“Emotional intelligence savant:” Dave Canales has learned how he can impact team beyond calling plays

That conversation can’t happen if Canales is talking to quarterback Bryce Young with the clock ticking, but it wasn’t even the only instance from Sunday’s game that illustrated the difference. He had the same kind of conversation with outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen, who came back with a critical sack late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

“There was another moment for Princely,” Canales began. “He had a couple of uncharacteristic mental errors early in the game, and I could tell he was really excited about playing Sunday Night Football against the Lions, and a really good left tackle and all this stuff. And it felt like the moment got him out of his game a little bit.

“And I was able to connect with him and be like, hey, just settle in, just do your job, your time is going to come, your moment’s going to come. Then he had that huge sack at the end, because he just kept playing hard. He kept taking the coaching and, and, you know, connecting with AC (Carter, the outside linebackers coach) on the sideline, but those things matter.

“To be able to feel, where are my players at, and how are they taking in this moment? Where are they at in their headspace and to be able to try to level with them, and let them borrow whatever presence, calm, encouragement, whatever that is — just to try to help them.”