Steve Sarkisian is a genius

Comparing coach Steve Sarkisian to Pablo Picasso might seem like a stretch at first glance, but in the world of modern football,Sark actually views himself quite a bit like an artist. In fact, Sarkisian explicitly leans into this comparison, once stating: "Putting a game plan together is very analytical... I like to think calling a game is a little bit more of art. It's a little bit more of a blank canvas.

Picasso famously co-founded Cubism, a style that rejected traditional perspectives to deconstruct objects and reconstruct them in abstract, overlapping geometric shapes.Sarkisian’s offensive philosophy—often described as "violent chess"—does something remarkably similar to opposing defenses. Through the relentless use of multi-player pre-snap motions, shifts, and complex Run-Pass Options (RPOs), Sarkisian deconstructs standard defensive structures. He forces defensive coordinators to look at the field from distorted angles, creating optical illusions where a defender thinks they are playing zone, only to find themselves trapped in isolated man coverage.

Before Picasso created his abstract masterpieces, he spent his youth mastering classical, realistic painting technique. He had to perfectly understand the rules of traditional art before he could brilliantly break them.Sarkisian followed a parallel path. He grew up under the strict, disciplined umbrella of the traditional West Coast offense. He mastered the rigid, scientific fundamentals of timing, footwork, and progressions under legendary minds like Norm Chow and Nick Saban. Because his foundation in football "realism" is so flawless, he is uniquely equipped to paint outside the lines today, executing highly abstract, explosive trick plays and multi-motion concepts that other coaches wouldn't dare script.