Week 11 AMA: Rizzler Ball

DSnfla said

Hey Dan, While I like Rizzi as a motivator I do have some concerns that he has only been a ST coordinator in the NFL. He's never been a OC or DC or even a position coach in the NFL or at a major college. He was HC at New Haven and Rhode Island. Do you think it could be a big learning curve for him to be a HC at the NFL level?

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I'm not too worried. Being a coordinator is really kind of divorced from the actual job of HC. You see offensive and defensive coordinators become HC's more often because their play-calling/system is putting them on the map, garnering name recognition. But calling plays is really at the bottom fo the HC success pyramid.

So the ST coordinator stuff doesn't bother me at all. There are non-play-calling HC's all over the place at both the NFL and college level. If he's coaching in the NFL, he understands football. In short, he didn't cut his teeth coaching kickers.

Don't get me wrong--I'm a play-calling HC and I have massive appreciation for the Andy Reids and Sean Paytons and Mike McDaniels out there. But if Rizzi has solid coordinators and a solid staff, and he leads the right way and messages, broadly emphasizes attention to detail (not being a coordinator often helps with this), he can get the job done. It's all about fostering buy-in and being a strong decision maker.

His play-calling chops aren't what's going to win games late. It's gonna be his instincts and resolve when it comes to making critical decisions--and whether or not the players are bought in enough to make him right when those times come.