Can You Manage An NFL Team? Take Our 60-Second Test!
- by Dylan Jacob
- – on
- in Sports
"As head coach, you develop a team strategy, execute it on and off the field, and try to build a winning organization year after year. Your status as a coaching legend will rise and fall based on all of your actions as you strive to become the greatest head coach of all time. Behind the desk, on the practice field, or while wearing the headset on game days, take the reins of your favorite NFL team and lead it to victory."
EA Sports once pitched this mindset with the now-defunct NFL Head Coach video game series and, while the games weren't exactly hits the way Madden is, that's the right approach to take.
Do you have what it takes to be an NFL coach/GM? Are you going to join Bill Belichick, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh among the league's all-time greats, or are you going to be forgotten like so many others?
Today, we're going to see not how well you know the NFL, but how well you'd be able to run an NFL team. Can you make the difficult personnel choices required by 32 men in the NFL, or are you better suited for another job? Grab your clipboard, your tablet, and don't think about deflating any footballs.
Who would you want as your offensive coordinator?
Former New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, while most infamous for being punched in the jaw by Oilers defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan during their tenure together in the early 1990s, but he was behind some dominant offenses wherever he went. There's also a case to be made that Gilbride helped with Eli Manning's clutch factor during the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl runs, but most Giants fans will dispute that. Which offensive coordinator would you pick?
Would you have traded for Randy Moss?
Likely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this coming winter, legendary wide receiver Randy Moss had the unique distinction of playing for three teams in 2010; Moss started with the New England Patriots, who he'd played for since 2007, before being traded in early October to the Minnesota Vikings, the team Moss had debuted with many years earlier. Things didn't work out there and the Vikings were falling out of contention, so the Tennessee Titans (!) traded for Moss. Would you have taken a chance on a 33-year-old Moss and character concerns?
Who would you want as your defensive coordinator?
You really have to give Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau serious credit, if only because he's been active at field level in the NFL both as a player and as a coach for 44 (!!!!!!!) straight years. Now 80 years old, LeBeau is still going strong at a time when many of his friends have long been retired, guiding the Titans to what they hope will be their first playoff appearance since 2008. Who would you want as your defensive coordinator?
Would you have signed Colin Kaepernick?
Bad news: your star quarterback is likely out for the season and your backups probably aren't enough to help you win the division, much less clinch a playoff spot. Colin Kaepernick, along with his pending lawsuit and his kneeling for the anthem, is still available as a free agent and would be a smart fit for your offense. Would you consider signing Kaepernick, or is the risk too great?
Who would you have drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft?
Well, there's no denying the 2013 NFL Draft was pretty bad...in the first round, at least. Aside from Travis Frederick, DeAndre Hopkins, Lane Johnson, and Xavier Rhodes, the first round was unspectacular, but there were plenty of elite players that entered the league after the first 32 picks. Le'Veon Bell was a third-round pick! Which of the following players would you have drafted?
Would you have signed Michael Sam?
Similar situation as Colin Kaepernick, but also entirely different. You learn that former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam has been impressing in an independent league and you have the roster space to take on another defensive end and have him develop in your system. The one problem? Sam hasn't played with an NFL team since 2014 and is openly gay, which may divide your locker room. What do you do?
Would you have drafted La'el Collins?
During his time as a star offensive lineman for the Louisiana State Tigers, La'el Collins was routinely slated to be a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, when it was reported Collins would be talking to the Louisiana police regarding the murder of a pregnant woman who he'd previously been in a relationship with, teams removed Collins from their draft board. Collins was at no point named as a suspect, but teams still went in other directions. Would you have drafted him?
How would you have handled Terrell Owens?
Terrell Owens was many things - insane on the field, insane off the field, dynamic, explosive, future Hall of Famer, diva, friend, foe - but he eventually became too much for teams. There's no arguing that Owens loved the game, especially not with some of the injuries he played with, but few teams were able to properly understand and keep the wide receiver in check. If you were coaching Owens, how would you have handled him.
How would you have handled Peyton Manning's final season?
There were no doubts entering Peyton Manning's final season in 2015 that he was going to be a Hall of Famer, but the doubts about his ability to play one more year began to intensity with every interception the five-time MVP threw. Manning finished with 17 interceptions in nine starts, but only threw one in 92 postseason attempts in helping the Broncos to a Super Bowl win after John Fox re-inserted him as the starter. How would you have handled this season?
How would you have handled Chad Ochocinco?
Before there were the Odell Beckhams and Josh Normans of the world who made their thoughts known on social media, Chad Johnson - or, as he'd later go by, Ochocinco - dominated the internet and the comedy world with his antics. From prop celebrations to mocking news coverage on ONN (Ochocinco News Network), Ochocinco was endearing to many and infuriated plenty of others. As a coach, how would you have handled Ochocinco?
Who would you have drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft?
Of the 2011 NFL Draft, 12 of the first 16 players taken have made the NFL Pro Bowl. At least five (Von Miller, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, and J.J. Watt) are on Hall of Fame paths, while others (Cam Newton, A.J. Green, and Tyron Smith) could easily get into the discussion if they keep their careers up. The quarterbacks for this draft haven't been perfect, but at least it's not the 2007 class. Of these top ten players, who would you pick?
