Buccaneers'Josh Grizzard gives update on preference between booth and sideline

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard isn't new to the team — he was Tampa Bay's passing game coordinator last year, after all. He did that job from up in the booth, but he kicked off his first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans by calling plays from down on the field. He mentioned earlier in the year that he would also try to call one from the booth, just to see if he liked that better than the sideline.

It seems as if he's leaning toward a decision. Grizzard recently spoke on the choice again, mentioning that he liked coaching from the sideline against Tennessee and that he will do so again in Week 2 of preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“We’ll see. I enjoyed it last week. I like the camaraderie with the staff and the players, and the communication level," Grizzard said, per JoeBucsFan. "And then I just want to test it out in a good environment here [in Pittsburgh].”

Buccaneers OCs tend to like the sideline

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on the sidelines in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Grizzard isn't the only one who seemingly has this preference. In fact, Tampa Bay's last three offensive coordinators — Byron Leftwich, Dave Canales and Liam Coen — all preferred to be on the sideline instead of in the booth.

Each preference has its pros and cons. Coordinators working from the sideline have immediate access to the players, to create a personal relationship, and any communication to them is direct. They don't get as good of a view of the field, however, as they're looking at the players from eye level instead of up high, and communication can be tough on the field when the crowd noise increases.

Coordinators working in the booth don't get that immediate communication that a coordinator on the sideline can, but they can get a birdseye view of the football field from up in the air that a sideline coordinator couldn't. The air conditioning is a big plus (especially in Tampa) and you'd also be unbothered by the noise of the crowd indoors.

Grizzard already got a taste of what the sideline was like, and although he may try out the booth one more time in Buffalo, it looks like he'll follow in the footsteps of the previous Buccaneers coordinators.

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