Coach Eric Taylor was promoted from quarterbacks coach to head coach of the Dillon High School Panthers in West Texas, getting the job over longtime offensive coordinator Mac McGill, which caused the first round of skepticism about his tenure. Taylor is initially overwhelmed by the level of attention and passion the community has for the team, finding himself balancing his time on the field with the players along with his time dealing with aggressive boosters who have high expectations of the team and want Taylor to win and most any cost. The team got off to a rocky start, losing star quarterback Jason Street for the season in its first game and Taylor took a personal interest in improving the team by spending time tutoring new quarterback Matt Saracen, helping fullback Tim Riggins become a team leader and getting halfback Smash Williams off steroids. Through his mentoring of Saracen, he becomes something of a father figure to the young athlete, whose father is serving in Iraq.Taylor's focus on the field leads to some success, but he doesn't fully embrace his role as a fundraiser and cheerleader for the program, leading to several standoffs with parents, town officials and key booster Buddy Garrity.At home Taylor has a wife Tami, a 16-year-old daughter Julie (who is dating Saracen), and a newborn daughter Grace. Taylor's relationship with his wife is one of mutual respect and, despite occasional argument, is rooted in love and trust in one another, and compromise. Tami serves as his sounding board when he's torn over how to address a problem and he opens up to her about virtually everything he has to deal with as a coach. Show less «