The Art of Sequencing: What Separates Elite NFL Play Callers

In the avalanche of reaction to the Sean Mannion hire, one of the most illuminating moments came when the host shared the results of an informal poll he conducted among NFL coaches and executives. His question was simple: if 90 percent of play-calling preparation happens during the week, what separates the elite play callers from everyone else? The answer was unanimous — and it has enormous implications for the Eagles' 2026 season.

The 90 Percent Myth

McMullen has been told for years that the vast majority of play-calling work is done before kickoff. The game plan is assembled during the week. The scripts are written. The situational calls are mapped out. By Sunday, the play caller is essentially picking items off a menu — the famous "Cheesecake Factory menu" that coaches reference when describing the sheer volume of options available on a game-day play sheet.

So McMullen pressed deeper. If most of the work is done by Saturday night, what makes a Ben Johnson or a Kyle Shanahan different from any other coordinator holding a call sheet? "Pretty much everyone went to sequencing," McMullen reported. "It's about setting up one play to set up another play down the road."

Thinking Three Plays Ahead

Sequencing is the chess match within the chess match. It is the art of calling a specific run play on first down not because it will gain 12 yards, but because it will set up a play-action shot on a critical third-and-short four drives later. It is running the same formation three consecutive times to establish a defensive expectation, then exploiting that expectation with a wrinkle the fourth time.

"That's the kind of stuff you have to have a feel for in the moment," McMullen explained. "Always thinking two, three plays ahead. Thinking, 'Well, if I do this, I can do this later.'" It is a skill that cannot be fully taught in a meeting room or learned from watching tape. It develops through live repetitions — calling plays in real games, seeing how defenses react in real time, and building an internal database of patterns and tendencies.

This is precisely what Sean Mannion does not have. He has never called a play in an NFL game. He has never had to sequence plays across four quarters against a defensive coordinator who is making his own real-time adjustments. And that gap — between knowing the theory and executing under pressure — is what McMullen identified as the biggest unknown in the Mannion experiment.

The Quarterback Parallel

McMullen drew a fascinating parallel between first-time play callers and rookie quarterbacks. "You might be good. You might be Jayden Daniels in year one," he said. "But you still got a lot to learn." Just as a talented young quarterback can make impressive throws while still struggling with pre-snap reads and protection adjustments, a talented young play caller can design beautiful concepts while still struggling with the rhythm and timing of an NFL game.

The comparison cuts both ways. Some quarterbacks arrive with a preternatural feel for the position and excel immediately. Others need years of seasoning before it clicks. The same is true of play callers. Mannion may have spent eight NFL seasons absorbing offensive football as a player and two more as a coach. Whether that translates to elite sequencing ability from day one is the billion-dollar question.

Build Around the Strengths

McMullen was equally pointed about what Mannion's play-calling philosophy should prioritize. "My two biggest things are improve the running game and convince — Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, Jeffrey Lurie, I don't care who — that we need Jalen's legs back into the game more consistently," he said.

The template already exists. The Eagles were dominant in 2022 and 2024 when they committed to the run game and used Hurts as a dual-threat weapon. Mannion's job is not to reinvent the wheel — it is to add layers of schematic creativity on top of a foundation that already works. More efficient passing on fewer attempts, better play designs that create easier looks, and a commitment to what Hurts does best rather than what the coaching staff wishes he could do.

"The whole point of coaching has been said multiple times: maximize strengths, minimize deficiencies," McMullen emphasized. "You don't build around the flaws. You build around the strengths."

Why It All Comes Back to Experience

The sequencing discussion ultimately reinforced McMullen's central concern about the hire. Play design can be learned from great coaches. Game planning can be collaborative. But the in-game feel for sequencing — knowing exactly when to deploy the concept you have been setting up for the last 20 minutes of game time — is experiential knowledge that no coaching tree can substitute for.

Mannion will grow into it. The question for the Eagles is whether the timeline for that growth aligns with a championship window that may have one or two seasons remaining. In Philadelphia, patience is not a virtue — it is a luxury the franchise cannot afford. And sequencing, the very skill that defines elite play callers, is the one thing that only time and reps can provide.