Five NFL Head Coaches I would love to play for

If you were able to play in the NFL, which current Head Coach would you most want to play for? 

This is a question that I love to think about, do you go with a HC who has been there and done it? Is there one that is newer to the role, but something about them makes you want to put on the pads and go make a play? Well, while you ponder as to who it would be, let me share with you my top five.

Dan Campbell – Detroit Lions

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Campbell. He is a real character, he has produced some of the best moments from interviews, with his unique choice of words and willingness to just answer everything with a raw honesty. But what can sometimes fall away from the spotlight, is how talented a HC he is. He is currently building the Lions into one of the best teams in the league and he is doing so in a relatively short space of time.

He is the top of the list for HC’s who take risks, he doesn’t make decisions to stay in the game, he makes decisions to win the game. Every decision he makes gives his players accountability to go and make a play when it matters most. It shows the players that he isn’t scared to roll the dice and it shows each player that he believes in them. This is the exact type of coach I would want to play for.

The best example for how good a job he is doing, is simply to look at the turn around in QB Jared Goff. He is playing as a top QB in the league, he looks confident again and a once unwanted QB in L.A now knows how valued he is. Campbell is a top coach. 

Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid is one of my favourite HC’s in the league. He is very much showing that he is a special coach, who will go down in the history books.

He is fortunate to have a QB like Patrick Mahomes but with such talent, comes great responsibility to make sure they reach their potential. Andy Reid has proven that he wants players who are themselves, come in, don’t change, don’t try to fit in, just be you and make plays. That alone is enough to make you want to play for him.

The fact that he is not only a serial winner, but also wins with style, he has an endless imagination and produces some of the more fun plays that you might ever see. His taste in food also has to come into play, but that’s just an added bonus. 

Pete Carroll – Seattle Seahawks

72 years young. Pete Carroll produced some of the best pre-season videos when we saw him lighting up the practice fields in Seattle, making sure his team was ready. That passion, that energy, that is all you can ask for and that would be enough for me.

He has to be one of the most animated coaches, you can clearly tell that he wears his heart on his sleeve and if you watch him on the sidelines, you get to watch a show. The range of emotions and the chewing of his gum. He had a ridiculously successful college coaching career and let’s say he is doing not too bad in the NFL either.

Carroll has taken charge of some of the best teams in the league and he has had to deal with so many characters throughout the years. I’d love to play for someone who after all this time, still has the passion and appetite. He has to be on my list. I’d love even an hour with him, just to hear some of the stories he has from his time in the league.

Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams

When McVay was hired by the Rams, he was the youngest HC in the modern era at just 31 years old. Now when you’re the HC of players who are older than you, that could be really challenging but that didn’t pose any problems for him. One of the craziest parts to this HC’s story, is how many of his coaches have gone on to now be some of the top coaches in the league.

The McVay coaching tree is spreading wide and fast, Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor are two of the most noticeable names to have flourished after being in Mcvay’s presence. McVay has to be at the top of the list when it comes to attention to detail and willingness to grow.

His record so far as a HC has been sensational and it was only a couple of years ago that he got what I believe will be the first of many Super Bowl wins. Although this HC has always been touted as someone who could have a huge career in the broadcast booth.

No wonder, the way he breaks the game down and the extensive knowledge, would be a great insight for us fans at home. It would be like entering the NFL classroom, being taught by one of the great minds. I would want to play for him, just so that I could learn, learn, learn and learn some more. He has changed the outlook for HC’s in the league and he has plenty more time to make even more history. 

Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins

The second year Miami Dolphins Head Coach is must watch TV. He is one of the most intriguing characters in all of football and he is making a name for himself quickly. You could almost describe him as a little awkward or quirky, but I love that. It’s another coach coming into the league and changing what a coach should look like, how they should act and the best part is, he is already showing up to be one of the best coaches in the league.

He is turning Tua into a superstar, a player that many doubted, but McDaniel looks to have that touch and creativity to build players into the best version of themselves. He is an offensive nerd, he was known for being in the lab dialling up run plays in San Francisco and since taking the reins in Miami, he has just dialled it up to a whole new level.

The pre snap movement, the motions, the trickery, the razzle and dazzle. I mean, he has it all and he knows what he wants in his team, speed, lots and lots of speed. He has style, he has a swagger and he is undoubtedly got to be on the list of coaches you would want to play for. I want to be in one meeting with him, to see how he conducts himself and to just see first hand how he works. He has got to be one of the coolest HC’s in the league and I would certainly want to play for him. 

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There you go, five coaches that, given the hypothetical chance, I would play for in a heartbeat. Now have you managed to narrow down who you would play for and why?