He never catches a pass. He does not return kickoffs, block punts, or make tackles. But the decisions he makes, during the off season, before kickoffs, and during every game, often can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Can you guess who he is? He is the head coach of the NFL team. Today's NFL coach, assisted by coaches for every position, has the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of his team. Head coaches lead, inspire, teach, urge, encourage, yell, pat on the back--whatever it takes to form a winning team out of a group of individuals. Game day is the shortest part of an NFL coach's week on the job. His routine includes, among many other things, game planning, practice, working with players individually and in groups, scouting opponents, and, occasionally, sleeping. Players are expected to memorize play diagrams used in practice and games. But coaches always are ready to demonstrate plays again and again. Coaches work with players between series to explain what went right and how to repeat it, or what went wrong and how to fix it. Coaches combine paper diagrams, erasable white boards, and still photos from video cameras above the field with their own particular styles of vocalization to get their point across.
