Professor

Cards notebook: Coaches also on the spot in preseason opener | EastValleyTribune.com

excerpt:

FLAGSTAFF - The Ken Whisenhunt era opens in Oakland Saturday night. That means the new coach and his staff will use the preseason opener to fine-tune how they handle their jobs.

Whisenhunt will call the plays and relay them to offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who will call them in to the quarterback from the sideline.

(Some coaches, figuring they have to look at the big picture, have their coordinator call the plays. And some of these playcallers are in the press box.)

“There’s always concern about how it’s going to jell ... you have a new staff because everybody is trying to figure out their responsibilities.

“I’m sure there will be some bumps in the road. That’s why it’s good we have preseason games, so we can get those things worked out.”

Some plays will be scripted in advance, though not as much as in a real game.

“There will be some plays we want to see, especially with the first (team) guys, so we’ll script some of those plays to make sure we get ’em run.”

For Whisenhunt, this is a new coaching life.

As an offensive coordinator, he called plays from the press box.

He says he’s been so focused on his team’s practices, that he hasn’t thought much about his own situation.

“As we get closer to it, I’ll think about it a little more.

“I’m used to being in the flow of the game as a coordinator. Having other things to worry about will be a little bit different.”

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