Strictly speaking this is not about the coaching candidates, but it does make me think about why Hafley would likely be a strong candidate for the NFL if he can win at BC. I just came across
Nora Princiotti's article in The Ringer on NFL teams entitled "The Empathy Gap". Princiotti conducted over a dozen interviews with current and former players, executives, coaches, agents and "analysts" in the course of her research. She explored the notion that:
The NFL’s most recent evolutionary life cycles have been about data and schemes. Analytics, player-tracking data, aggressive management of the salary cap, and offenses lifted from the college game are all hallmarks of successful franchises in 2021. But in the race to optimize, some teams have tripped for reasons as basic as poor communication with players or unhealthy competition between departments within their organization. Cutting-edge teams have faltered by failing to navigate the messy convergence of player empowerment, constant news coverage, ownership demands, and the integration of objective data into team decision-making. There’s a new frontier for teams to explore: In a league obsessed with gaining the slimmest of edges, empathy may offer a competitive advantage--Italics added to distinguish the quotation from Princiotti's article.
From the beginning Hafley's really impressed me as a communicator and manager. Of course things are surely at least a bit different from the public image, but I would almost describe his public ethos as "
Don't be an a******!". His openness to the media has generously shifted attention to the players, something critical in this new NIL age. Although I think he papered over the offensive line's issues last season, generally he seems to absorb blame and deflect praise to the players and staff. I thought his comments and approach last week, underlining the team's support of Grosel, was masterful. While I suspect we'll see Jurkovec if we get to Wake with a chance at the ACC Championship, there's no reason to say that now.
ATL noted how other BC coaches would have stubbed their toe even with this soft schedule so far. I'm impressed that, from what I can tell, the coaches have managed to keep things fairly basic through these three games, trusting the players to get through setbacks and issues without resorting to complex schemes. So Missouri and Clemson, perhaps our two strongest opponents, lack film on the wrinkles that are surely coming.
Not since Coughlin have I felt so confident in the coaching across all three phases, to avoid WTF losses and to maximize performance against high-level competition. He's only 9-5 in his career, so it's very early to feel assured. But we've seen the quality game plans against at least high-level opponents such as Clemson and UNC, as well as excellent management of the clock and other gametime decisions. I wonder if Hafley's skill as a communicator/manager and the trust he places in the players, at least publicly, minimize the probability of WTF-style letdowns. We'll learn more of course as we see BC play with a full off-season against stronger opponents, starting this weekend. It may be that the wrinkles I expect won't be there, and that the team will sputter to 6 or 7 wins. Personally, I think even with Grosel that they'll do better.
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:33 pm