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Is it ideal that a head coach call offensive or defensive plays as well? Or should a head coach simply oversee the team and delegate play-calling to the coordinators? Does a head coach's overall job performance suffer when he calls plays, especially in his first year on the job? – Marty Monforte/Endicott, NY
Mickey: Well, if history suggests anything, Tom Landry did it. Bill Parcells did it. Jason Garrett did it and should have continued to do so. Mike McCarthy also during the 12-5 season of 2023. Look, the reasons Brian Schottenheimer was promoted to head coach is his ability to coordinate an offense and call plays and should continue to do so, at least that first year. At times, depending who the coordinator is, no sense having the head coach always telling the coordinator what to do. Don't mind having a hands-on head coach. Like the reasons coordinators become head coaches is what they've accomplished coordinating, so why give up what got you the job in the first place by handing off to someone else who is handling your fate.
Tommy: It depends on your coach. There have been coaches at the NFL and college levels that have excelled and won championships as a head coach and playcaller, and there are those that have been both and struggled mightily, but did better once they delegated those duties elsewhere. You have to treat it on a case-by-case basis, and ultimately the head coach needs to decide what's best for the team: Him calling plays, or him focusing on oversight of everything. Brian Schottenheimer will start out as both for the Cowboys in his first season, and it may stay that way throughout the entire course of his tenure. That said, he could also realize at some point along the way that it'd be better for everyone if someone else called the plays so he could focus on everybody. Either way, there is a chance to be successful and win games, so I don't think there's any clear-cut yes or no answer to whether or not head coaches should also be playcallers simply because it's so different for everyone.
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