Michigan State Coordinators Make Interesting Sideline Decision

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Over the past decade, the placement of coaches during football games has become a random but surprisingly common topic among football fans. Whether at the professional or collegiate level, fans often wonder — and then debate — whether their favorite team’s offensive and defensive coordinators should be on the sideline calling plays or up in the press box watching from a “blimp”-type view.

Everyone seems to have their own opinion on the matter.

Some believe being on the field with the players and experiencing the raw emotion from nearly every offensive or defensive player gives coaches a better understanding of what is happening in the game. Being close to the action may allow a coordinator to communicate directly with players and get a better feel for how they are responding to the game in real time.

Others believe seeing the game from an outside perspective and watching from above gives coaches a better opportunity to not only read what their own side of the ball is doing, but also recognize the opponent’s scheme and how they are moving across the field on any given play.

There really is no right or wrong answer.

In fact, this is one of those nuances of football that probably only matters when a team isn’t playing well. That’s when fans flock to the idea that a coach should either be on the field with the players or up in the press box with a better view.

Then, the coordinator becomes something else for fans to complain about.

And honestly, that’s fair, too.

No one has the exact answer because it ultimately comes down to each coordinator, their preferences and how they believe they can best do their job. But fans need something to yell about when their team isn’t playing well, and blaming 20-year-old players probably isn’t the best way to go about it.

Instead, put the blame on the coordinator who’s older than you, vent away and get ready for the next game.

For Michigan State, however, fans now know where both of their coordinators will be this season.

Michigan State offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi will reportedly both be coaching from the sideline this season, putting both coordinators up close and personal with their players during games.

According to Jim Comparoni, publisher of Spartans Magazine, both coordinators will be on the sideline. Comparoni also emphasized that it has been a very long time since Michigan State has had both coordinators operating from the sideline.

Again, there is no right or wrong way to approach this philosophy.

That said, I’ll inject my own personal thoughts into the conversation: I believe coaches who are on the sideline can have a better understanding of what is happening in the game at that exact moment and, perhaps more importantly, a better understanding of the players who are actually in the game.

Even if a coach is up in the press box, they can still feel a lot of things out. They have eyes and ears all over the sideline and can receive updates on players, communicate with coaches and get plenty of information throughout the game.

But have you ever played the game Telephone?

Sometimes, that’s what I think about when trying to understand how a coordinator in the press box is communicating with a quarterback or another player on the field. There are plenty of ways for information to get from one place to another, but you just never know if something gets lost along the way.

When a coordinator is on the field, however, they can look a player directly in the eye and ask whatever question they need to ask.

There’s something to be said for that.

A coordinator can see the player’s reaction, hear their response and immediately understand what is happening without relying on someone else to relay the information.

That doesn’t necessarily make one approach better than the other, but it certainly makes for an interesting dynamic.

Ultimately, this isn’t meant to be a persuasive argument for one side or the other. To each their own when it comes to where a coordinator should coach from during a game.

But whether you like it or not, Michigan State fans should expect to see both of their coordinators on the sideline this season.

And perhaps that will give Spartans fans one less thing to complain about when the offense or defense isn’t performing the way they want.

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