Arizona Cardinals Just Hired the First Female Coach in NFL History

[BusSport]

The Arizona Cardinals just hired the first female coach in NFL history:

There is a Female Coach in the NFL for the First Time Ever

Jen Welter will be coaching inside linebackers for the Arizona Cardinals

In a historic move, the Arizona Cardinals have announced that they have hired the first ever female NFL coach.

According to NFL.com, Jen Welter played rugby at college and then 14 years of professional football in the Women’s Football Alliance. She is currently a member of the Indoor Football League. Welter will complete an internship with the team, coaching inside linebackers during the pre-season training camp.

It’s not the first time she’ll be making history in football. At the Indoor Football League, she was the first woman to play in a non-kicking position on an all-male team, NFL.com reports.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, who made the decision to hire Welter, said that gender shouldn’t come into play when it comes to coaching. “If you can make me better, I don’t care if you’re the Green Hornet, man, I’ll listen,” he told NFL.com.

 

[broncosmitty]

It's Doctor Jen Welter....

Bruce Arians also went on to say, "if you can't make me better, then make me a fucking sammich!"

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If she is a good coach, I'm all for it.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

If only it were Jen Selter…. *sigh*

But really though I see no problem in giving her a chance. She has no guarantee of getting a full-time job or anything yet so she's gotta prove herself. If Bruce trusts her then I sure as hell do.

 

[Rock Strongo]

so the cardinals are becoming bitches?

 

[broncosmitty]

so the cardinals are becoming bitches?

With Carson Palmer leading the way.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

This experiment will work right until the time she really has to lay into some Linebacker for a missed assignment or dogging it. Those pro athletes are all alpha male types and no matter how PC the world is becoming I can't see these dudes taking orders from a woman. Just a matter of time until one of them makes some off the cuff remark that gets him sued for sexual harassment.

 

[PDay8810]

it's a grandstand move by a head coach who's capitalizing on his resent popularity.
not a chance in hell this works out long term

 

[Psych-Ward]

 

[ducky]

This experiment will work right until the time she really has to lay into some Linebacker for a missed assignment or dogging it. Those pro athletes are all alpha male types and no matter how PC the world is becoming I can't see these dudes taking orders from a woman. Just a matter of time until one of them makes some off the cuff remark that gets him sued for sexual harassment.

I am guessing from that comment that you don't work with a lot of woman. A lot of woman, especially the ones that find themselves in a position of authority, are tougher task masters than the average male boss.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

I am guessing from that comment that you don't work with a lot of woman. A lot of woman, especially the ones that find themselves in a position of authority, are tougher task masters than the average male boss.

I do work with women. And you may be right. Maybe she'll be the toughest coach ever. Just color me skeptical. Women can integrate into lots of traditionally male dominated jobs, however the testosterone levels in the NFL are slightly different than a lot of places.

 

[ducky]

I do work with women. And you may be right. Maybe she'll be the toughest coach ever. Just color me skeptical. Women can integrate into lots of traditionally male dominated jobs, however the testosterone levels in the NFL are slightly different than a lot of places.

Yeah but they are all still football players and most football players usually do listen to authority figures on the field. Have to realize these are still mostly just over-grown kids that are in the league.

Will there be confrontations? Absolutely. And she, like any NFL coach really, will have to learn how to deal with them. I doubt they would have hired her if they didn't know she could handle herself.

The Spurs just hired a woman assistant coach a year ago and she is having a ton of success: Here she is in a wet t-shirt contest: Watch Becky Hammon get drenched in Gatorade after winning Summer League title | For The Win

 

[dkmightyhammer]

Yeah but they are all still football players and most football players usually do listen to authority figures on the field. Have to realize these are still mostly just over-grown kids that are in the league.

Will there be confrontations? Absolutely. And she, like any NFL coach really, will have to learn how to deal with them. I doubt they would have hired her if they didn't know she could handle herself.

The Spurs just hired a woman assistant coach a year ago and she is having a ton of success: Here she is in a wet t-shirt contest: Watch Becky Hammon get drenched in Gatorade after winning Summer League title | For The Win

Don't most coaches like to give pep talks before the game or at half time when the players are changing or coming out of the showers? How will she negotiate that? I mean I'm fine with it as long I can become a coach of women's volleyball and stand in the change rooms too.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Maybe it's just me but this story seems overblown and is more a part of the NFL PR machine then anything else. I don't know the full details, but the article says it's an 'internship'. How is that a paid coaching job

 

[ducky]

Oh she is going to see more than a few dicks in her time in the league.

That is actually the one area I would worry about if I were on the Arizona staff as the locker room is also the place for some really inappropriate, but often just good natured, joking. And with NFL children (most are just that), it would be the one place where a sexual harassment might happen.

 

[OregonDucks]

Maybe it's just me but this story seems overblown and is more a part of the NFL PR machine then anything else. I don't know the full details, but the article says it's an 'internship'. How is that a paid coaching job

NFL will continue to say they are pro woman by airing commercials about domestic abuse and sex assaults, by making players wear pink for an entire month, by hiring female coaches, by telling a player he is suspended for 10 games for beating a woman...then it gets appealed to 1 game. oh...

 

[ducky]

NFL will continue to say they are pro woman by airing commercials about domestic abuse and sex assaults, by making players wear pink for an entire month, by hiring female coaches, by telling a player he is suspended for 10 games for beating a woman...then it gets appealed to 1 game. oh...

They changed the domestic violence policy in the wake of the Rice incident. There probably won't even be all that many appeals moving forward. 6 games for 1st offense. Possible lifetime ban for 2nd offense (can apply for reinstatement after a year but reinstatement would solely rest with the commish).

NFLPA signed off on all of it. Even in a situation where a player isn't convicted (such as the Hardy case where he clearly committed the crime then paid off the victim to stay out of jail) would earn a player a 6 game suspension.

The only reason for the spate of appeals was that Goodell was trying to retroactively apply punishment to an offense that was committed before the new policy was in place. That won't happen any longer moving forward.

 

[OregonDucks]

sad thing is it was the Rice incident that had to change this? Because it was caught on tape and went viral.....

Domestic Violence should have opened the eyes to everyone at the NFL offices after the Jovan Belcher incident.

 

[The Iron Jaw]

I'm just going to put this out there....

I wonder if Becky Hammond had anything to do with Welter getting the job.. Hmmm.

 

[Iggloo]

My take:

Becky Hammon is legit in the NBA. She played at a high level as a college and pro women's basketball player. I have no doubt she knows the game really well and can do the job. Like all coaching, it is about teaching, and she has the knowledge base to teach it. She just coached the Spurs team in summer league and they won the summer league title. She seems to be pretty respected.

Jen Welter sounds more like a gimmick. I don't doubt her passion for football, but we simply don't have the same infrastructure for women to play the sport and develop knowledge and skill as we do with basketball or soccer. So I don't see how she would really develop the experience to coach inside linebackers in the NFL. Seems like a stretch.