15 NFL Players Who Will Be Coaches Someday
Coaching in the NFL is not an easy task.
Hundreds of hours are logged on the practice field, in the weight room, in meetings and starring at film into the wee hours of the night.
That's why former NFL players make great coaches. They know what it's like to put on the pads and line-up against the best that the NFL has to offer. They know how much preparation is necessary to get the job done.
Look around the league in 2011 and you will find former players littered throughout every single NFL team.
Odds are a few of our current favorite players will have a head-set and clipboard at some point in the future. Here are 15 current NFL players that will make a great coach once they retire as a player.
15. Eli Manning
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The younger Manning grew up in a household with two other NFL QBs, and has plenty of stories to prove it.
He has had the opportunity to learn from the best, and has turned that knowledge into a productive NFL career.
Eli has thrown for over 22,000 yards and 156 TDs and won one Super Bowl ring in his seven years as starting QB for the New York Giants.
He never seems to buckle under pressure, and has not let the New York media get the best of him.
He is one of the calmest players in the league, so he might not be a great head coach, but with his family pedigree and calming demeanor, look for Eli to be involved in the NFL long after his playing days are over.
14. Drew Brees
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The charismatic leader of the Saints always seems to be able to keep his teammates in check.
His strong passion for success is evident and it is infectious. You get the feeling that all 52 other players on the Saints would take a bullet for their QB.
That's the kind of coach you want. One that players can trust and will lay everything on the line for. He has outstanding work ethic and could handle the giant load that is placed upon a head coach.
But it's not as if he is a boring guy. His humorous side has shown up in the huddle and on ESPN's camera's, and that's a quality that would keep his players loose.
Brees is certainly head coach material.
13. Takeo Spikes
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Spikes has 13 years of NFL experience as a linebacker. He has seen it all and would be a great defensive coordinator.
His former coach Mike Singletary was a linebacker as well, and while he may have had limited success for the 49ers, he taught Spikes a lot about life after football.
Spikes has terrific form on his tackles, and could teach a new generation how to properly tackle a player. Solid form on a tackle is becoming a lost art, and Spikes could help curb the trend.
He has always been a vocal leader in the 49ers locker room and he could easily translate that fire and energy to coaching.
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12. Carson Palmer
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He is already accustomed to dealing with multiple divas at once, and could use that experience to keep his players in line. Juggling egos is not an easy task, and Palmer has done as well as any QB could with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.
Palmer has always had a reputation for being a heady player and one that is dedicated to the film room.
Playing in the AFC North has allowed him to see every kind of exotic defense a QB could expect. He is very well prepared, and can fire up his teammates when necessary.
He is a smooth operator with the media and would be great for a team looking for a stable-minded, calm, cool and collected head coach.
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick
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I remember hearing the Harvard grad talk about how he wanted to play in the NFL, but if there would be a situation for him to coach he wouldn't turn it down.
Well, he exceeded his own expectations, and has turned out to be a serviceable QB in the NFL. But that doesn't mean Fitzpatrick still wont be a great coach.
He is one of the smartest players in the league, and now has the experience to go with it. He has been known to help the staff with the playbook, and has created a few plays of his own.
I envision Fitzpatrick being a great offensive coordinator some day.
10. Ronde Barber
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Barber has been the model of consistency for the Bucs. He has played 14 seasons with the team and is still a vital part of the squad.
He has intercepted all of the top QBs in the league because of the way he studies their tendencies through endless hours of film study.
With his loyalty to the Bucs, it isn't hard to figure out where he would love to coach. He isn't one to get in your face and scream at you as spit flies from his mouth. But his thought process on how to defend a certain receiver or how to read a play before it develops is invaluable.
Barber will make a great defensive coordinator.
9. Tim Tebow
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Okay, I know Tebow has only started three career NFL games. But it doesn't matter if he has success in the NFL or not.
Tebow is the ultimate motivator and can lead any army into battle. His unbridled enthusiasm for the game is painfully obvious every time he takes the field.
This guy truly loves the game, and will do whatever he can to stay in it.
Tebow would be more than willing to put in the hundred-plus hours a week it takes to coach a football team, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
At the age of 23 he is already one of the best leaders in the NFL. Doing that as a young and unproven player reeks of head coaching material to me.
I'm getting fired up just thinking about it.
8. Dhani Jones
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The 11-year veteran is a great teacher.
He has taken the young linebacking duo of Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga and turned them into seasoned pros. He takes terrific care of his body and it shows on Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Jones has been amongst the NFL leaders in tackles seemingly every season he has been healthy.
He has a very easy-going personality, so I doubt he would make a great head coach, but Jones would be an ideal candidate for a defensive coordinator or a strength and conditioning coach.
7. Bart Scott
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Scott is one of the most passionate players in the league. He is a natural born leader that learned from the legendary Ray Lewis.
He has taken what he learned as a Raven and made the Jets into one of the most feared defenses in the NFL.
He takes after head coach Rex Ryan in the trash talking department, and has the ability to strike fear into the opponent.
The loud-mouthed leader could be a phenomenal coordinator or head coach.
6. Mike Vrabel
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Vrabel is a natural born leader and a very smart cookie.
He has former NFL coach Eric Mangini endorsing him:
"I imagine he’ll eventually go into coaching and he’ll be outstanding. I’m telling you, I (would) be surprised if he’s not coaching major college football or pro football at some point and be really successful."
5. Tom Brady
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There is no doubt in my mind Brady would be a great coach. He has the "nobody believed in me" attitude after being drafted 199th overall.
He has the work ethic and passion for the game. He has learned from one of the greatest coaches of all time in Bill Belichick.
But will he want to continue to log the endless hours required of the job when he has inched closer and closer to a celebrity that's a football player compared to an athlete that is famous?
4. Jeff Saturday
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Saturday has been a great player for 12 years now. He has experienced plenty of playoff success and has teamed with Peyton Manning to form the most consistent QB-center combination in all of football.
He directs the offensive-line as Manning changes the play at the line of scrimmage. He is extremely disciplined and rarely will draw a penalty.
His dedication and ability to compute lots of information in a fast-paced environment has great coach written all over it.
He will be the ultimate offensive line coach some day.
3. Brett Favre
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It's pretty obvious that Brett is completely obsessed with football. He has been playing the game for seemingly forever, and can never seem to say goodbye.
So what better way to stay in the league than to make a smooth transition to head coach. He certainly has the experience to qualify. He has a steady easy going southern demeanor that will translate well with players.
He may be old school, but the gunslinger has been able to keep up with the ever-changing NFL.
Plus, it will allow him to finally stop with the "will he or won't he come back" question that all of us are so sick of hearing.
2. Peyton Manning
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The ultimate film room guy is a natural fit as an NFL head coach. He is always well prepared for any situation that presents itself and has the counter-punch for it.
There are a lot of people that say he is already a coach in the way he is in complete control of the offense. He calls the plays and makes all of the reads that few other QBs can make.
This one's a no-brainer...Manning will be a future NFL head coach.
1. Ray Lewis
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"Ray Ray" is the perfect example of a great leader. He truly inspires his teammates, and they do whatever the 15-year veteran tells them to do.
He keeps his body in great shape with a strenuous trainning reigme that shows his incredible work ethic.
His amazing ability to motivate his teammates with his fiery speeches and play on the field is second to none. He is the defenition of a leader and a player that practices what he preaches.
There isn't a single doubt in my mind that Ray Lewis is going to not only be an NFL coach, but he will be a highly successful one.
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