About a year ago, we launched the narrative audio series “The Playcallers.” The response we received was overwhelmingly positive, as was the series’ reach.
In addition to being captivated by the storylines of some of the most well-known offenses and defenses in the current NFL, listeners were also pulled to the characters. The series’ main objectives were to show viewers what it is like to innovate and compete at the greatest level and to hear football players like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris, and others talk about their relationships with the game and each other.
Assistant coaches, coordinators, analysts, front-office personnel, and other notable figures from the NFL and college football landscape also provided assistance to us. Their perspectives and real-world encounters were extremely helpful in the series’ creation.
So we started thinking …
The voices of those people, the ones whose fingerprints and ideas define the sport we love but do not usually see, should be amplified.
What if we could provide listeners access to the thoughts, workspaces, filming sessions, and conference rooms of up-and-coming NFL players from all over the league?
The “Bonus Batch” was born.
Listeners will hear from three young, skilled assistant coaches who can add something to the game in these three episodes and perhaps more to come.
Their backgrounds are dissimilar. The offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams is Mike LaFleur. Even with a well-known last name, his path through the sport is distinct. The quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans is Jerrod Johnson. With his coaching of C.J. Stroud, the 2023 rookie of the year, he captured lightning in a bottle. The Carolina Panthers’ defensive passing game coordinator is Jonathan Cooley. In an effort to counter the most sophisticated passing schemes we have ever seen, he leads a new generation of defensive assistant coaches, whose understanding of schematics is frequently disregarded by offense-obsessed team owners throughout the hiring process.
In the spring, the three men had a sit-down with The Athletic to discuss the important things. From their diverse personal histories to their in-depth understanding of characters and plans to their theories of how the world functions and what comes next.
We begin with LaFleur and his numerous “aha” moments, first as the younger brother of head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers and then as he matured into the eccentric, sympathetic, and imaginative No. 2 for the Rams and their hopes of winning the Super Bowl.
We meet Johnson in Houston, the former record-setting quarterback in college who also had a keen sense of what a good arm looked like. Johnson’s support and guidance of Stroud, even prior to NFL teams taking notice of him, created a wonderful partnership in which the quarterback, his coach, and a cutting-edge offense are creating a postseason sensation.
Carolina has experienced better times, marked by the most incredible things an offense could accomplish. The Panthers’ fan base might be beginning to appreciate the defense’s capabilities now. Aficionados of the narrative series “The Playcallers” are aware of the league’s inconsistent outcomes when the well-liked Vic Fangio defensive scheme is implemented. Cooley has unlocked what may develop into a more advanced iteration of this plan in Charlotte.
In a sport that challenges players unlike any other, all three of the young coaches are still coming to terms with who they are as football players and people.
We hope you enjoy “The Playcallers: the Bonus Batch.”
Please rate and review “Bonus Batch” episodes on your favorite podcasting channel if you would like to see more of them.
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; photos of Jonathan Cooley, Mike LaFleur, Jerrod Johnson: Jared C. Tilton, Steph Chambers, John Rivera / Getty Images, )
