Coaches Round Table

What do the signs football (american football) coaches use on the sideline mean?

Bill Belichick recently got fined $500,000 for taping the NY Jets defensive signals. What was he trying to find out? What are the coaches (offensive and defensive) trying to tell their players? Is it like Madden, where you shift your line or play tighter coverage? What would be an example of a sign and its typical meaning. I realize that they are telling their players what play they want to run, but what is an EXAMPLE?! For instance, what types of signs are used? Does elbow touch mean long throw? Does a thigh slap mean watch the running back? How would you say "spead the line" or "tight coverage. Does the defense have a slew of plays, like in Madden? If so, how would a coach say something like "Cover 2 Pinch?" Obviously, it will differ from team to team, but how does the system work?

Public Comments

1. They are the plays they want ran. He was trying to find out what there signals where. They all have different meanings for different coaches.
2. The plays they are calling! What else would he want to know? If they know what play the defense is going to run, its much easier to call the correct offensive play, and if you know what play an offense is going to run, its easier to call a defense to stop it. EDIT: thats not how it works dude! The signals dont tel the players long throw, or watch the running back. One sign is the formation, then the other one is the play. Such as "Slot I right, double post crossing".
3. The coaches are telling the captains where to position the players and what to do. The offensive coaches are telling the Quaterback wether to throw a long pass or a short one or wether to run the ball. The defensive coaches are telling the captain which offensive player they think we get the ball, to blitz or to do deep coverage. You really have to watch a game with someone who knows football to really understand what is going on.
4. Belichick was trying to determine what defensive play was being called.If he knew there plays,it would be so much easier to execute his plays.Actually more like a slaughter