Signal Accusations at Tech

[soonergirlNeugene]

Texas Tech interim defensive coordinator Mike Smith blasted former Red Raiders defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt on Monday, accusing him of giving away the team's defensive signals to opponents.

"It's not right to me, it's not fair to the kids," Smith told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "So if that's how that person wants to handle business, they can handle business that way.

“
That person knows. I know. A lot of people know. Bad deal. Karma's a bad deal. You don't mess with that, especially in this profession.
”
- Mike Smith, Texas Tech DC,
on former coach Matt Wallerstedt,
to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
"I sure hope I don't run into him anytime soon."

Wallerstedt abruptly resigned Sept. 18 after sources told ESPN.com the coach was suspected of being under the influence of an unknown substance while on campus. Kliff Kingsbury replaced Wallerstedt with Smith, who had been coaching linebackers.

Wallerstedt has since been hired as a defensive consultant at Louisiana-Lafayette, and denied the accusations through his attorney.

"I have not shared with anyone the Red Raiders defensive signals. I respect the players at Texas Tech and would never do such a thing." Wallerstedt said in a statement. "It sounds like something that's done in the political arena - blaming someone else for what you now control. Coach Kingsbury and Smith would do well to simply execute their own game plan instead of trying to blame others for what may be their own shortcomings."

After giving up 384 yards on the ground in a 42-30 loss to Oklahoma over the weekend, Tech dropped to 122nd nationally in total defense.

Smith said the Tech staff suspected their defensive signals had been comprised before the Oklahoma game. After he and others on the staff asked around, Smith charged that Wallerstedt had offered Tech's signals to other opponents, too.

"I know other coaches have called and our signals have been passed around the whole time," Smith said. "I do believe in karma, and I believe stuff like that will come back and haunt you."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...ping-opponents

Please tell me we didn't need this to beat Tech..

[Breadburner]

Did he give them to everyone Tech has played for the last 2 years....

[soonergirlNeugene]

I wonder what Leach and Mayfield think about Tech's karma.

[BoulderSooner79]

I'm sure we had the signals. Without them, there is no Perine runs over those poor DBs like that.

[SicEmBaylor]

Reminds me of the **** Sumlin pulled when he took the Houston job from Briles. CAB wanted to leave Houston in good shape, so he left the next coach all of the hand signals he used along with some other offensive material. The story goes that after Sumlin took the job, he faxed all of the material CAB left him to the OU staff. At that point, I don't think OU really needed it so I don't blame them but Sumlin is overrated trash, imo.

[rock on sooner]

Please tell me we didn't need this to beat Tech..

Welp, if we did why the hell did we wait till the 2nd half?

[birddog]

We only had the signals they use for the 2nd half!

[OUinFLA]

Im confused, is it difficult for a "new" coach to change the signals?

[swardboy]

Apparently in Lubbock it is.

[aero]

their defense only uses 2 hand signals

[8timechamps]

These stories are always funny to me.

Signals are NOT HARD to steal. Good coaches keep them changing, from week to week. Otherwise, how hard is it to watch a few games and recognize patterns? I think it's funny that they fired the DC (obviously not on good terms) and didn't immediately change the signs/signals.

Tech's D-coordinator is trying to deflect from his team's horrible performance (all year). Sounds like he's a whiny little bitch...looking to blame someone else.

That program is a dumpster fire, and has only gotten worse under Kliff. The best part is the contract extension and raise they gave him prior to the season.

[olevetonahill]

Im confused, is it difficult for a "new" coach to change the signals?

These stories are always funny to me.

Signals are NOT HARD to steal. Good coaches keep them changing, from week to week. Otherwise, how hard is it to watch a few games and recognize patterns? I think it's funny that they fired the DC (obviously not on good terms) and didn't immediately change the signs/signals.

Tech's D-coordinator is trying to deflect from his team's horrible performance (all year). Sounds like he's a whiny little bitch...looking to blame someone else.

That program is a dumpster fire, and has only gotten worse under Kliff. The best part is the contract extension and raise they gave him prior to the season.

Bingo, You both win !

[Tear Down This Wall]

Idiotic. Tech doesn't play defense, and hasn't stressed it since Spike Dykes retired. Every opposing coach knows they suck.

[KantoSooner]

Is anyone else enjoying the pattern that Tech has established? Some senior person, say the HC, or the Pres or a Regent or someone decides someone has to go. Then there are allegations of personal misconduct, then they're fired regardless of denials, then their contracts are torn up.
I do believe I'd hold out for a substantial signing bonus were I hiring on there. Because it doesn't sound like their commitments, spoken or written are worth Shiite.

