New NFL coaches find devil in details
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 previous 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 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," said Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli, entering his second season.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 conferences. 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?'"
