After 23 years as an NFL sideline reporter, Laura Okmin made an unusual career change. Instead of asking coaches questions on game day, she now helps them confront something far more difficult: their blind spots.
The work began after Dan Quinn was fired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Quinn wanted to understand what went wrong, so he planned to call former players and staff himself. Okmin stopped him and suggested something different. What if she interviewed dozens of people who had worked with him — anonymously — and asked not about strategy, but about what he missed as a person?
Quinn agreed. “All of us have blind spots,” he said.
Okmin spent months interviewing players, assistants, and even family members. She compiled the feedback into a long report that revealed patterns Quinn could not see on his own. He took on too much. He overlooked his staff. He worked harder but with diminishing results. The feedback was painful — and transformative. Quinn memorized the document and later recommended the process to other coaches.
Since then, Okmin has done this work with more than ten NFL coaches. Many struggle at first. The anonymity is uncomfortable. The criticism can sting. Okmin herself admits she would not want one done on her. But the coaches who endure it often respond the same way. After reading hard feedback, one coach simply said, “That’s fair.”
Preaching Angle:
We all have blind spots, and we need the Word of God and good Christian friends to help us confess and see what we’ve been missing.