[badger]

My dear husband's first reaction: Why didn't they change the signals?

His second reaction reading off twitter: But they forgot to give the signals to the Tech defensive players

My own reaction? Texas Tech must explain to boosters, ticket holders and the athletic administration why they are 3-7. That's 8th in the Big 12, with games against Iowa State (away) and Baylor (home) left. Their only wins are Central Arkansas (a 6-win Southland Conferenec team), UTEP (a 6-win C-USA team) and Kansas (They have 3 wins so they're just above ISU in Big 12's basement).

So derrrrp derrrp they have our defensive signals derrrrp so we are losing cuz they're cheating derrrrrp.

As Mike Stoops so eloquently said last week, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."

PS: Free Baker Mayfield!

[Tear Down This Wall]

Is anyone else enjoying the pattern that Tech has established? Some senior person, say the HC, or the Pres or a Regent or someone decides someone has to go. Then there are allegations of personal misconduct, then they're fired regardless of denials, then their contracts are torn up.
I do believe I'd hold out for a substantial signing bonus were I hiring on there. Because it doesn't sound like their commitments, spoken or written are worth Shiite.

Texas Tech is the prime example of why we needed to leave the Big 12 three years ago when we had the opportunity. Look at these idiots we've tied ourselves to simply for the sake of taking a bigger share of the monetary pie and being able to call the shots. As if we weren't going to make money in the SEC. And, the ridiculous power play.

Idiotic to the end, the decision to keep sharing a conference with these moronic Southwest Conference refugees.

I hope our most monied booster and alumni will someday soon wake up, like the Texas cash cows finally did, and force out Boren and Castiglione.

[KantoSooner]

TDTW, if you harbor any illusions that the SEC is not filled to the brim with back-biting, BS and money grubbing, then you're kidding yourself. The SEC is a large conference and thus they produce, annually, 1-2 outstanding FB teams and 1-2 basketball teams. They are also a nice neat little ball so that everyone is kind of close together and kind of from the same part of the country (though I'd argue that South Georgia is a different, and very much worse, planet.)

I certainly wouldn't have wept had we gone to the SEC, though doing that would have essentially thrown out 20 years of trying to improve OU's academics and put the kibosh of that ambition pretty much forever. And it's too bad that Deloss could not be held in check enough to hold onto TAMC, Misery, Nebs and Co if for no other reason than critical mass. And that's what I wish we'd done. I'm an old Big 8 guy at heart. But, given the options, what we should have done is go west.

But those options are done. There's still more than enough talent for us to field championship teams if we pull our heads out of our anii and get on with it.

[EatLeadCommie]

So what hand signal does Taco Tech use to indicate "Tackle the opposing f-ing player!" That is their problem even more than schemes. They are a horrific tackling team.

[8timechamps]

TDTW, if you harbor any illusions that the SEC is not filled to the brim with back-biting, BS and money grubbing, then you're kidding yourself. The SEC is a large conference and thus they produce, annually, 1-2 outstanding FB teams and 1-2 basketball teams. They are also a nice neat little ball so that everyone is kind of close together and kind of from the same part of the country (though I'd argue that South Georgia is a different, and very much worse, planet.)

I certainly wouldn't have wept had we gone to the SEC, though doing that would have essentially thrown out 20 years of trying to improve OU's academics and put the kibosh of that ambition pretty much forever. And it's too bad that Deloss could not be held in check enough to hold onto TAMC, Misery, Nebs and Co if for no other reason than critical mass. And that's what I wish we'd done. I'm an old Big 8 guy at heart. But, given the options, what we should have done is go west.

But those options are done. There's still more than enough talent for us to field championship teams if we pull our heads out of our anii and get on with it.

Very well summed up Kanto.

What's done is done.

The Big XII was a mess a couple of years ago, but I have to give credit to the leadership for pushing through and coming out the other side in good shape.

It's also worth noting that there is no such thing as "smooth sailing" in other conferences. The politics and power plays are alive and well in every major conference. It's a business now, and the players treat it as such.

[KantoSooner]

So what hand signal does Taco Tech use to indicate "Tackle the opposing f-ing player!" That is their problem even more than schemes. They are a horrific tackling team.

Ah! That.

Well, it starts with the coach's knees bent a bit and his back tilted forward 15 degrees. Both arms are extended toward the front, bent at the elbow with the hands tilted slightly palms up in the classic 'WTF was that?' pose. THEN, the coach makes fists and hammers the air in the 'no, No, NO!' gesture and finally stands fully erect with a double face palm, shoulders slumped.

Throwing his hat/visor/headset to the ground is optional but can be used to emphasize the overall message.


And, seriously, we should be talking about crape' tackling.