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Thursday, Sept. 6, 2001
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Secrets and spy tactics
What NFL teams do to get an advantage on game day
By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor
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| Oh, you’ve got to love the games that
coaches play. Yes, it’s the players knocking helmets on the field, but the coaches
are fighting just as hard. They are fighting for some competitive advantage, something
that will help put their team over the top in a game. And they aren’t afraid to use
questionable tactics to get that advantage.
Just look at what Tom Coughlin has done in Jacksonville this week. Or what Mike
Shanahan is doing in Denver. Neither of these men deserves to be called on the carpet for
their actions, for they are completely legal. They have broken no rule, although some
would suggest that what Coughlin is doing is a bit unethical. But then again, this is the
cold, hard world of NFL football, and there is no room for ethics?
The Jaguars are opening their regular season with a game against the Steelers. So what
does Coughlin do to gain a little edge? He signs Ainsley Battles, a safety recently cut by
the Steelers. Battles spent last season and all of this most recent training camp with the
Steelers. He knows the team’s strengths and weaknesses. And now he is passing as much
of that information along to the Jaguars’ braintrust.
Will Battles be around come Monday? Who knows. It would not be a surprise if Coughlin
cuts Battles once his usefulness as a spy has subsided following the Steelers game. Is
Coughlin using Battles? You bet he is. Is there anything wrong with this? Not in the NFL.
Then you have the situation that is beginning to play itself out in Denver, where
Shanahan refuses to divulge the identity of his starting running back. Will it be Terrell
Davis? Or how about Olandis Gary? Maybe even Mike Anderson?
Shanahan is purposely holding back the information so as not to tip off the Giants,
Denver’s Week One opponent. If the Giants knew who would be starting, they could take
a look at some extra film of that player. Maybe change up their defensive scheme a bit
depending on whom would be running at them. By not giving up the information, the Broncos
may hold a small advantage come kickoff.
While these secrets and spy tactics being practiced in Denver and Jacksonville —
and around the league for that matter — may not ultimately determine who wins
the game, they certainly can help a team get a leg up on an opponent. |
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