New this year to college football sidelines will be the ability for coaches to have one-way communication to a single player on both offense and defense.
Like everyone else, West Virginia is using fall camp as a trial and error period to figure out what will work best come the start of the regular season.
"Our equipment staff has to be trained and everybody that runs our communications systems have to be trained and our video people have to be trained. The coaches, they just need to understand how it works, so we had training last week on the surface pro stuff. The surface pro we used in the bowl game so we got a little bit," Brown said.
In addition to the helmet communication, the use of tablets on the sideline will also be allowed. WVU has some experience with this, using it in the Duke's Mayo Bowl last season, but the rules on the technology are now more restrictive.
"He makes sure he’s heard," WVU QB Garrett Greene said of Brown's use of the technology. "In the bowl game, it was kind of like a lawless state, he could talk to me through the play. Luckily they got that fixed."
Greene will be the one hearing Brown on the headset on offense, and his big focus is not getting overwhelmed with information.
"I think there’s a good balance between giving enough information and giving too much information. I think me and Coach Brown kind of worked through that in the spring to where these last few days it really hasn’t been an issue. I’ve gotten the calls right and I’ve been able to go through all my pre-snap process and things like that," Greene said.
Greene added being able to use this system in the spring has helped it not be as big of an adjustment and his only desire is that everything is figured out by week one.
"It’s kind of cool to hear Coach brown and I don’t have to keep looking to the sidelines and stuff. That part of it’s been good. I think as fall camp goes on, just like we did with spring, we’ll kind of work out some of the kinks so August 31st, we’re rocking and rolling," Greene said.
On the other side of the ball, it will be defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley speaking to a player on his defense.
"I think during the game it’ll be different. We had it in the bowl game and it really, defensively, to me, it depends on how much communication you want. I think you can overdo it and I think it’s more about operations," Lesley said.
Lesley said his plan will be to adjust to how offenses use it as they will control the pace of play and he will have to react to things.
"Right now you honestly have no idea how your first opponent or any opponent after that will come in here and use it offensively. Just like anything else on the defensive side of the ball, you’re going to have a plan, but it’s probably going to have to adjust to what they’re doing a little bit," Lesley said.
The big thing for Lesley similar to Greene is the desire to keep things simple and not overload a player with information prior to a play.
"As far as information, we just try to control the amount right now. Just use it, simple things... You can’t be sitting there rambling on and not watching the play clock because you’ll get cut off half a sentence. It’s as much about training myself, coaches on the sideline, how the communication should be in a very, the most efficient, simple way. Maybe that’s not everybody else’s plan, I’ve done a lot of asking, and talking, and research this offseason just people I trust and know and what there plan is and I think a majority of people are about the same. I don’t think it’s as big a deal as people probably make it out to be," Lesley said.
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