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Each play call includes the: 1. Formation (how to line up) 2. Protections (how to block) 3. Motions ( moving players) 4. Routes (patterns the recievers run) or run play 5. Adjustments (a counter plan ) The system used determines the language. West Coast, Option, Air Raid, ect...
@@chilimayhem OMAHA! Broncos fan here and Omaha was the signature audible (adjustment) call of Peyton Manning, the QB talking at 2:24, while he was with my Broncos. After you guys get a feel on football, please do a video on him. If I had to make an analogy, Peyton Manning is the Professor X of football. He wasn't always on my team, but as long as I've watched the game he's been the most surreal player to me to watch and it's because of his adjustments. The dude just looks at the defensive alignment across from him and knows what's going to happen no matter how the defense shifts. A truly incredible player.
i was a slot corner and in our defensive playcall i was "B". so i would just listen for "B grape" which meant inside zone, "B face" meant press man, "B launch" meant blitz on my side, etc. you mostly just listen for your position, but after a few practices you understand everyone's call- so u kinda know where the coverage is behind you and whats happening inside.
when I played on offense I was (or my position was) tiger, anytime the QB called Tiger, or any word with a T in it I knew my assignment on that play was changed. The opposing defense new this too, and the defensive captain would point to me because they knew something was up but not what
As I've said, each NFL team has a playbook of between 450-600 plays, and a pro QB has to know each one. As well as the strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of every player on both sides of the ball. Yes the NFl QB position is the most unique in all of sports. As TV analyst Trevor Matich once said, a college QB is a running back with an arm. A pro QB is a Rhodes Scholar; with an arm.
I do agree that these pro QB’s have to be scholars, but it displays itself differently. Instead of remembering 400-600 plays, they remember 50 formations, 50 route combos, 50 protections and 50 pre-snap adjustments and they mix and match the concepts as needed. Week to week you’ll see the disparity and nuances of each call. And certainly the system you run will dictate the concepts and their complexity that your QB will have to remember. Don’t forget that they also need to be pretty efficient in the understanding of defensive concepts and strategies to underrated what will be played against him.
The players that generally don't last in NFL long or get cut, it is due to not learning the plays and their assignments required to play at this level. Football is chess. Play calling and schemes are major part of game.
That really can be the make or break point with a player. There are lots of talented guys that have trouble absorbing the plays & the coaches are left with no choice but to cut them. Also, I know it sounds like I’m just repeating what the OP said & that’s true. I’m just agreeing with & reinforcing their original point.
you got that right. American football is chess in pads. Many football fans have played football in school or as a child and is familiar with the concept, but has no idea what's being communicated by the QB.
One I had in college was "Red right eagle- rover divide across- firepower 28 ego- bootleg". Funny how even after 40 years how some of these things stick in your head.
One interesting thing about knowing the language, is not just that many hardcore fans don't understand it all, but they might know exactly what their favorite team QB is saying. Like Peyton Manning (the guy talking about the "Z" plays) was my Indianapolis Colt's QB back in the day and I learned SOME of their plays, not a single other team I could understand though.
(5:25) The important bit to understand is that they (the Offense) don't want others (esp the Defense) to figure out what the play call is, so that's another reason why it's so complicated and confusing to us mere fans
When I first heard play calls I thought, "it's code. They don't want the other team to know what they're going to do. They shout it, but the other team still doesn't know". I never realized that these hulking men are playing a game requiring not only great strength and skill but also high intelligence.
Every coach has different terminology and it's always changing too. No way we are meant to pick up on it unless you've been a QB at a higher level and even then. You can see even players that switch teams can get a headache from it. So don't worry, you didn't miss anything.
Or when your QB is never been in the same system for more than one or two years in a row. I can't imagine how much crap is stuck in their heads and how confused they can get in those situations.
This may have been confusing for you but it was highly entertaining to watch you trying to understand it!!! I love your genuine responses and this really made me laugh!! I actually needed a good laugh…. So thank you!! I’ve been watching you for a while but your willingness to venture into this, made me a subscriber!!
Brad Johnson, one of the QBs interviewed, once threw a touchdown pass to himself. It was batted by a defender so he caught it and managed to scramble into the end zone.
As a fan, one of our jobs in the stands is to disrupt the play calling in the huddle by the visiting QB by being VERY LOUD - we're the "12th Man," so to speak. Imagine being on the field of a very loud stadium like Arrowhead or The Clink (Seattle) when the crowd is in it and trying to hear your QB tell you one of these calls.
It’s good you guys watched this to get a better understanding of how staggeringly difficult this position is to play. I couldn’t figure this word salad out in a hundred years in a library, never mind on the run in pads tying to find one open guy in a sea of super athletes.
So in the movie *Draft Day* -- which as a Browns fan I wanted to like -- Denis Leary's character tries to use this form of language against Jennifer Garner as a means to differentiate the responsibilities of football people, but in a fail way. The language being the difference between in and out group individual types.
There was a video I watched like this that did explain what the terminology was meant to convey. (I don't remember if it was an NFL Films one or from a creator) But the reason the calls are so long and complex is because every part of it is there to explain to EVERY member of the Offense what they are suppose to do. (Remember the only have 40s to snap the play off from the previous one) One part would be the protection (O-line), another who the motion man is and what the motion is (Like what P. Manning said about Z), run or pass (and what routes or blocks the receiving group are to do). So a simple run up the middle might just contain a formation (ex. I-formation), blocking scheme/where the run is going, and ... that might be it, two parts. Where as a passing play there could be a lot of moving parts. (formation group -> specific formation -> protection -> receiver routes -> motions) As well as even more extras added on the end to communicate to the other players a change or wrinkle. (Running back moves from running a route to a chip blocker, or a receivers normal scripted route changes to attack a defensive adjustments, ect.) It's all complicated but it is there for a reason even if I also just hear gobbledeegook!
I should also add/emphasize is that the terminology is specific. So Jon Gruden's infamous, and hilarious infatuation with "Spider" and "Banana" are referring to something specific. So, "Spider" or "Banana" would be something like, I don't know, a specific formation to line up in. Or a specific protection scheme. Or a specific run, or passing concept or whatever. It means what it is meant to mean (wow I just wrote that). Remember they only have 40s between plays to: evaluate the previous play, adjust to the defense, decide a next play, COMMUNICATE that play the players on the field AND substitute the necessary players for that play, line up and snap the ball. All in 40s, or a Delay of Game penalty will be called against them (but I knew you guys knew that already 😉)
In college football some teams hold up cardboard with different pictures on them to call plays while on the sideline, it makes no sense, but some signs are hilarious
There are videos of coaches explaining single plays and breaking down the terminology. I can specifically remember Gruden breaking down his "banana spider" play. maybe that is something to actually see how a play is built
You should watch Grudens QB camps. He brings in college QB that are projected to be picked in the draft and picks their brains. He’ll ask them to draw plays and it gives you a different perspective of his a coach and QB brain works
Yes. Those videos are great. Gives good insight on exactly how good players think in order to make the plays they do. I don't know if it's NFL copyrighted though. That would be a problem. They don't like to share any content. Lol. Smh.
Add to all of this is the blocking assignments called out by the Center as well as the call out for specific Wide Receiver "route trees". The string of words simply communicates specific tacking or assignments. You guys are doing great!
I just watched all 6 videos in one sitting because they are so great! Love your channel! So glad I found you guys. [I even learned about a couple of misconceptions I had about penalties Lol] Can't wait to see your next "mastering American football" video. Keep it up guys!
In some team’s offensive/defensive schemes, there is a “sentence structure” to all their play calls. For instance, the first “command” is for the formation AND how the offensive line will adjust their protection-plan. The second “command” is for the running backs and their routes or additional protection-plan- if they will become extra blockers or go out for a pass. The last “command” of the “sentence structure” will be for all the receivers and what routes they run.
I played and watched football and those playcalls are foreign to me. theres some words that are universal in meaning that i understood but idk wtf they were calling. So dont feel bad or overwhelmed. And im 43. Nice reaction. And put “best toe tap catches” on your lists. You ll get to see some of the graceful plays that rely on the QB and WR nonverbal communication
And in the last Super Bowl, we get the now infamous Andy Reid "Corndog" and from KC's first SB, "23 Jet Chip Wasp".. ... In short, though, whatever terminology a team uses, the play call sets the formation, the offensive line protection, motions and routes of the eligible receivers and running backs.
That was a very young Peyton Manning. He’s pretty famous for calling out “Omaha”. I remember one season with my college team where guys on the sideline would hold up different paintings to the players on the field. I’m assuming they represented specific plays. Teams get pretty creative when it comes to keeping the other team guessing.
