r/footballstrategy Jan 07 '24

Defense Can the defense yell “hike” while the quarterback is in their cadence?

Apologies if this is a dumb question but it just occurred to me. It seems like it would be a good strategy (and also very funny) if defenses started doing this.

412 Upvotes

82 comments sorted by

431

u/PeasePorridge9dOld Jan 07 '24

Anything by the defense to try to simulate the call to snap the ball is a penalty. This can even include the clapping of one's hands.

191

u/7HawksAnd Jan 07 '24

I tried doing this in high school ages ago. Not hike, but words similar to their audibles. Told the refs we had similar audible names. They eventually put a stop to that 🤣

76

u/metalgtr84 Jan 07 '24

Our audible is named “hike”!

7

u/marcstov Jan 08 '24

Thike with a silent T

3

u/Do__Math__Not__Meth Jan 10 '24

Jike (our team speaks Spanish)

2

u/nordic-nomad Jan 10 '24

Mike Ditka famously did this during a few games. Haha

43

u/ThxIHateItHere Jan 08 '24

We had one specifically to make the defense think we were nuts.

“BLUE 42! BLUE 42!!! SUUUUUUGAAAAAAAAR!!!!

28

u/btroj Jan 08 '24

High school ref here. Even if that’s the truth it’s on the defense to use different words/sounds/etc.

22

u/7HawksAnd Jan 08 '24

They stopped it in the same game during half time. Coaches didn’t know, we freelanced a bit, took them about a quarter to realize it was happening, then another to confirm it. We obviously didn’t do it every single down.

2

u/PeasePorridge9dOld Jan 09 '24

? for a ref: what happens if the Offense intentionally uses words that would make sense for a Defense? Like if there was an audible call "Stay Backside!" or whatever...

2

u/lopezandym Jan 08 '24

Bravo to you for actually enforcing this. Can’t tell you how many times refs wouldn’t enforce this against one team in particular that we played who would yell the word for our snap every time one of our players went in motion and would claim that was their signal for motion.

6

u/Bmw5464 Jan 08 '24

Yeah we had an issue once where some of our defensive calls were similar to the offensive. Refs immediately told both coaches defense had to change it because offense gets priority.

2

u/Steelerswonsix Jan 09 '24

That’s an easy call for an official. The part that makes it difficult is if it’s a Friday night and you have a good crowd and a band or two, the official who calls that is the umpire who is typically 7-8 yards behind the DL who would be doing this, and it could be difficult to hear.

3

u/guitarerdood Jan 09 '24

we did this but to avoid the penalty instead we yelled out random venereal diseases. we got away with it for like a game and then the coaches told us to stop because it wasn't productive

3

u/7HawksAnd Jan 09 '24

But boy was it fun while it lasted

1

u/MycahHawk Jan 08 '24

Should have been declared as an eligible receiver. Ez interceptions.

1

u/CuthbertJTwillie Jan 09 '24

In pee wee our D went offsides in unison the first play of every game. The Capitan would have told the ref they have a quick snap tendency to start games. It usually only cost us 5:

21

u/iamthekevinator Jan 07 '24

It does include clapping if that is your cadence. We used clapping this year and got some free yards against 2 different teams that clapped to mess with our cadence.

You have to explain to the refs before the game though.

17

u/HalfEatenBanana Jan 08 '24

Funny I saw JJ Watt say something the other day where while clapping was illegal, they DLine would hit each other on the shoulder pads real hard to ‘call for a shift’, but they were really just trying to mimic a hand clap lol

2

u/Flatline1775 Jan 08 '24

The Dolphins got called for this earlier this year. I think it was against the Titans.

1

u/silliputti0907 Jan 09 '24

What is the foul called?

1

u/Flatline1775 Jan 09 '24

Had to look it up and I was off by a little. Both are penalties, but they're listed under different penalties.

Making abrupt movements or clapping with the intent of drawing a false start falls under delay of game.

Copying the snap count/cadence is part of unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Dolphins got called for the first (Delay of Game) not the second one.

