Post columnist Luke Furman looks into what sort of music NFL head coaches listen to in their headsets while coaching their teams to victory.
If you’ve lived in America, chances are you’ve probably watched a football game, be it a preseason game, a wild card playoff or even the biggest one of the year, returning this Sunday. Therefore, you’ve most likely seen the camera pan over to a team’s head coach with an expensive headset fixed on his balding scalp. If you’re new to football, you might think this headset is used to communicate play calls or talk to other coaches; however, expert football fans, like myself, can tell you the coaches are actually using them to listen to their choice of music while leading their respective teams to victory.
Not only by listening to their favorite jams do NFL coaches achieve a key strategic advantage, but also are better at high-fiving players jogging to the sideline, throwing down clipboards and angrily shouting hollow demands at the refs. I mean, how else would Bill Belichick maintain a permanent scowl without the help of some thrash metal? The majority of the time Belichick spends yelling at the refs, he’s really just emulating the guttural sounds blasting into his ears, brutal enough to take the air out of a football or 11.
The music head coaches listen to during games possesses the ability to influence their entire legacy. Would Mike Ditka have been half the coach he was if he not had “Sweet Home Chicago” playing continuously throughout his career? Would John Madden have had a whole game franchise named after him if he wasn’t on the sidelines listening to Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto just like he did when he heard Beethoven himself play it for the first time? Of course not. Just like their selection of players, a NFL head coach’s music selection can set the pace and feel of the game (or “feels,” if the coach is listening to Drake). Perhaps Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t have left San Francisco if the rest of the team were picking up the Icona Pop playlist to which he would jam out on the regular.
Sometimes, head coaches will speak into their headset to tell their personal DJs up in the booth that the song needs to be changed, or if it’s more fire than Candlestick Park. Since they don’t want the other team stealing their tunes, they often block their mouths with their laminated playlist lyric guide. In the past, NFL coaches have rallied for an upgrade to Beats By Dr. Dre — even despite the absence of a microphone present — however, Roger Goodell continues to flip-flop on whether or not to approve it until he inevitably holds a press conference to apologize.
The late Vince Lombardi didn’t pave the way for coaches to be concerned with play calls. If you have quarterbacks like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, they basically handle everything themselves — as if they’ve been handed the Aux cord — leaving head coaches time to listen to Spotify commercials in between Bee Gees songs (looking at you, “How Deep Is Your Lovie Smith”).
Sideline reporters should drop all the clichéd “what are you going to do in the second half” type questions and just ask what music the coaches are ignoring sideline boundaries to. If Erin Andrews asked said question, I would be so happy that I might have to partake in a Jerry Jones/Chris Christie hug.
Luke Furman is a freshman studying journalism and a writer for The Post’s campus staff. Email him at lf491413@ohio.edu or find him on Twitter at @LukeFurmanOU.
