A week in the life of a coach

ByKEVIN VAN VALKENBURG
December 11, 2013, 9:46 PM

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THERE ARE 168 hours in a week. And if not for exhaustion, many NFL head coaches would use them all. But do all those hours come at a cost? That's a question Broncos coach John Fox and Texans coach Gary Kubiak have had to ask after health scares forced leaves of absence. Just how many hours are we talking? Baltimore coach John Harbaugh agreed to document his week as the Ravens prepped for a Nov. 17 game at Chicago. "There's always more you could do," he says. "But if you don't sleep, you can't function."

Monday

5:50 a.m. Wake up on office couch

6-8 Review opponent game tape

8-8:15 Call Ingrid (wife)

8:15-8:30 Breakfast with LS Morgan Cox, K Justin Tucker, P Sam Koch and QB 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

"Sleeping at the office is about maximizing my time. I can get more done if I eliminate time I'd spend driving home. Plus, if I come home too late, chances are I'll wake up my wife."