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Interesting information coming out of MIA about NE game..

stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭
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Players, NFL buzzing over Dolphins' breakdown of Brady
By Greg A. Bedard

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The buzz around the Dolphins locker room Sunday was about how the defense flustered New England quarterback Tom Brady by adjusting to his calls at the line of scrimmage.

The buzz since Miami's 21-0 win is about how the Dolphins managed to decipher those calls.

At least two Dolphins defenders said the team acquired game tape that included audio of Brady making calls, The Post reported Monday.

However they did it, the Dolphins made good use of the information, sacking Brady four times, knocking him down three other times and limiting him to 78 passing yards.

"I've never seen him so flustered," Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas said.

Thomas said the Dolphins spent more time than usual studying Brady's calls, which usually set up his pass protection.

"We watched a lot of tape, even (audio) tape, to hear his signals and things like that," Thomas said. "We had him a little confused today." Two players said the Dolphins "bought" tapes that included audio of Brady.

Asked about purchasing special tape that included audio, Dolphins coach Nick Saban indicated Monday that the players might have been confused. Saban said the Dolphins simply used past television telecasts.

"It's on TV," Saban said. "You always try to get the other team's cadence. I'm sure they try to get ours, so you know when a guy's checking off, when he isn't checking off." Dolphins defensive end Kevin Carter said teams will often pump up the volume of television broadcasts in an attempt to pick up a quarterback's calls.

"We turn the volume way up to see if you can get any tips," Carter said. "Everybody does it. But all you really get is the timing and the sequence and maybe what word the quarterbacks says to let the line know this is the real call." One former NFL general manager, who wished to remain anonymous, isn't sure the Dolphins could get that much information off a TV telecast.

"It's really hard to decipher what's said on television, even with a guy that makes loud calls like Brady," the former GM said. "It's all suspicious, to say the least." NFL spokesman Steve Alic said the league was aware of the issue but did not think the Dolphins violated any rules.

"The reaction around the NFL offices was, 'That's football,'" Alic said Tuesday.

Brady, asked about the possibility of the Dolphins acquiring audio tape, told the Boston Globe that he did not think the Dolphins knowing his calls was a factor Sunday.

One of the best sources for audio tape of games is NFL Films, which often hooks microphones on players. But Steve Sabol, the company's president, said through a spokesman Tuesday that NFL Films would never give tape to a team trying to gain a competitive edge.

The spokesman also said that NFL Films has no audio of Brady.

Some teams use their own equipment to record sound of opposing quarterbacks during games, the former GM said. But, the GM said, that usually happens at home games. The first matchup between Miami and New England this season was the Patriots' 20-10 win on Oct. 8 at Foxboro, Mass.

During his weekly radio show last Thursday, Saban said he was convinced the Patriots had deciphered his team's defensive signals last season and used that knowledge to score the game-winning touchdown in the teams' first meeting of 2005.

Saban said having access to an opponent's signals is invaluable.

"When a team does as much pre-snap stuff as they do, you're always trying to find out exactly why they're doing it," Saban said. "Understanding the cadence and knowing what's going on is really important.

"Sometimes you end up pressuring and you run right into their protection. You try to avoid that if you can."
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts

Comments

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,656 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Interesting. Lets play 10 games and we would win at least 7 of them IMO, but even without that info they might have got they still played a great game against our Defense and deserved a kudos for the win.
  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭
    I saw that on ESPN this morning - basically alleges that the Dolphins are cheaters, and Saban didn't deny it.

    I knew there was a reason that the awful Dolphins could handle the Patriots so easily.
    image
  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭


    << <i>I saw that on ESPN this morning - basically alleges that the Dolphins are cheaters, and Saban didn't deny it.

    I knew there was a reason that the awful Dolphins could handle the Patriots so easily. >>




    Cheaters? Too funny. That would be like saying that if a team puts in extra DB's because the other team has a 3 wide receiver set, they are cheating. You take whatever info you can get and use it to the best of your ability. If that's stealing calls or recognizing alignments and coverages, you're going to be better for it.
    image
  • gosteelersgosteelers Posts: 2,668 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I saw that on ESPN this morning - basically alleges that the Dolphins are cheaters, and Saban didn't deny it.

    I knew there was a reason that the awful Dolphins could handle the Patriots so easily. >>



    Yeah, there must have been a reason, right? How could the Patriots ever lose? Serves them right! Let's list our whole team as questionable, as the Patriots often do. That's ethical, right?
  • Bosox1976Bosox1976 Posts: 8,551 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great work by Saban if true. As a lifelong Pats fan and football fan, I would not begrudge any team any competitive advantage that falls short of cheating. This sounds like thorough scouting, certainly not cheating.

    Like the Indy game, I felt that the Pats could have run all day on Miami and foolishly chose not too. I don't know if they are saving Dillon for the playoffs or what, but I don't think anybody is viewing the Pats as a run first offense anymore, which is crazy given their RB's talent and the weakness of their WR corps.
    Mike
    Bosox1976
  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭


    << <i>ctsoxfan, I'm going to assume that you are just joking. Otherwise, that really is a silly comment. >>



    Of course, my comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek. But, I do find it interesting that this was newsworthy enough to report. It sounds like the Dolphins went above and beyond normal game preparations here, but no big deal. I'm sure it won't happen next time.
    image
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,656 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Id be willing to bet this story FROSTED Bellichek's rear end LOL
  • I am surprised that this is news at all. Guess that simply shows the respect that other teams and the media has for both Brady and the Pats. Good job by the Dolphins image
  • rbdjr1rbdjr1 Posts: 4,474 ✭✭
    Its been no big deal for the Dolphins Defense!

    Brady has been kept under 100 yards 3 or 4 times in his career, and all of these "under 100 yard passing games" have been against, guess who? the Fins, of course!


    Just good D-FENCE!

    rd


    edit: cheating? give me a break! just good defensive audibles at the line! call it, jason taylor and zach thomas, and not cheating! (Brady looked like he could use a week off or something, to "recharge his batteries"?) image

    image

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,656 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Its quite obvious what was wrong with Brady, it had nothing to do with Miami's D. It was his breakup with Bridgitte Moynahan. image
  • jradke4jradke4 Posts: 3,573 ✭✭✭
    maybe what we are seeing is all the success of the pats finally catching up to them. when you keep winning with the same talent (mainly) age finally catches up and the lack of early picks doesnt help replenish them as fast.
    Packers Fan for Life
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  • grote15grote15 Posts: 29,694 ✭✭✭✭✭
    All will be well in NE come Sunday when the Pats crush the Texans at home. Miami just seems to have Brady's number. They should still finish 12-4 or 11-5.


    Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
  • Using audio of a qb's calls, cadence, etc = exploiting a pitcher when he tips his pitches?
    Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock player collector
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