Why Coaches with NFL Playing Experience Are Key to Offseason Success

If we are being honest, most of the NFL offseason program isn’t that important for certain players. Any player with a secure starting spot can skip organized activities without issue, which is why many do when they are trying to get a new contract.

A coach would never admit that some players don’t need to be there because the reality is they need to motivate the 80 or so other players. Motivating is one of the key competencies of a successful head coach—both in and out of season.

When it comes to motivating players during the dog days of the offseason, coaches with NFL playing experience have the distinct advantage, having been in the shoes of their players. Other coaches can be and are effective, but without experiencing it themselves, many miss the mark.

In a locker room, it behooves the coaches to understand how the players perceive their actions. Former players are more in tune with its pulse. Overstating the importance of OTAs or understating the importance of games are just some of the potential issues.

When the Denver Broncos fired head coach John Fox and replaced him with Gary Kubiak, they did so because of a philosophical difference that falls into that category. General manager John Elway, a Hall of Famer on the field, didn’t like what he saw from his team last season under Fox, who only played for one season professionally as a practice-squad player in 1978.

After a loss to the New England Patriots last November, Elway addressed the team and coaches, per Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. He wanted more toughness and a greater sense of urgency from them, foreshadowing the reasons why he fired Fox.

"[Elway] talked about our toughness and effort," said defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. "It was about having a certain mentality."

Kubiak played in the NFL from 1983 to 1991 as Elway’s backup before transitioning to the coaching side and eventually winning three Super Bowls. Elway thinks Kubiak has the right mentality to motivate his very talented team.

Former Broncos and Houston Texans tight end Joel Dreessen agrees, and he played for both Kubiak and Fox. Speaking on The Sports Show with Woody Paige and Les Shapiro, Dreessen outlined some of the differences between the coaches.

The speed of practice was faster under Kubiak and meetings were shorter and had more of a purpose. Dreessen said that he wanted to “run through a brick wall” and that he’d “bleed for a guy like Gary Kubiak,” adding that he’d “take a bullet for that man.” Dreessen described Fox’s practices as “ho-hum.”

Motivating players is probably even more important this offseason because the Broncos are installing new schemes and the roster is full of veterans. It’s equally important for the Broncos’ AFC West rivals from Oakland, who haven’t had a winning season since 2002 and brought in a gaggle of veteran players in free agency.

The Raiders are relying on the playing experience of their coaching staff getting more out of their talent. Head coach Jack Del Rio, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave all have extensive playing experience, but the whole staff is loaded with former players.

Offensive line coach Mike Tice played in the NFL at tight end for 14 years, defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson played for 13 years, assistant defensive backs coach Rod Woodson for an amazing 17 years, wide receivers coach Rob Moore for 12 seasons and running backs coach Bernie Parmalee for nine years. Woodson is in the Hall of Fame too.

Combined, the Raiders have 102 years of playing experience on their coaching staff, per the team, and it seems to be paying dividends when it comes to getting the most out of their veterans this offseason.

Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton said recently, per Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area, that having former players as coaches is beneficial:

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Those guys have been in your position. They’ve done everything and seen everything. When they’re telling you something, it’s not just ‘coach talk.’ It’s players that have played that are now coaches. It helps you out just that much more. Even when you’re watching film. My coach will tell me that my steps are off here, and he knows that by having my steps off, I’m going to miss out on plays.

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Lofton also highlighted the energy that Norton has brought to the team. Slow, low-energy practices were a common occurrence under former head coach Dennis Allen.

“He brings it every single day,” Lofton said, relayed by Bair. “More than once I’ve come to work and thought, ‘today will be the day he doesn’t have it.’ I’m wrong every time. We love his energy. We feed off of it.”

The San Diego Chargers have been on the other side of things this offseason under head coach Mike McCoy, who also coached under Fox. Star safety Eric Weddle didn’t attend voluntary organized team activities because he is seeking a contract extension, and McCoy called him out behind his back in front of the team.

Here’s how Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune worded the report:

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Prior to the first organized team activity last Monday, McCoy told the assembled players, in essence, to move on without Weddle, that a player unhappy with his contract shouldn’t bail on his team. However McCoy’s speech was intended—he declined comment Monday when asked about his remarks to the team—it came across to some veterans as highly inappropriate for a head coach to side with management in such a manner.

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When it comes to offseason success, coaches with playing experience seem to have a leg up on those who never played. Former players should understand the dynamic of the locker room and the fine line they have to walk between the playing field and the luxury box.

