Look, there\u2019s no easy way to admit the reality of this situation. It\u2019s brutal beyond belief, and could bring a grown man to his knees, dying inside before crawling up into the fetal position over in the nearest corner. <\/p>\n
Still, the truth of the matter is simple: The nerds have won.<\/p>\n
A glance around the league suggests that very idea. Many of the head coaches who are assumed to be \u201cbad at parties\u201d are dominating the game. Many of the sideline bosses who capitalize on innovation\u2014rather than motivation<\/a>\u2014are flipping teams\u2019 fortunes over the course of a single offseason.<\/p>\n This, in turn, has the older-school, defensive-first personalities shedding invisible tears. Not even they can argue against the idea of the offensive play-callers dominating this league. <\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s first-year head coaches like Ben Johnson in Chicago and Liam Coen in Jacksonville, or stalwarts like Andy Reid and Sean McVay, who have dominated the sport for quite some time, the logic and odds are clear \u2026 <\/p>\n The head coach, whose voice is heard through the mic in the quarterback\u2019s helmet, enjoys a built-in advantage. <\/p>\n Checkers has transformed into chess<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s bring some basic logic to the table: The level of physicality seen today is nowhere near that of yesteryear. Does evidence even need to be brought to the table?<\/p>\n Moreover, thanks to the fact that the sport\u2019s physicality has decreased to never-before-seen lows, the randomness of each play has also been reduced. Think about it: Physicality naturally ramps up randomness thanks to a one-on-one battle resulting unexpectedly. <\/p>\n So, what does that mean? <\/p>\n Well, with physicality cleared out of the way, speed becomes the de facto most critical element on each play. With that, play-callers can better predict how a design will unfold\u2014which theoretically serves both sides of the ball, yet provides the offensive play-caller a significant advantage (thanks to the defense consistently locked in reactive mode). <\/p>\n All of this ultimately leads to the idea that game plans must be flawless. Better yet, the game plans that are quarterback- and offensive-driven are more tightly connected among all three units.<\/p>\n The CEO-type coach, who neither calls plays on either side of the ball nor speaks to the offensive and defensive leaders (with the green dot on their helmets), is the man in the middle of all three phases. <\/p>\n Purely by way of the rules\u2014that discriminate against defenders and anybody who dares to touch the quarterback or launch a physical hit\u2014the offensive head coach, particularly by way of a quarterback expertise and as an offensive play-caller, enjoys a built-in advantage.<\/p>\n Of the last eight Super Bowl teams (the AFC and NFC champions), all eight of the appearances feature offensive-minded head coaches:<\/p>\n Andy Reid (3)<\/p>\n Nick Sirianni (2)<\/p>\n Sean McVay (1)<\/p>\n Kyle Shanahan (1)<\/p>\n Zac Taylor (1)<\/p>\n Only one of these appearances was of a coach who didn\u2019t call the offensive plays (Sirianni), and only one had never officially been a quarterbacks coach (McVay, who would never be mistaken for someone illiterate in quarterback language). <\/p>\n When listening to New York #Jets<\/a> head coach Aaron Glenn after games, I continue to hear the wrong things. He consistently preaches about “field position, penalties, not turning the ball over, and effort.”<\/p>\n Nonsense.<\/p>\n Of course, there’s a place for that stuff in this game\u2014and\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) December 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Old-school principles be damned<\/p>\n Those who hold tightly to the idea that \u201cfootball is still football,\u201d and the principles have not drastically changed, are doomed to fall well behind. Count New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn as one of the modern NFL guys who firmly believes in these principles. <\/p>\n Not only did Glenn publicly discuss the critical importance of fundamentals this past summer during training camp, but he also ran live, to-the-ground, open-field tackling drills<\/a>. <\/p>\n Hey, great. There\u2019s nothing wrong with an NFL head coach emphasizing the fundamentals of the game and even incorporating live drills in July and August. Well, I take that back, sort of \u2026 There\u2019s something very wrong with the idea if the coaching staff\u2019s priorities and vision are misplaced. <\/p>\n Something of this old-school nature can only be considered\u00a0complementary. <\/p>\n The same can be said for accountability, penalties, effort, and field position. By no means are these traits wholly obsolete these days; it\u2019s more so that they can only complement the item that moves the needle, by far, the most. <\/p>\n Strategy and tactics lead the way<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about strategy, stupid (not the economy).\u201d Tom Brady let it fly Saturday night when calling the Chicago Bears\u2019 thrilling overtime win over the Green Bay Packers, by stressing the importance of a team\u2019s \u201ctactics.\u201d<\/p>\n