FLORHAM PARK, NJ—Football is a sport unlike any other (cue Jim Nantz in an altered fashion). No other sport exists in which coaching matters as much. Not baseball, not hockey, not soccer and certainly not basketball—as the superstars of the NBA own the association these days while flipping entire organizational fortunes from one year to the next.
While talent is critical to an NFL franchise’s future endeavors, the overall philosophy, direction and coaching loom large.
The sport’s nature leaves immense room for nuance. Superstars that should easily reach that level don’t always fulfill potential, whereas good players can overreach a production ceiling thanks to a myriad of factors—with coaching at the forefront.