Spider 2 Y Banana is a famous Jon Gruden play. He was a great coach and TV personality who ruined his reputation by coming back to the league to coach again
This is just a fun aspect of the game. In truth, no one (not on the team) can know the meaning of more than a few calls. Every team as a different language, every coach a different language, and every scheme a different language and it's constantly evolving. I think all this video is teaching us is, that all those seemly random words they say in the huddle or at the line really does have significance.
One other important fact -- other than the quarterback, most players only need parts of the call. A tackle doesn't need to know what route a receiver is running or who's going in motion, they need to know what the snap count and formation is and what their blocking assignment is. A slot receiver needs to know their route, but not the running back's blocking assignment. So if you're a tight end, you're only listening to the parts of the call that are formation, snap count, blocking assignment, and your route -- which may be 1/5th of what's actually said.
Yeah if you pay attention to the huddles during games you’ll often see people (usually the wr’s) peel out of the huddle before the qb is done spitting out the play call. For wide receivers especially, once they know their assignment hey can just get in position. They don’t even need the snap count since they can just watch the ball.
You have to know the playbook for any of these terms to me anything. I played strong side linebacker (the backer on the tightend side ) often it’s called the “SAM” backer. The “S” signifies strong side. In play calls terms systems will have trigger terms starting with S that will specify I am doing a blitz or whatever the play demands. So a term “ Samurai” or Something like “Stab” will mean two different things for a strong side backer and the players will need to know that play demands. Offensive play books are much more wordy then defensive play calls but the same remains. Key terms mean certain things for certain players.
Every team has a specific playbook and the play calling goes along with it, and not to mention, it could change year to year. The best example of trying to figure out what these call outs mean is when Steve Mariucci gets to sit down with the individual QB draft prospects to see how they handle play calling, play recognizing, and play recalling. Example: Steve talks with Jared Goff before he gets drafted into the NFL - th-cam.com/video/PESL-gRb_es/w-d-xo.html
When Chip Kelly was coaching at Univ of Oregon instead of signaling or calling in plays they flashed up boards with multiple pictures representing the different portions of a play.
This video didn't do anything to clarify things. Each team has their own terms for the same plays. The play calls have instructions for each group on the offense. The basic play, the formation, the motion pre snap, the blocking scheme, and snap count. Everyone pays attention to their particular part of the play call, and does their job.
something u guys should notice during a game is when the offense huddles to call the play, there is usually a steady tempo before the snap, using up as much clock as possible OR trying to save clock. BUT sometimes they will hurry up- with no huddle randomly, or do a huddle-break- where they get to the line quickly and snap the ball as soon as they touch it. they will do this on weird 2nd and longs, or even act like they are doing a huddle break but instead freeze and try to get the D to jump. then of course u'll see a qb try to fake a snap and get a jump. tempo of play calling really fooks defenses up. u can even stunt a corner out off the line with a weird timed snap and get a wide open receiver. the rams are famous for off-tempo play calling. i think oregon went a whole season without huddling once... kentucky is getting good at the huddle break, and gods like drew brees could get a line to jump by just changing his voice.
You are correct you don't need to know this. In fact even if you did, you wouldn't in a year or 2. Each team uses different words for the same thing to keep it code so they other team can't pick up on it. The same team will change words over time because players go to other teams etc. An example of a call: "Red diamond 22 motion jet" Red = formation diamond = the actual play 22 = offensive line blocking plan/responsibilities motion = timing trigger (sending someone in motion in this case) jet = when the ball will be snapped To use this in a spoken form I might say. Hey lets run "Diamond" from the "Red" formation. The defense has been blitzing so lets use offensive lineman blocking plan "22", because the running back chips the edge in that protection scheme. To find out if they are in man or zone lets send a guy in "motion" to see who picks him up. Lets snap the ball on 3 (in this case jet has 3 letters) the 3rd word the QB says after motion gets the ball hiked. So at the line the QB can do whatever, till he signals for the motion to start, then the 3rd word he says the play starts. Usually you pick 3 words and try to change it up to make defense think something else, but could be any 3 words like Banana, Sasquatch, London. I'm sure there are exceptions but almost universally the play call is, 1 Formation, 2 play call (everyone needs to listen to the first 2), 3 blocking scheme (generally just linemen, TE, and RB), 4 shifts/motions (generally WR/TE/RB), and 5 cadence (everyone again). At the NFL level they add more stuff for specific players. For example in the video they said zebra, which is the Z receiver. whatever is after zebra is specific to that person as an example "zebra daffodil". Daffodil might mean if they are playing man run long, if they are playing zone go short, if you get bumped on the line in press coverage curl out blah blah if thens. This gets the receiver and QB on the same page. You can further that by saying Daffodil right, meaning all those breaks etc, break to the right. So they may say "Red diamond 22 motion jet, zebra daffodil right"
Congratulations boys! you now know the names of more plays than 98% of Americans do. I don’t think that there is a single NFL fan beyond someone who’s actually played the game who has ever taken the time to try to learn in NFL play call. You might commit a few to memory if your team runs it over and over and over again and you keep hearing your teams quarterback repeat it over and over and over again, but that’s about the extent of it.
The customized terminology doesn't matter for the fans. But knowing the types of plays can help enjoy the game more if you are the analytic type of person. The legendary John Madden being a former coach turned TV play-by-play analyst is so good at translating what just transpired in the field after the play. If you can learn the wide reciever route tree, it would be a good foundation. But most of the time, the WRs go out of the TV frame, so you really can't see what route they did until they show the replay.
When one first comes to football ,the impression is that it's just a bunch of huge guys slamming into each other .As you really get into it you find out that it is by far the most mental and intellectual of all team sports . It's a lot like a chess game with different plays being called to attack whatever defense the coach thinks the defense will be on that play and the defense setting up to stop whatever offensive play their coach thinks the offense will run . Big plays are just as likely to result from mental prowess or the lack thereof as they are from physical prowess or the lack thereof .
You dont really need to know the actual language, sometimes its fun to try to figure out what they say. For example when you think you hear the QB say 'I'm a lady!" Very entertaining. 😂
As my coach used to say, "About clear as mud right now, hop on the line and run it. It'll come to ya." Lol even the most experienced fans don't know what is happening when they hear a play call because of how specific the terminology is to each team. What would be easier for y'all would be to understand schemes and concepts on offense and defense because that is what the different terminology for each team derives from. So if you see that concept or scheme on the field you recognize the play itself and are not confused by the terminology each team uses.
I don't think this is wasted time for you. For one thing, it was fun watching you react. For the other'n, you now know this play complexity exists. That doesn't translate directly to understanding, but as you build your comprehension of the mechanics of plays, what counters what and why, it'll all start coming together for you.
whoever suggested this video just wanted to see your faces when you thought "what in the fuuuuuck" as soon as you heard the first play call lmao maybe 2% of people actually understand wtf they are talking about and that's because they used to play or they are coaches themselves. Watch Peyton Manning breaking down film with graphics and it'll make more sense
The good news is that fandom really doesn't require you to know any of this. It's important on the field, because you're essentially telling each player what to do -- setting the formation, setting the blocking, setting the routes. But fans will almost never need to know the terminology in the calls -- it's only something you need if you're on the field. (And even then, if you're in anything below high college/elite high school level, your calls will be much simpler and more straightforward.)
This should be fun hehe edit: lol the looks of confusion were what was expected! and no, learning any of this terminology is not important for the fans, but is for the players I think one important thing about this is that it highlights the fact that football players are not just "dumb jocks" as so many people think they are
Great reaction. You quickly picked up how changing teams can effect you in terms of picking up the terminology. You should also keep in mind that there is a lot of turn over in the coaching ranks. I forget the specific quarterback, but one promising QB came out of college and took 7 or 8 years to seem to find their stride. In an interview they pointed out that in their first 6 years in the league between changing teams and changes in the coaching staff that they had worked with 6 different OCs and thus has to learn new terminology or a new system every year.
Stuff like that is how Jalen Hurts probably fell to the second round. Having a different OC every season since high school could not have been healthy for his development. First time he had the same coordinator in back to back years, he helps take the team to the SB (of course, the team itself was pretty stacked). Now he's back to a new OC, though since it's an internal promotion, hopefully it's the same language. Still, the more people who haven't played learn about the game, the more you appreciate just how much a good QB has going on between the ears. I can't imagine the processing power their brain has to see a Cover 2 shell pre-snap, only for the safeties to rotate post-snap, realize it's Cover 3, and instantly have to re-evaluate who's open and who in the route concepts fit the soft spots of the zones.. in the two seconds before the DL reaches them. It's insane.
The key takeaway is that every team has a coded method of communicating the play and important parts are: what play, what formation, who's getting the ball for a run (and blocking assignments), what pass routes to run for passers, and what the snap count is.
