During Thursday night’s game between the Broncos and the Chargers, Prime Video cameras caught a prime shot of Denver coach Sean Payton’s call sheet. At the top, there was large, all-caps handwriting: RUN IT!!!
Payton didn’t like it.
“I think — No. 1 — I don’t like the fact that the network TV cameras feel like they can zoom in to our call sheets, but it is what it is,” Payton told reporters on Sunday. “It’s just a reminder sometimes. They’ll be little notes we’ll put at the top of — I’ll put at the top of a section."I felt we ran it real well early in the game [in the] first half. The second half there were two series I kind of kicked myself where even when we did run it, it was the type of run we ran that wasn’t as effective.”
It happens often, and sometimes it enhances the experience. In 2018, for example, Bears coach Matt Nagy got plenty of attention with a two-word message on his call sheet: BE YOU.
Until the NFL tells networks they can’t do it, networks will do it. Teams need to factor that into what they do, and don’t, put on the sheets.