How would you have handled Robert Griffin III?
Oh, how the Redskins botched this one. Washington rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III tore his ACL in a January 2013 playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks and was likely out until much later in the season, but the Redskins wanted him to take it easy. Griffin instead pushed his way back because he loved the game, but was never the same in part because he never healed right. What would you have done?
How important are offensive linemen?
If there were any questions about the Seattle Seahawks being all in for another run to the Super Bowl, look no further than their recent trade for Houston Texans offensive lineman Duane Brown. Despite Brown holding out for most of the season for financial reasons, Seattle was willing to trade tight end Jimmy Graham and multiple picks (they instead dealt cornerback Jeremy Lane, who failed his physical) just for an improved presence on the line. How important do you think offensive linemen are?
How would you handle Cam Newton?
There's no denying Cam Newton's on-field talent when his mind is fully absorbed in the game, but are his off-field issues too much? Many have taken issue with Newton's antics with reporters that include prematurely leaving his Super Bowl 50 press conference, the incident with Charlotte Observer reporter Jordan Rodrigue earlier this season, and even some of his on-field behavior. How would you handle Newton?
Who would you want as your backup quarterback?
"Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running back can run; every receiver is fast; but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness." -- Tom Brady. Brady knows all about the importance of mental toughness not only from his point of view, but for some of his previous backups. Matt Cassel went 10-5 as the Patriots' starter after Tom Brady tore his ACL to begin the 2008 season, while Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett held down the fort while Brady was suspended to start last season. Who would you want as your backup quarterback?
Who would you have drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft?
No, you can't pick JaMarcus Russell here, but you do have some extremely viable options. Do you draft Calvin Johnson knowing what Megatron brings to a vertical offense, or is Joe Thomas a better pick because of his offensive line skills? Is Adrian Peterson worth the pick in a running back class that also featured Marshawn Lynch and Ahmad Bradshaw, or would you go for pass defense in Darrelle Revis?
Which 2017 first-round rookie do you want?
While it is extremely early to decide who from the 2017 NFL Draft is going to be a Hall of Famer and who will be a bust, that doesn't mean you can't decide who you would and wouldn't want on your team based on what we've seen so far. Are you going offense or defense? Are you buying on the long-term potential of someone who has struggled so far?
Would you have drafted Gareon Conley?
Not unlike the La'el Collins incident from earlier, teams were very reluctant to draft Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley this past April. Just days before Conley was set to be drafted, a woman accused the Buckeyes alum of rape, which Conley strongly denied and was later not charged by a grand jury. The majority of teams passed over Conley before the Raiders scooped him up with the 24th pick after their own investigation and having him take a polygraph test. What would you have done?
Which rookie quarterback do you want for the future?
What had the potential to really be Year of the Rookie Quarterback has instead been Year of Deshaun Watson's Seven Games. Watson is now out for the season after a torn ACL, Chicago's Mitchell Trubisky has been unimpressive, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes II has been relegated to the bench with Alex Smith's MVP-type season, and DeShone Kizer will have Cleveland looking for another quarterback this offseason. Who do you want in the long term?
Which current NFL head coach do you model your style after?
Currently, there are 32 NFL head coaches, but how many will make it to the end of this season? Is Jay Gruden's seat in Washington hot? Will Marvin Lewis and Chuck Pagano, who are almost always in those talks, be coaching the Bengals and Colts respectively in 2018? Do the Giants move on from Ben McAdoo? Of the following coaches, who do you mold your style after?
Which of these quarterbacks do you find the most overrated?
What defines an overrated quarterback? Is it the inability to win big games or is it compiling stats in garbage time? Clearly, it's a year-by-year thing because fans have argued Matt Ryan (last year's MVP!), Cam Newton, and even Tom Brady are all overrated. NFL fans are definitely one of a kind, but of the following quarterbacks, who do you think is the most overrated?
Would you have signed Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in their primes?
Let's imagine that when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were both in their primes - we'll call it around 2007 or so - both wound up on the free agent market. Which quarterback would you try to sign to your team if you knew you could only sign one? Do you go for The Sheriff and his insane stats, or Brady's clutch factor that has resulted in five Super Bowl wins?
Do you prefer Chad Johnson or Chad Ochocinco?
As a coach, you're going to have some strange conversations with players, especially now with social media and the activities they take pictures of themselves doing. Imagine Chad Johnson - or Ochocinco, depending on what he calls himself - coming into your room one day and asking what he believes to be an extremely valuable question: which of the two last names should he go by?
How would you have handled the Plaxico Burress incident?
Flashback to November 2008 for a second: the New York Giants are the NFL's best team at 11-1 through their first twelve games and are likely headed for their second straight Super Bowl appearance, but leading receiver Plaxico Burress is arrested after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. While Burress was not suspended by the NFL and would not have to return to court until March 2009, the Giants still suspended him indefinitely. What would you have done?
What would you wear on the sidelines?
At this point, Patriots coach Bill Belichick's hoodie is about as signature as Lane Kiffin's visor, but what would you wear on the sidelines? Would you take a cue from Kiffin and rock the visor, or are sunglasses more your style? What about a hat, Jim Harbaugh style? Or, are you one of the boring people who wears nothing? Swagger is important when you're a coach!