I understand a little of this. There was one point where a coach was talking to a player, but he corrected himself for the cameras: "the problem with this is if a backer times up an a d... an a gap blitz, he can get through and put the back in a bind." What he was about to say is "an A dog" -- in football speak a blitzer is always a dog. There are green dogs, red dogs, strong and weak dogs, A & B dogs, and some others I'm sure I'm forgetting. The A gap is the gap between the center and the guards. So he's basically talking about a play where half the protection splits off to block for a runner, and that if it's anticipated the runner can get caught from behind. From a fan's perspective, you want to watch and listen for two things: 1) a synonym for hurry -- sometimes it's the word hurry itself: it means that the players are in a double count, meaning they're waiting for a quarterback to say or do something the second time before they snap the ball. "Speed", "Hurry" etc. means don't bother, the play is coming on the first signal. Means the quarterback likes how the defense looks (or they're running out of time). The opposite is "slow" or "wait", or "woah". Usually the QB has already signalled once, but now he wants to change the play, which is going to require walking around a bit to communicate to the different players. Now you need to listen to what he's saying -- if he says a word to the entire offense with an "r" in it, like "jaguar, jaguar", it's pre-set running play to the right, and if the word has an "l" in it, it's to the left. Usually. 2) when the quarterback points and calls a defensive player's number. He's resetting the protection at the line. And that's way too complicated to get into in a short post. The bottom line is that it's obscure by design, otherwise the defensive players could just keep their ears open and know exactly what's coming. 90% of the time it's key phrases that refer to a detailed play that they've practiced when no one's watching. Most American Football fans don't know it either, it just adds color. So when you first started and were laughing and going "did he say banana?", you were already in the proper spirit.
Just imagine last year when Christian McCaffrey changed teams in the middle of the season. Everyone was amazed at how well he did in the first game with the 49ers. But I think for you guys the importance of this video is so you know when you hear this in the future, you understand the coach is talking about specific plays to execute.
Peyton Manning demonstrated a crazy play call during the Manning Cast, I think this past season, In order explain how wordy plays could be. The 49ers even ran the call that they were demonstrating at the time. The calls usually don’t come through on the tv broadcasts and they are changed constantly so even hearing the play call would be useless. The next week the terminology could mean something different.
It's designed so that defence doesn't know what they are going to do. So it changes week to week as well even with the same team. If you aren't in the offensive meeting rooms for that team, you aren't supposed to be able to understand it.😂
The playbook changes weekly to adjust to whatever opponent you are playing (separate books for offense and defense). At the college level, a 100-150 page playbook/scouting report each week is common. At the Pro level it is likely double this. For this reason, players must have an above average aptitude to play. Someone with great athletic ability yet struggles retaining the weekly playbook may not make the team.
It usually goes something like this on offense: 1. The first phrase describes the formation: "Trips Right, Split Left" Three receivers on the right, a split receiver on the left. 2. The second phrase might describe something that happens with the formation: "Z motion left." One of the receivers goes in motion to the left. 3. The third phrase usually is the actual play: "23 Trap." A handoff play to a back in the 3 hole between the tackle and the guard. 4. The fourth phrase might be the count when the ball will be snapped.. "On 2" "Trips right split left z motion left 23 trap on 2" On defense, it's simpler. Maybe something like this: 1. Formation: "43." Four down lineman, 3 linebackers. 2. What happens with the formation: "Fire will, strong twist." Weak side linebacker blitzes, two lineman on the strong side twist around each other when rushing. 3. Defensive backfield coverage: "2." "43 fire will, strong twist 2."
It's almost like a math equation like y=mx+b. Teams theoretically have thousands of plays in the playbook and one tiny language change means a run play to the left rather than the right, but everything else stays exactly the same in the language Often times when you change teams it's not really the plays you're learning, it's often the language. One teams playbook may call a run to the right side "rodeo" but on another team it might be "Rome" and then on another team it may not even use an R word to say the play is going right, or the word is meant to be a deception and something else in the code says where the play is going Baseball also has coaches sending signs to runners on base, and that is wildly complicated too
I was a lineman, for our run plays the first 2 digits showed where the play was going and who was getting the ball and the next part outlines the play. So a 24 counter means we're running a "counter" run, where the runner fakes going one way along w/ the linemen, and then takes the ball the other way as one or two of the linemen "pull" from the blindside to the playside and open up lanes for the rusher. 2 means it's the Running Back getting the ball 4 means it's going to the "4 hole"- so the center is 0, odd numbers = left, even = right. so the gap between center and right guard =2, gap between RG and Right Tackle = 4, so that's where the "hole" is designed to open up. For us the first couple of words would show the formation as well
The languages are different team-to-team, but the concepts are often the same and most American/Canadian football players have been familiar with those concepts since their teens. You just have to know what you're called in the offense and listen for your explicit instructions. You don't necessarily have to know what everyone else is doing, but it's helpful and you'll often find that the teams where everyone knows what everyone else is doing operate like a fine-tuned machine.
NFL is very much a cookie cutter league. Player turnover is so fast that there isn't enough personnel continuity to have a very developed offense. College offenses are far more complicated than NFL.
another great video, guys! I've been watching the NFL for over 20 years (it wasn't until I was like 10 that I started getting into it), and one of my favorite things is hearing these long ass play names lol. For this kind of thing, I highly recommend watching film breakdown of a game or a play or two. They are really good at explaining and showing the play on the field so we understand what the hell is going on lol. I'm no expert, and a lot of it still confuses me, but as far as I understand, plays are designed pretty much the same for every team, but each team has their own verbiage in order to not let the other team know what they're running. I believe it's usually broken up into the formation, the way the offensive line is supposed to protect, and then either which routes the receivers are running or which way the running back is gonna go. One thing I love about Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid's play calls is that he has simple and honestly pretty silly named plays. One of the plays we used to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Eagles was simply called "Corndog Right." Other ones he's had that I liked are "Hungry Pig" and "Bloated Tebow." I've got a link to a 40 some odd second TH-cam clip of a play the Chiefs ran in Super Bowl 54 against the 49ers that is now legendary among Chiefs fans. I think, including the formation (I could be a bit off), the full play was called in the clip was something like Gun Trey Right, 3 Jet Chip, Wasp Y Funnel. Gun Trips Left is the formation (Shotgun formation where the QB starts a few yards behind the center instead of directly on top of him and I believe "Trey" refers to 3 receivers on one side and 1 receiver on the other. Trey Right meant we had one receiver on the right side. That's my understanding of "Trey"). 2 (or 3) Jet Chip is how the protection is set up. 2 or 3 means whether the line will block to the left or right (or vice-versa, I can't remember which direction is which number), Jet is how the Offensive line will block, and Chip means that either the TE or the RB will basically bump into a pass rusher before running their route to slow them down just a tick. And then finally, Wasp is the route combination the Wide Receiver are running, and the "Y" is usually the tight end. Again, with Andy Reid, they just refer to the play as Wasp. Patrick Mahomes just has to say all the other stuff so that way everyone know exactly what they're supposed to do. NFL lingo is designed to be confusing for literally everyone except for the coaches and players on that team, and it can change on a week to week basis. That's why they spend months in the offseason studying and learning the playbook. When one player goes to a different team, they'll usually say "the concepts we run are similar to my old team, but what we call them is different and that's what I need to get my head around. If my not super great explanation didn't help, it's not your fault. I love when coaches say super long complicated play names, but I can't remember hardly any of them lol. Here's what Wasp looks like in full action. th-cam.com/video/BD-OkjHvuGM/w-d-xo.html
This is why QB is the hardest position to play as they need to know all of the meanings. Usually, other positions just need to listen for a cue word/letter for their position which indicates the word/letter or two afterward is their assignment on the play.
I wished they had explained in the video that in the huddle, the only person with the encyclopedia-like football vocabulary is the quarterback, and that the rest of the players need to only hear the fragment of the play that pertains to them. Example: "P.P. Y-Edge Zip-4-Sluggo, X-1-off-Arrow-H-Scrape-Hot" Breaks down this way: 'P.P' is blocking assignment for the offensive line (pass protection) Y-Edge (Tight end lines up on the side of the line he thinks is most exposed to a rush around the ends by defense), Zip-4-Sluggo (the wide receiver on right side lines up at the '4' position - which is just on the inside of the numbers painted on the field, then Zip' sends him in motion to the other side, then his route 'Sluggo', which is a 'slant' across the field, followed by a cut to 'Go' - which is straight down the field), and so on ('X' receiver runs an 'Arrow' route - which is quickly in, then reverses toward the sideline, and the 'H' running back 'scrapes' - popping any defensive player getting near the quarterback, followed by 'hot' - a spot of open field he can quickly find as a last resort for a quick pass by the quarterback.)
