Football is back!
The NFL preseason will kickoff Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET. The Arizona Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys in the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
The game is vital for second and third-stringers fighting to make the final 53 man roster. But, it’s also important for the coaches who spend many hours away from their families to put together the best team for the regular season. Earlier this week, Carlie Buys, wife of Azusa Pacific University running back coach Ben Buys, talked about the struggles of being a ‘football wife’ during the season.
So what does the average schedule look like for a NFL head coach? Take a look at two of those days from Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh during the 2013 season from ESPN.
Monday
5:50 a.m. Wake up on office couch
6-8 Review opponent game tape
8-8:15 Call Ingrid Harbaugh (wife)
8:15-8:30 Breakfast with Long Snapper Morgan Cox, Kicker Justin Tucker, Punter Sam Koch and Quarterback Joe Flacco
8:30-8:45 Meet with team president Dick Cass
8:45-9:15 Meet with assistant GM Eric DeCosta
9:15-9:45 Prep for team meeting
9:45-10:15 Meet with senior offensive assistant Craig Ver Steeg
10:15-11:15 Review opponent game tape
11:15-11:45 Meet with player leadership committee
11:45-12:15 p.m. Lunch with Ingrid and Alison (10-year-old daughter)
12:15-1 Sit in on special-teams meeting
1:00-1:20 Team meeting
1:20-2:45 Sit in on offense and defense meetings
2:45-3:35 Meet with GM/Executive VP Ozzie Newsome
3:35-4 News conference prep with Kevin Byrne, senior VP of public and community relations
4-4:25 News conference, local TV interview, Ravens TV interview
4:30-5:30 Work out
5:30-5:45 Call from John Madden
5:45-6:20 Dinner with assistant coaches
6:20-6:30 Review last game’s plays for submission to officials
6:40-6:50 Meet with head athletic trainer Mark Smith
7-11:15 Watch upcoming opponent tape
11:30 Sleep on office couch
Wednesday
5:30-5:45 a.m. Call Ingrid
6-6:45 Treadmill while reviewing route combo drawings, scripts and offensive game plan
7-7:15 Prep for team meeting with assistant Dan Parsons
7:15-7:40 Breakfast with Quarterback Joe Flacco, Guard Marshal Yanda and Safety James Iheigbo; “fly-by” with training and equipment room staff
7:40-7:55 Meet with run game coordinator Juan Castillo about run scripts and pass protection
7:55-8:10 Bible study
8:10-9 Sit in on special-teams meeting
9-9:25 Team meeting (discuss game plan and what it will take to win)
9:30-11 Sit in on defense meeting
11-11:15 Call Ingrid
11:15-11:30 Meet with Byrne and Newsome
11:30-12:10 p.m. AACT (assignment, alignment, corrections and technique) walk-through with team
12:10-12:20 Media responsibility (local)
12:20-12:25 Media responsibility (opponent)
12:30-1:10 Lunch with Cass and Byrne
1:20-3:30 Practice
3:30-3:45 Meet with Newsome
3:45-5 Sit in on position and QB meetings
5-6:30 Meet with Ravens owner Steve Biscotti
6:30-7:30 Dinner with assistant coaches
7:30-7:45 Review highlight tape to be shown to team night before game
7:45-10:35 Watch opponent tape
10:35-11 Drive home
Couple of notes from thoughts from the overall schedule:
- John spent over 60 hours watching film and in meetings.
- He also slept 48 hours in the week. That’s an average of 6 hours a day.
- On Monday and Tuesday he slept on a couch at the Ravens facility.
What are some other things you notice from the schedule? Do you know a coach who has a similar hectic schedule? Let us know at the OneCoach Facebook page. 
