Tomorrow, when the AFC and NFC championship games are played, four men will be coaching in one of the biggest games of their lives. But they certainly won't be dressed for the occasion. Rather, they will be wearing sweatshirts, parkas, turtlenecks, polos and any other casual apparel that has his team's logo on it. They will look more like the fans in the stands than authoritative figures. That's too bad, because it wasn't always this way. 

 Then and now.

Grainy films reveal that Dallas coach Tom Landry and Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram used to lead their teams into playoff games donning three-piece suits or a blazer and slacks. They looked serious, like they were dressed to take care of business.

Even though a spot has been reserved for him in Canton Ohio, Bill Belichick does not quite give off the same image. Each week, he looks like a vagabond in his hooded sweatshirt with a large New England Patriots logo emblazoned on the front. In fact, you start to feel sorry for him until you remind yourself that it is Bill Belichick, winner of three Super Bowls.

In the same year the NBA told its players to dress up or be fined, the NFL ordered its coaches to do the opposite. Mike Nolan, the San Francisco 49ers coach, publicly said he was planning to wear a suit and tie on the sidelines this season. It seemed like a great idea to bust out some "old-school" threads. But the NFL wasn't too keen on Nolan's idea, because Reebok, which supplies all of the clothing for the league, wasn't happy with it. Reebok doesn't make suits, dress shirts or ties, after all. They do manufacture jumpsuits, t-shirts and polos with team logos that apparently sell like hotcakes. And it's a money-making business when it comes down to it. 

But the NBA seems to get along fine without having their coaches dress like slobs. Since 1981, the Association has made them wear suits or sport jackets. They look sharp, and Miami Heat coach Pat Riley seems proud of the fact he gets to wear Armani duds on the bench. The NBA, which is ultra-conscious of how it markets its product, apparently doesn't need the coaches hawking the apparel it sells in stores. Neither does Reebok, which is the exclusive supplier of team uniforms and warm-ups. Not many fans are going out of their way to copy the look of Larry Brown and Scott Skiles, after all.

So, when it comes down to it, it's obvious that the NFL is really calling the shots here. They don't want their coaches looking presentable on the sidelines. They'd rather have them act as models for the apparel the league and its clothing supplier are selling. Dan Reeves wore a suit for a number of years before switching to a polo when he was with the Falcons. Former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice sported a tie and sweater until he began wearing a turtleneck. They were both encouraged by the NFL to make the switch as team apparel became more marketable. But by forcing the coaches to comply with a casual dress code, the NFL looks silly. And on Sunday, just like every other week, so will the coaches.

As much as Stan Van Gundy proved a good sport by preaching the company line, no one in South Florida or the rest of the country believes that he resigned his position as head coach of the Miami Heat on Monday because he wants to hang out with his family. After all, for a man who has spent his life working his way up the ladder in the coaching profession, it is rather odd that Van Gundy suddenly realized that games, practices and road trips are time consuming.

Instead, Van Gundy appears to be the victim of a power play orchestrated by his star center Shaquille O'Neal and his boss Pat Riley. O'Neal, who returned to action Sunday after being out for a month with an ankle injury, had complained about Van Gundy's offense towards the end of last season.  O'Neal's frustration seemed to mount after the Heat's loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when he lamented the fact that he did not get the ball enough in the closing minutes of the 88-82 defeat.

Less than a month after San Antonio knocked off the Pistons to win the NBA Finals, rumors began surfacing that Riley might return to coaching so he could work with the prized center he acquired the summer before. Riley, who had stepped aside from the Heat bench before the start of the 2003-2004 season after suffering through two dismal campaigns that saw Miami post a combined 51-103 record, reportedly expressed that he wanted to get back on the sideline after watching Van Gundy win 59 games and get to the cusp of the NBA Finals in 2005. Riley appeared willing to push his loyal pupil aside to get back to the top again. This really wasn't that surprising, because the man with the slicked-back hair and Armani suits had shown his true colors before.

Ten years ago, Riley suddenly resigned as head coach with the New York Knicks, citing "serious questions about authority and final decision-making." He had a year left on his contract and was only 12 months removed from guiding New York to its first NBA Finals since 1973. It seemed like a strange time to suddenly leave. However, Riley had been planning his departure for more than a week after the Heat began courting him with a more lucrative offer to take over its coaching duties. The Knicks filed tampering charges and eventually received a first-round pick and $1 million in compensation. Yet the bad blood that resulted from Riley's machinations persisted.

Riley appeared disingenuous then and he does so now, especially in light of the rumors that were circulating this summer. Riley explained Monday that Van Gundy's sudden resignation was a decision his pupil had made with no external influences. But it appears that a center's return to the court and a former coach's lust to roam the sidelines once again pushed Van Gundy to spend more time with his family, not a sudden epiphany that coaching in the NBA is time consuming.