NFL brothers Jason and Travis Kelce have transferred their success on the field to a podcast called New Heights, in which they reveal secrets from behind the scenes of football.
Jason Kelce, 35, plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles while Travis, 33, is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and together their thoughts on the NFL and humor has helped them achieve top podcast status, with it being hailed by many outlets as the best of the year.
One of the sections in the podcast sees them ask listeners to send in their questions about the NFL so that the pair can debunk any myths.
In the latest edition, which aired on Wednesday, the brothers were asked whether head coaches who do not call plays actually matter during the games.
Jason posed the question: "Do head coaches who don't call plays actually matter during games?"
Travis was unequivocal with his answer: "100 percent—I mean there is clock management, game management, decisions that somebody has to make and that somebody usually has 51 percent of what is going on the field, what's going on a team's locker room, huddle.
"Outside of the play calling, there is so much more that a head coach needs to do on game days even if it is our offensive coach who does call plays, he's got to understand what is going on the defensive side at all times.
"He has to know when to challenge, when not to challenge, the certain rules that are happening, especially in situational football, late in games, late in the half. There's so much that goes into being a head coach aside to just offense and defense play calling, that's for damn sure."
Jason then added: "No doubt, especially as you become more aware of the different situational decisions that have to happen."
He then went on to say that a head coach who doesn't call plays can be an advantage in certain situations.
Jason continued: "I actually think it is really nice to have a coach whose sole job is to really narrow in on these specific situations that only come up once a season, if that, and I kinda like it when the coach doesn't call plays.
"They are more involved with the team, in the moment, more managerial, they communicate more. I feel like calling plays is hard. You're in it, trying to figure out what you are going to do in the next series when you are not calling them.
"[...Y]ou're busy trying to figure out what you are going to do with the defense or vice versa."
Jason continued to say that it is not unusual for a head coach to not call plays and that some good offensive and defensive coordinators don't always make good head coaches.
He added: "Tactically, a lot of the best head coaches out there don't call plays—most of them have done it at some point and I think it is good that they have at some point been a coach that calls plays but does the head coach need to do that? I don't think he does.
"I actually think that sometimes the ones [who don't call plays] are better because [...] not all good play callers make good head coaches. In fact, there are a lot of good play callers who have good offensive or defensive minds that are not good head coaches.
"The bigger part of that job is being able to lead, being able to manage, being able to communicate, being able to keep everybody going in the right direction, situational ball, all those things are more meaningful than calling plays. [Chiefs head coach] Andy [Reid] doesn't call plays anymore, right?
Travis replied: "No,no, from my understanding, Coach Reid is still calling plays. Because I would get tired and come off the field and he would be looking at me and saying 'this is your play, why are you off the field?'
Jason agreed, saying: "That's a good point, he knows that if he is not calling the plays, he knows what is being called, he knows."
Travis concluded: "You know that when a guy looks at you like that you know he is the guy calling it."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
