What Is the Main Job of an Offensive Coordinator in Football?

An offensive coordinator is an important part of any coaching staff. He builds his team’s offensive philosophy and assigns personnel to best fit that system. He is also in charge of adjusting that approach to address the strengths and exploit the weaknesses of upcoming opponents by balancing the run and the pass. Building a strong offense can be extremely rewarding, but that means the offensive coordinator must do his job well.

  1. Developing a Playbook

    • An offense must have an identity. Some coordinators, like longtime Oakland Raiders coach John Madden, are known for their aggressive style and willingness to take risks. Others focus on minimizing mistakes and rely on defense and special teams to take over the game. An OC’s style is reflected in his playbook, which contains different sets, formations and plays. OCs whose teams are in the rebuilding phase are often forced to adjust their philosophy to account for available talent (or lack thereof) on the roster.

    Evaluating Talent

    • An OC is in charge of making sure his best players are on the field at all times. He decides which attributes are most important in his offense and identifies the players that best exemplify them. If his offense depends on downfield passing, he might choose the quarterback with the strongest arm rather than the highest accuracy. He also fills skill positions -- such as quarterback, running backs and wide receivers -- with players that best complement each other. Likewise, he must create a cohesive offensive line.

    Scouting

    • OCs are responsible for assessing upcoming opponents. The degree of scouting required depends on the quality of the opponent and the importance of the game. OCs must review game tape, identify opponent tendencies and isolate offensive strategies that worked for other teams who played that opponent in the past. OCs create weekly scouting reports to summarize their findings and mentally prepare their teams.

    Play-calling

    • A strong OC is like a good poker player: he never shows his cards too soon. OCs feel out their opponent’s defensive strategy and call plays to counteract it. If an opposing defense is playing very aggressively, an OC might call screen passes to get the ball out quickly and catch the defense out of position. If defensive backs are playing deep, the OC will often call a running play to capitalize on space available underneath. Awareness of the dynamics on the field is key to successful offensive coordination.