Vinny
03-22-2005, 11:18 AM
3) 1979 AFC divisional playoff — Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
The article from Sports Illustrated was entitled “The Stolen Signals Caper,” and it explained how the banged-up (bruised, limping, etc.) Oilers were able to derail San Diego by stealing its offensive signals. Houston would be without its top three offensive players for the game — Dan Pastorini, Earl Campbell and Ken Burrough — so they were grasping for any kind of edge, even if it meant resorting to dirty pool.
The story was that Ed Biles, Houston’s defensive coordinator, had cracked the Chargers’ code and ordered binoculars to be fixed on the San Diego sideline. As the plays were being flashed to the Chargers’ huddle, the Oilers were getting a good look at them too. Result: Houston’s defense knew exactly what was coming.
After his team had swiped five Dan Fouts passes and smothered pro football’s most feared offensive attack, LB Gregg Bingham changed into his street clothes and leaked the story to SI’s Paul Zimmerman. The magazine ran with it.
“I was the only one who knew,” said Bingham, who had called Houston’s defensive signals that afternoon. “It just told me what defense to put us into. It’s not the kind of thing you want everybody (on the field) knowing, or pretty soon the Chargers are going to figure out what’s happening.
“Let’s face it, the information we had was golden.”
Turns out, it was all BS.
“I found out later that Bingham had made it up, that he was pretty much jerking me around,” said Zimmerman. “It was embarrassing. There were no stolen signals. They only thing the Oilers were reading were Fouts’ feet, how he positioned them under center. That hinted whether it was run or pass; that’s all.”
So then what was the real secret to Houston’s success against the Chargers? I went back to former Oilers coach Bum Phillips and asked for a recap.
“The idea was to rush our front three linemen straight up the middle, trying to force the line back into Fouts’ face,” Phillips remembered. “An outside rush wouldn’t work because his line was too good and Fouts was a pro at working in the pocket. If we couldn’t get to him, we insisted our players get their hands up and try to block the ball. Evidently, Fouts couldn’t see very good because he made some bad throws and we blocked some passes.”
There you have it. Not nearly as glamorous an explanation, is it? Frankly, I prefer the shadowy tale of espionage and intrigue. Much better reading. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Commentary/Columns/2004/danyluk010705.htm
The article from Sports Illustrated was entitled “The Stolen Signals Caper,” and it explained how the banged-up (bruised, limping, etc.) Oilers were able to derail San Diego by stealing its offensive signals. Houston would be without its top three offensive players for the game — Dan Pastorini, Earl Campbell and Ken Burrough — so they were grasping for any kind of edge, even if it meant resorting to dirty pool.
The story was that Ed Biles, Houston’s defensive coordinator, had cracked the Chargers’ code and ordered binoculars to be fixed on the San Diego sideline. As the plays were being flashed to the Chargers’ huddle, the Oilers were getting a good look at them too. Result: Houston’s defense knew exactly what was coming.
After his team had swiped five Dan Fouts passes and smothered pro football’s most feared offensive attack, LB Gregg Bingham changed into his street clothes and leaked the story to SI’s Paul Zimmerman. The magazine ran with it.
“I was the only one who knew,” said Bingham, who had called Houston’s defensive signals that afternoon. “It just told me what defense to put us into. It’s not the kind of thing you want everybody (on the field) knowing, or pretty soon the Chargers are going to figure out what’s happening.
“Let’s face it, the information we had was golden.”
Turns out, it was all BS.
“I found out later that Bingham had made it up, that he was pretty much jerking me around,” said Zimmerman. “It was embarrassing. There were no stolen signals. They only thing the Oilers were reading were Fouts’ feet, how he positioned them under center. That hinted whether it was run or pass; that’s all.”
So then what was the real secret to Houston’s success against the Chargers? I went back to former Oilers coach Bum Phillips and asked for a recap.
“The idea was to rush our front three linemen straight up the middle, trying to force the line back into Fouts’ face,” Phillips remembered. “An outside rush wouldn’t work because his line was too good and Fouts was a pro at working in the pocket. If we couldn’t get to him, we insisted our players get their hands up and try to block the ball. Evidently, Fouts couldn’t see very good because he made some bad throws and we blocked some passes.”
There you have it. Not nearly as glamorous an explanation, is it? Frankly, I prefer the shadowy tale of espionage and intrigue. Much better reading. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Commentary/Columns/2004/danyluk010705.htm