Cal Sports Report

Cal QB Fernando Mendoza Advocates Sending Play Calls Through Helmets

Aaron Rodgers also in favor of the NFL system for sending in plays to eliminate sign-stealing

Jake Curtis

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Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing has elicited suggestions on how to eliminate that practice, and current Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza and former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers agree that the simplest remedy would be for college football to use the remote system the NFL uses.

That would simply require college programs to put speakers in the helmets of their quarterbacks, and have the offensive signal caller tell the quarterback what play to run through a microphone.

Mendoza is all for it.

“I think it’s a great idea personally,” he said this week, “especially as a quarterback. And the sign-stealing, not going to say anything is controversial; however, it’s kind of deemed that a lot of programs have done it in the past. And I think that [helmet speakers] could be very beneficial for everyone in college football, especially with all the funding that goes into college football, I don’t see any reason there couldn’t be a little bit more allocation of funds just toward the quarterbacks’ special helmets.

“I’m not sure how those helmets specifically operate because I’ve never worn one before, but I wouldn’t see it being any problem. And I actually see it being a lot better for communication and increased offensive play, which is pushed now days in college football.”

The cost is the major objection to using the direct communication via a helmet speaker, but, as Mendoza points out, there is already large amounts of money poured into football programs.

Rodgers, who played at Cal in 2003 and 2004 and is now recovering for a torn Achilles tendon, said on the Pat McAfee Show this week, that college teams should have the speakers in the helmets, one on offense and one on defense.

“I don’t see why they don’t do it,” Rodgers said. “College football is basically professional football. Most guys getting paid. Free agency is way better down there. And I think, let’s just do away with these silly issues that the NCAA . . . which is very questionable, their own type of ethics that they have. Let’s just even it out and give them a microphone in the defensive helmet.”

Why doesn’t college football adapt that simple solution?

"All these coaches that vote against it every year, it's because they don't want to teach their quarterbacks," Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said, according to FootballScoop.

Nick Saban suggests that all the Power Five conference schools should adapt the helmet-microphone method, and if other schools can’t afford it, let them go with the traditional method. That, of course, would lead to questions if a Power Five school faced a lower-level school in a game. Would it be fair?

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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