A New Position On The NFL Coaching Staff?

There has been plenty of time to digest what went down in Super Bowl LI.  The Patriots completed the ultimate comeback, pairing their tactics of out scheming the Falcons with a little magic of their own, courtesy of a Julian Edelman catch for the ages.  We can talk about what happened in the final 23 minutes for eternity, but one thing sticks out over the rest.

With just under five minutes to play, Matt Ryan scrambled out of the pocket and fired a dart to Julio Jones, who made an incredible sideline catch at the New England 22 yard line.  All Atlanta had to do was run it three times and kick a field goal.  The Lombardi comes to the city of Atlanta for the first time.

But, it wasn’t meant to be.  The Falcons got extremely cute once they reached the 22 yard line.  The run with Freeman that lost a yard wasn’t a big deal.  If they had done that twice more, a 42 yard field goal would have been no problem for Matt Bryant.  Game over.  Instead of running it on second down, the Falcons came out throwing.  With the play taking a while to develop, Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers sacked Matt Ryan for a 12 yard loss.  Now, you have to get some back for a field goal try.  Matt Ryan dumps it short for Mohamed Sanu, who works his way back to the 26 yard line.  Crisis averted.  Except, Jake Matthews got called for holding.  And now, backed up to the 45 yard line, Atlanta watched their Super Bowl hopes disappear right then and there.

Kyle Shanahan defended his play calling in his press conference, stating that he wanted to give kicker Matt Bryant a shorter field goal try.  But, in the Super Bowl, up eight points, you need to churn clock and get points to ensure a two-score game.  Atlanta didn’t do that.  They ignored the situation at hand in order to go for the jugular.  It cost them, and here we sit with New England back on top.

As I sat and digested what I had just watched, the same thing hit me that hit me after Green Bay’s collapse in Seattle two years earlier.  How in the world is there not a position on the coaching staff that can be in everyone’s ear in certain game situations?

With this aspect of puzzling decisions in mind, I will provide the most recent examples where this new position would have been imperative for teams.

January of 2015.  The NFC Championship game is looking like a snooze with Green Bay out ahead 16-0 in the second half.  Seattle finally puts a solid drive together, but they stall in the red zone.  Seattle lines up for a field goal, but runs a fake.  Green Bay comes up to stop the punter, but a Seattle player leaks out for a touchdown.  That completely changes the momentum and ends up leading to a monumental collapse by Green Bay.  The funny thing about it?  After the game, Packers coaches said they usually have an alert put on for the defense to watch for the fake.  That play?  They didn’t have the alert on and weren’t expecting a fake.  I don’t know the idea behind lining up to block a field goal rather than playing base defense and watching for the fake.

Next, we head to Kansas City.  The Chiefs have always had clock management issues with Andy Reid at the helm.  The most recent issue?  We could talk about the issues against Pittsburgh in the divisional round this past season, but I want to go back to 2015 one more time.  The Chiefs had a road divisional tilt against the Patriots two years ago.  They were trailing 27-13 with 6:29 to go in the game.  The funny thing about this?  Had the Chiefs hurried up instead of running their normal offense with zero urgency, they might not have needed to attempt an onside kick.  But, Andy Reid didn’t play with urgency.  The Chiefs scored with 1:13 remaining, and an onside kick remaining as their only option.

Finally, let’s take a look at one regular season game in 2016.  The Browns were visiting the Titans in mid October still searching for their first win.  They were trailing 28-13 with under seven minutes to play.  The Browns marched down and scored with just over two minutes to go, bringing the score to 28-19.  Then, in a bonehead move, the Browns decide to go for two.  Of course, the conversion fails.  So, instead of taking the extra point to secure a one possession game with a chance to get the ball back, the Browns fail on the conversion, and it remains a two possession game.  The worst part of it all?  The Browns recovered the onside kick and got in the end zone.  But, because it was a two possession game, they had no way to tie it up.  Had they taken the extra point the previous possession, they were in perfect position to tie it up.  Alas, the comeback failed, thanks to poor awareness.

So what am I proposing?  I want the coaching staff to form a new position called “Game Flow Management”.  This position would consist of a person who would see the game as a whole, and be able to diagnose momentum and advise the coaching staff.

What would this position do? Here are just a few things that the person would do.

