Coaching and Play-Calling Elevate NFL Teams Beyond Quarterbacks

Key Quotes

"we spend over 690 minutes a week thinking about football yeah that's more than 11 hours watching highlights arguing rankings running mock drafts it's what makes nfl fans the most passionate fans in the world and we know sometimes it only takes one play to win the game one quick decision during a timeout can change everything same goes for game day in real life we spend hours prepping food setting up tvs planning the perfect tailgate but what about planning how you'll get home think about how long it takes you to smoke ribs or make your famous chili now think about this it only takes one minute to make a plan so you don't drive impaired whether you're hosting heading to a friend's place or catching the game at a bar plan ahead take a minute make a plan never drive impaired this message was brought to you by diageo mad and the nfl please drink responsibly diageo new york visit takeaminutenow com"

The hosts of "Pushing the Pile" emphasize the intense passion of NFL fans, dedicating significant time to football analysis. They draw a parallel between the time spent on game preparation and the crucial, yet often overlooked, need to plan for safe transportation after game-day activities, highlighting that a simple one-minute plan can prevent impaired driving. This segment serves as a public service announcement, urging listeners to plan ahead and never drive impaired.

"this is now a record the nfl's broken four teams have gone from 11 plus playoff or excuse me 11 plus losses last year to the playoffs this year that would be the patriots jags in the afc and the 49ers bears in the nfc could be five if the panthers make it as well three of those obviously new head coaches in mike vrabel ben johnson liam cohen really proving to me this year more so than any other in recent memory how much coaching matters for these teams because the bears jaguars not allowed to turn over for those teams obviously the patriots had a ton of but those two teams they basically just got the right play caller in there at the right time"

Mike Renner and JP Acosta note a significant NFL trend: four teams have transformed from having 11 or more losses in the previous season to making the playoffs this year. The hosts attribute this turnaround, in part, to the impact of new head coaches and, crucially, effective offensive play-callers, suggesting that coaching and strategic play-calling are more influential than previously recognized. This observation underscores the importance of leadership and strategic execution in team success.

"i would put it on par with the value of a franchise quarterback in my opinion like the the play callers that are the upper echelon of guys whether it's sean mcvay kyle shanahan you know ben johnson liam cohen who i throw into that mix after what they did as ocs and now as head coaches that they basically are as valuable as the quarterback and then like i think that's kind of like the chief secret sauce is that they not only had the high end play caller well they also had the high end quarterback to pair with it that's when you got that combo that's when you are in rarefied air and you're going to be making the playoffs year after year after year"

The hosts elevate the importance of offensive play-callers, asserting their value is comparable to that of a franchise quarterback in today's NFL. They cite examples of elite play-callers like Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson, and Liam Coen, suggesting their strategic acumen is as critical as a star quarterback. The ultimate success, they argue, comes from the potent combination of a top-tier play-caller and a high-caliber quarterback, leading to consistent playoff contention.

"baker mayfield has played so antsy that i think a lot of the injury and then just some general like a general drop in his on target rate his accuracy has gone down since the first six uh weeks of the season and that might that might be the injury but he also has played like he does not trust his play caller offensive line or receivers there are plays in the miami game where he's bailing on clean pockets to scramble he's bailing on an open mike evans he's throwing plays late but you still have those scrambles that help keep them in the game anyway so it's sort of like baker mayfield is sort of entering the range of like early career like josh allen where like man you're going to miss a lot of stuff but you also have to play the chaos game with him because he can make some high variance plays"

JP Acosta analyzes Baker Mayfield's recent performance, suggesting his play has become "antsy" due to potential injury and a decline in accuracy. Acosta notes Mayfield's apparent lack of trust in his offensive line, play-caller, and receivers, evidenced by his tendency to bail from clean pockets and make late throws. He compares Mayfield's current situation to an early-career Josh Allen, where high-variance plays are common, but questions the effectiveness of such a chaotic approach in a critical game.

"the seahawks' defensive line is the most outside of houston the most badass group of defensive line lineman in the nfl because they play so sacrificial byron murphy and leonard williams it makes it hard to choose who's going to be the all pro defensive tackles because they're both so dominant and what they do is they just eat double teams and they're not only eating double teams they're making plays off of double teams they're slowing down runs that's the reason why they're the best run defense in light boxes this season is because they have two three defensive tackles if you look at jaren reed who can just make plays off of double teams and it allows for mike mcdonald to do a lot more run blitzing he allows them to play a little bit more in coverage and it just allows for mike mcdonald to be a little bit more versatile with his secondary and his linebacker group"

The host praises the Seattle Seahawks' defensive line, calling it one of the most formidable groups in the NFL, second only to Houston. He highlights the dominance of defensive tackles Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams, noting their ability to handle double teams and still make plays, which is crucial for their top-ranked run defense, especially in light boxes. This defensive strength allows defensive coordinator Mike McDonald greater flexibility in run blitzing and coverage schemes.

"the only real interesting note miles garrett still needs one sack to break the nfl's all time sack record he is going to he he might double the sack record in the first half like i just i think against the bengals in this game with the sack record on the line i think miles garrett's gonna take over the game i think that he is going to try and finish out the season with a bang i i think he's gonna get the record by like the first quarter i really do"

The host points out that Miles Garrett is on the verge of breaking the NFL's all-time sack record, needing only one more sack. He expresses strong confidence that Garrett will achieve this milestone, potentially even within the