CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL
When the game plan is laid out by
the entire staff, every situation is pre-
pared for and placed onto the call sheet.
It is from that sheet that the play caller
will choose what to run.
Each coach will then have a spe-
cific responsibility in each game. The
coaches in the box will have a macro
view of what is happening, while the
coaches on the field will have more of
a micro view. For example, Hiestand is
on the field during the game and will
have his entire focus on what is occur-
ring at the line of scrimmage.
Some staffs will also have a split
between which coaches are watching
the offense (their own players) and
which coaches are focusing more on
the other team. For example, a coach
(often times a graduate assistant) will
be responsible for calling out substitu-
tions made by the defense.
Throughout the game the play
caller will rely on the input of each
coach and will have to trust what he
is being told. While the play caller
might get the credit, achieving maxi-
mum success on game day is truly a
group effort. It is about trusting each
other and creating clear lines of com-
munication between the coaches, and
between the coaches and players.
Once that is established, the respon-
sibility for being the primary play
caller is made easier. ✦
Bryan Driskell has been a football
analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated
since April 2015. He can be reached
at bdriskell@blueandgold.com.
In his first season at Notre Dame, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford will have a big
picture view of the Irish offense while in the press box.
PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND
