Eric Studesville, a seasoned coach with a rich background in the NFL, recently participated in a job interview with the Tennessee Titans. His experience as an Associate Brain Instructor for the Denver Broncos has equipped him with unique insights into player development and team dynamics.

During the interview, Studesville shared his approach to coaching, emphasizing the importance of communication, strategy, and adaptability in a competitive environment. His tenure with the Broncos allowed him to refine his techniques and understand the nuances of coaching at a professional level.

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What Coaching Interviews Reveal About Hiring for Leadership

The title "associate brain instructor" is a garbled rendering of associate head coach, a role Eric Studesville held in Denver alongside his long-standing work as a running backs coach. NFL coaching searches like the one the Titans ran are a useful lens for any organisation that hires for leadership. Teams typically interview many candidates in a compressed window, often by video first and in person later. They weigh not just schematic knowledge but how a candidate would build a staff, communicate with players and front-office executives, and handle pressure in public.

Position coaches who interview for broader roles face a familiar challenge. They have to show they can think beyond their own unit. A running backs coach knows ball security, pass protection and workload management in detail. A head coach or coordinator candidate must also explain how those details fit a complete plan for offence, defence, special teams and culture. Businesses see the same gap when a strong specialist is considered for a general management role.

Lessons organisations can borrow

  • Interview for the job, not the résumé. Structured questions about real scenarios, such as a losing streak, a staff conflict or a budget constraint, reveal more than a list of past titles.
  • Value continuity and development. Coaches who have worked under several head coaches often bring adaptability. That is a trait worth probing directly.
  • Assess the staff plan. A leader's first hires shape results. Ask candidates who they would bring in and why.
  • Expect a long view. Interviews that don't end in an offer still build relationships and reputation for future searches.

Sports hiring is unusually visible, but its core questions are universal: can this person set direction, develop people and adjust when plans fail? If your organisation is rethinking how it selects or prepares leaders, our consulting services and case studies show how structured evaluation and succession planning work in practice.