This Ain't Chopped Liver
Active Member
Patterson was wise to be suspicious and wary of signal stealing. He took some guff for his closed practices and comments after games. Maybe he didn’t change his signals enough. Maybe this year, TCU opponents took advantage of signal stealing which had a part in the Frogs helpless showings. Signal stealing is legal and mainstream in college football.
theathletic.com
A few years ago, the signal stealer’s team suffered a blowout loss in a conference game. What went wrong? They faced a team with a defensive assistant who’s an excellent signal stealer.
“They knew every single play,” he said.
Whether that’s actually true is always tough to say, but it sure felt like it. Our coach calls this “getting got.” The best indication that you’re getting got? When players come off the field and tell coaches that the opponent is calling out where the runs are going or identifying passes. An especially easy tell is when defenses know the signal for screen passes and easily stop them.
….
Our signal stealer isn’t worried. He’s been doing this long enough to know how to adapt. The good ones will find a way to crack whatever comes next. He predicts that even if technology is introduced next season, offenses that want to go fast tempo will still have to use hand signals at some point.
And when they do, he’ll already know them.
10 lessons of a highly effective college football signal stealer
A signal stealer at a Power 5 program that does not have Michigan on its schedule opens up on how this game within the game actually works.
theathletic.com
“They knew every single play,” he said.
Whether that’s actually true is always tough to say, but it sure felt like it. Our coach calls this “getting got.” The best indication that you’re getting got? When players come off the field and tell coaches that the opponent is calling out where the runs are going or identifying passes. An especially easy tell is when defenses know the signal for screen passes and easily stop them.
….
Our signal stealer isn’t worried. He’s been doing this long enough to know how to adapt. The good ones will find a way to crack whatever comes next. He predicts that even if technology is introduced next season, offenses that want to go fast tempo will still have to use hand signals at some point.
And when they do, he’ll already know them.
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