Scrimmage scouting ethics?

Playing devil's advocate here a little. A scrimmage is practice. All coaches want to have the best practice possible. Scouting a scrimmage opponent would allow a coach to play to that teams strengths and get the most out of the scrimmage to better prepare their team for the regular season. You could exploit a teams weaknesses and win the scrimmage, but did you get any better as a team from that experience?

Nope, I don't buy it either, but it is an argument that could be made.

Scouting teams that you are only going to scrimmage seems to be a little much in my opinion but I have no problem with scouting scrimmages of teams that you will be playing in the regular season.

Are we talking scouting current practices or watching film of the scrimmage opponent from the previous year? I am assuming scouting current practices.



I asked a current coach his opinion and to paraphrase he said scouting practices to prepare for a scrimmage is not normal and is actually a bunch of bull.(paraphrasing)

Watching film from the previous year is fair game in his opinion.

I agree with him.

Scouting an actual practice of a team you are going to scrimmage.

I am told this just happened in NKY and I thought it was a little odd.

Originally Posted by theguru

Scouting an actual practice of a team you are going to scrimmage.

I am told this just happened in NKY and I thought it was a little odd.

That wastes resources that could be used elsewhere, like scouting your 1st opponents practices

Originally Posted by theguru

Scouting an actual practice of a team you are going to scrimmage.

I am told this just happened in NKY and I thought it was a little odd.

Yeah, seems like it could make for some bad blood.

Originally Posted by PurplePride92

Yeah, seems like it could make for some bad blood.

I don't think any team has any business sending one of their coaches to another team's school to watch (spy) their practice to help them prepare for a scrimmage or a game. I would term this behavior garbage.

I think practices at a team's school are VERY private and completely off limits to any other school or coach unless they are there by invitation. For an opposing coach of an upcoming scrimmage opponent to be there in "hiding" is total bush league IMO (and yes Guru, this happened yesterday). Sad. I think a lot of people misunderstood the question posed in this thread.

As someone else pointed out , while it may not be illegal, it's no different than sending a coach to practice to watch another school.

No school would say it's cool for other schools to watch them practice.

I cannot imagine a head coach condoning such behavior.

Yeah, I read the question wrong, also. Scouting your srimmage opponent(s) practices? Low. Coming to a scrimmage of the team you open up with? Perfectly normal, IMO.

Originally Posted by RomanEmpire

I don't think any team has any business sending one of their coaches to another team's school to watch (spy) their practice to help them prepare for a scrimmage or a game. I would term this behavior garbage.

I think practices at a team's school are VERY private and completely off limits to any other school or coach unless they are there by invitation. For an opposing coach of an upcoming scrimmage opponent to be there in "hiding" is total bush league IMO (and yes Guru, this happened yesterday). Sad. I think a lot of people misunderstood the question posed in this thread.

Did it happen at a "normal" practice? Or, was it like an intersquad scrimmage (meet the team kind of event)?

Originally Posted by Ram

Did it happen at a "normal" practice? Or, was it like an intersquad scrimmage (meet the team kind of event)?

Normal practice. Once the guy was "discovered", he took off in his car. Pathetic.

Originally Posted by RomanEmpire

Normal practice. Once the guy was "discovered", he took off in his car. Pathetic.

Yep. Bush league.

I actually had a well-intentioned parent one time tell me he'd be driving past one of our opponents known to allow community people in to watch practice and wouldn't mind posing as a fan there to get me some information. I politely told him we already had all we needed from film and that doing such a thing wouldn't be very professional for me. He basically said, aw shucks, coach...everybody 'round here does that kinda stuff.

Aren't all practices open? I know I can go to CCH or Conner and see a practice. Don't all teams have parents and others in the stands watching?

Originally Posted by Clyde

Aren't all practices open? I know I can go to CCH or Conner and see a practice. Don't all teams have parents and others in the stands watching?

All Kenton Co practices are supposed to be closed to the public by county policy. Now its up to each school to truly enforce that.

Originally Posted by theguru

I want to know where everyone stands on this issue. How do you feel about coaches from opposing teams secretly scouting their scrimmage opponents?

Doesn't matter it is a scrimmage?

Ethically wrong?

Something else?

Let me say I think it is dumbest thing I ever heard of. Why? If you call the coach and ask what they are doing on defense and offense they will tell you.

Not sure the point behind it. Scrimmage is about getting better. Not winning.

Originally Posted by plantmanky

All Kenton Co practices are supposed to be closed to the public by county policy. Now its up to each school to truly enforce that.

I bet it's not enforced.

Originally Posted by Clyde

Aren't all practices open? I know I can go to CCH or Conner and see a practice. Don't all teams have parents and others in the stands watching?

I think it depends on the way it's handled Clyde. When the coaches of said team know that a coach is doing it on the sly in an "underhanded" manner and catch him, then he leaves once discovered is not ethical at all. Seems a bit slimy to me.

Originally Posted by Clyde

I bet it's not enforced.

Is at our school, parents aren't even allowed in the building during practices. Now outside, gets a little fuzzy, they have to stay away from the practice area, can they see the practice, yes, but from a distance.

If anybody was scouting the Trinity and Highlands scrimmage last year were not getting much information.The Birds only threw the ball two times and that was late in the 4th quarter. With a D1 QB (Towles) and a D1 WR (Sheehan), the Birds were working on the running game, it was obvious. The Birds had several players on the O line that were not playing due to injury. That could be the reason for not throwing the ball, to give other O lineman the experience, or to give starting O line players more time to heal. If someone was scouting that scrimmage, they went back to their team and said Highlands will run the ball 90% of the time. I'm sure that scout looked foolish, after Sheehan caught those 50 and 60 yard bombs during the regular season, on a regular basis.