Dean Pees was in retirement -- his second retirement -- and it gnawed at him. The routine was similar, watching film every week looking for nuances he could exploit. The reason was vastly different.
Instead of game-planning to face quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Lamar Jackson, Pees watched opponents for a radio show on Fridays in Nashville. He liked it. But football, coaching football, has always been his love. The half-in, half-out -- studying minus the rush of Sundays -- wasn't quite what he wanted. Even at age 71, Pees needed more.
Pees already contemplated returning to the NFL when first-year Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith called him inquiring about his interest in the team's open defensive coordinator position.