On the subject of switching teams and learning a new playbook--this past season, Baker Mayfield (QB) joined the LA Rams during the middle of the season, and within 36 hours he had memorized the playbook and was playing in a prime time game for the Rams......AND they won! NO ONE EVER memorizes a playbook that fast, he did that AND won a game!
Yep, those behind the curtain details that no one is aware of. Those details at times explains bad games or blatant errors on the field. A cat may have partied too hard night before and didn't work on specific game plan schemes/plays/adjustments.
These plays tell every player what they have to do, "scat" could be a certain block /run/pass assignment. Most likely all of the above. Those crazy play calls tell everyone at different positions what their job is on the play.
i suggest you watch a video explaining route trees.. these are the different routes that recievers are typically asked to run for certain plays.. and yes, often these routes are combined.. for example, a sluggo route that is mentioned a few times in this video is a combination of a slant route (receiver running at a 45 degree angle toward the middle of the field), followed by a go route (reciever running vertically down the field).. the routes on the tree are labeled by both a number, and also a name.. the play calls then use the coach's preferred lingo for these basic routes/combinations.. receivers are typically identified by a letter (X, Y, Z, etc.) additionally, the play call will include protection designations to counter the defense getting to the quarterback, typically one or more possible adjustments that can be made with a one word call to counter defensive maneuvers, etc.. typically all of this is said in the huddle, and not audible to tv audience.. most of what you hear qb saying at the line of scrimmage is either making the above mentioned adjustments, confirming blocking assignments, etc.. for example "Red 42", may be something like... qb sees that two players appear to be unblocked and primed to hit him. (lets say numbers 55 and 42).. "Red 42" is telling the running back that he needs to block 42, and in this case, the qb would be responsible for avoiding 55
They didn't truly translate anything in the video because the language is different for each team and often changes week-to-week so their opponents can't watch film and figure it out ahead of time. Some things are somewhat universal for audibles at the line of scrimmage. "R" words/names typically indicate that the quarterback is changing the play to a run when they were originally planning a passing play. You'll often hear quarterbacks say "## Mike" which calls out the linebacker on defense that looks to be set up as the middle of three; this helps the lineman figure out their blocking assignments for potential blitzes.
A lot of people who don't watch a lot of football or are new to the game don't realize how complicated it can be. They just think it's basic, but it's just like playing chess or like military strategy.
One of the more impressive feats this past seasons was Baker Mayfield's (Quarterback) performance with the Los Angeles Rams vs the Las Vegas Raiders. He was let go (waived) mid-season by the Carolina Panthers on a Monday, then signed by the Rams on that Tuesday. He suited up for the Rams on Thursday and came into the game the second series of plays for the Rams and played the rest of the game. It took a a few bone head plays by the Raiders and some excellent plays by the Rams that resulted in the Rams winning the game. I highly recommend watching the last drive highlights (th-cam.com/video/LWS-T67bx-4/w-d-xo.html). It was impressive to see him with a new team running plays after only about a day and a half with the Rams. Mayfield had been demoted to 3rd string with the Panthers, so he asked to be released. Many believing this might be the end of his career. He recently signed with Tampa Bay.
The play call is just the beginning LMAO! Now the QB has to get everyone lined up, and figure out what the defense is doing, call his audibles and line adjustments and usually only has about 15 seconds to do all of that. THEN he has about 1-4 seconds to successfully get a pass to a wide receiver while he has 300 pound linemen trying to kill him lol. QB is one of.. if not the hardest position in sports. You have to be a brave man to play that position
Great comment from Robert Dedrick, below. As fans, we know the basic generic terminology for many plays--counter (run play), trap, screen, post (pass), hook (used to be "button hook"), flea flicker, etc., but the actual plays called by the QB in the huddle provides the exact pieces of information for the categories provided by Robert D, below and each player knows his assignments--and as you might guess a "blown assignment" can result in anything from a failed play to a disaster such as an interception taken back for a TD by the defense (this might happen if the receiver runs the wrong route and the pass is a timing play in which the QB at exact timing throws the ball to where the received is supposed to be, but instead a defender is sitting there--this is also why, BTW, it is difficult to know who is to blame for those kinds of plays since we don't frequently know who screwed up--the receiver, the QB, the O-line blocking or parts of all three--or , that the defended just made a great play by reading and anticipating the play---i.e., see TROY POLAMALU, ED REED). Sorry for the long post!
Usually each word is for a specific group of players. So like the o line has to pay attention to maybe the first word to know their instructions then the receivers listen to the second word to know their instructions etc. So certain players just listen for like one word instead of every player responding individually to a whole sentence
How to Read a Defense/ A Guide to the Basics of Football Coverages. By X's and Noles. A QB must be able to identify what coverage a Def is in so he can throw to the right reciever. Def rotates Coverages to confuse QBs .
LOL "Did anyone understand that?" - LOL. I played for many years. I was a WR 1st, so I listen to the play and the part that applies to me I learn. I do not need to know if the Guard has "Gap" responsibility first or "on" responsibility first. The OL listens to the part that applies to them, they do not care if I run a Post or a Flag or an "In" or and "out" or a "fly" - well maybe in that it would be a pass block or a run block or how long they hold the block before they go downfield, Etc. The QB has to know it all and it sounds complicated. When I moved from WR to TE, I didn't even know what they were talking about when they said I had "Gap, On, Backer" in the playbook. It now is easy, My 1st responsibility is to block whoever is in the gap 1st. if no-one is there, then the man on me and again if no-one is there, I take on the closest Line Backer. It's not nearly that complicated, but also not nec to learn it all unless you plan on playing for that team. Even then you only learn the part that applies to you (unless your are the QB, then Good Luck). I think you need to learn basics the TV Announcers would use like what is a "post" or a "Flag" or a "Go" or a "Hook and Ladder" or a "Flee Flicker" or a "Hail Merry", etc., etc. Maybe learn the gaps and some basic receiver patterns maybe a few Running calls like a Draw vs a fold, vs a counter, etc.
Each play has a few basic components, and gets communicated either in the huddle, or on the line right as the play is about to start. Let's get in the huddle and make an imaginary play from my imaginary playbook. Let's assume that we have 3 receivers that our playbook calls the X,Y, and Z receivers: "Trips right yankee spider zebra yippy X Option on two" 1) Formation (how you line up before the snap) - "Trips Right" means a formation where there will be three receivers on the right side 2) Motion (how players move before the snap) - "Yankee" means the "Y" receiver lines up right, and then switches to the left side before the snap. This will help the QB read how the defense reacts to the movement to see if they are playing a zone defense or a man-to-man defense 3) Protection (the blocking scheme for the lineman) "Spider" is derived from SPR , or Slide Protection Right side, so the lineman will block in a horizontal motion to the right 4) Routes (How the receivers will run) "Zebra, Yippy, X option" means that the "Z" receiver will rub the defensive back on the line, the Y receiver will run a short sideways route, and the X will have the option do one of two routes depending on how the defense reacts to him. 5) Snap Count (When we will snap the ball) "On Two" means they will say the key word to snap the ball "GO!", but nobody will move. The QB wants to see what the defense does, or maybe just to keep them on their toes so that they can't anticipate the snap count. The play will be begin the second time the QB says "GO!" Now you have the play, you are on the line, and you are ready to run the play. If the QB wants to make an adjustment, for example, they see a favorable defensive matchup if one of their receivers runs a different route, they may call an "audible" and yell a codeword "Omaha!", or send a signal (closed fist) to one of his receivers to change their route from a long slant, to a short curl.
Yeah, this isn't important to learn because each team uses their own words to describe similar plays. It's just a means for teams to talk out loud without the other team being able to immediately know what they are calling.
What makes it more confusing is that the terminology will vary from team to team and from year to year. However, certain words and names will mean the same thing. X, Y, Z refer to specific skill players. Also, certain rout types like Go (run deep), Sluggo (Slant and Go, start with a slant then go deep), and Banana (the route looks like a banana [slant to the inside, run straight back, slant to the outside).
I played football at a low level college and even there the playbooks can be hundreds of pages for both offense and defense. At the NFL level if is far more complex than college because of the team specific game plans that coaches create week to week just keep expanding over time. However in a given week teams usually focus on specific group of 100-150 possible plays they think will be most effective against the upcoming opponent and really work on making sure everyone is up to speed on those specifics. Often when a new coach is hired and brings his playbook they reduce it down during the first season so as not to overwhelm the players and then keep expanding it the longer they are there. New coaches who came from another NFL team the prior year will also usually try to sign a few players from their previous team who can also help players on the team get up to speed faster by explaining things to other on the field, both in practices and in games.
