A good amount of what the XFL does focuses on giving the home viewer a new football-watching experience that you probably won't get with other leagues. Case in point is the amount of audio people get from coaches and players while watching games. But it seems that not everyone got the memo that this was happening.
Seattle Dragons head coach Jim Zorn told the Seattle Times on Tuesday that he was "absolutely shocked" to learn that audio of the plays he was calling was being put out into the game's broadcast. During the Dragons' 31-19 loss to the D.C. Defenders, Zorn was spotted calling plays while covering his mouth with his sheet, a tactic that he probably now realizes was unnecessary.
"I think it gave a fan a chance to hear and see something they've never heard before, but I felt very exposed," Zorn said. "Information on a football team has to be guarded a little bit, so we just got it right out there. I know it had to be fun for everybody, but not super fun for me to reveal all that stuff. But I was glad I didn't stutter or fumble the play calls."
The XFL broadcasts the headsets live but Jim Zorn either doesn't know that or just continues to cover his mouth with the play sheet out of habit pic.twitter.com/R2UpBAqWYN
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) February 8, 2020
Not even the other side of that game was immune to commenting on the play audio getting broadcasted out to the world. Defenders head coach Pep Hamilton told a Washington sports radio show that he's "been up overnight trying to change some of the calls" because he didn't realize how much was going to be put out until the next day when he reviewed the tape. But it's not like he's advocating against the continuation of this broadcasting quirk.
"But you know, it's part of it. No issues," Hamilton said. "We'll keep them guessing. I'm thinking this week, if we say 'even' or anything, that may be an automatic vertical pass or something. We have to keep them honest."
Though his support of the idea probably comes from the fact that he sounded like an elite coach throughout Saturday's game.
Love Pep Hamilton’s poise on the sideline. No panic or worry when communicating
— Chris Haddad (@chrisvIQtory) February 8, 2020
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