FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has called plays from the sidelines his entire career and plans to continue doing so this season, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.
Sarkisian experimented during the exhibition season as he called plays from the press box against Pittsburgh and from the sidelines against Miami and Arizona. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel will also call the defense from the field.
Former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan called the offense from the press box last season.
“That’s something that I know Kyle (Shanahan) took advantage of a year ago," Sarkisian said in June. "He went to the press box and he was still able to call plays to (quarterback) Matt (Ryan) from the press box, which is a little foreign to me because during my time in Oakland when I was talking to Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins I had to be on the field to do that.”
Technology has advanced from 2004 when Sarkisian was with the Raiders as their quarterbacks coach. There is now a direct line of communication from the coaching to the quarterback's helmet before the start of each play during a game.
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