Notice how some of the coaches or play callers will cover their mouths when calling the play? That's because both Intel (spying) and Counter Intel (preventing spies) are a huge part of game day. In the stadium across from the coach's bench, in the stands, there's probably one or more lip readers with binoculars watching the coach to try to decipher his play call, and radio to repeat it to the other team, which then transmits it directly to the defensive players on the field. And that's why coaches or play callers cover their mouths.
the problem with football is : every team can run the same exact play but they all will call it different names... thats why the sundance cheeseburger play wasnt shown lol formation : shotgun 5 wide receivers ( 3 on left side of formation , 2 on right side ) wide receiver routes from left to right : far left receiver route : streak / fade / "9" next receiver : slant next receiver : 5 yrd out next receiver ( slot receiver on right side of formation ) : curl / post curl last receiver ( out side receiver on far right side of formation ) : post corner name of play could literally be called ANYTHING lol example : gun 5 left , salad , fade. ( then at the end of calling the play the qb calls the snap count ) " on 2 , on 2 " .( break ) ^ that same formation and play for a different team will have a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NAME . example : gun trips left , scatter , corner etc etc ( in highschool etc they usually keep the play calls simpler ) example : ( each route has a number system ) 1-9 then specialty route will have a name . like scroll or post curl , dig etc so the play call is a lot simplified ... example : ( call the routes from left to right like reading a book ) empty , trips left , 9 , 1 , 3 , 4 , 8 ( depending on what the numbers correlate to what route etc )
Every team has its own terms, so all of this x32 teams... and each team averages around 4,000 to 6,000 plays on their playbook... you can imagine the nightmare it is, to be trades to another team and having to re-learn it all again.
Some systems have a hybrid of using numbers and letters and then use words for the letters. Some are all numbers indicating types of routes for wide relievers. A certain number will indicate run or pass and then a number for a player getting the ball and the assigned gap. Even numbers are the gaps on the right and odds are for the left side gaps. And this one of those most simple systems.
You may be hearing an audible. A coach will give a set play and then allow the qb to change it. There are ways a qb can change the play. The audible is one. Another is the qb lifts his leg and brings it down. That's let a receiver know to move to the other side of the field. If the qb sees the defender follws the receiver, then the qb knows it's man to man coverage vice zone coverage in which defensive player covers only a portion of the field.
They are not going to call a play then show you a play because a offensive system takes years to build. These coaches have been working on their play book since they started football, so they are TOP SECRET.
I remember my high school we had a couple plays with ridiculously long names and here’s one of our relatively simple ones and it was called gun bunch Reno, Z flare X option Zulu which all it was our formation bunch Reno means RPO to right side Z receiver runs a quick out route, and then the X receiver runs a option route and Zulu mean zone left and that was one of our quick place that we have just say whenever we didn’t have a lot of time or just a quick simple play to get yards .
At 5:30 the coach is talking about a weak side linebacker blitzing down the middle and how the running back would need to block him. That kind of terminology is more important to know than play calling. For identifying linebackers they usually say will, Mike, sam... for weak middle and strong. The gaps would be good to learn. Most of that stuff is universal, where a lot of play terminology changes from team to team.
All the different cadences and verbiage is different across teams and plays. A larger part of being a QB is to memorize this and effectively communicate it to the offense, especially if they need to change the play on the fly.
-Yes not having your plays instantly deciphered by the other team is the point of the "code speak". -The code intentionally sounds like gibberish, but there is a method to the madness. They will use words that start with the correct letter to indicate the instructions for that player. Xylophone could be a signal for the "X" receiver to run a certain route. - I understand it but only because I played football.
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Goal line, goal line. I-left, tight wing, 70 chip on white
SB XVII (17) the TD by John Riggins
th-cam.com/video/N7ajJHHKSow/w-d-xo.html&feature=share8 explains the play calling what you were looking for
Each play call includes the:
1. Formation (how to line up)
2. Protections (how to block)
3. Motions ( moving players)
4. Routes (patterns the recievers run) or run play
5. Adjustments (a counter plan )
The system used determines the language. West Coast, Option, Air Raid, ect...
Yikes
What about snap count?
its also said left to right as well, with the snap count at the end.
@@chilimayhem OMAHA! Broncos fan here and Omaha was the signature audible (adjustment) call of Peyton Manning, the QB talking at 2:24, while he was with my Broncos. After you guys get a feel on football, please do a video on him. If I had to make an analogy, Peyton Manning is the Professor X of football. He wasn't always on my team, but as long as I've watched the game he's been the most surreal player to me to watch and it's because of his adjustments. The dude just looks at the defensive alignment across from him and knows what's going to happen no matter how the defense shifts. A truly incredible player.
Right and unless you’re actually playing for an organized league, you don’t need to know the language 👍🏼
i was a slot corner and in our defensive playcall i was "B". so i would just listen for "B grape" which meant inside zone, "B face" meant press man, "B launch" meant blitz on my side, etc. you mostly just listen for your position, but after a few practices you understand everyone's call- so u kinda know where the coverage is behind you and whats happening inside.
when I played on offense I was (or my position was) tiger, anytime the QB called Tiger, or any word with a T in it I knew my assignment on that play was changed. The opposing defense new this too, and the defensive captain would point to me because they knew something was up but not what
As I've said, each NFL team has a playbook of between 450-600 plays, and a pro QB has to know each one. As well as the strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of every player on both sides of the ball. Yes the NFl QB position is the most unique in all of sports. As TV analyst Trevor Matich once said, a college QB is a running back with an arm. A pro QB is a Rhodes Scholar; with an arm.
I do agree that these pro QB’s have to be scholars, but it displays itself differently.
Instead of remembering 400-600 plays, they remember 50 formations, 50 route combos, 50 protections and 50 pre-snap adjustments and they mix and match the concepts as needed. Week to week you’ll see the disparity and nuances of each call. And certainly the system you run will dictate the concepts and their complexity that your QB will have to remember.
Don’t forget that they also need to be pretty efficient in the understanding of defensive concepts and strategies to underrated what will be played against him.
The players that generally don't last in NFL long or get cut, it is due to not learning the plays and their assignments required to play at this level. Football is chess. Play calling and schemes are major part of game.
That really can be the make or break point with a player. There are lots of talented guys that have trouble absorbing the plays & the coaches are left with no choice but to cut them.
Also, I know it sounds like I’m just repeating what the OP said & that’s true. I’m just agreeing with & reinforcing their original point.
see Jamarcus Russell
Man. When he said "Hopefully it clears things up" I had a real good laugh with myself 😂
Good to know I wasn't the only one who laughed.😄
Guys, at this point, you're more educated about American football than most fans. :-)
you got that right. American football is chess in pads. Many football fans have played football in school or as a child and is familiar with the concept, but has no idea what's being communicated by the QB.
@@tyreedillard guys relax..... They still dont even know what spiking the ball is. I like the reactions but their at like a 5th grade level 😂😂😂😂
@@chroniccomplainer3792exactly lol they’re learning but let’s stop the exaggeration.
definitely not
I wouldn't say all that now. 😂
One I had in college was "Red right eagle- rover divide across- firepower 28 ego- bootleg". Funny how even after 40 years how some of these things stick in your head.
hard to forget
Helps if something amazing happened or something very bad happened 😂
@@austinmurph9248 It did, I re-tore the disc in my back and never took another snap or played football again. Dream over.
One interesting thing about knowing the language, is not just that many hardcore fans don't understand it all, but they might know exactly what their favorite team QB is saying. Like Peyton Manning (the guy talking about the "Z" plays) was my Indianapolis Colt's QB back in the day and I learned SOME of their plays, not a single other team I could understand though.
OMAHA!!
@@SixFour0391 Hahaha yes sir!
(5:25) The important bit to understand is that they (the Offense) don't want others (esp the Defense) to figure out what the play call is, so that's another reason why it's so complicated and confusing to us mere fans
When I first heard play calls I thought, "it's code. They don't want the other team to know what they're going to do. They shout it, but the other team still doesn't know". I never realized that these hulking men are playing a game requiring not only great strength and skill but also high intelligence.
Every coach has different terminology and it's always changing too. No way we are meant to pick up on it unless you've been a QB at a higher level and even then. You can see even players that switch teams can get a headache from it. So don't worry, you didn't miss anything.
Or when your QB is never been in the same system for more than one or two years in a row. I can't imagine how much crap is stuck in their heads and how confused they can get in those situations.
This may have been confusing for you but it was highly entertaining to watch you trying to understand it!!! I love your genuine responses and this really made me laugh!! I actually needed a good laugh…. So thank you!! I’ve been watching you for a while but your willingness to venture into this, made me a subscriber!!
