Changing the play at the line can cause some problems.

[Tommy-the-Greek]

I noticed something that noone else has touched on. The play DW threw his INT. he changed the play at the line and Lockett did not hear him. You could see Lockett signaling DW trying to get some clarification. He had no idea what the play was changed to and the outcome of the play was an int. That wasn't the only time during the game that the WR farthest from the QB did not hear the qb change the play.

Now remember that we were in our stadium and up to that point the crowd really didn't have much to cheer about. The noise level was average to below average. What is going to happen when we are on the road in a noisy stadium. How is the qb going to change the play and get the WR to know what is going on?

This is something that is going to have to be addressed. They are going to have to come up with hand signals and change them often. Will this become as confusing as watching a third base coach send the bunt signal to the batter?

This has me very concerned since the outcome of the confusion was always detrimental to the drive. Any Gators here can add alittle light to what Spurrier has done in the past when going to Tenn. or FSU?

[RiggoDrill]

It worked in "The Swamp", so I think we'll be OK.

[Tommy-the-Greek]

But the fans down there are smart enough to stay quiet when there "O" broke the huddle. I want to know what happened when they had to go to FSU or to TEN or Georgia.

[jabronijames]

It can be dangerous, but it seems to work more often than not. In an offense like this, the WRs should know enough to look at the quarterback and at least try to read his lips before every play. I think what happened in these situations you mention is just a lack of concentration.:doh:

[Tommy-the-Greek]

Well I know I am a little biased here because I don't want Lockett to start. I would rather have Doering, Thompson or Mc Cants in there. But Lockett wasn't the only guy who was signaling back to the qb that he didn't know the play. Maybe I am just knitpicking, that's why I want a gatorskin fan to tell me what Spurrier has done in the past.

Maybe the QB's know the signals and the WR's werent paying attention or don't know the signals. But If I were Spurrier I would have huge speakers brought on the practice field and have them practice changing the plays when it is impossible for the WR's to hear the QB's.

[RabidGatorFan]

There are hand gestures that are used at the line of scrimmage to signal what route the receiver should run. I'll highlight one that is well known to the Gator Nation and the general public.

Late in the 1997 game vs. FSU in The Swamp, Doug Johnson made a gesture at the line of scrimmage of grabbing his facemask while looking at Quezzie (J. Green for the uninformed). The route Quezzie ran was a stop-and-go down the sidelines. The play turned into a 50 plus yard gainer and ulitmately swung the momentum to our side to win the game. In the post game interviews, both Doug and Quezzie talked about the handsignal and for which pass route it was for.

The thing that worries me the most is whether the Head Ball Coach (HBC) changes the hand signals from game to game. The reason I say this is ever since that '97 game vs. FSU, everytime I saw a UF quarterback make the facemask grab jesture while looking at a receiver at the line, they ran the same stop-and-go down the sidelines.

Anyone else know about the hand signals?

[GatorEye]

We always used hand signals and I think that we fared pretty well not only in the Swamp but at the visitor's stadiums as well. I don't think it's going to be a problem. I think the receivers are just going to have to get used to it - that's all.

[redman]

This is the only hand signal I want us to be able to understand as it happens: :finger:

That's the one we'll give to the opposition after the game.

Seriously, there needs to be a bit more complexity to the signalling in the game for me to feel comfortable. Hell, this is a league where coaches cover their mouths with their cheat sheets during games while calling in the play over the headset because there are teams that place spies in the stands to attempt to read their lips.

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

Originally posted by redman

Seriously, there needs to be a bit more complexity to the signalling in the game for me to feel comfortable. Hell, this is a league where coaches cover their mouths with their cheat sheets during games while calling in the play over the headset because there are teams that place spies in the stands to attempt to read their lips.

True enough about covering the mouth on the sideline. But that's with 30 seconds to go before the play, with spies with 150 IQs reading their lips.

Audibles at the line take place with 8 - 10 seconds to go before the play, with prison-cell IQs on defense listening in. The level of sophistication in deciphering audibles goes way down.

The main issue for defensive players to notice is, *is* there an audible called at all? Detecting an audible can aid a defense that is trying to disguise coverage -- showing blitz and backing off, etc. When the defense shows a look and hears an audible, they know that the offense is falling into its trap (assuming a trap has been laid).

