I know I am going to sound like a male chauvinist when I say this, but Kathryn Smith did not deserve the Buffalo Bills Special Teams Quality Control position. Now you might be asking yourself, why? Because there are other coaches out there who have worked their entire lives for an opportunity like the one she got and they will never get it because they don’t know the right people. They toil in obscurity coaching at division two and three colleges for next to no money because they love the game and are hoping to get a break. She on the other spends her entire career as an intern and personal assistant and goes from those positions to being a full time coach on an NFL staff. There’s something inherently wrong with that.

I am not your typical, closed minded, meat head football coach. I have been in coaching for over twenty years. I know the business and I feel everyone deserves an opportunity. I was skeptical of the Jen Welter hire by the Cardinals last summer but at least she played the game. Welter understood what it takes to prepare yourself mentally and physically for a football game. Smith has never played the game. She has no on field experience. I know that it might not matter to you but it matters to the players. Trust me.

Pro sports is the ultimate who you know business. If you don’t kiss the right rings or asses for that matter, you don’t get a chance. Smith got her break 13 years ago because she had an in. She wasn’t just some happy go lucky young women who was a fan of football and wanted a job. Smith knew someone with a connection to the organization and that helped her get her foot through the door.

Its O.K to be critical of hires like this. I don’t have an issue with women coaching men. Becky Hammon was a great hire by the San Antonio Spurs last year. She’s done a tremendous job thus far by all accounts. Hammon was also a great player in her own right so she can relate to her players and what they go through. Smith can’t relate to them and that’s the problem. Don’t give me the scouting department B.S either. That means nothing, trust me. All that means is, she’s used to inputting data and working with film, something she’ll plenty of in her current position. The difference between working in the scouting department and coaching is the interaction with the players. She didn’t have to do that before. Now she will and it will take her and the players time to get used to one another.

I’m sure plenty of people will disagree with my opinion on this one and that’s fine. People are entitled to their opinions. I have first hand knowledge of how hard it is to land a job in the NFL or the FBS college level. Its virtually impossible unless you know someone and latch onto a coat tail. I applied for over 300 jobs in the late 90’s and they always went to someone with a connection to the program or the team. To Smith’s credit, she found the right coat tail in Rex Ryan.

Can Kathryn Smith be a successful Special Team Quality Control coach? Sure. Its not rocket science. That’s not the point however. Its the fact that were probably more qualified coaches out there that could have filled the position but the Bills went with a lesser candidate because they wanted to be the first team in league history to hire the first full time female coach. That’s what its about.