Neither Wannstedt nor Sparano are particularly intelligent men. Easy to tell by their speech patterns. How does each organize his thoughts? What words does he choose to express them? Is what he verbalizes clear, concise and easy to understand? Do his ideas flow smoothly into one another? I'm not suggesting that the man has to be Cicero or Demosthenes. I'm saying that his limitations are manifest in the way he communicates (or tries to).
Easier yet to tell by the thoughts these coaches have verbalized, such as "it's no sin to punt" or "I have no idea what's wrong." When men who are not among the sharpest tacks in the box are given an assignment that involves complex game theory and quickly changing variables, requires management and personnel skills, and is played out in a highly competitive environment, their response is usually to implement established formulas and become conservative rather than to think creatively. We have seen this in both coaches.
The sad truth is that Sparano does not have the intelligence to be a competitive NFL head coach. There is no need to wish him to fail. He will do that by himself. Reverse psychology won't work either. Remember when Sparano was on the team plane in 2008 after consecutive losses? He is quoted as having said: "we've got to do something," whereupon David Lee suggested the Wildcat. The relevant part of the story is that Sparano had no idea what to do; someone else had to make a suggestion. He has admitted that he is clueless and has no solution. I applaud his integrity, but question his intelligence. .
Don't bother with psychoanalysis. Wannstedt was not very smart, and the results followed. Sparano has the same kind of limitations. The muse will never come to him. The reason he fails is plain: He's dumb, and no amount of mental vibes in reverse is going to change that.
Click to expand...