This is why I favor having an audible called on *every* play, so the defense can't know that the offense is "reacting" to the defense look and changing the play. Many of the audibles in this case would be false audibles (play stays the same).

[KCgator]

The play is still in the SOS playbook now named "Rolle 7" after former FSU and current Titan DB Samari Rolle.

[Blondie]

abronijames...................the WRs should know enough to look at the quarterback and at least try to read his lips before every play. I think what happened in

OK. Read his lips. The wide receiver. Through the face mask. I see. Well. Hmmmm. I am an administrator of a deaf school. I am hearing..but do have deaf employees. I don't even think those who have been speech reading all of their lives could read the speech of a qb through a face mask.

Might really want to stay with those hand siganls. Or, being the dedicated fan that I am...I will volunteer to teach the qb, receivers and running backs ASL--American Sign Language.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Blondie

[redman]

ASF, so you want to put the defense on double secret probation with audibles on every play? :laugh:

Look, you obviously don't know anything about intelligence work, lady. It's an X-K-Red-27 technique. -Otto West, in A Fish Called Wanda

And as far as the too-stupid-to-understand-a-play-change-to-fly-route NFL DB's, I don't buy it. I may not want any of them to manage my business affairs, but you can be darn sure that NFL DB's can be taught to understand that a simple sign like grabbing the facemask means a stop and go route. After all, our brainiac WR's have evidently figured it out.

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

Originally posted by redman

I may not want any of them to manage my business affairs, but you can be darn sure that NFL DB's can be taught to understand that a simple sign like grabbing the facemask means a stop and go route. After all, our brainiac WR's have evidently figured it out.

I wasn't referring to the facemask grab in my support for audibles. Gotta hear 'em to be audibles.

[kaffeen]

As for the question of whether the nuances of the HBC's system will work in a loud environment (i.e. hearing/seeing the QB audible), I just have to echo the sentiments of fellow Gator fans....

If it works in the Swamp, it will work anywhere (e.q. LOUD). It's not like you can hear crickets chirping even when the Gators are on offense. It's *always* loud, there are just varying degrees of it. There is often a need for hand signlas (or other visual communications) at the Swamp. As some indication, on a clear night, if I'm not at the game and I am outside, I can clearly hear the stadium crowd chanting Orange and Blue or screaming 10 miles from the stadium......and that is even when the Gators are on offense.

Steve's offense has worked perfectly fine at Neyland Stadium (Tennessee) and that is perhaps the loudest and most hostile venue the Gators regularly play every other year. Granted, they do not audible as much in those hostile environments, however, they still do occassionally and successfully.

As for the question of whether someone can interpret the signals; yes they could and on occassion there has been speculation that they succeeded, however, those signals are usually the ones being called from the sidelines (for the initial play). I'm going to guess that in the pros, the QB has a speaker in the helmet, so I don't think they will have the need to signal in plays like in college (although I have seen Noah doing just that in recent Redskin games).

Regardless, the audibles have always worked fine in the past. I suspect that Lockett just does not know the offense very well, or is not comfortable "reading" defenses, or had a brain fart, or all of the above. Coming from KC and being an NFL veteran, he should be conditioned to a loud stadium. It's not like hand audibling is a novelty or has never been done (most everyone has to do it in hostile or loud environments). Maybe he just sucks or lacks concentration. Not everyone can succeed in this system, pehaps not even NFL veterans.

[InstiGATOR]

A few more points:

1. SOS and other coaches have their QB's fake audibles too. For all you know what you saw was a fake audible. There is no way to know when they are really changing plays and when they are faking it.

2. The Skins fans will learn quickly to be quiet when the Skins have the ball. That will take care of 8 of the games.

3. The WRs will get better at the signals as they get experience.

4. College stadiums are usually louder than pro stadiums and UF never had crowd noise stop them from calling audibles.

[InstiGATOR]

A few more points:

1. SOS and other coaches have their QB's fake audibles too. For all you know what you saw was a fake audible. There is no way to know when they are really changing plays and when they are faking it.

2. The Skins fans will learn quickly to be quiet when the Skins have the ball. That will take care of 8 of the games.

3. The WRs will get better at the signals as they get experience.

4. College stadiums are usually louder than pro stadiums and UF never had crowd noise stop them from calling audibles.