In our most recent installment of the *Dave Dameshek Football Program*, Shek is joined by actor Brian Baumgartner ... otherwise known as "Kevin Malone" from The Office.
While Brian's famous on-screen persona is a noted chili chef, pickup basketball star and lead singer of legendary band "Scrantonicity," his real-life passion happens to be playing golf with professional athletes. No big deal. As Brian prepares for this year's Lake Tahoe celebrity tournament, he figured he'd give his old friend Carson Palmer a call to not only talk trash with him ahead of the big event, but also kibitz about the mystique of the "players' coach" with his new pal, the real A-lister here, NFL Network's David Dameshek.
"I think everyone has a different definition of what a players' coach is," Palmer states in response to Shek's inquiry about the reputations of Bruce Arians, Pete Carroll and Marvin Lewis. "I think there are guys that would think that Bruce and Marvin are players' coaches, you know I wouldn't say that," Carson says, debunking a common assumption. "I think Pete is a players' coach. I would assume [Bill] Belichick would not be players' coach," he adds.
Palmer's clear-cut categorization of Carroll and Belichick prompts Shek to question Carson further. On what specific definition is the Cardinals QB basing this distinction?
The term, "players' coach" certainly does come with polarizing connotations, similarly to how "game manager" for a quarterback has been controversially perceived. These labels have been used to negatively describe Mike Tomlin and Alex Smith, while at the same time, positively characterizing Carroll and Tom Brady.
Palmer focuses his interpretation of a players' coach on a coach's familiarity with and empathy for his players' challenging experiences.
"It's somebody that probably played, so they understand how your body feels, what it's like to go through the season, gives you extra rest," he says. "It's not somebody who goes easy on you, it's somebody that's been there and knows how it feels and knows how your back feels and your shoulders feel.
"He knows when to pull the reins off and when to push them."
While the true meaning of a players' coach might vary, we're incredibly thankful to hear an explanation from a player's point of view, especially when that player happens to be three-time Pro Bowler and a 14-year NFL veteran. And hey, Carson, even though Tony Romo happens to be the favorite to win this weekend's celebrity golf tournament, just know that all of us at the DDFP are pulling for you. No pressure.
Subscribe to the Dave Dameshek Football Program podcast to listen to Thursday's episode.