Really appreciate that! We were so confused 😂 made for a funny video though! Thanks for your support!
@@DNReacts Those calls are specific team/coaches mnemonics.
Brad Johnson, one of the QBs interviewed, once threw a touchdown pass to himself. It was batted by a defender so he caught it and managed to scramble into the end zone.
As a fan, one of our jobs in the stands is to disrupt the play calling in the huddle by the visiting QB by being VERY LOUD - we're the "12th Man," so to speak. Imagine being on the field of a very loud stadium like Arrowhead or The Clink (Seattle) when the crowd is in it and trying to hear your QB tell you one of these calls.
I love that, I’ve seen that in a few college football clips!
It’s good you guys watched this to get a better understanding of how staggeringly difficult this position is to play.
I couldn’t figure this word salad out in a hundred years in a library, never mind on the run in pads tying to find one open guy in a sea of super athletes.
So in the movie *Draft Day* -- which as a Browns fan I wanted to like -- Denis Leary's character tries to use this form of language against Jennifer Garner as a means to differentiate the responsibilities of football people, but in a fail way. The language being the difference between in and out group individual types.
There was a video I watched like this that did explain what the terminology was meant to convey. (I don't remember if it was an NFL Films one or from a creator) But the reason the calls are so long and complex is because every part of it is there to explain to EVERY member of the Offense what they are suppose to do. (Remember the only have 40s to snap the play off from the previous one) One part would be the protection (O-line), another who the motion man is and what the motion is (Like what P. Manning said about Z), run or pass (and what routes or blocks the receiving group are to do). So a simple run up the middle might just contain a formation (ex. I-formation), blocking scheme/where the run is going, and ... that might be it, two parts. Where as a passing play there could be a lot of moving parts. (formation group -> specific formation -> protection -> receiver routes -> motions) As well as even more extras added on the end to communicate to the other players a change or wrinkle. (Running back moves from running a route to a chip blocker, or a receivers normal scripted route changes to attack a defensive adjustments, ect.) It's all complicated but it is there for a reason even if I also just hear gobbledeegook!
I should also add/emphasize is that the terminology is specific. So Jon Gruden's infamous, and hilarious infatuation with "Spider" and "Banana" are referring to something specific. So, "Spider" or "Banana" would be something like, I don't know, a specific formation to line up in. Or a specific protection scheme. Or a specific run, or passing concept or whatever. It means what it is meant to mean (wow I just wrote that). Remember they only have 40s between plays to: evaluate the previous play, adjust to the defense, decide a next play, COMMUNICATE that play the players on the field AND substitute the necessary players for that play, line up and snap the ball. All in 40s, or a Delay of Game penalty will be called against them (but I knew you guys knew that already 😉)
In college football some teams hold up cardboard with different pictures on them to call plays while on the sideline, it makes no sense, but some signs are hilarious
There are videos of coaches explaining single plays and breaking down the terminology. I can specifically remember Gruden breaking down his "banana spider" play. maybe that is something to actually see how a play is built
You should watch Grudens QB camps. He brings in college QB that are projected to be picked in the draft and picks their brains. He’ll ask them to draw plays and it gives you a different perspective of his a coach and QB brain works
Yes. Those videos are great. Gives good insight on exactly how good players think in order to make the plays they do. I don't know if it's NFL copyrighted though. That would be a problem. They don't like to share any content. Lol. Smh.
Add to all of this is the blocking assignments called out by the Center as well as the call out for specific Wide Receiver "route trees". The string of words simply communicates specific tacking or assignments. You guys are doing great!
I just watched all 6 videos in one sitting because they are so great! Love your channel! So glad I found you guys. [I even learned about a couple of misconceptions I had about penalties Lol] Can't wait to see your next "mastering American football" video. Keep it up guys!
Thank you, appreciate your support! Love that you’re enjoying the videos.
In some team’s offensive/defensive schemes, there is a “sentence structure” to all their play calls.
For instance, the first “command” is for the formation AND how the offensive line will adjust their protection-plan.
The second “command” is for the running backs and their routes or additional protection-plan- if they will become extra blockers or go out for a pass.
The last “command” of the “sentence structure” will be for all the receivers and what routes they run.
I played and watched football and those playcalls are foreign to me. theres some words that are universal in meaning that i understood but idk wtf they were calling. So dont feel bad or overwhelmed. And im 43. Nice reaction. And put “best toe tap catches” on your lists. You ll get to see some of the graceful plays that rely on the QB and WR nonverbal communication
And in the last Super Bowl, we get the now infamous Andy Reid "Corndog" and from KC's first SB, "23 Jet Chip Wasp".. ... In short, though, whatever terminology a team uses, the play call sets the formation, the offensive line protection, motions and routes of the eligible receivers and running backs.
"43 thundercat romeo zero blast 76 gladiator nut-punch beef stew"
Translation: luv your channel guys and keep the vids comin'.
😂😂 Thank you Danny, love the support!
That was a very young Peyton Manning. He’s pretty famous for calling out “Omaha”. I remember one season with my college team where guys on the sideline would hold up different paintings to the players on the field. I’m assuming they represented specific plays. Teams get pretty creative when it comes to keeping the other team guessing.
Omaha means the play clock is running out, all shifts and motions are off, line up in the final formation and run the play.
Spider 2 Y Banana is a famous Jon Gruden play. He was a great coach and TV personality who ruined his reputation by coming back to the league to coach again
This is just a fun aspect of the game. In truth, no one (not on the team) can know the meaning of more than a few calls. Every team as a different language, every coach a different language, and every scheme a different language and it's constantly evolving. I think all this video is teaching us is, that all those seemly random words they say in the huddle or at the line really does have significance.
One other important fact -- other than the quarterback, most players only need parts of the call. A tackle doesn't need to know what route a receiver is running or who's going in motion, they need to know what the snap count and formation is and what their blocking assignment is. A slot receiver needs to know their route, but not the running back's blocking assignment. So if you're a tight end, you're only listening to the parts of the call that are formation, snap count, blocking assignment, and your route -- which may be 1/5th of what's actually said.
Yeah if you pay attention to the huddles during games you’ll often see people (usually the wr’s) peel out of the huddle before the qb is done spitting out the play call. For wide receivers especially, once they know their assignment hey can just get in position. They don’t even need the snap count since they can just watch the ball.
You have to know the playbook for any of these terms to me anything. I played strong side linebacker (the backer on the tightend side ) often it’s called the “SAM” backer. The “S” signifies strong side. In play calls terms systems will have trigger terms starting with S that will specify I am doing a blitz or whatever the play demands. So a term “ Samurai” or Something like “Stab” will mean two different things for a strong side backer and the players will need to know that play demands. Offensive play books are much more wordy then defensive play calls but the same remains. Key terms mean certain things for certain players.
Every team has a specific playbook and the play calling goes along with it, and not to mention, it could change year to year. The best example of trying to figure out what these call outs mean is when Steve Mariucci gets to sit down with the individual QB draft prospects to see how they handle play calling, play recognizing, and play recalling. Example: Steve talks with Jared Goff before he gets drafted into the NFL - th-cam.com/video/PESL-gRb_es/w-d-xo.html
When Chip Kelly was coaching at Univ of Oregon instead of signaling or calling in plays they flashed up boards with multiple pictures representing the different portions of a play.
This video didn't do anything to clarify things. Each team has their own terms for the same plays. The play calls have instructions for each group on the offense. The basic play, the formation, the motion pre snap, the blocking scheme, and snap count. Everyone pays attention to their particular part of the play call, and does their job.
something u guys should notice during a game is when the offense huddles to call the play, there is usually a steady tempo before the snap, using up as much clock as possible OR trying to save clock. BUT sometimes they will hurry up- with no huddle randomly, or do a huddle-break- where they get to the line quickly and snap the ball as soon as they touch it. they will do this on weird 2nd and longs, or even act like they are doing a huddle break but instead freeze and try to get the D to jump. then of course u'll see a qb try to fake a snap and get a jump. tempo of play calling really fooks defenses up. u can even stunt a corner out off the line with a weird timed snap and get a wide open receiver. the rams are famous for off-tempo play calling. i think oregon went a whole season without huddling once... kentucky is getting good at the huddle break, and gods like drew brees could get a line to jump by just changing his voice.
You are correct you don't need to know this. In fact even if you did, you wouldn't in a year or 2.
Each team uses different words for the same thing to keep it code so they other team can't pick up on it. The same team will change words over time because players go to other teams etc.
