One of the lengthiest coaching resumes in football has to belong to Marc Trestman.
Beginning as a volunteer coach with the University of Miami Hurricanes in 1981, the Minneapolis product spent nearly the next four decades coaching football at the college level, as an offensive coach in the National Football League, a pair of stints as a head coach in the Canadian Football League, a head coaching position in the NFL and a job in the XFL as a head coach with the Tampa Bay Vipers in 2020.
On Wednesday, Trestman was a guest of the SportsCage with Michael Ball as the longtime coach dissected some of the quarterbacks that will be in action this weekend in the NFL.
One aspect of the game the former head coach of the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts enjoys discussing is the quarterback position.
“If you love football, the joy of football starts with the play of the quarterback.”
Trestman was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with four teams during his first stint in the NFL. He believes that the relationship between the coach and quarterback is crucial.
“It’s the most important meeting room in sports, is the quarterbacks room.” He added, “that’s the hub of where everything happens on the football field.”
The NFL playoffs kick off with Wild Card Weekend. On Saturday, a pair of quarterbacks who were drafted at the opposite ends on the board over the last two seasons will be making their first playoff starts.
Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant”, will be the starter when the San Francisco 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks. The top overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence, will lead the Jacksonville Jaguars in a playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Trestman says Lawrence has benefited from the tutelage of the offensive staff, head coach Doug Pederson, quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy and former CFL QB, Henry Burris.
“Let’s shout out to Henry (Burris) who is on his way to an exemplary coaching career.” said the former CFL head coach.
A primary reason for Purdy’s ascension over the last month according to Trestman was the job performed by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the way he has prepared the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to get ready for the starting role.
“You got to get everyone to play, obviously this wasn’t Brock (Purdy) get in there, this is Brock Purdy from the moment he showed up at the building to prepare him and develop him for his moment and that’s what are jobs is as coaches, is to get every player ready for his moment.”
Another quarterback who is getting set for a big moment is Justin Herbert of the Chargers. From the former Chicago Bears head coach’s perspective, he believes that the sixth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft is one of the most talented QBs in the league and could be the Most Valuable Player of the NFL if the award was determined at the end of the postseason.
“Herbert has the ability to get them (Chargers) to the Super Bowl.”
Leadership was on display on Monday, January 2, during the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game which was cancelled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game and needed to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati. Over the last couple of weeks, Hamlin has made what doctors have called a “remarkable recovery,” with the safety recently being released from the hospital.
Trestman applauded both coaches, Zach Taylor of the Bengals and Sean McDermott for leading their teams during the difficult event. The three-time Grey Cup champion is very familiar with McDermott.
“His actions and his words correlate to the person that he is. He’s a great example of a leader that can be extremely demanding forthright and honest and at the same time be caring and loving.”
To be a great coach, Trestman says that you need the skills McDermott displayed.
“What we say and more importantly how we do it matters.”
