANT QUICK RESULTS - AND COACHES PAY THE PRICE.

Byline: Associated Press 

When Don Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last month, he was asked if anyone will match his 347 career victories. His answer was succinct, yet very insightful:

``How many coaches were fired last year? Ten?''

Unless Marv Levy coaches until he's 100, it's unlikely anyone will come close to Shula, who coached 33 seasons in the NFL.

And the way the coaching carousel is spinning, it's hard for anyone to last more than three years in a job, let alone more than three decades.

Things got so out of control during the off-season that the man with the best winning percentage in the game was forced out. A coach with three trips to - and two victories in - the Super Bowl left a conference champion and headed for the decade's biggest flop.

It got so crazy that a guy who admitted he burned out 14 years ago came out of the broadcast booth to try his hand again. So did a Chicago icon, now ensconced in New Orleans after four years in television.

In all, 16 of the 30 head-coaching jobs have changed in the last two years. What's with all the upheaval?

``It's a reaction to economics,'' says George Seifert, whose .755 winning percentage with the 49ers wasn't enough for him to keep his job.

Sort of. Most NFL owners simply don't have the patience to wait for things to turn around, especially with the expansion teams in Carolina and Jacksonville making it to the conference championship games last season. Or they perceive their coaches to be either too tough or not tough enough; too old or too inexperienced; too independent or too reliant on those around them.

Or, as in New England and San Diego, management simply doesn't get along with the coach.

``I've seen a lot of coaches sent packing and nobody runs any benefits for them,'' says Bill Parcells, who moved from the AFC champion Patriots to the Jets after his relationship with New England boss Robert Kraft fell apart.

``I simply didn't renew my contract in New England. They don't mind sending people away, in general; I don't just mean New England. You do the best job you can, treat people with respect and give them a good day's work and that is what I expect from my players. Ownership has the right to expect that. When I no longer can give them a good day's work, I will get out.

``I just think you have to grow in this business,'' Parcells adds. ``It doesn't stay the same; 1997 is different than 1987 and different than '77 and than '67. I was coaching all those years. It's a different deal.''

Much different. There no longer are any formulas for finding coaches. Of the 10 off-season changes, two coaches (Mike Ditka in New Orleans and Dick Vermeil in St. Louis) came out of retirement and the broadcast booth. Three (Pete Carroll in New England, Kevin Gilbride in San Diego and Jim Fassel with the Giants) were assistants elevated in different cities, while Joe Bugel was promoted to head coach in Oakland.

One (Steve Mariucci in San Francisco) came from college, where he was 6-6 at California. The other three (Parcells, Dan Reeves in Atlanta and Bobby Ross in Detroit) switched teams.

The NFL has gone through all kinds of coaching trends, from men who also owned their teams (Paul Brown, George Halas) to hiring big-name college coaches (Bud Wilkinson, John Robinson, Frank Kush) to promoting assistants (Shula, Chuck Noll, Tom Landry). Now, the trend is, well, no trend.

Except impatience. That's a dangerous sign, according to one of the most successful coaches at any level, Jimmy Johnson.

``I wouldn't want to be a 28-year-old or 30-year-old head coach in this league for the first time,'' says Johnson, who succeeded Shula with the Dolphins. ``A younger guy's got to prove himself. A younger guy might be learning on the job and it might take a little longer. That doesn't say that he won't get it done, but it might take him a year or two longer. I don't know if people are going to be patient with a younger guy.''

Carroll is an excellent example of the panic mode at work. The Jets go through so many coaches people might think George Steinbrenner owns them.

They've had four in the last five years.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1) ``I wouldn't want to be a 28-year-old or 30-year-old head coach in this league for the first time.''

Jimmy Johnson

Miami Dolphins coach

(2) Despite a Super Bowl appearance, Bill Parcells wound up with the Jets after Patriots ownership soured on him.

Daily News File Photo