PatsChamp88

Per:New England Patriots Blog - Benefits of calling plays from press box - ESPN Boston

Interesting, wonder how many other defensive coordinators call from the box... Are there any benefits of a defensive coordinators being on the sideline?

maverick4

I think the press box is MUCH better for a coach like Pees.

I would imagine a major benefit of being on the sidelines is going up to different groups/units during breaks and getting them fired up, or in their faces, or other inter-personal interactions that are more powerful being there than simply through the phone. I don't think Pees has the talent to emotionally manipulate his players like that. Also, the biggest drawback is, of course, you can't really see a lot of what is actually happening on the field from a holistic perspective from the sidelines.

Pees is a lot better up in the box where he can't keep doing his Pete Carroll impression in running out to the field and high-fiving his guys whenever they got a 3rd down stop... which I noticed him doing a few games ago.

maverick4

Most OC's also like to call from the box for the same reason; you see a lot more of what is actually happening.

Weiss used to love calling from the sidelines, but I would imagine a small part of that is so he could see up-close what defenders were biting/cheating on, since a very successful part of Charlie's play calling was mis-direction and taking advantage of what a defense was expecting (and not expecting).

Gwedd

I have to admit that I've never understood why the Head Coach, as well as the Offense & Defense coaches aren't upstairs watching the game in God-mode. There's only so much you can see of the field from the sidelines. Better to leave the assistant coaches on the sidelines to pass along info from the big-three and take care of the little details, while the play callers get a better look at how things are developing.

Just my 2-cent's worth.

PatsChamp88

I kind of what I figured communication could be somewhat of a downside but yeah not seeing from the sidelines could be another however like the article mentions you can see the game so much better and what is exactly happening.

satz

There is no best way. Its known that you will have communication problem with so much hitting.
Its usually easy to sign in a new formation or action even after the 15sec cutoff .

WHen you are rotating players sometimes they will go handsignals which is now become impossible.

satz

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jmt57

I second all that mav said in regards to the original question of whether it is better for an OC or DC to be in the press box or on the sideline.

With larger coaching staffs than a generation ago, it probably makes more sense for them to be up above. If you only had a defensive coach and defensive assistant for example, put the assistant up above, and leave the DC below to both call plays and also talk to specific players and units, as well as the head coach. But when you have a larger staff (OL coach, WR coach, QB coach, etc.) you can leave the coach-player and coach-unit discussions to those guys - while the OC and DC call plays with their superior view of the entire field from the press box.

nabwong

You need a coach on the sideline so that you can try and fake a time-out.

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RxJock1120

You COACH from the sidelines, while you CALL PLAYS from the press box. In the end it all depends on the team you have. If you have a young team whose mistakes must be corrected constantly and need lots of motivation than you really need to be on the sideline. However, if you have a well disciplined veteran team then you want the best play called which is done from the pressbox. I think we all know the category our Pats fit under.

PatsFanSince74

Clearly, you don't understand the basics when it comes to our HC:
1) Who else could wear a moth-eaten, carelessly cut-off hoodie with style?
2) Who else could command respect bending over and pulling a silly looking red flag out of his sock?
3) Who else could give the networks their favorite story by giving selected opposing coaches a limp handshake without eye contact after the game?

On a serious note, I don't know enough about the dynamics of the relationship among the OC and DC and their players and how important it is that they be physically "there" at critical times, so I'll leave that to those who know the game much better than I do.

I do, however, think that it's important for the Head Coach to be on the sideline, if for no other reason than to have an authority figure there who can be in the Officials' faces when there are close or questionable calls. I have to think that it is useful for a team that the Ref and other officials have to make ongoing eye contact with a Belichick or other highly regarded HC throughout a game. It reminds the officiating crew that these guys will have their say after the game either to the media or the League Office.

And in Belichick's case, these Patriots are Belichick and Belichick is these Patriots. He has to be there.

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