The Rams and Patriots coaching staffs are loaded with former no-name college players

You know that old saying “Those who can’t do teach”? Maybe there’s a little bit of truth to it, at least as far as the coaches on the sideline at the Super Bowl.

They all have college football roots, but most of them didn’t even see a snap in the pros, much less have standout college careers. Now they’re coaching the best players in the world in the biggest game in the world. But ya gotta start somewhere, and here’s where they all did, led by Miami (Ohio’s) Sean McVay and Wesleyan’s Bill Belichick.

He also had a bowl cut and played twice against Pats WR Julian Edelman, with McVay’s Miami and Edelman’s Kent State splitting their two games.

Before that, McVay was a high school quarterback in his native Georgia. He wasn’t half-bad either, winning a state championship and offensive player of the year.

Barry actually played his college ball in LA. After transferring from Michigan, he played in seven games for the Trojans and began a coaching career.

Also a Miami product like his boss. He played three seasons as a RedHawks offensive lineman.

I’m not sure how many NFL coaches are former long snappers, but Waldron snapped for the Tufts University Jumbos in addition to playing tight end and defensive end. A truly versatile athlete in his day. There can’t be many non-special teams coaches with that background.

Taylor may just be the most accomplished former player on either staff. After redshirting at Wake Forest, he transferred to a JUCO and won a national title with Butler Community College. He came back to the big leagues at Nebraska. Career highlights include this game-winning drive to beat Texas A&M to help win NU’s only division title under Bill Callahan.

Callahan’s tenure was notable for taking the Huskers away from their option roots to a West Coast offense. It was Taylor who manned the controls in 2005 and 2006 — the only seasons that Nebraska had actual success with it. He’s expected to be the Bengals’ next head coach.

Peete had a cup of coffee with the Jets, but was a good WR for Kansas back in the mid-’80s. You may be familiar with his brother, Rodney, who finished second in the 1988 Heisman race to Barry Sanders and was a three-time MLB draft pick who played 15 years in the NFL.

With LA high school roots, Yarber was an exceptional FCS receiver at Idaho, where he was an All-American and conference MVP. He spent three years in the NFL with Washington and won a Super Bowl at the end of the 1987 season, working primarily as a punt returner.

Phillips played at Houston 50 years ago, yet he’s still tied third-all time in fumble recoveries for the Cougars. He was also part of a defense that held Tulsa to six points in a game back in 1968 and a special teams unit that put the cherry on top of a 100-6 win. UH is still the last team to hit triple digits:

Phillips doesn’t remember who made the decision to put the first-team defense back on the field with about two minutes to play. But he knows he was lined up to block when Tulsa punted, and cornerback Mike Simpson promptly returned it for a touchdown — Houston’s 14th of the game. An extra point later and they had reached 100.

”We had scored a lot of points before, but all the sudden it just got out of hand,” Phillips said. “... To be honest, I’m surprised someone else hasn’t done it yet.”

Johnson was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at center for the Northwestern State Demons in the late 1970s and got his start in coaching there as a defensive line coach in the early 1980s. That means he coached this guy at his alma mater:

Pleasant was a pretty good contributor for Wisconsin for three seasons. He confusingly didn’t get a fourth due to a situation he doesn’t discuss. He was initially suspended indefinitely by former coach Bret Bielema the summer before his senior season, apparently in connection to a party. But Bielema never offered details either, and Pleasant finished the year enrolled in school in Madison.

Evero was a Division II All-American twice.

He’d transferred from Pacific.

The Rams may not have had a ton of highly-touted college players, but the Pats basically don’t have any. Just like he maximizes undrafted players on his roster, Belichick takes coaches from schools you’ve probably never heard of and makes them mainstays on his staff.

He would have been a quarterback if he weren’t beaten out at the position by future Pats director of player personnel Nick Caserio.

Caserio and McDaniels, both local kids who quarterbacked high school teams in northeast Ohio, created their own branch of the tree. They met while competing for the backup quarterback job at John Carroll in 1995. A fifth-year senior was the starter, but when he broke his leg in the first game of the season against Ohio Wesleyan, Caserio took over. He would graduate with 16 school records. McDaniels, looking for another way to contribute, moved to receiver.

Fears had an unremarkable career for the Tribe. But it’s probably because of three knee surgeries.

O’Shea transferred from Marshall and played some unremarkable games in an unremarkable Houston season in 1994 and 1995.

Another member of the John Carroll crew on the Pats’ coaching staff.

Not exactly the biggest guy. He describes his playing style like this: “Reach down and bite him in the ankles and don’t let go, man. That’s about all you can do.”

At 185 pounds during his playing days, he’s probably not that far off.

Daly was a four-year letterwinner with the Bulldogs.

Flores actually may have gotten a shot at an NFL career had he not blown his quad muscle in the final bowl game of his college career. He was an integral cog for the Eagles, and stuck around Boston for the entirety of his coaching career.

All-conference as a defensive back ... after playing the first three years of his career at wide receiver.

The younger Belichick went to Rutgers and also played lacrosse like his father. If the Rutgers thing surprises you, it shouldn’t. Bill loves Rutgers.

Belichick has credited Greg Schiano in the past for helping his son learn the coaching side of football, which helped him progress with the Patriots. He will now coach former Rutgers standouts Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon. Steve represented his loyalty to Rutgers at his press conference back in April when he was announced as a full-time coach of the Patriots.

Besides the awesome name, Judge was a four-year letter-winner for the Bulldogs. He also has got to be the first holder ever ejected from a college football game.

While standing on the sidelines, Judge, a senior, pushed Alabama defensive tackle Jeremy Clark over a bench when Clark attempted to punch MSU tackle David Stewart.

You don’t need to have been a big star to be a great NFL coach. You just need to know how to work with big stars and get them to do what you need.