Is there an unwritten code in College/NFL football about the silent snap count? Is it only obvious to the TV viewer when the ball will be snapped because of our angle but the defensive players can't see it because of the huge linemen in their vision?
How long has the silent snap count been around? Forever? 25 years? Teams have been doing no-huddle, hurry-up-offenses, 2-minute drills for over 25 years, so they've had to rely on a silent snap count. The "12th Man" has been a big reason as well. Stadiums with a fan base that are much louder require the silent snap (or maybe because the stadium DJ is using artifical noise, which is cheating).
Here's where this is coming from. The QB usually lifts his right foot about one foot off the ground to signal to the center, who is looking between his legs, to snap the ball. It seems it's always about one full second of a delay. But every time, the center lifts his head to get in the ready position before snapping the ball. It's quite clear. So, how are NFL/College players not figuring that out after...one play! "Hey, when the center lifts his head after looking between his legs, that means he's going to snap the ball in one second."
Then I noticed this on Saturday night during the Instant Classic between Michigan and UCONN. The right guard for UM would look for Devin Gardner to lift his leg. He then tapped the center's right hamstring that the QB was ready. And again, one second later, he snapped the ball. The only difference is the center didn't have to lift his head because he was no longer looking between his legs, but the guy right next to him was doing all the pre-snap movements. It still only took one play to figure out when they were going to snap the ball.
So, how are defenses not getting better jumps on the ball because I feel they should clearly know the snap count, even though it's silent. It's actually a lot "louder" than it should be. I understand you can't move until the ball moves, but no one seems to be anticipating the ball moving. No one is even jumping offsides. The linebackers should at least be trying to time the blitz. The cornerbacks aren't even trying to sneak in early for a corner-blitz. There's just nothing.
1 comment:
I've never paid attention to how consistent it is. It would be something fairly easy to change up if you want to, so maybe that's part of the reason. Or perhaps the center could hold the ball for a half-second if he saw someone charging the line of scrimmage?
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