Hurricanes Playbook Stolen and posted on Web

It seems someone stole the Miami Hurricanes playbook and posted it on an internet site. As a coach myself it would not really bother me a lot for this to happen to me unless it was done during the season. Most teams playbooks vary from week to week and if any team scouts you they know what you run anyway. Special plays we run are not drawn up in a book and are usually drawn up in our playbook.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2002/0404/1363081.html



CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Call it an interception: A thief stole copies of the playbook used by the national champion Miami Hurricanes and posted parts of it on the Internet.

Coral Gables police said someone stole the football team's playbooks last month and later returned the 150-page books in manila envelopes. The books contain the offensive and defensive plays used by the undefeated Hurricanes last season.

Police learned of the theft March 28 and are working on the case but have no suspects, police said Thursday.

Jeff Merk, director of football operations, and team spokesman Mark Pray declined comment Thursday.

Jeff Merk, the university's director of football operations, who gave the original statement to police, and team spokesman Mark Pray declined comment to the Herald.

According to the police report, two manila envelopes arrived by mail at the university's Hecht Athletic Center on March 28. Each envelope was postmarked Tampa on March 22 and had no return address.

One was addressed to "Ken Dorsey c/o LB Coach" and "Ken Dorsey c/o QB Coach." Dorsey is the Hurricanes' quarterback, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season.

Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon opened the envelopes, the report said.

The report said the playbooks were taken from the office of linebacker coach Vernon Hargreaves and the playbook pages were removed from the binders but the binders were left in the office.

Merk told police that team officials checked the Internet and found playbook pages scanned on the Web site "Sandman's 4-3 Defense On-Line." The site is named after a popular defense in which four linemen are backed by three linebackers.

The Web site, which was not accessible Thursday morning, asked for submissions of playbooks that detail the 4-3 defense and requests that people e-mail the site to exchange addresses.

Team officials told police they didn't know how the playbooks were removed. Merk told police that "occasionally unauthorized person(s) find their way into the area of the coaches' offices and occasionally doors are left unlocked."

 

It should not have much affect on them at all. As i said above. most teams will already know what they run just from scouting. And most likely the plays will be changed or adapted from week to week. If all they used were the plays in the book it would be one thing but most teams change these things up on a daily basis depending on personel, opponents, injuries etc.

 

Live I think that you are exactly correct on why it is a story. IMO it is more newsworthy that the Hurricane coaches offices are that accesible. Not so much the fact that the playbook was stolen but that anything was stolen. I guess it just must be a slow news day for the people covering the Hurricanes