NFL
By: Greg Rector
NFL games aren’t decided just by what the players do on each play. The head coach and coordinators have plenty of say over everything NFL players do on the field. Quite often every NFL fan finds ourselves questioning every decision made by these coaches.
Quite often I find myself in complete conflict with the bad coaching decisions made by Mike McCarthy and he’s just one of 32 men whose jobs are supposed to be to put players in the best position to win NFL games. We aren’t paid to do this job however when you lose games because of bad coaching decisions it becomes extremely frustrating even from our seats at home.
Bad Coaching Decisions
For me, it comes down to a decision that makes no sense. Going for a fourth down gamble rather than punting the ball away or trying a field goal. Say hello to Brandon Staley and several other coaches.
How about not using your best offensive players when you have a size advantage? Say hello to Arthur Smith who refuses to get the ball to Kyle Pitts or Drake London anywhere near enough for Atlanta Falcons fans. Sure Bijan Robinson and the rest of the running backs are excellent players but when you aren’t using Kyle Pitts who so many felt was a “generational” type of tight end and you see so many other tight ends who are succeeding it’s really easy to say Arthur Smith is making bad coaching decisions.
How about using a starting quarterback with an injured AC joint like Derek Carr and not wanting to use a healthy Jameis Winston? Say hello to Dennis Allen. How do you have Chris Olave and see him get one catch for four yards as in the New Orleans Saints recent game? Dennis Allen has also made several bad coaching decisions when he was the head coach of the Raiders previously.
How about not going for a two-point conversion to win a division rivalry game? Say hello to Ron “Riverboat” Rivera and his lack of guts when the Washington Commanders lost in the overtime game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
All of these bad decisions also belong to the bane of my existence which is the offensive coordinator position. Offensive coordinators have way too much say over what quarterbacks do on the field. Can anyone explain what Matt Canada is thinking of for the Pittsburgh Steelers? Canada has led the way for most fans as a coordinator who constantly makes bad coaching decisions.
I often ask myself why the Dallas Cowboys don’t want Dak Prescott to run with the football as he did for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers this past Monday night. I understand the injury risk is always there however when you take his legs away the way the Cowboys have done for the last few seasons you miss his ability to do exactly what he did against the Chargers. Plus if you notice enough when Dak Prescott hesitates and then makes a throw it quite often leads to interceptions.
This is where I question the decision-making process so many coaches use. In the old days quarterbacks worked in the system however they had the ability to also call plays not sent in to them by the OC. Terry Bradshaw yes the same wild and crazy FOX sports studio star also quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles and he called his own plays.
NFL coaches and coordinators aren’t here to get criticized by the likes of myself or most other Monday morning quarterbacks. However even with the likes of Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback when you rely on his arm strength to win your playoff games at Lambeau Field in January rather than running the football more than twenty times in a playoff game you simply aren’t doing your job, Matt Lafleur.
These and numerous other examples we all can name off the top of our heads drive NFL fans crazy. It’s bad coaching decisions that more often than not end up costing your favorite NFL team victories.
Get used to seeing more of these bad coaching decisions NFL fans. They’re too numerous for me to name all of them.
