BTW, this is IMHO the best explanation for NE's method of stealing signals. It is from the footballoutsiders website by a poster using the handle Al 45. I will bold the parts that are questions from a prior post.
Purds, I’m going to attempt to answer your questions. Please keep in mind, however, that I do believe video taping signals is an advantage over simply writing them down on paper. I do believe it’s more efficient and, in some instances, could be more cost effective.
Anyway, let me answer your questions as they are numbered.
1)How, exactly, do you describe on paper the signals sent in by a team? I think it would be pretty hard to watch a 5-10 second set of signals, remember their order and exactly what they did (”Did that guy touch his shoulder, or his chest?”), and write the order and exact description down accurately. Additionally, it’s a chore, and you need as many watchers as coaches sending in signals (3, usually, I think.) With video, you need one, unskilled person.
Actually, it’s not as difficult as you think. I was a pitcher in college and, when I was not on the mound, part of my jobs was to decipher the signals being sent into the catcher from the coach (or from the coach to the batter).
Much like in baseball, but even more so in football given the distance and timing associated with everything, signals must be distinct to make it as easy as possible to read them correctly when they are given.*
Therefore, it’s easy to see if someone touches a shoulder or his chest, or belt, or ear, or nose, or cheek, etc…
Also, much like a secretary, we used a form of shorthand for writing down these signals. Usually one or two letters per code.
Even with the coaches rambling off the signs fast, with 3, sometimes 4 of us, watching and writing it down, it was rare for more than one of us to have a different set of signals than the others. Almost without exception, at least 3 of us always came up with the same signals, but more times than not, it was all of us.
*There are two reasons for the signals to be distinct. One, so the defense doesn’t misinterpret the signal and call the wrong defense. Two, so that it doesn’t have to be repeated. One of the easiest ways to have someone break your code is to be forced to repeat the same code twice in a row. Since, in most circumstances, there will be a couple hot signals and a few dummy signals, it’s quite common — more often than not — for the signaler to forget the dummy signals, redo the semaphore, and you’ll get a different set of dummies, or at least a couple different, but then some of the same which were possibly the hot signals.
2) Have you ever used video to look at a complex human action, like giving multiple signals with only one being real? I haven’t done that, but I have broken down video in my role as a track and field coach, and video represents such an advantage in understanding what you’re seeing with the naked eye that video is prohibited in track meets at all levels. You can record video at a meet, but neither coaches nor athletes can look at it until the entire meet is over. The penalty is disqualification for that athlete in that event, and he’s scratched for the rest of the meet. You can watch a high jumper all you want with the naked eye, and try to tell him exactly what’s going wrong, but if you’re (A) wrong in what you saw, or (B) unable to clearly articular in words to the athlete what you saw, then you’re not going to be able to help anywhere nearly as effectively as a videotape conference with the athlete would accomplish. Now, how does this relate to football signals? If a head coach or offensive coordinator wants to learn to visually identify during a game a few key signals (blitz or not, for example, just that one thing) that the opponent is using, based on previous game use of signals, then it would be MUCH easier to look at the video of the signals from past games, then it would be to read a written the interpretation of the signals.
I didn’t copy your whole question in (attempting to save space), but I have extensive video experience. Not only have I done my own video work, but when I was a pitcher in college (and I also was a position player), I had extensive video sessions analyzing my pitching and hitting mechanics. So the use of video is not lost on me.
That being said, there’s a huge difference between that and reading signs. Due to the fact that the signs have to be distinct, the manner in which the signal is given wouldn’t matter. For instance, it’s not likely a defensive coordinator is going to touch his chest, but only use two fingers if it’s one thing, but 4 if it’s another. In the heat of the game, and the possible distance at which the defensive player must read the signal, it’s quite possible that such a subtle distinction is missed.
However, when people are really trained at breaking signals, small things like that don’t go unnoticed. We’d always look for things like that even though we knew that, for the most part, it never meant anything. Usually, the most you would need to know in terms of how a signal was given is if it was given with the left or right arm/hand. Did he touch the left or right cheek with the left or right hand, for instance. That stuff, while nice to see on video, still isn’t that much helpful over reading it on a piece of paper and then knowing the signal.
3) Now, one might argue that no NFL team would ever use the same signals from one game to the next. Really? As the most famous example, I’ll cite a little think called the Super Bowl, where the Raiders did not change their audibles even though they were playing a team led by their previous head coach. So, I am not arguing that every team would keep the same signals, but surely some would, and have.
Well, that was stupid on their part. I’m not sure why they didn’t change their audibles. That being said, defensive signals are a bit different. Every coach in the league understands that, when they’re giving their signals, someone is watching them and recording (maybe not on video tape, but writing it down) what they are doing. In this day and age, if you’re using the same signals for the second time you play a game, you’re an idiot and don’t deserve to be coaching in the NFL. Hence the reason Bill Callahan is no longer coaching in the NFL.
4) Finally, the ability to look at video over and over and over until you figure it out, well, that’s a huge advantage. Again, they might not figure out everything, but even knowing just whether to expect a blitz or not would be a HUGe advantage to a team.
Yes, but so is the ability to read the signals over and over and over again (matched with the plays on film).
The only real advantage I see from video is the ability to be assured you’ve captured their signals more accurately. However, with the correct amount of people whose sole job is to capture this information, that task isn’t even that difficult.
My two cents is that I think it’s an advantage over normal sign stealing, but more so in the form of cost effectiveness and efficiency. You only need to hire one videographer to capture the information, rather than 6-10 people to capture the signals.
Hope I was able to answer your questions.