• Clock management (knowing when to speed up the offense or when to slow things down)
• Be sure coaches are ready for trick plays that could shift momentum
• Make sure coaches know when to go for two (don’t do it too early)
• Tell coaches when to challenge plays or when not to

This position could have prevented all of the scenarios above, utilizing the point above, amongst others. Whether it is preparing a team to watch out for a fake, to advising a coach to challenge a play, this position could help teams out in key moments during a game.  There are ways to avoid big blunders, and this position would fix those mistakes.

Obviously, coming from the other side, we do criticize coaches very often for decisions they make during a game.  Yes, down on the sideline you have to make instant judgments.  Yes, sometimes you aren’t prepared for trick plays because you are focused on getting the personnel that you need out on the field.  Yes, coaches do stick to their plan most of the time and it usually pays off.

When it comes to the Falcons in the Super Bowl, it’s not an easy call in that situation.  Two big plays on that drive in the passing game got them down to the 22 yard line, so it makes sense to go for the jugular instead of playing not to lose.  But, they were in a safe spot to settle for a field goal.

Obviously, some coaches would be opposed to something like this.  But the evidence does not lie.  There are certain situations throughout the season where having one more person in coaches’ ears would be a good thing.  With all this laid out, I think it’s time to consider making this an official position.

Jake Schyvinck covers the NFL and the NFL Draft for The Sports Guys.  Follow him on Twitter @JSchyvinck13 for all things NFL and NFL Draft.

 

 

Peyton Manning: A Legend, Retired

March 7^th, 2016 will go down in history as the end of an era for fans of the great game, and for fans of the good guy. On March 7^th, the entire country said goodbye to one of the great heroes of modern football as we know it. On the 7^th day of March in the year 2016, Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the National Football League. 2x Super Bowl winner, five-time MVP winner made the announcement at a Bronco’s press conference, not even a month after winning Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers.

During the conference, it was easily viewable to even the non-football fan watching the video of the announcement that football was more than just a game to Manning. The New Orleans-born Quarterback was emotional, and showed just how much the game truly meant to him. The same man whom thousands grew up not just watching, but idolizing. Whenever the football left the hands of Manning, hearts skipped a beat around the world. The impossible, suddenly became possible. It wasn’t just how good he was. He was testament that with a lot of hard work, and endless pursuance, you, or I, could be in his shoes. Whether it be in his 13 full seasons with the Colts of Indianapolis, or in the seasons until his retirement with the Denver Broncos, there was always a little sparkle about the way Peyton Manning played, and also handled himself. Young men all over America, and in other parts of the world, grew up watching this commanding general lead his teams to records, trophies, and perhaps most importantly for kids such as myself whom grew up watching his every move, memories.

Memories come in abundance with the mention of Peyton Manning. He holds a stunning total of over 20 records in the National Football League, and leaves a legacy that, without a doubt is bound for Canton. It’s an emotional affair for sports fans any time that a sports icon retires, and the case for Manning is no different. There has been a clear switch in the way football has been played in recent years. The pocket-controlling, long-pass hurling quarterbacks of old are becoming fewer and fewer in today’s league, being replaced with the (just as fun to watch, no less) quick-passing, quarterbacks who are built on speed, and escaping defenses. Still, the NFL, will always have a place for quarterbacks who are able to control the field like Manning has done for the past eighteen seasons.

Good quarterbacks will come and go, but for a generation of still-young football fans, the man who we idolized growing up, will go with a special kind of sorrow. Never again will we see the famed matchup of Peyton Manning taking on Tom Brady. Never again, as evidenced by his changed reaction after the most recent Super Bowl, will we hear Peyton say “I’m going to Disney World!” as he stands in the confetti shower on the field after almost assuredly winning the MVP of the game. Manning is the first quarterback to ever reach 200 wins, and the only player to ever win a Super Bowl with two different teams. Upon his announcement, players like DeMarcus Ware, Vernon Davis, and Cam Newton (his most recent Super Bowl opponent) all congratulated Manning on his retirement, and joined in the chorus of thousands of football fans all over the world that sung of his accomplishments.

As for the young men who grew up idolizing Peyton Williams Manning, the ones now coming into their prime, both as players themselves, and as the fans, we will continue to love the great game, even after heroes like Manning and the countless others who have announced retirement this year, are gone. Though, there will always be a special place in our heart for “The Sheriff,” “The Middle Manning,” and simply, Peyton. Football goes on, as modern superstars rise up to take the places of Peyton and others like him, just as they took the place of others before them. On the 7^th of March, in the year 2016, a legend stepped back from football. Though he may be walking away from the game, his memories, will always remain.