UVA football coach Mike London addressed communication issues with his defense last week by moving defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta from the press box to the sidelines. This week, London was asked about communication issues with his offense, which has had three delay-of-game penalties and used nine timeouts due to delays in getting plays called from offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to quarterback Matt Johns.
“A lot of it is has got to start with making sure we put our quarterback in the position based where we are on the field and the best position to succeed. We have to do a better job of getting the calls out to them,” London acknowledged in his weekly press conference on Monday.
It would seem to be a simple relay from coaching staff to the QB.
“We call from wristbands, and quarterback has to look down at his wrist and get the signal. That’s something that I brought up to the offensive staff that has to be corrected and has to be done,” London said.
Getting the calls in on time is only part of the issue. London brought up instances of offensive players breaking the huddle and going to the wrong side of the formation, forcing Johns to direct traffic to get guys in the right place.
“There’s some things that obviously we can reduce significantly by making sure that we have the plays ready to call and then ready to signal to the quarterback at the appropriate time. So we’re not looking like we’re hurried. And that’s a big component of it, and that will be fixed,” London said.
– Story by Chris Graham
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