THIS IS WHY I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS ISSUE! Our membership are not getting the correct understanding of the rules regarding illegal movements and disconcerting signals.
A verbal signal has absolutely nothing to do with an illegal movement by a defensive player. Period. This rule (7-1-5-a-4) was put in to stop defensive players from doing just this - making a MOVEMENT that is intended to cause a false start. Yes, we also have a rule (7-1-5-a-5) that prohibits verbal signals that are obviously intended to cause a false start, or otherwise disrupt the offense. These two rules are separate and distinct, and have NO bearing on each other.
You can have illegal disconcerting signals (verbal or otherwise) without any movement by a defensive (or offensive) player. And you can have illegal movement by defensive players with no signal whatsoever (verbal or physical).
The courage we need to call this is due to the fact that so many coaches falsely believe that they can "shift" however they want to - rolling bellyflops, cricket hops, etc. They think that if they move laterally, they can make those moves with abrupt movement. Incorrect!!!!! And, when it does get called, they go ballistic claiming, "It was a shift!" as though it is part of a normal defensive movement. Baloney and crapola. They are consciously and deliberately teaching their players to do this, to cause a false start. Cheating. Plain and simple.
They also incorrectly believe that, if there is no verbal call, they can do whatever they want. Incorrect!!!!! A quick, abrupt, or exaggerated movement by a defensive player that is stationary and within one yard of the NZ before he makes the move, is nothing but an attempt to cause a false start, and is illegal. Period. It has nothing to do with a verbal signal!!!
As for verbal signals, coaches also believe, incorrectly, that if it is a call like "shift" or "move," that it is OK, because that isn't an offensive snap count signal. In-frickin-correct!!! If the "sound or cadence" simulates offensive signals, that is also nothing but an attempt to cause a false start, and is patently illegal. And it has nothing to do with whether or not any defensive players move, or if it causes any level of reaction by the offense.
Don't you wonder why it happens so frequently in high school football, but only very, very occasionally in NCAA FBS football? Because it is ILLEGAL, and FBS guys make the calls. Yet, somehow, HS coaches still seem to think this is legal. "Everybody does it!" No. Not everybody, Coach Moron. In my 14 years in FBS football, I only recall a handful of incidences when a team attempted to get away with this kind of thing. They didn't get away with it. In most cases, it was a result of a new D-Coord, who wasn't long out of high school football, and still thought it was legal.
Let's understand these rules. Let's educate these coaches, when we can. Let's have the courage to make these calls. Let's put a stop to these illegal and immoral attempts to gain an unfair and unsportsmanlike advantage over an opponent.
Step up!