Larry David, who has made a pretty successful career out of joking around, isn't kidding about one thing. The Seinfeld co-creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm really thinks he could make a good offensive or defensive coordinator for an NFL team.
David in 2013 told Rich Eisen that he thinks he could call the shots for a pro team.
"If they gave me a chance, I could turn the fortunes of an NFL team around,” David said at the time. “There’s no doubt in my mind. I write stories, so why couldn’t I draw up a play? What’s harder? I think a lot of writers could be offensive coordinators. I know I could do it."
David got some laughs at the time, but he is apparently quite serious about this plan. He reiterated his belief this week in an interview with Howard Stern. When Stern asked David why he thinks he'd be a good coordinator, David had this to say:
"When I was a kid and we used to play football in the parking lot, I would design very good plays. Why couldn’t I do that, other people do that, why not me?”
As for specifics, David divulged some of his ideas to Eisen. On offense he wouldn't punt often: "My philosophy is we’ve got four downs. Go with your four downs."
On defense, David would do away with zone coverage:
"They leave these big seams," David said of zone defenses. "So you see the players and they’re like, ‘There’s a guy here and there’s a guy here, so I’m gonna go in the middle and go like this!’ And the quarterback, who can throw a ball 100 miles per hour, goes, ‘Oh look, I’ve got a guy open.'"
David considers himself an average football fan but a big New York Jets fan, which is perhaps why he thinks he'd be such a good coordinator. The Jets haven't had a winning season since 2010 and they are currently in search of a new head coach after firing Rex Ryan. At 67 years old David may be a little too old for his first NFL coaching gig, but he'd fit right in with the comedy the Jets have produced over the past few years.
You can listen to David's interview with Stern here.