An example of a call:
"Red diamond 22 motion jet"
Red = formation
diamond = the actual play
22 = offensive line blocking plan/responsibilities
motion = timing trigger (sending someone in motion in this case)
jet = when the ball will be snapped
To use this in a spoken form I might say. Hey lets run "Diamond" from the "Red" formation. The defense has been blitzing so lets use offensive lineman blocking plan "22", because the running back chips the edge in that protection scheme. To find out if they are in man or zone lets send a guy in "motion" to see who picks him up. Lets snap the ball on 3 (in this case jet has 3 letters) the 3rd word the QB says after motion gets the ball hiked. So at the line the QB can do whatever, till he signals for the motion to start, then the 3rd word he says the play starts. Usually you pick 3 words and try to change it up to make defense think something else, but could be any 3 words like Banana, Sasquatch, London.
I'm sure there are exceptions but almost universally the play call is, 1 Formation, 2 play call (everyone needs to listen to the first 2), 3 blocking scheme (generally just linemen, TE, and RB), 4 shifts/motions (generally WR/TE/RB), and 5 cadence (everyone again).
At the NFL level they add more stuff for specific players. For example in the video they said zebra, which is the Z receiver. whatever is after zebra is specific to that person as an example "zebra daffodil". Daffodil might mean if they are playing man run long, if they are playing zone go short, if you get bumped on the line in press coverage curl out blah blah if thens. This gets the receiver and QB on the same page. You can further that by saying Daffodil right, meaning all those breaks etc, break to the right.
So they may say "Red diamond 22 motion jet, zebra daffodil right"
Congratulations boys! you now know the names of more plays than 98% of Americans do. I don’t think that there is a single NFL fan beyond someone who’s actually played the game who has ever taken the time to try to learn in NFL play call. You might commit a few to memory if your team runs it over and over and over again and you keep hearing your teams quarterback repeat it over and over and over again, but that’s about the extent of it.
The customized terminology doesn't matter for the fans. But knowing the types of plays can help enjoy the game more if you are the analytic type of person. The legendary John Madden being a former coach turned TV play-by-play analyst is so good at translating what just transpired in the field after the play.
If you can learn the wide reciever route tree, it would be a good foundation. But most of the time, the WRs go out of the TV frame, so you really can't see what route they did until they show the replay.
I think i was one of the people that asked for this awhile ago i think its just cool because it shows how complicated play calls are in the nfl
When one first comes to football ,the impression is that it's just a bunch of huge guys slamming into each other .As you really get into it you find out that it is by far the most mental and intellectual of all team sports . It's a lot like a chess game with different plays being called to attack whatever defense the coach thinks the defense will be on that play and the defense setting up to stop whatever offensive play their coach thinks the offense will run . Big plays are just as likely to result from mental prowess or the lack thereof as they are from physical prowess or the lack thereof .
You dont really need to know the actual language, sometimes its fun to try to figure out what they say. For example when you think you hear the QB say 'I'm a lady!" Very entertaining. 😂
As my coach used to say, "About clear as mud right now, hop on the line and run it. It'll come to ya." Lol even the most experienced fans don't know what is happening when they hear a play call because of how specific the terminology is to each team. What would be easier for y'all would be to understand schemes and concepts on offense and defense because that is what the different terminology for each team derives from. So if you see that concept or scheme on the field you recognize the play itself and are not confused by the terminology each team uses.
I don't think this is wasted time for you. For one thing, it was fun watching you react. For the other'n, you now know this play complexity exists. That doesn't translate directly to understanding, but as you build your comprehension of the mechanics of plays, what counters what and why, it'll all start coming together for you.
whoever suggested this video just wanted to see your faces when you thought "what in the fuuuuuck" as soon as you heard the first play call lmao maybe 2% of people actually understand wtf they are talking about and that's because they used to play or they are coaches themselves. Watch Peyton Manning breaking down film with graphics and it'll make more sense
The good news is that fandom really doesn't require you to know any of this. It's important on the field, because you're essentially telling each player what to do -- setting the formation, setting the blocking, setting the routes. But fans will almost never need to know the terminology in the calls -- it's only something you need if you're on the field. (And even then, if you're in anything below high college/elite high school level, your calls will be much simpler and more straightforward.)
This should be fun hehe
edit: lol the looks of confusion were what was expected!
and no, learning any of this terminology is not important for the fans, but is for the players
I think one important thing about this is that it highlights the fact that football players are not just "dumb jocks" as so many people think they are
Great reaction. You quickly picked up how changing teams can effect you in terms of picking up the terminology. You should also keep in mind that there is a lot of turn over in the coaching ranks. I forget the specific quarterback, but one promising QB came out of college and took 7 or 8 years to seem to find their stride. In an interview they pointed out that in their first 6 years in the league between changing teams and changes in the coaching staff that they had worked with 6 different OCs and thus has to learn new terminology or a new system every year.
Alex Smith is the player
Alex Smith did something like that. He had a new OC 6 out of 7 years.
Stuff like that is how Jalen Hurts probably fell to the second round. Having a different OC every season since high school could not have been healthy for his development. First time he had the same coordinator in back to back years, he helps take the team to the SB (of course, the team itself was pretty stacked). Now he's back to a new OC, though since it's an internal promotion, hopefully it's the same language.
Still, the more people who haven't played learn about the game, the more you appreciate just how much a good QB has going on between the ears. I can't imagine the processing power their brain has to see a Cover 2 shell pre-snap, only for the safeties to rotate post-snap, realize it's Cover 3, and instantly have to re-evaluate who's open and who in the route concepts fit the soft spots of the zones.. in the two seconds before the DL reaches them. It's insane.
The key takeaway is that every team has a coded method of communicating the play and important parts are: what play, what formation, who's getting the ball for a run (and blocking assignments), what pass routes to run for passers, and what the snap count is.
I understand a little of this.
There was one point where a coach was talking to a player, but he corrected himself for the cameras: "the problem with this is if a backer times up an a d... an a gap blitz, he can get through and put the back in a bind." What he was about to say is "an A dog" -- in football speak a blitzer is always a dog. There are green dogs, red dogs, strong and weak dogs, A & B dogs, and some others I'm sure I'm forgetting. The A gap is the gap between the center and the guards. So he's basically talking about a play where half the protection splits off to block for a runner, and that if it's anticipated the runner can get caught from behind.
From a fan's perspective, you want to watch and listen for two things: 1) a synonym for hurry -- sometimes it's the word hurry itself: it means that the players are in a double count, meaning they're waiting for a quarterback to say or do something the second time before they snap the ball. "Speed", "Hurry" etc. means don't bother, the play is coming on the first signal. Means the quarterback likes how the defense looks (or they're running out of time). The opposite is "slow" or "wait", or "woah". Usually the QB has already signalled once, but now he wants to change the play, which is going to require walking around a bit to communicate to the different players. Now you need to listen to what he's saying -- if he says a word to the entire offense with an "r" in it, like "jaguar, jaguar", it's pre-set running play to the right, and if the word has an "l" in it, it's to the left. Usually.
2) when the quarterback points and calls a defensive player's number. He's resetting the protection at the line. And that's way too complicated to get into in a short post.
The bottom line is that it's obscure by design, otherwise the defensive players could just keep their ears open and know exactly what's coming. 90% of the time it's key phrases that refer to a detailed play that they've practiced when no one's watching. Most American Football fans don't know it either, it just adds color. So when you first started and were laughing and going "did he say banana?", you were already in the proper spirit.
Just imagine last year when Christian McCaffrey changed teams in the middle of the season. Everyone was amazed at how well he did in the first game with the 49ers.
But I think for you guys the importance of this video is so you know when you hear this in the future, you understand the coach is talking about specific plays to execute.
Peyton Manning demonstrated a crazy play call during the Manning Cast, I think this past season, In order explain how wordy plays could be. The 49ers even ran the call that they were demonstrating at the time. The calls usually don’t come through on the tv broadcasts and they are changed constantly so even hearing the play call would be useless. The next week the terminology could mean something different.
Please keep going on nfl content I’ll watch them all
"He's just saying words." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This video was great! Oh man! I was cracking up.
It's designed so that defence doesn't know what they are going to do. So it changes week to week as well even with the same team. If you aren't in the offensive meeting rooms for that team, you aren't supposed to be able to understand it.😂
The playbook changes weekly to adjust to whatever opponent you are playing (separate books for offense and defense). At the college level, a 100-150 page playbook/scouting report each week is common. At the Pro level it is likely double this. For this reason, players must have an above average aptitude to play. Someone with great athletic ability yet struggles retaining the weekly playbook may not make the team.
It usually goes something like this on offense:
1. The first phrase describes the formation: "Trips Right, Split Left" Three receivers on the right, a split receiver on the left.
2. The second phrase might describe something that happens with the formation: "Z motion left." One of the receivers goes in motion to the left.
