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26 October 2008

Few Secrets on the N.F.L. Grapevine

If you are looking for a colorful example of "social capital" check out article in sports section of today's New York Times, examining the flow of "intelligence" among NFL teams. It is an interesting study in the ethics of sharing insider information.

Excerpts below:

Spreading the Word Is No Secret in the N.F.L.

"Every team that you play against, your friends who play for other teams are like: 'Hey, tell me about this. Tell me about that. This defense, how does it run its scheme? Do they tip it?' " Washington Redskins running back Shaun Alexander said. "That's what happens. It's like advance scouting. You do the best scouting through your friends."

...

One look at the playing field in the hours before kickoff -- when players and coaches from both teams mingle as they warm up -- reveals the close ties that form the underpinnings of the N.F.L. Players who went to high school or college together catch up, although some do that the night before the game, when they may go out to dinner together. Coaches who may have been colleagues on the same staff early in their careers trade war stories. Even scouts, seeking confirmation of their player evaluations, check in with their peers as preparations for the draft begin.

"I probably knew coaches and scouts on every one of the 32 teams," said Steve Mariucci, the former San Francisco and Detroit coach who is now an analyst for the NFL Network. "You can't keep your head in the sand and assume your team knows everything there is to know. Communicating with your friends is not only accepted, it's necessary. Asking a question -- what did you think about so-and-so, what about their plan against you? -- those conversations can occur. No harm, no foul. It's commonplace."

But what makes the sharing of information all but inevitable is how often players and coaches switch teams. Coaches frequently call former colleagues during the season, and if their old friend just happened to have faced a future foe, so much the better. And if a friend coaches a team that is about to play a division rival, he will pour out the details.

...

One broadcaster said he was told that before the Baltimore Ravens played the Cincinnati Bengals in their season opener, the Ravens asked offensive lineman Willie Anderson -- who signed with Baltimore days after the Bengals cut him at the end of the preseason after 12 seasons -- why the Bengals had so much success blocking the Ravens' blitz. Anderson gave the Ravens' defense the Bengals' offensive line calls. The Bengals had not changed them. The Ravens were so effective that Bengals receiver Chad Ocho Cinco actually praised the blitz-oriented defense after the game.

"Is Baltimore the bad guy?" the broadcaster said rhetorically. "Is Willie Anderson the bad guy?"

Posted by David Lazer at October 26, 2008 9:01 PM

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