“Quality control” is NFL talk for entry level. It’s a way for young coaches to dip their foot in the professional ranks to see if they can handle the position.
That was never a question for my second-year offensive quality control coach down in Tampa Bay. Sure, he ate game film for breakfast, lunch and dinner to help coach Jon Gruden (a former OQC coach himself) chart opposing defenses. But on the side, he’d always pick coordinator Monte Kiffin’s brain and sit in defensive meetings. Then he’d go back to his offense and draw plays up to counter what Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Co.