Fascinating thoughts on what it is like for a New NFL Head Coach.
I wasn't sure where to put this thread, but this seemed like a good idea.
If there is a better forum for it please move it mods! Thanks!:D
March 4, 2007 Sunday
Broward Metro Edition
FIRST SEASONS TEST BEST OF MEN;
LIKE MANY BEFORE HIM, CAMERON MAY FIND YEAR 1 TO BE MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR.
SECTION: SPORTS SUNDAY; Pg. 1C {BYLINE} By Ethan J. Skolnick Staff writer
Herman Edwards had been an NFL player and assistant before becoming the New York Jets' coach in 2001.
How hard could the transition be? It was still football.
Then Jets staffers would enter his office and confuse him with consultations like this:
"Coach, we're traveling to Atlanta in the fifth game. What hotel do you want to stay in?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Coach, how many buses do you want?
"You're kidding me, we're talking about buses?"
"What kind of food, coach?"
No wonder Edwards wore himself out during his first six months with the Jets.
"Because everything's new to you," said Edwards, now coaching the Kansas City Chiefs. "You are asked to do so many things, you got to worry about all that stuff. So that becomes part of the process and then you still have to coach."
The Dolphins' Cam Cameron, a former offensive coordinator, has a clue about the trials inherent in head coaching, having held the top post at Indiana University.
Still, his first season figures to present him with unforeseen challenges. NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, who was a college coach and pro coordinator before his first NFL head coaching job, argued that no prior experience can compare to the challenges of leading an NFL team, calling the responsibilities "enormous."
Gary Kubiak just finished his first season leading the Houston Texans. As a coordinator, he worried about scoring points. Now, he worries about special teams, defense and other stuff, too.
"You're dealing with players' wives, coaches' wives, a lot more problems other than just football," Kubiak said.
Player personnel issues.
Players' personal issues.
Public appearances.
Message-crafting.
"It is more difficult," said Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli, entering his second season. "Because you really want to set a tone and a theme for your team, and that constantly is on your mind, every second of every day."
That leaves little time for teaching and strategy.
"The football part, you're trying to get back to that," said the Dallas Cowboys' Wade Phillips, starting his third NFL head coaching stint. "If you get back to that, you're all right."
Few coaches work that miracle in their initial go-round.
What stuck out to Scott Linehan, in his first season as the St. Louis Rams' coach?
"How much football you don't do, as far as football coaching," Linehan said.
Trapped in personnel meetings, Linehan was frustrated by how little time he spent in the film room. He suspected his staff was even more frustrated. He got in a better routine once the season started. Still, he said, "There were times when I was like, `Can somebody else do this? I just want to go in and figure out how to get a first down right now.'"
Jeff Fisher became an interim head coach in 1994, taking over for good in 1995. He learned quickly to set aside time to prepare for everything: from the pregame talk to players, to the post practice and postgame news onferences. As all of that became more natural, he could focus more on football. Even so, the Tennessee Titans coach said every new head coach will encounter this uncomfortable feeling: "The first time you see something [football-related] will be when you step on the field."
Even that step requires some adjustment, as Tony Dungy warned Edwards when the latter became a head coach.
Position coaches mingle with their position group before a game, coordinators loiter with their side of the ball.
"When you're a head coach, you don't know where to stand," Edwards said. "You're screwed up. You go on the field, no one's talking to you. `Somebody's gonna talk to me.' You don't know what to do. So you go over and talk to the other head coach, and kind of shake his hand, then you go, `Where do I stand?'"
You can stand with your assistants.
But who are they?
That's on you, too.
Since his own hiring, Cameron has spent much of his energy on staffing decisions. Several colleagues said they will be the trickiest, and most critical, he makes.
"The thing that surprised me, and maybe it's universal and maybe it's not, is the hiring," said Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron, reflecting on his first-year experience with the Chicago Bears in 1999. "That's what hit me the hardest. Not that you don't know it's going to be difficult. But the amount of time it takes. It just consumes so much of your time, to hire a single coach, and then go onto the next one."
Former Cleveland Browns coach Chris Palmer called staffing the "toughest thing in the world." Marinelli called it "much more difficult" than he expected. Jauron fretted frequently about whether he had made the right hires ... and whether he would lose one down the road.
"Because not only have you lost a relationship, but you've got to invest that time again," Jauron said.
If you hire the wrong guys, you might lose your job.
"I always tell people the biggest difference is they count your record," Phillips said. "As an assistant coach, they don't ever say, `You're 30-20' or whatever. As a head coach, everything points to you, so you better make sure everything is in line the way you want it."
Fans are sure to be pointing at you, and you don't want those fingers too close.
So, before he became the Jaguars' coach, Jack Del Rio sought Dungy's counsel, too.
What is the trick to enjoying a smooth first season?
"Live in a gated community," Dungy advised.
Del Rio initially didn't think that would be necessary. He soon realized that for his family and privacy, "it's important."
Linehan didn't want to isolate himself when he went to St. Louis, preferring to "face the music," and let fans feel they could approach him.
He tested that sentiment early.
The Rams had just released popular receiver Isaac Bruce, whom they would later re-sign. After the Bruce cut, Linehan wore a hat while in line at a St. Louis area Starbucks. One guy, in the long line ahead of him, read a newspaper, cursing the name of the coach the Rams had hired a month earlier.
"He's already cut our best player!" the man yelled, slamming down the paper.
Linehan got to the front of the line as the men got their coffee. He ordered his usual triple grande mocha. The counterperson asked for his name, so he could pick up his order.
Linehan's reply?
"No name. I know what I ordered."
Only 32 NFL head coaching jobs exist. Each is lucrative and coveted. Still, many men who take them don't quite realize what they ordered until the first sip. The cup runneth over with challenges.
Some can be scalding.
"You know, your life is a bit different when you become a head coach," Edwards said.
His longtime friends often ask how it is. He asks if they really want to know.
They tell him it looks like fun: he looks good on Sundays, walking the sidelines, wearing a headset.
Edwards laughed as he relayed his response:
"It's overrated. It really is. It's way overrated."
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports...evisiting.html
