Something popped up in this Rick Neuheisel Q&A over at The Athletic ($$) about today’s Georgia-Kentucky game I’m seeing for the first time this week.
Georgia inside linebacker Monty Rice said he noticed something on film this week: Missouri, which held Snell largely in check, had a linebacker who “was able to call out pulls, show where the ball was going.”
Two questions: first, is that true? Like I said, it’s the first time I’ve seen anything about that happening. (Reminder: Mizzou held Snell to 67 yards on 19 carries, for a 3.53 ypc average, his lowest of the season.) And if it’s true, why would Rice bring it up publicly?
Calling where the ball is going is not an uncommon thing. You usually identify the offensive set first and adjust. If you (usually linebacker) recognize the play….you call it. Of course, you have to have the personnel to stop it. He didn’t give away anything imo.
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I think Rice was referring to a tell rather than making a call. Something like the foot alignment of an OL on the plays he pulls one way or another can be seen before the snap and called out to the rest of the defense so they know which way the ball is going to be run. Making a call on a pull after the ball is snapped would pretty much be pointless due to the pull already being in motion and the blocks of the OL already being set up. Yeah, a call after the snap could help a player know which way to start moving but by that time they’re already a step behind the offense and playing catch up which gets you beat. Whereas if the call is made before the snap the defense knows where they should go with the all important first step. A correct first step can take away the inherent advantage of the offense in knowing where they need to go and who they need to block.
Back in my days… I remember playing a team that had a tell. The OG’s had different foot alignments based on the block they were attempting to make. Every day during practice that week our LB coach drilled us on recognizing the foot alignments and the corresponding blocks. We pitched a shutout that week on defense and as I remember it, it really wasn’t all that difficult to accomplish. And it was due to a simple tell that let our DL and LB’s know where to go with our collective first step.
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Yea, if UGA had a tell, the last thing they would do is tell Kentucky about it. A little psych ops by Kirby to get Kentucky to waste their time thinking about it.
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Bassin, you forget we are playing 5-D chess. Kirby wanted Kentucky to think we knew that we know what they think we don’t know. But what they don’t think we know is what we think we know they don’t think they know so we know. Now, they are thinking.
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Stop thinking. Cut yo ass loose!
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So, I know. But now you know I know. But I know that you know that I know. But you know that I know that you know I know.
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I no. I mean, know…. Just Sic ‘Em!
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Hmmm, looks like the OL coach may have coached the linemen to pull with a certain technique that results in having a tell… like Joe Cox’s foot alignment. If it is something like foot alignment, you know who is pulling and which direction they will go. That makes it easy to stop the run, but could end up being a killer on play action off of power looks.
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OR Monty told Neuheisal who spilled the beans early. I know CBS’ top guys never disclose or talk about a play, alignment, trick etc. that has been divulged to them in pregame meetings UNTIL it has been run, etc.
Rick is exactly the type to do that early to show his inside knowledge.
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Quote wasn’t from Heuheisel, but from the author of the piece.
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