Sean Mannion is experimenting with calling offense from sideline, booth

Half of the NFC East's offensive coordinators are trying to figure out where to best call games. Like Matt Nagy of the Giants, Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will call preseason games from both the sideline and the booth in order to pick the best place to do it when the games count. "It was smooth," Mannion told reporters regarding calling games from the sideline. "I felt comfortable. I thought our staff did a great job. The communication was clear. We didn't have any substitution issues. We didn't have any play calls get jacked up where we got caught with them substituting late or anything like that. I thought the lines of communication were clear. I was happy with how the quarterbacks were able to get us in and out of the huddle. We weren't really up against the play clock at all. I was happy with that. "I'm planning on calling the next game from the booth. It's an opportunity to get a feel for both and then go from there. That's been the plan all along, and I think it'll be an interesting perspective, but I think through this preseason, an opportunity to kind of experience both." Mannion's trip to the booth in Week 2 of the preseason will be different from what he's used to. "I think it'll just be more for me and just how I feel I can see the game from there versus the sideline," Mannion said. "I've spent the majority of my life on an NFL sideline, on college sidelines. I've seen the game from that perspective. I spent a year in the booth in Green Bay, but in a different capacity. It'll just be to get a feel for it, honestly. I just kind of want to experience it once, and I think it'll offer good perspective. Like I said, it was comfortable in game, but the plan all along was to kind of get a taste of both and then move forward with a plan of attack for the regular season." It's a balance. There are pros and cons to each location. The ultimate pro is where the coach feels most comfortable with all aspects of the job.