The Saints’ defense had an impressive performance against the Cowboys’ offense last week, and they studied Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s college playing days to do it.
Saints players told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that they went back to Boise State tape from Moore’s years as the quarterback there to see what kinds of hand signals he used. The Saints then found that Moore uses some of the same signals when calling the Cowboys’ offense, and those tendencies helped the Saints shut down the Cowboys.
Moore was Boise State’s starting quarterback from 2008 to 2011. It’s surprising that he’s still using the hand signals, and impressive that the Saints were able to decipher them successfully.
Also surprising, however, is that the Saints would reveal what they learned publicly. The Saints and Cowboys could meet again in the playoffs, so why would the Saints want the Cowboys to know what they’ve learned.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, won’t be happy with this news. After the Cowboys’ playoff loss to the Rams last year, Dallas head coach Jason Garrett disputed suggestions that the Rams’ offense was picking up on the Cowboys’ defensive line calls. Now they’re again hearing that another team knew what was coming.