Normally, football specialty coaches can either stay on the sideline or head up to the press box to get a better view of the action which helps them call plays, identify opposing defenses/offenses, etc.
Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord is one who likes to call plays from the press box, but he’s noticed a potential problem for when the Vols play Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 10: Will he even be able to call plays from the press box?
DeBord recently called into WNML, a sports talk radio station in Knoxville, to talk about this unusual predicament.
“I don’t know how many people have thought of that, or looked at that, but we have,” DeBord said. “We’re going to go over there and we’re going to actually get in the press box, look at it and all that stuff, and make a decision on what we’re going to do. It’s something we have talked about and thought about, but we haven’t made a decision yet.”
Via CoachingSearch.com, here is Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium superimposed over Bristol Motor Speedway:
It is possible that all Tennessee and Virginia Tech coaches could end up working from the sideline. That might not sound so unusual, but it’s actually incredibly rare in modern football.
“I’ve been in a lot of different stadiums, and you always adjust. You have to adjust,” DeBord added. “For me, it’s better to be in the press box. But over at Bristol, until we get there, we don’t know. We might be so far away that maybe it’s not the advantage you want. We’re going to have to look at that.”
Tennessee’s offense was potent last year and figures to be as effective, if not more, this year. But the Vols’ offensive firepower could be hampered a bit by sightlines at a NASCAR track with a football field etched in the infield of the track. College football and the continuing pursuit of big neutral site paydays in 2016 is weird.
