Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I recall that John Unitas was asked about the radio receivers in the helmets of QBs, which was restarted shortly before his death. Unitas said, "Mine wouldn't work." In other words, Unitas wouldn't want the coach interfering with the game he was calling.

RyanChristiansen wrote:MULTIPLE times Ohio State was still substituting players when the Gophers were already lined up in formation. If they had snapped the ball, Ohio State would have been penalized, but instead they're looking to the sidelines for guidance.

A follow up to this. While watching yesterday's game against Purdue, the Boilermakers defensive tackles jumped offsides. They didn't touch anybody, so they were able to get back and get set. They didn't exactly hurry back down into their stance. Why? Because the Gophers skill players were looking to the sidelines to get the coach's read on the defense. If they had been reading the defense themselves, Tanner Morgan could have called for the snap, or the center could have just snapped it, and they would have gotten penalty yardage. I think it was third down, too.

Funny aside: I watched the North Dakota State University versus University of North Dakota game yesterday. Neither team looks to sideline coaches to read the defense. Both teams rely on their quarterbacks to make reads. BUT the U. of North Dakota scored a touchdown on a trick play where the skill players looked to the sidelines. They stood motionless long enough to be "set," and the center snapped the ball to the quarterback while he was looking sideways. On the other side of the ball, the NDSU defense had relaxed, and so the split end was able to race to the end zone uninhibited and the UND quarterback nailed him for a touchdown. I'm an NDSU fan, but I LOVED that UND play because, in a way, it makes fun of the "helicopter coaching" I've been complaining about.

Just one man's opinion (and I'm the one man): I don't think the college style of calling plays from the sideline is hurting the development of college QBs in the professional ranks. The recent tendency to rush NFL rookies into starting roles is hurting them more than anything else. Very few NFL rookie QBs are ready to start Game 1 and the result of making that hurried judgement is a loss of confidence.