The stealing of signs by the New England Patriots is a huge development. If you have an idea what the other team is going to do and can anticipate when they're going to blitz or what coverage they're going to be in, is an incredible advantage.
The fact that you know which side they're going to be blitziing from or when they're going to be blitzing, it can mean the difference in a game. All the teams are talented and a guy who's a split second faster than the guy who's covering him gives you a big advantage. Yes you still have to make the plays but it makes your quarterback smarter and puts him in command of the defense he's facing.
The reason Peyton Manning is so great, lies in his ability to read your coverage and know where to go with the ball. There's no defense or no coverage which is strong against every play. Each defensive alignment and each coverage is strong against one form of attack and weak against another. If you know the defense, you know where to attack it.
The big question is how long have the Patriots been doing this? There have been rumors for years that Bill Belichick was a sign stealer. So many times Brady and his gang would attack a defense right where it was most vulnerable.
