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High school coach who never punts: Cowboys would 'have already won a Super Bowl if I was coaching them'
By Corbett Smith
DMN
I'm still on the fence whether Pulaski Academy (Ark.) coach Kevin Kelley is a genius or a mad man (here's my story on Kelley's program, which faces Highland Park this Friday).
His unorthodox style -- trying to grab as many possessions as possible by going for it on nearly every fourth down and always attempting onside kicks -- has been tremendously successful; Kelley's won four state titles and 84 percent of his games over the past 12 years.
But there's serious doubt, from me and others, whether his concepts would translate to the next level, even with the high school ranks:
Teams are watching -- at all levels -- for what Kelley is doing, though.
Kelley told me that he's met with several NFL execs and coaches over the past several years (wouldn't disclose the teams, however), with teams wanting to pick his brain. A name that Kelley did mention was Atlanta assistant GM Scott Pioli, who searched out Kelley during the 2014 MIT Sloan Conference to talk shop.
One thing that's true about Kelley, whether you agree with his methods or not, is that he's willing to put himself out there with analytics in a way no NFL or college coach does. Even if NFL analysis says that coaches should go for it on fourth down with a particular down and distance, coaches won't do it because they are averse to risk. Kelley called risk aversion the No. 1 factor in coach decision-making, "more so than winning itself."
When I asked him what his future holds, Kelley said he is extremely happy at Pulaski Academy, essentially a laboratory for his ideas at this point, given his success at that school. But he did say, in a fantasy world, that he'd love to coach at the next level, be it professional or college.
"I think what [analytic gurus are] missing is that there's just the numbers, and then there's an integration phase," Kelley said. "That's why I think that NFL teams, if they had any sense, would hire me, because I'm the only one who's experimented with both straight numbers and the psychology of football."
Kelley said if he were to take a college job, he'd like to be at a small directional school - where the expectations are low. His hiring, he said, would boost national interest, the school's athletic coffers, and the team's win total. He is nothing if not confident in his coaching abilities.
"Everybody loses this, and it's going to sound extremely arrogant, but I'm the single-best play caller on the planet of Earth," Kelley said. "God gave me one gift in the whole world. I can't do anything. I can't even change the light bulb above my bathroom mirror that went out. ... But I can see things on a football field."
When envisaging what his dream job would be, Kelley said, without hesitation, the Dallas Cowboys:
"We'd have already won a Super Bowl if I was coaching them. I love the Cowboys. My love of the game of football, honestly, kept me from committing suicide growing up. I had a horrible childhood growing up, but the one thing that I always had was the Dallas Cowboys. Every Sunday, I'd put on my little helmet and sit in front of the TV to watch the Cowboys."
When asked to assess Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, Kelley said he "isn't forward-thinking, doesn't play the psychological game well, and doesn't hold his players accountable enough. You can't win like that."
If Jerry Jones would hire him, he continued, Kelley would even be unorthodox with his contract, working for what would be a meager base salary for an NFL coach ($100K) that was incentive-laden ($100K per win).
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[MENTION=19]skidadl[/MENTION], is that you?
By Corbett Smith
DMN
I'm still on the fence whether Pulaski Academy (Ark.) coach Kevin Kelley is a genius or a mad man (here's my story on Kelley's program, which faces Highland Park this Friday).
His unorthodox style -- trying to grab as many possessions as possible by going for it on nearly every fourth down and always attempting onside kicks -- has been tremendously successful; Kelley's won four state titles and 84 percent of his games over the past 12 years.
But there's serious doubt, from me and others, whether his concepts would translate to the next level, even with the high school ranks:
Teams are watching -- at all levels -- for what Kelley is doing, though.
Kelley told me that he's met with several NFL execs and coaches over the past several years (wouldn't disclose the teams, however), with teams wanting to pick his brain. A name that Kelley did mention was Atlanta assistant GM Scott Pioli, who searched out Kelley during the 2014 MIT Sloan Conference to talk shop.
One thing that's true about Kelley, whether you agree with his methods or not, is that he's willing to put himself out there with analytics in a way no NFL or college coach does. Even if NFL analysis says that coaches should go for it on fourth down with a particular down and distance, coaches won't do it because they are averse to risk. Kelley called risk aversion the No. 1 factor in coach decision-making, "more so than winning itself."
When I asked him what his future holds, Kelley said he is extremely happy at Pulaski Academy, essentially a laboratory for his ideas at this point, given his success at that school. But he did say, in a fantasy world, that he'd love to coach at the next level, be it professional or college.
"I think what [analytic gurus are] missing is that there's just the numbers, and then there's an integration phase," Kelley said. "That's why I think that NFL teams, if they had any sense, would hire me, because I'm the only one who's experimented with both straight numbers and the psychology of football."
Kelley said if he were to take a college job, he'd like to be at a small directional school - where the expectations are low. His hiring, he said, would boost national interest, the school's athletic coffers, and the team's win total. He is nothing if not confident in his coaching abilities.
"Everybody loses this, and it's going to sound extremely arrogant, but I'm the single-best play caller on the planet of Earth," Kelley said. "God gave me one gift in the whole world. I can't do anything. I can't even change the light bulb above my bathroom mirror that went out. ... But I can see things on a football field."
When envisaging what his dream job would be, Kelley said, without hesitation, the Dallas Cowboys:
"We'd have already won a Super Bowl if I was coaching them. I love the Cowboys. My love of the game of football, honestly, kept me from committing suicide growing up. I had a horrible childhood growing up, but the one thing that I always had was the Dallas Cowboys. Every Sunday, I'd put on my little helmet and sit in front of the TV to watch the Cowboys."
When asked to assess Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, Kelley said he "isn't forward-thinking, doesn't play the psychological game well, and doesn't hold his players accountable enough. You can't win like that."
If Jerry Jones would hire him, he continued, Kelley would even be unorthodox with his contract, working for what would be a meager base salary for an NFL coach ($100K) that was incentive-laden ($100K per win).
__________________________________________
[MENTION=19]skidadl[/MENTION], is that you?
