ASU’s signs on to new signal system
Have you noticed the brightly-colored, cardboard-type signs that are held high on Appalachian State’s sideline when the defense is on the field?
It’s new this season, and it’s a form of communication that seems to work well. It doesn’t have to do with signaling plays, but keywords and symbols such as “1,” “star,” and “4-man” let players know what’s up.
“What it tells the kids is who should be on the field so we don’t have a foul up of people running on and off, and it tells the personnel that’s out there what to prepare for,” Dale Jones, ASU’s defensive coordinator, said. “It’s just about the personnel that the other team has in, and the personnel that we should have in. Our guys will know if there’s going to be four d-lineman or three, or if there is supposed to be five defensive backs.”
Linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough said: “The signs are for personnel and telling us what package we’re in. They tell what type of front we’re to be in, and things like that. They work pretty well. It’s basically so we can communicate things better. It just takes the place of hand signals and there shouldn’t be any confusion.”
It’s hard to miss the fluorescent signs, but, without a code as an indicator, the meaning is not easily discernable.
“We try to disguise as much as we can,” Kimbrough said.
“Maybe the first quarter it’s top left, and in the second quarter maybe bottom right,” Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers said. “The players know which one they’re looking for.”
A few programs use physical signs, but it’s the first try for ASU, which has changed defensive personnel during games a bit more than in the past.
“It’s a smoother way to make sure everybody knows who is supposed to be on the field and who shouldn’t be,” Jones said.