Found this on the Dawg Run message board this morning:
In the shotgun, if Cox lines up with his feet square and shoulder width apart, he’s going to hand it off. If he lines up with his right foot a step behind his left, he’s going to pass.
If I notice that from section 121, you can be damn sure opposing DC’s notice.
I’ve just done a rudimentary look at YouTube clips this morning, so I certainly haven’t engaged in an exhaustive study. And some of the plays may have been dictated by circumstances. But I’ve got to say that every play out of the shotgun I saw that resulted in a throw matched up with that description of his foot positioning.
Surely I’m missing something here. There’s no way Bobo and Richt would let that go, is there?
**********************************************************************
UPDATE: Travis Fain’s got a friend who thinks he’s caught another tell of Joe’s.
Hmmm… maybe I should start a regular feature here at GTP, where fans could turn in tips on tendencies that they’ve discovered. I could call it the “Outside the Arena” Hotline.
Get The Picture 
Yes, this is mostly true. Logan Gray does the same thing.
LikeLike
ah, your assumption of a details-oriented coaching staff/philosophy takes me back to the early 2000s, when we had a details-oriented coaching staff/philosophy.
so much of what uga football does/is about now is so outrageously stupefying that i, too, often ask myself questions like “can it be that obvious?” and “what am i missing?” take kickoffs for example. . .
but the answers, more and more, are “yes, it is” and “nothing.”
LikeLike
It’s funny you say that because I was thinking the exact same thing, specifically regarding David Greene. Do we not remember how unbelievably proficient this guy was at carrying out fakes on EVERY single play. Even when he did hand the ball off, his action was so scripted each time that it looked the exact same on play action passes and action handoffs. Were we THAT spoiled?? Can no one be coached to that level again?
We were sold, as a fanbase, on all of the intangibles that Cox carried with him into the starting job by default because he had been in the program for 4 years. How is it that a QB that was in Richt’s system for all of 8 months could run the offense significantly better and generally run a significantly more disciplined game overall (Greene reference, again)? Bobo was on staff then, so maybe that’s not it. I’ve generally been a defender of Bobo, but it is looking more and more like it is the same situation with both he and Martinez….both promoted too quickly in that they were excellent (IMO) as position coaches, but those EXACT positions are weaknesses now that they are coordinators. We didn’t notice it TOO much (although, a bit) for the past few years because we had the #1 overall pick in the draft behind center.
LikeLike
Bobo is still our QBs coach, correct? It seems like our QB development has really dropped off since he was promoted to OC. Before, we had David Greene, a slow white guy who managed to set a new record for career wins by a QB, and D.J. Shockley, whose one season as the starter was magical. Since Bobo’s promotion, we’ve had Matt Stafford, who was great but never progressed to the point people thought he would, and Joe Cox, a fifth-year senior still making mistakes like it’s his first start.
I like Bobo, and it kills me to be implying that taking on the jobs of OC and QBs coach simultaneously might be too much for him, but . . . well, that’s what I’m implying, in case nobody got it. And if it comes to the point where we have to choose one or the other for him to do, maybe it’s time to put him solely in charge of QBs again and let someone else take the reins at OC for a few more seasons.
LikeLike
yes, we were spoiled. d. greene was probably one of the greatest at selling the PA
LikeLike
I guess it was my fault for assuming that we would get better from Richt and Bobo’s first QB. Don’t get me wrong, I think the world of DG. I can still picture his damn near flawless footwork and motions on those play action passes and handoffs.
Stafford could get away with average play action fakes because, well, he was Matt Stafford. You can compensate for physical shortcomings by doing the little things right, and poor Old Joe just watched Matt for too long, I suppose.
LikeLike
Greene 8 months > Cox 4+ years…
Gosh, kudos for pointing that out. Just one more piece of wood to throw in the fire.
LikeLike
Perhaps this is why our defense cannot figure out play-action–they keep looking for other QBs to tell them what the play will be.
LikeLike
Of course it’s that obvious. Have you seen anything from Richt that would make you think he has that attention to detail? These are the things Urban and Saban notice watching film at 10 while Richt is bowling.
I’ve said it before, Richt is gettin putworked Sunday through Friday
LikeLike
I’m sure they never even noticed. Besides…who ever pays attention to those little details besides the little guys who have never been in the arena.
The devil is always in the details. Saban and Meyer love the details and it reflects in their team play. I did not get to see the game but from what I have read it was really just a nice goody bag of all the things that have plagued this program over the last two – three years.
If this is true about Cox and really I would not be surprised if it is…then it is just another sign that this coaching staff is falling behind…..way behind. Is it too much to ask to see improvement from week one to week 11?
