One of the most interesting snippets today:
Weasel Coach Watch: Donovan McNabb did not find out he was being benched from Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid, rather from quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur. At a critical midgame juncture, Reid wouldn't speak to McNabb. If you think that's weird -- actually it is surprisingly common in the NFL and in big-college football, where the head coach often has little direct contact with players, leaving the unpleasant interpersonal stuff to assistants. When he was coach of the Dolphins, Nick Saban is said to have sent around a memo instructing that no one from the office staff was to speak to him. A friend of mine has a son playing on scholarship at a Famous Football Factory College; in three years there, he has spoken to the Famous Head Coach exactly once. The young man tried to ask the Famous Head Coach a question. The head coach replied, "Do not speak to me. Talk to your position coach."
When offensive line coach Tom Cable was promoted to head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he said, "I coach the offensive line, but I don't live in that little world. I know who [the team's other players] are. I talk to them about life. I shake hands." Outside the football artificial universe, this comment must have been puzzling. He knows the other players and talks to them -- why was this worth mentioning? Because at the NFL and big-college football level, knowing your players personally and checking up on them personally are rare. One reason players like to play for Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, Mike Tomlin and the new, improved Tom Coughlin is because their office doors are open and they regularly ask players how they're doing.
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