SOUTH BEND — Advanced technology is coming to college football sidelines this fall, both in the form of headset communications to designated players on the field as well as iPads that will allow instant video review of just-concluded action.
For Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Al Golden, who spent six seasons (2016-21) as an NFL assistant coach on both sides of the ball, it’s that second part that threatens to be a double-edged sword.
“We tried it for three (preseason) games in the NFL and scratched it,” he said, referring to an experience in the 2016 preseason. “I think the prevailing attitude was that it was just, ‘Everybody’s watching TV.’ Management obviously opted for the still pictures.”
Microsoft Surface tablets have been a sideline constant in the NFL since 2014, but they are limited to providing still photographs of on-field action. For college games involving teams from the Big Ten, SEC and ACC this fall, video replays will be an added feature.
“We have a bigger challenge, right?” Golden said. “Don’t grade the game. If you get your butt kicked on a play, there’s going to be real-time footage of your getting your butt kicked on a play.”
Maintaining focus and modulating emotions could be a challenge for players and coaches alike.
“Refocus, reload, put it behind you and go,” Golden said. “Same thing with the coaches. We’re not there to grade the game. We’ve got to be really concise in our coaching points. Watch what we have to watch, and then talk to the players about what’s coming up next and where we’re going on the next third down, the next red-zone play.”
That’s easier said than done, especially for 18- and 19-year-olds barely removed from high school fields.
“You can get enamored with it,” Golden said, recalling the NFL’s brief experiment with sideline video. “There’s a lot of times you look over at the bench and everybody’s looking down at the (tablet). So, we’ve got to be careful with that.”
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Seeing the tendencies in real time
For Deland McCullough, Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach, the prospect of adding video analysis to his in-game sideline repertoire is one where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
“Shoot, that’s going to be huge, because in the NFL it’s just pictures,” said McCullough, who spent three years on the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff (2018-20) and went to two Super Bowls. “These guys, we’re actually watching video. That’s going to be pretty cool just to be able to look at.
“And now you’re able to look at it and say, ‘Hey, if you can see the tendency, here’s where this guy is.’ You’re not drawing things up.”
He smiled at the notion of being able to huddle in between offensive series with his deep stable of running backs and use video to help them see the holes they should have hit and still could the next time they get the chance.
“It’s going to be with the video,” he said. “Wow, that’s going to be something right there. I’m excited to be part of it and see how this thing unfolds, but it’s only going to be able to help.”
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That’s the hope as well with one-way headset helmets that will cut off communication from the coordinators with 15 seconds left on the play clock, which resets to either 40 seconds or 25 seconds, depending on how the previous play ended.
Sideline signaling won’t entirely go away, due to the need to help players on both offense and defense react to late adjustments in those final 15 seconds before the snap, but the competitive advantage of Michigan-style sign stealing would seem to be diminished.
Notre Dame football prepares for the future
In Notre Dame’s case, Golden and new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock have been testing out the helmet communication system since spring practice. With Aug. 31 and the season opener at Texas A&M fast approaching, there’s a premium on making that process as seamless as possible.
“It’s something we started in spring, so we’ve been working on it throughout,” third-year Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “I think we have a really good plan. We’ll have to continue to do it throughout training camp. It’s just something new.”
Add that to the long list of nuances Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard must master now that he’s relocated to the Midwest. Denbrock, for all his experience, has never worked in the NFL, so the headset dynamic is new to him as well.
“It’s going to be a relationship between the coordinator and the quarterback,” Freeman said. “What amount of information do they want? What’s too much? What’s too little? Obviously, it cuts off at 15 seconds.
“But it’s been something we’ve been practicing since the spring, and I truly believe that our offense specifically has a great plan, and defensively we’ve done the same thing. Coach Golden obviously had experience being in the NFL with the green dot, and so I feel really confident about our plan.”
In the NFL, each offensive and defensive team is allowed no more than one player on the field at a time with an active speaker in his helmet. With frequent substitution on defense, depending on down and distance, each team is allowed three radio receivers as designated by circular green decals (or green dots) on the back of the helmet.
Players are designated as…
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