You know the drill. In any of the three "main" sports (football, basketball and baseball) if a coach let's teammates play the game and doesn't try to script every detail of the game, he's regarded as a "player's" coach. He's regarded as being more relaxed and when the light's come on, he let's the players "do their thang".

This is the exact opposite of every coach I've seen while watching the Olympics this year. Here's a couple of examples.

Rowing - Seriously? We need all of the coaches to ride on the road next to the river to yell out instructions along the way? If you haven't seen the absurd number of coaches following the boats, you can see the video here. I'm guessing the competitors know what to do at this point. So why do the coaches need to follow them on bikes? I'm sure they could set up TV monitors for them. Here's a thought. What if, right before the race, a coach told the team, "Look, I'm not going to follow you. I trust you. Just row like we've done in practice for the last four years." Shouldn't that be enough at this point? Oh well, I'd love for a wreck to happen.

Track and Field - I love how Ato Boldin, the announcer, will say right before the race, "Tom I received a text message this morning from insert athlete's name here's coach. He said that insert athlete's name here will....." Boldin will then describe the script for every last second of preparation before the race even starts. Just once, I'd love to hear the description of the text message go something like this, "He's trained hard and he's ready. I'm going to let him do his thang on the track."

Gymnastics - What function do the coaches serve other than to give a hug after the athlete finishes her scripted performance. It's not like they decide what routine to perform on the floor minutes before the start, because a previous competitor posted a high score.

I'm sure it's not easy to let the athlete's just play. I feel like the pot calling the kettle black. When my daughter's basketball team rolls out my vaunted "Upward Pick and Roll" offense this season, I'll find myself telling them what to do on each possession. Wouldn't they have more fun, if I would just leave them alone sometimes? I think so. And that's what I wonder about these Olympics. The pressure is so high and they've got a coach telling them what to do every step of the way.

Of course, as soon as an athlete makes a huge mental mistake in the Games, all you'll hear is, "the coach should have taken control of the situation!"