That Eye in the Sky: coaching from the press box.

The "Eye in the Sky" has become an indispensable appurtenance of football coaching on game day. He is the strategic link between the coach on the sideline and the scout / coach in the press box. He (and probably another assistant or maybe two) stays totally focused on every moment of the game.

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That includes every facet of the running game, passing game, blocking, throwing, kicking, etc .... and that's just on offense. The whole process is repeated when the other team obtains possession of the football.

The coverage is intensive and unending. And you cannot win without doing it at least as well as the other guys, but more often better.

After spending many years in the press box, I believe I can offer a few suggestions that can help you get more out of your play-by-play espionage.

The press-box scout has to bring a lot of I.Q. with him to the scouting process. And he must start with a padlock on his emotions. He cannot allow himself to get caught up in the excitement of the game.

He cannot allow himself to become exhilarated when something goes well, or, conversely, get upset when something goes wrong. For some coaches, this can take much of the fun out of coaching.

Football is an emotional game, but these emotions have to be suppressed when coaching from the press box. In fact, a good press-box coach will know when to shut up and listen. If you have the headphones on while talking to the team or talking to the officials, I might be able to quietly remind you of something that you forgot to say.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Certain items are necessary for both the comfort and the actual coaching that will be done from the press box. Some of these may seem a bit trivial at first, but if you've ever had to go without them over the course of a game, you know how important they are.

The first three are commonsense items:

1. A Water Bottle. Having a water bottle or something to drink from is a convenient but necessary item for someone who's going to talk or shout over the course of two to three hours of a game.

2. A Chair and a Clipboard. These may seem like insignificant items, but I can't tell you how many times I've shown up at an opponent's press box only to find that they expect you to stand up for the entire game with nothing to write or take notes on.

These two items are not only for the coach's comfort, but are essential for actually coaching during the game. A foldable deck chair and a clipboard will solve these problems.

3. Pencils (with replaceable lead). They always tell you to bring two #2 pencils to a standardized test. Since most press boxes don't have pencil sharpeners however, it's a good idea to have a couple of extra pencils that don't need sharpening.

4. A List of Your Plays or Calls (both offense and defense). Even the most experienced coach can get caught up in the emotion of a game and thus momentarily forget what to call even though he has been working on it all week. A written list of all your plays is a good way to make sure that they are not "forgotten."

5. A List of the Opposing Offense, Defense, and Special Team Players Numbered by Position.

At least once or twice a game, an opposing player will get hurt or will have to leave the game due to an equipment malfunction. It is imperative to know the player's number and what position he was playing.

If he is a defensive end, you probably want to run at his replacement. If he is the long snapper for punts, you probably want to block the next punt. Even if he just has to leave the game to change a shoulder pad strap, you should take advantage of his absence to attack the possible weak link replacing him.

All coaches know that even the best game plans change over the course of a contest due to weather, field conditions, opponents' adjustments, but especially injuries (both teams). Every press box should also keep a record of the players by positions and numbers--helping them identify the possible weaknesses in the opponents' lineup.

6. Binoculars. The first thing that every press-box coach must do after every play, whether on offense or defense, is relay the exact down and distance to the field coach.

Many football fields are not very well lined. Or, due to weather conditions, make it very difficult to tell exactly where a ball is spotted. Binoculars come in very handy for spotting. Another use for binoculars is for the identification of injured players on both sides of the LOS.

Each coach on a staff must coach up to his abilities and temperament. The role of press-box coach is not for everyone. He has to be a specialist: with a huge knowledge of the game who is always ready to accept a responsibility or a challenge.

We never liked to divide the staff into offensive and defensive coaches--have them work primarily on one side of the ball. We wanted the offensive coach to be observant and help the defensive coach when the other team had the ball.

We also felt that the defensive press-box coach had to help the offensive coach whenever the offense had the ball. Four eyes are generally more observant than two.

However, even the most astute press-box coach becomes useless when no one is listening to him.

A message to all coaches wearing headphones on the sideline: Leave the headphones on you head! It doesn't matter what happened on the field, what penalty the official did or didn't call. The wisest press-box coach in the world is useless if the field coach has the headphones around his neck and not on his ears.

When most coaches get excited or upset, the first thing they do is take off the headphones and yell at their players or the officials. This makes the press-box coach a non-entity. Whatever did or didn't happen on the field can be covered by an acronym--"FIDO"--forget it; drive on! Listen to the press-box coach and get ready for the next play.

Also, leave the headphones on when you talk to officials and the replacement of the injured players.

Probably the best use of binoculars, at least for me, was observing opposing coaches in their huddle during time-outs. I can't tell you how many times I have been able to figure out what an opponent is going to call by spotting a coach looking at a receiver and tracing a pass route in the air with his finger or hand.

It also doesn't take a professional lip reader to tell you what a coach is trying to call by the way he points to a specific player and pantomimes while enunciating slowly.

(A word of caution to all coaches during time-outs--don't give away what you are trying to call. Someone is watching!)

Last, but not least, the press-box coach with the binoculars can warn the head coach that he is about to get doused with water from the cooler after a big win.

Remember, a press-box coach doesn't have to be an analytical genius when it comes to X's and O's. He has a role to play. If approached correctly, that role can be a multifaceted one that will help your program immensely.

By Edwin McIntyre, Asst. Football Coach, Apex (NC) High School