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Eight head coach openings and one filled so far. Names of potential candidates are flying, with a new name for a new spot hitting nearly every hour: offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators, linebacker coaches, interim head coaches, former head coaches.
And exactly one special teams coordinator: Chris Tabor. (Who, to be fair, was also an interim head coach.)
“Do you think I have an opinion on this?” Bill Cowher says, with a laugh that comes right down the telephone line. Because oh yes, does the Super Bowl-winning Hall of Fame coach — who started his career as a special teams coach — have an opinion. One just as strong as every other person who’s ever filled the role. Essentially: Having been a special teams coordinator actually offers the single best training to run an entire team.
Bill Belichick logged time as a special teams coordinator. So did Marv Levy. Dick Vermeil, Dennis Green and John Harbaugh too. Harbaugh, as in the Super Bowl-winning coach of this year’s top seed in the AFC.
“It’s disappointing. It’s discouraging,” Harbaugh said of the various perceptions of special teams coordinators. “It’s not like we’re Ted Lasso coaching a different sport. You’re talking about building a team.”
And building — and coaching and managing — teams is just what special teams coordinators do. Kickoff and kick return, punt and punt return, field goal and field goal block and fake field goal and on and on. Nearly every player on the roster has — or has to know — a special teams role. Star defensive ends are on the field goal block unit. Starting offensive linemen are on the field goal team. Superstar wide receivers are on the hands team. In the mid-2000s, Belichick regularly used starters for basic special teams roles. Veterans like Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison sent the message that fourth down was just as meaningful as downs one through three.
Sure, quarterbacks aren’t…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-head-coach-search-sometimes-the-special-candidates-are-hiding-in-plain-sight/
Author : Aditi Kinkhabwala
Publish date : 2024-01-15 15:26:01
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