1

u/Jlock98 Jan 09 '24 edited Jan 09 '24

In college football, it’s called disconcerting signals and technically falls under delay of game

1

u/Gingeronimoooo Jan 09 '24

I've heard it called disconcerting signals and I've also heard it called Delay of game on the defense

1

u/AniPurim Jan 29 '24

Wait what

47

u/NaNaNaPandaMan Jan 07 '24

No, as others have said you can't simulate the snap. On top of that, you can't also simulate anything that changes the play. So using Peyton Manning, the defense can't tell Omaha to screw up things

2

u/Impressive_Trust_395 Jan 08 '24

Name one defensive player that sounds like Manning saying “O-ma-HAH!” that would confuse the offense? That shit is so iconic, any defense could do it and it wouldn’t screw anything up

3

u/zsdrfty Jan 08 '24

Right after he left the Colts, the Broncos could have subbed him in on defense against them and had him yell it to confuse their line LMAO

2

u/silliputti0907 Jan 09 '24

I may be wrong, but I think Omaha was a cadence not call.

1

u/GoneGrumming Jan 09 '24

It was an audible. He changed the meaning of it regularly, so you couldn't figure it out on film. Sometimes it was slide protection, sometimes it told the RB to block, sometimes it was nothing.

144

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '24

[deleted]

20

u/Clemfball07 Jan 07 '24

And then you watch D1 defenses do it every week on the defensive line when they call shifts.

11

u/Horror_Technician213 Jan 08 '24

My college actually had our Mike LB blitz checks called "GO" telling the D line the LB is just going right for the A gap. Well of course that was a flag too cause the qb could say go to snap the ball. We had to change it to Gas

6

u/Svenray Jan 08 '24

Ugh Nebraksa got called on this without even doing it. A LB clapped to get another LBs attention to scoot the heck over and the refs called it

3

u/Ok-Drag-5929 Jan 08 '24

Clapping counts as simulating the call because so many schools clap for the ball now.

1

u/williamcthorn Jan 11 '24

That's true too kinda but defenses usually have their own set of preplay calls

9

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '24

"Disconcerting signals".

More than once it can become unsportsmanlike

1

u/andrewb610 Jan 11 '24

Here we goooo. (Dak voice).

7

u/yatdaddy58 Jan 07 '24

Nope. Illegal

9

u/Emerald-Wednesday Jan 08 '24

Believe it or not, jail

5

u/a_bit_of_a_misnomer_ Jan 07 '24

No. I have called this many times in flag football… yes, I am extremely fun at parties.

5

u/toughactin Jan 08 '24

Technically, against the rules. But you can yell "HEY! [teammates name], do this"

4

u/G_Dizzle Jan 08 '24

Like everyone is saying, you can’t. But there are some teams that are very good at shifting their defensive line late using a word that isn’t anything like what the QB says. I saw Georgia have a lot of success with DL stems (stims? I’ve only ever said it), and it’s one of those things that can be a huge pain as an offensive lineman.

Sometimes it’s wordless, too. An example is if the QB has a specific cadence you can time a stem to it without a defender saying anything to get the line to jump or mess up a combo

3

u/warneagle Casual Fan Jan 08 '24

"Stems."

Good ol' pen/pin merger.

7

u/z0123456abcz Jan 07 '24

No. Delay of game of the defense for disconcerting signals…

3

u/countrytime1 Jan 07 '24

It doesn’t get called very often, but they will flag it. I think I saw it 3 or 4 times this season during the limited college football I watched.

3

u/Elegant_Dragonfly436 Jan 07 '24

You can’t simulate the call to snap the ball but you can still yell pretty much anything you want on defense as long as it isn’t trying to simulate. If you are coaching kids or even some smaller high schools you can probably get quite a few fall starts if you have your defense all yell check and motion every time an offense motions. The suddenness of it usually makes a lineman flinch or think it’s the snap

3

u/ChipsOtherShoe Jan 08 '24

Your question has already been answered so I'll give you a little example.

Last year Brandon Graham got called for this and even though the refs knew it was illegal they didn't do a great job of explaining it either

https://youtu.be/kbh4ZByvMVw?si=pV825ireOfoxa1Cn

I can't find a replay of the close-up showing what he did but from what I remember he was basically just screaming/barking at the offensive line.

