One-time Cardinals wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, a former player, once donned a full uniform while coaching in Miami to give his players a comprehensive understanding of a teaching topic. This approach is not being adopted by the Cardinals, although new defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III’s choice to wear cleats during coaching sessions has caught attention.
DeLattiboudere is not alone in this practice. Head coach Jonathan Gannon explained that due to offseason rules dictating what players can and cannot do, “sometimes they have to be the blocking dummy.” However, Gannon expressed concern about this method.
“You have L.J. Collier putting his two hands on you and getting off the ball, you can slip and go down pretty quick,” Gannon said. “We’ve had a couple coaches go down already which I don’t like to see. I keep telling them, ‘Get out of the drill, you’re gonna get messed up.'”
Gannon recounted his own experience as a defensive backs coach: “I used to do that when I was a DB coach and then someone punched me in the chin and I bit my tongue and I said ‘I’m never doing that again.'”
For DeLattiboudere—known as Coach DeBo—there are particular considerations. He is a former defensive lineman and at 28 years old, he is younger than some of his players. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis commented with humor on Gannon’s reluctance to participate in drills: “He’s anti-doing that because he can’t physically do it.”
Rallis himself admitted that as a position coach, he enjoyed participating in drills. “I felt I knew exactly the look I wanted to give them or the feel I wanted to give them,” Rallis said.
There are instances where Rallis prefers using players as instructors. For example, defensive backs like Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, and Garrett Williams are better suited for demonstrating specific techniques such as slot releases. However, due to CBA rules at this time of year, this isn’t always feasible.
Despite these challenges, Gannon believes in exercising caution: “They’ll learn sooner or later,” he remarked about his staff’s approach. “To each their own.”
Jeremy Chen/Arizona Cardinals