LikeLike
Actually, foot position is usually something that is coached. For linemen, backs, receivers and even QBs, and probably some defensive players as well. Depending on the play you are running and what your responsibilities are, foot position and spread is important. So yes, it is something most coaches pay attention to on a daily basis.
LikeLike
What’s happening here, then? If they’re looking at this all the time and paying a great deal of attention to his footwork, this can’t be right.
LikeLike
I guess that’s open to discussion 🙂
LikeLike
Very disturbing. Especially when combined with Richt’s statement (repeated in last nite’s teleconference) that they squib kicked because Kentucky was tops in the SEC in kickoff returns and near the top in the country, when in fact Kentucky is 7th in the SEC in kickoff returns and nowhere near the best in the country.
It almost seems like he has stopped preparing for games in any significant way. It will be interesting to see what sort of career decisions he makes in the next couple of weeks.
LikeLike
To be fair, Bobo didn’t know that Cox was in the game at the time.
LikeLike
+1 … just another case of mistaken identity
LikeLike
Yes.
New coaches, please.
LikeLike
What Head Coach Mark may say in response to the intel from Section 121 on Joe tipping off defense on upcoming plays:
“It’s our system. It’s still one for fastball, two for a curve. It’s our system. It worked at FSU. It worked at FSU North. It’s our system. It’s our system of downs. We aren’t changing it. It works. We were number two. So there.”
What Head Coach Mark may be thinking when he gives the above response:
LikeLike
This is all fixable.
–Texas_Dawg
LikeLike
You’re not a real fan.
– Texas_Dawg
LikeLike
Snarky replay as team goes down the toilet.
– Texas_Dawg
LikeLike
It is not just Joe, take a look at our linemen’s stance on pass versus run plays.
LikeLike
Well, see, that’s kind of typical, and that’s where, seriously, I can’t too upset about something like this. We are not a team that uses a lot of misdirection, and that might be a valid criticism of our play-calling. Or it might not; our present approach has a lot to do with winning individual matchups and getting the ball to the right players to win those matchups. In effect, knowing whether it is run or pass may not be enough of a strategic advantage to matter.
Just sayin.’
LikeLike
We’re lucky to be 6-5. Take away a tipped pass from Rennie & a tipped kicked by AJ – and we’re staring at 7 (probably 8) losses. If we had 8 losses, would Richt’s job be in jeopardy.
Assuming that the answer is yes, why should two lucky plays dictate the direction of this program?
Richt’s a good man. No doubt, he knows more about football than me. But so does Ray Goff. And so does Jim Donnan.
When you lose to Kentucky on Senior night at home and no one notices – your program is in trouble.
LikeLike
Luck cuts both ways. Who’s to say that the LSU game turns out the same if the ref keeps the flag in his pocket?
LikeLike
Who knows, but I bet we still choose to play Chinese fire drill on the kickoff and let Trindon Holliday do what he pleases with the return.
LikeLike
Bad luck didn’t allow Scott to run free for 33 yards untouched for a TD. But you’re right, luck does go both ways.
We got lucky when the refs called the same penalty on LSU. We got lucky when LSU threw an interception in their end zone. But….luck had nothing to do with the 370 yards LSU gained against our 270. For all the talk about how we dominated Kentucky statistically, LSU could have said the same thing about us….
We’re not a well coached team. Only an extreme homer would say otherwise. From the special teams to the x’/o’s – we simply are missing something.
Maybe Richt will cuss out Loran after the game Saturday…..
LikeLike
We’re a well coached team.
– Texas_Dawg
LikeLike
Last year, Billy Gillispie got fired for losing to Georgia on senior night at home.
Just sayin’.
LikeLike
Losses to Gardner-Webb, San Diego, and VMI didn’t help, either. Neither did getting punked by Felton in the SECT. Neither did watching Georgia win the conference (UK’s last conference title = 2004).
LikeLike
It’s happened before.
Back in 1956 or 1957, Bear Bryant was a first year coach at Texas A&M. His team won only one game that year, against Georgia. Bryant studied film of Georgia carefully and saw that the QB would position his feet differently depending whether the play was a run or pass.
Now, we all know who Georgia’s coach was at the time. Wally Butts had already won 3 SEC titles and invented the split end/flanker/tight end passing attack. My point? It can happen.
Supposedly after the game Bryant told Butts the tip and Butts refused to believe him.
LikeLike
And this is why Hugh Culverhouse told me that he didn’t take notes of phone conversations…
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074659/1/index.htm
Well, that wasn’t really the reason.
But he did tell me, when I was a young horse-fly on the wall when he was buying and selling banks, that he didn’t take notes of phone conversations
LikeLike
Dog in Fla, I assume you realize we’re talking about two different occasions.
