C.O.O.L. Clinic rolls into Cincinnati

Some of the best offensive line coaches in football will assemble in Cincinnati this weekend for the C.O.O.L. Clinic. (C.O.O.L. stands for Coaches of Offensive Line) While all the media attention will be down at Great American Ballpark on the Reds and Cardinals with the Civil Rights game taking place on Saturday evening, football coaches from all across America—high school, college and professional—will gather to talk football downtown.

This year will once again feature Friday night “Chalk Talks” with college football offensive line coaches, including Joe Pendry, from this year’s national champions, Alabama. To follow that up, it’s the pro coaches on Saturday, including Super Bowl winning o-line coach Aaron Kromer, from New Orleans, and Super Bowl runner-up Howard Mudd from the Colts.

For the past two years I have sat and listened to these o-line coaches speak about various topics (always making sure we had great video of each speech) concerning offensive line play. Rex Ryan, then the defensive coordinator in Baltimore, gave a speech in 2008. He’s now the head coach for the New York Jets. That same year saw the then New Orleans Saints o-line coach Doug Marrone talk about giving up less sacks. He’s now the head coach of the Syracuse Orange.

Needless to say this clinic attracts some of the best speakers from the college and pro ranks. This year will be another learning experience for all involved—myself included. I’ll glean what I can and report back later this weekend on what I’ve learned.