Of course, many great coaches didn’t play, but even Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick had to earn the trust of their players at first. Belichick was 5-11 in his first season in New England. Bill Walsh went 2-14 and 6-10 in his first two seasons before winning his first Super Bowl in his third year.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who played in the NFL for 11 seasons and was a head coach for three years in Tennessee, seems to understand the dynamic. Munchak put it this way, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

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When I walk into the room, I may get that instant respect because I sat in their seats. But if I can’t teach them or make them better they’ll shut me off real fast. If you have experience that’s a nice little plus, but [Maurkice] Pouncey, [David] DeCastro and [Kelvin] Beachum want a guy who will push them, prepare them, make them better on Sundays. Players buy in fast if you show them you can help them.

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Munchak won nine games in his first year as a head coach, a three-win improvement, and he has turned one of the worst offensive lines in the league into one of the best over the last couple of years. Clearly, Munchak makes the most of his instant credibility, even if it wasn’t lasting in Tennessee.

We know that playing experience isn’t a requirement for success as a coach. In fact, unlike other sports, it’s not as big a requirement for head coaches in the NFL. That doesn’t mean it’s not helpful. As Munchak said, he got instant respect, but from there, he had to show players he could help them. Lofton explained how the Raiders’ coaches that have been in his shoes have helped him improve his game by pointing out when his steps are off.

Coaches without NFL playing experience often bring in assistants with NFL playing experience. It can be a bad thing in terms of the evolution of the game in relation to X’s and O’s, but when it comes to getting players to buy what the coaches are selling, it’s undoubtedly helpful.

Since there is so much change in the NFL each year, there are new coaches getting to know entire rosters and there are new players getting to know the coaches on their new team. Every offseason, players and coaches have to forge relationships, and the surest way for relationships to get off on the right foot is if the coach has instant credibility.

The head coaches that have established that credibility also typically have job security. The ones that haven’t established it as coaches have it because they played in the NFL or have had to build it over time. In almost every case, if the trust is broken, there can be major issues.

Team	Coach	Year Hired	Tenure
Dallas Cowboys	Jason Garrett	2010	5
Carolina Panthers	Ron Rivera	2011	4
St. Louis Rams	Jeff Fisher	2012	3
Tennessee Titans	Ken Whisenhunt	2014	1
Denver Broncos	Gary Kubiak	2015	0
New York Jets	Todd Bowles	2015	0
Oakland Raiders	Jack Del Rio	2015	0

Last season, the Chicago Bears found out just how delicate that player-coach relationship can be. Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who never played in the NFL, anonymously criticized quarterback Jay Cutler’s play. He later apologized to the team, reported by the Chicago Tribune, but he broke the players’ trust.

Head coach Marc Trestman didn’t fire Kromer, which spoke volumes of his understanding, or lack thereof, of the NFL locker room. Trestman never played in the NFL aside from making it through training camp twice.

At the end of the season, the Bears fired Trestman, Kromer and the rest of the staff and front office. They simply had no choice. It’s worth wondering if a coach who was a former player would have made the same mistake as Kromer, or if a head coach with NFL playing experience would have fired Kromer on the spot.

When Trestman was hired in 2013, Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown, speaking on on ESPN 1000, foreshadowed the issues the Bears would have. Trestman was the offensive coordinator in Oakland at the tail end of Brown’s career. Brown apparently took issue with the fact that he came in 70 yards shy of 1,000 yards in 2002 because Trestman changed the offense.

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He's a really smart guy, knows football like the back of his hand. That's not the issue…But there's a lot more to coaching than just X's and O's. You have to be able to deal with players…when it comes to leading me, it's a totally different intangible you have to have. It's going to be very interesting to see how [Trestman] and Jay Cutler get along, that's for sure.

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Coming up through the coaching ranks is now the norm, but the lack of experience on the field makes those coaches more vulnerable to coaching pitfalls. They can be extremely intelligent football minds, but that’s not enough.

It used to be that coaches with NFL playing experience were the norm. Chuck Noll, Don Shula, Tom Landry and Tom Flores are just a few of the names that dominated the NFL as coaches after their playing careers were over.

In 27 of the last 29 Super Bowls, the winning head coach had no NFL playing experience.

Unlike other sports, being a great player doesn’t instantly qualify them to be a head coach. In the NFL, they have to work up to it. Many would rather retire or work in media than live the life of an assistant coach.

“Oftentimes, the guys who have long and distinguished playing careers have had their fill and move on to other things,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, via Fittipaldo. “There are probably a lot of former players who are capable of coaching who choose not to.”

Those that do get into coaching have a built-in advantage, which is also seemingly becoming a rare commodity—at least among head coaches. However, even a new assistant coach who is able to get through to the players in his unit can have a significant impact. Munchak in Pittsburgh and Tice in Atlanta are two recent examples of that.

Although some teams get a big infusion of talent, coaching changes make a huge difference more often. Coaches who more quickly identify with their players, as former players can, should have productive offseasons.