I have a raw spot for the Look Magazine scandal for another reason. Wally Butts had to resign in disgrace, but the man who contributed the article, the man who caused Curtis Publishing to incur the largest to date libel judgment in US history, is none other than Furman Bisher, who went on to marry some debutante broad, join the Piedmont Driving Club, and become the grand old man of Atlanta sports writing. Pray tell, can anyone tell me when Furman Bisher apologized to Wally Butts?
LikeLike
Hog, Thanks and heck no. Am not really too detail oriented but more of a big really cloudy picture type of guy. I always wondered what old man Bisher did to get famous.
LikeLike
The Saturday Evening Post article is still cited in mass-comm law classes at Grady, FWIW.
LikeLike
FWIW, a friend of mine, a QB in HS, lost the State Championship because of something just like this. If a lineman put his hand all the way down it was a run, but if he barely touched the ground it was a pass. The opposing coaches picked up on it and made their team aware. That’s why coaches study film. My friend kept getting sacked and couldn’t understand why the play action fake wasn’t working. He learned the truth years later from a player on the other team.
LikeLike
“fans could turn in tips on tendencies that they’ve discovered. I could call it the “Outside the Arena” Hotline.”
Great idea but a concerned reader on behalf of the class of least sophisticated readers wonders about name confusion and potential copyright and trademark infringements such as …
What is “Outside the Arena”?
a. Other than clean air and sanitation, name one thing that does not exist in China
http://china.hrw.org/issues/reporters-guide-to-covering-beijing-olympics/chinas-human-rights-stories
b. What are Rodeo sad stories? http://www.iprarodeo.com/outsidethearena.html
c. Name a Mormon who is not Beck http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/aug/27/divisions-within-opposition-without/
d. What are Rodeo girls in halter top? http://www.westernshootinghorse.com/wshcontent/2008/09/18/outside-the-arena/
e. What passes for fun at Wake Forest? http://ogb.wfu.edu/07/index.php?/ee/s_article/outside_the_arena_outside_the_bubble_and_thinking/
f. Didn’t you used to be somebody? http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3718963&campaign=rss&source=TENNISHeadlines
g. The Dahli Lama and Snake Stabler – Who is the better lefty and who partys more?
http://wfmz.com/view/?id=297065
h. More Rodeo with big girl on horse http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/5323
i. That was it… http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-07-13-jackson-fans-gather_N.htm?csp=34
j. What is the Genome mapping project? http://www.riverinafielddays.com/index_files/Page2281.htm
k. What happens two days after Black Friday? http://www.blacksabbath.com/gallery_2/v/concertpics/2007tour/031407/SabCalgary1.JPG.html
l. Taylor Swift – We love you! http://musicians.musebin.com/taylorswift13/statuses/3745122740
m. Do Indians exist in Texas and if so, where? http://www.austinpowwow.org/outside09.htm
n. What is the Belgrade Curve? http://www.arenabeograd.com/en/gallery/photos/1
o. What is Amway? http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=74076
p. Tinfoil Helmet Conspiracy Theories –
While somewhat similar to the old-school ‘What’s the Frequency Kenneth’ line of thought, “Outside the Arena” is a regular feature at the underground Georgia football symposium, operating under the name of “Get The Picture,” where the usual suspect conspiracy theorists, in a cooperative and communistic effort, have adjusted antennae and focused collective laser 3-D vision to pick up and turn in coaching tips on tell tendencies that they’ve discovered for the use and benefit of the Georgia football coaching staff so the Georgia football coaching staff does not have to work so hard to find out for themselves.
LikeLike
rewatched the auburn game…
the throw/pass out of the shotgun thing is incredibly obvious and proven true.
at one point, cox sets up with his feet apart and the auburn safeties and LBs back up. then he audibles and his feet are now even. the LB’s and safeties come back up. cox hands off the ball for a loss.
wow.
LikeLike
This is unconscionable.
LikeLike
Gee and I thought they always told us to line up the same every time so as not to give it away. Boy things change in 40 years.
Just another example of FSU training, if you are so much better than your opponent then it does not matter (see the Greenbay Power Sweep) you know it is coming and there is not a thing you can do to stop it. Unfortunately we play in the SEC and now most of the teams have good enough talent to stop it. Maybe someone should call Bobo and tell him.
LikeLike
OMFG! Just went back and tested this hypothesis…Dead on. If you want the perfect example of this insanity then rewind the game film to 4:30 4th quater where Cox audibles to the run. He starts off in his pass setting, then after his audible he changes into run mode. Oh and on a side note, on Cox’s last interception, they lined up in the same formation as the 4th down attempt on the previous possession with Caleb running the exact same route as the one that resulted in the 1st down. The exception this time was that the linebcaker no. 50 regognized the route and jumped it resulting in the interception.WAAAAAAAY to predictible even for high school ball.
LikeLike