Create a 10-word scroll-stopping headline for: For Dave Canales, Darrell Bevell has always been there for truth and help | Vibe NC

“He had a list and he just kind of ruthlessly just went through the things that I needed to improve to be excellent,” Canales said. “And he’s like, excellence is going to be how you impress the people around you, your mastery of the information, the detail of your work, because that’s all you have to go off of. People are going to say, well, this is how he does his work. This is how he’s going to do the next job.

“And he really challenged me to step it up and to get things up to standard and to make sure that when I gave my work to him, it was really hard for him to find mistakes, and he challenged me that way. I didn’t like it. I heard him, though. What came natural to me was connecting with people and investing in people, encouraging them, coaching guys. What didn’t come naturally to me was being very organized and very detailed and meticulous about my work, and that’s the part that I took his challenge.”

That 2013 season, of course, included a Super Bowl win, so there was a lot to celebrate in Seattle. But when they got to Indianapolis again following the season, there was another lunch.

“And we’re sitting there talking, and he said, let’s have lunch again,” Canales recalled. “He said, I challenged you with all these things, and you nailed it. You crushed it, and I respect that, and I won’t forget that. And that meant a lot to me. I had to really get my world in order. And from that point on, that’s how I’ve gone about my business.

“I can always sit down and talk to somebody and connect with them, but can you get to a goal by being really organized and really detailed, and he helped me with that, right?

Having that kind of mentor, the one who will be honest with you, is critical for a young coach.

Ron Rivera is a fan of the work Canales is doing, but he knows from his own time that getting a little tough love can be crucial, because once you’re in the big chair, there will be some outside criticism, but there will also be a parade of people telling you how smart you are.

“I think Dave is a really good coach; he has that ability,” Rivera said. “But every coach needs somebody to tell him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear.”

Rivera found that guy in his second year as head coach, when Steve Wilks joined his staff. Wilks has never been a beat-around-the-bush guy, and as Rivera learned, that was critical in his development as a first-time head coach.