re: Which is most important--good coaching or talented football players?

I forgot which old school coach said, when talking about which system is better to run, something like, "regarding x's and o's, if my x's are better than your o's, I'm going to win a lot more games than you."

Talent.

Let's stop talking anecdotes and focus on the bigger picture.

You can be a great coach, but if your OL can't stop a pass rush or open running lanes, your offense won't work, for example.