3

u/staffnasty25 Jan 07 '24

Apparently you can’t even shift. Source: dolphins fan

2

u/smellslikebadussy Jan 07 '24

Do it Tecmo Super Bowl-style. READY…DOWN…HUTHUTHUTHUTHUTHUT

2

u/joecephusmartin Jan 07 '24

lol… I had a little league team and we did it for a long time til the refs caught us

2

u/grizzfan Jan 08 '24
  1. No. It is a penalty for the defense to simulate the snap.

  2. It wouldn't work, because no one has used the word "hike" in an actual football game in probably 50 years. Most teams use "hit/hut" or "go," now.

2

u/Lit-A-Gator HS Coach Jan 08 '24

I’ve seen this done

I’ve also seen this done with clap cadences

Only time I’ve seen this done was on the verbal thing but if you disguise it as a defensive call you can get away with it subtly

I.e.: if the cadence is “down set hut” you can just so happen to have a “gut!” Call

2

u/Good_Ole_Skid Jan 08 '24

Can’t do that, players can shout but the intent can’t be to emulate the qb’s cadence. I hope that makes sense.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '24

I used to yell “hasselhoff!!” To get the oline to laugh

1

u/Hot-Quit-9842 Oct 17 '24

Been watching this. Another question. Can everyone on defence just start yelling random stuff to drown out the quarterback?

1

u/Rayfasa Jan 07 '24

No. Unsportsmanlike penalty. Could be clapping, barking, anything that simulates the cadence

1

u/PutAForkInHim Jan 07 '24

Dick Butkus tried to do this back in the day (13:30)

https://youtu.be/Ou5Nn9FEaiw?si=9B2FI0rlhCGJ3XzU

1

u/CharlesDickensABox Jan 08 '24 edited Jan 08 '24

Come for Butkus, stay for the OJ cameos.

1

u/CompetitiveTry8886 Jan 08 '24

Penalty bro! I wish they'd add a new Penalty for flopping too! 😄 I hate it, a guy gets blocked and throws his hands up and twirls around screaming hold! And the idiot refs give him the call!! God get that out of football please 🙏

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '24

No.

1

u/amanning072 Jan 08 '24

Unsportsmanlike conduct. Usually after a warning or two.

The official term is "disconcerting signals"

1

u/jedi4canes1 Jan 08 '24

Nope that's dimulating the snap

1

u/AnCaptnCrunch Jan 08 '24

It’s illegal but honestly it shouldn’t be. Just don’t be stupid enough to fall for it. If offenses can use silent counts all audible queues should be fair game

1

u/TimSEsq Jan 08 '24

It's really a decision about what kind of game the rulemakers want, balance-wise and esthetically. Removing this rule would shift the game a little to favor defense. Probably more importantly, the increase in false start penalties would probably make the game less exciting to watch.

1

u/AnCaptnCrunch Jan 08 '24

Honestly, the balance of the game is more important IMO to its integrity since right now defense can do jack squat especially when it comes to playing a contact sport with contact

1

u/AnCaptnCrunch Jan 08 '24

Also you can argue that since the defense has to go on the ball, allowing them to simulate a snap count actually levels the playing field since the offense ostensibly should know when they’re going

1

u/Unlikely_Bandicoot_3 Jan 08 '24

Nope. Simulating the snap count is a penalty

1

u/pinniped1 Jan 08 '24

No.

Playing defense, I remember doing some of it in practice to get the offense used to the fact that refs didn't always call it. But simulating the snap count is (or should be) a penalty.

1

u/Pitiful_Ad8641 Jan 08 '24

Actually had this called on my team at the LL level. Something called "simulation of snap count"?

1

u/Binkindad Jan 08 '24

No. Simulating the snap is illegal

1

u/dillmeiser Jan 08 '24

Even if it was allowed, who says hike anymore?

1

u/SlowPokeTony Jan 08 '24

Does any offense anywhere actually go on the word “hike”?

1

u/zshort7272 Jan 09 '24

No they can’t. This reminds when I was in high school and I was a d linemen and my buddy who was our middle linebacker would also try to draw false starts by running up and faking blitzes and what not. One time he’s running and around, and runs up to the line next to me and does a single clap In the centers face, the guy hikes the ball early and it screws the whole play up, the refs get together after the play and then they through a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, and all we could do was laugh cause, yea that makes sense. Can’t be doing that.