West Virginia assistant Scott growing in coordinator role
It’s been a year of adjustments for Chad Scott since being elevated to the role of offensive coordinator.
This time last season, the discussion revolved around how the energetic Scott would fit in as the role but now a year later the veteran assistant has found his groove.
“I learned a lot. First of all, to be patient. One of the biggest things is to be patient,” he said.
That sounds easy enough but if you’ve ever been to a practice, Scott isn’t hard to miss. A high-energy coach that is known for running down the sidelines and celebrating with his players, it took some time for him to adjust from focusing on his position room to the offense at large.
It was a new role for Scott and one where his personality traits helped to endear him to the offense as a vocal leader while not necessarily handling the full responsibility of playcalling.
The role has allowed him to see the game a lot more differently than the past with his focus outside of just his familiar place in the running back room. And it’s been rewarding for Scott as he now is able to see adjustments across the board from the receivers to the offensive line to help them out.
“The biggest thing is being able to see what’s going on and give suggestions whether it’s run game, pass game adjustments, pass protection adjustments which has allowed the game to slow down a whole lot more and for me to see the picture in every position’s view,” he said.
And while play calling is an important aspect, Scott also has grown to understand the organization and preparation that is required in that position in order to be successful. It’s allowed him, in conjunction with head coach Neal Brown, to find some creative ways to put guys in position for success.
“And also finding different ways to get the ball in all the playmakers' hands and being balanced,” he said.
Admittedly as part of his promotion, Scott doesn’t fly around the sidelines as much as he used to on a daily basis just because of the requirements of being able to see what’s going on and provide suggestions in a variety of different ways.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not something he has stopped doing. That was on display in the first practice of the spring when Nicco Marchiol squeezed in a tight window pass on the correct read that led to a touchdown and brought the sidelines into a frenzy.
That included Scott, who ran out to celebrate, but admittedly was slow calling the next play because he had to get back to his post.
Still, that energy is a big part of what Scott brings to the table even in a new role.
“I’ve still got it,” he said.
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