Loose Lips Sink Ships

[Mad Hatter]

Careful what you post, it might cost us a game? Or is this just paranoia?

GMG!!

A&M coach Franchione also wary of Internet

10:39 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 16, 2005

By RACHEL COHEN / The Dallas Morning News

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, whose practices are closed, understands Texas coach Mack Brown's concerns about fans attending and then posting information on the Internet. In fact, any such Longhorns tidbits would probably reach Franchione.

On Franchione's desk each morning is everything written on the Web about A&M's opponents. Franchione said most of the information isn't useful, but occasionally there's a valuable nugget.

Franchione has been on the other side. A day before his Alabama team's game at Oklahoma in 2002, Franchione told players he planned to open with an onside kick. One told his parents, and it made it to the Internet. Alabama still used the play, and it still worked.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

As my father said, "Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead."

Fran should have not told anyone except maybe an involved coach. They should have just worked on it as if it might happen somewhere in the game.

[adman]

It's kinda like tracer's from a gun. Works both ways. The internet could/can be used to spread disinformation as well. So why would you bother as a coach to be that concerned?

[Arkstfan]

Saw a TV special about George Halas years ago. One of his players remembered a game against the Lions (their top rival) at Tiger Stadium. The Lions won the toss and elected to receive. Halas told the kickoff man to pick out one Lions player on the front line and kick it straight at him. The player said they lined up and yelled "#82 Onside kick to you". #82 showed them he thought they were #1. They yelled again "Number 82 Onside kick to you". Ref blows the whistle signalling start of play. The guy said he give anything to have a photo of #82 as the ball screamed toward him, hit him in the chest and landed on the ground under 10 Bears.

He said the Bears ended up routing the Lions that day and it took help from the cops to get them out of the stadium.