3. The third phrase usually is the actual play: "23 Trap." A handoff play to a back in the 3 hole between the tackle and the guard.
4. The fourth phrase might be the count when the ball will be snapped.. "On 2"
"Trips right split left z motion left 23 trap on 2"
On defense, it's simpler. Maybe something like this:
1. Formation: "43." Four down lineman, 3 linebackers.
2. What happens with the formation: "Fire will, strong twist." Weak side linebacker blitzes, two lineman on the strong side twist around each other when rushing.
3. Defensive backfield coverage: "2."
"43 fire will, strong twist 2."
I’m just as baffled as you guys. Holy cow, didn’t know it was that complicated.
💯😅
It's almost like a math equation like y=mx+b.
Teams theoretically have thousands of plays in the playbook and one tiny language change means a run play to the left rather than the right, but everything else stays exactly the same in the language
Often times when you change teams it's not really the plays you're learning, it's often the language. One teams playbook may call a run to the right side "rodeo" but on another team it might be "Rome" and then on another team it may not even use an R word to say the play is going right, or the word is meant to be a deception and something else in the code says where the play is going
Baseball also has coaches sending signs to runners on base, and that is wildly complicated too
I was a lineman, for our run plays the first 2 digits showed where the play was going and who was getting the ball and the next part outlines the play.
So a 24 counter means we're running a "counter" run, where the runner fakes going one way along w/ the linemen, and then takes the ball the other way as one or two of the linemen "pull" from the blindside to the playside and open up lanes for the rusher.
2 means it's the Running Back getting the ball
4 means it's going to the "4 hole"- so the center is 0, odd numbers = left, even = right. so the gap between center and right guard =2, gap between RG and Right Tackle = 4, so that's where the "hole" is designed to open up.
For us the first couple of words would show the formation as well
The languages are different team-to-team, but the concepts are often the same and most American/Canadian football players have been familiar with those concepts since their teens. You just have to know what you're called in the offense and listen for your explicit instructions. You don't necessarily have to know what everyone else is doing, but it's helpful and you'll often find that the teams where everyone knows what everyone else is doing operate like a fine-tuned machine.
NFL is very much a cookie cutter league. Player turnover is so fast that there isn't enough personnel continuity to have a very developed offense. College offenses are far more complicated than NFL.
another great video, guys! I've been watching the NFL for over 20 years (it wasn't until I was like 10 that I started getting into it), and one of my favorite things is hearing these long ass play names lol. For this kind of thing, I highly recommend watching film breakdown of a game or a play or two. They are really good at explaining and showing the play on the field so we understand what the hell is going on lol.
I'm no expert, and a lot of it still confuses me, but as far as I understand, plays are designed pretty much the same for every team, but each team has their own verbiage in order to not let the other team know what they're running. I believe it's usually broken up into the formation, the way the offensive line is supposed to protect, and then either which routes the receivers are running or which way the running back is gonna go. One thing I love about Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid's play calls is that he has simple and honestly pretty silly named plays. One of the plays we used to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Eagles was simply called "Corndog Right." Other ones he's had that I liked are "Hungry Pig" and "Bloated Tebow."
I've got a link to a 40 some odd second TH-cam clip of a play the Chiefs ran in Super Bowl 54 against the 49ers that is now legendary among Chiefs fans. I think, including the formation (I could be a bit off), the full play was called in the clip was something like Gun Trey Right, 3 Jet Chip, Wasp Y Funnel. Gun Trips Left is the formation (Shotgun formation where the QB starts a few yards behind the center instead of directly on top of him and I believe "Trey" refers to 3 receivers on one side and 1 receiver on the other. Trey Right meant we had one receiver on the right side. That's my understanding of "Trey"). 2 (or 3) Jet Chip is how the protection is set up. 2 or 3 means whether the line will block to the left or right (or vice-versa, I can't remember which direction is which number), Jet is how the Offensive line will block, and Chip means that either the TE or the RB will basically bump into a pass rusher before running their route to slow them down just a tick. And then finally, Wasp is the route combination the Wide Receiver are running, and the "Y" is usually the tight end. Again, with Andy Reid, they just refer to the play as Wasp. Patrick Mahomes just has to say all the other stuff so that way everyone know exactly what they're supposed to do.
NFL lingo is designed to be confusing for literally everyone except for the coaches and players on that team, and it can change on a week to week basis. That's why they spend months in the offseason studying and learning the playbook. When one player goes to a different team, they'll usually say "the concepts we run are similar to my old team, but what we call them is different and that's what I need to get my head around. If my not super great explanation didn't help, it's not your fault. I love when coaches say super long complicated play names, but I can't remember hardly any of them lol.
Here's what Wasp looks like in full action. th-cam.com/video/BD-OkjHvuGM/w-d-xo.html
This is why QB is the hardest position to play as they need to know all of the meanings. Usually, other positions just need to listen for a cue word/letter for their position which indicates the word/letter or two afterward is their assignment on the play.
I wished they had explained in the video that in the huddle, the only person with the encyclopedia-like football vocabulary is the quarterback, and that the rest of the players need to only hear the fragment of the play that pertains to them.
Example: "P.P. Y-Edge Zip-4-Sluggo, X-1-off-Arrow-H-Scrape-Hot" Breaks down this way: 'P.P' is blocking assignment for the offensive line (pass protection) Y-Edge (Tight end lines up on the side of the line he thinks is most exposed to a rush around the ends by defense), Zip-4-Sluggo (the wide receiver on right side lines up at the '4' position - which is just on the inside of the numbers painted on the field, then Zip' sends him in motion to the other side, then his route 'Sluggo', which is a 'slant' across the field, followed by a cut to 'Go' - which is straight down the field), and so on ('X' receiver runs an 'Arrow' route - which is quickly in, then reverses toward the sideline, and the 'H' running back 'scrapes' - popping any defensive player getting near the quarterback, followed by 'hot' - a spot of open field he can quickly find as a last resort for a quick pass by the quarterback.)
On the subject of switching teams and learning a new playbook--this past season, Baker Mayfield (QB) joined the LA Rams during the middle of the season, and within 36 hours he had memorized the playbook and was playing in a prime time game for the Rams......AND they won! NO ONE EVER memorizes a playbook that fast, he did that AND won a game!
Yep, those behind the curtain details that no one is aware of. Those details at times explains bad games or blatant errors on the field. A cat may have partied too hard night before and didn't work on specific game plan schemes/plays/adjustments.
These plays tell every player what they have to do, "scat" could be a certain block /run/pass assignment. Most likely all of the above. Those crazy play calls tell everyone at different positions what their job is on the play.
i suggest you watch a video explaining route trees.. these are the different routes that recievers are typically asked to run for certain plays.. and yes, often these routes are combined.. for example, a sluggo route that is mentioned a few times in this video is a combination of a slant route (receiver running at a 45 degree angle toward the middle of the field), followed by a go route (reciever running vertically down the field).. the routes on the tree are labeled by both a number, and also a name.. the play calls then use the coach's preferred lingo for these basic routes/combinations.. receivers are typically identified by a letter (X, Y, Z, etc.) additionally, the play call will include protection designations to counter the defense getting to the quarterback, typically one or more possible adjustments that can be made with a one word call to counter defensive maneuvers, etc.. typically all of this is said in the huddle, and not audible to tv audience.. most of what you hear qb saying at the line of scrimmage is either making the above mentioned adjustments, confirming blocking assignments, etc.. for example "Red 42", may be something like... qb sees that two players appear to be unblocked and primed to hit him. (lets say numbers 55 and 42).. "Red 42" is telling the running back that he needs to block 42, and in this case, the qb would be responsible for avoiding 55
They didn't truly translate anything in the video because the language is different for each team and often changes week-to-week so their opponents can't watch film and figure it out ahead of time. Some things are somewhat universal for audibles at the line of scrimmage. "R" words/names typically indicate that the quarterback is changing the play to a run when they were originally planning a passing play. You'll often hear quarterbacks say "## Mike" which calls out the linebacker on defense that looks to be set up as the middle of three; this helps the lineman figure out their blocking assignments for potential blitzes.
A lot of people who don't watch a lot of football or are new to the game don't realize how complicated it can be. They just think it's basic, but it's just like playing chess or like military strategy.
One of the more impressive feats this past seasons was Baker Mayfield's (Quarterback) performance with the Los Angeles Rams vs the Las Vegas Raiders. He was let go (waived) mid-season by the Carolina Panthers on a Monday, then signed by the Rams on that Tuesday. He suited up for the Rams on Thursday and came into the game the second series of plays for the Rams and played the rest of the game. It took a a few bone head plays by the Raiders and some excellent plays by the Rams that resulted in the Rams winning the game. I highly recommend watching the last drive highlights (th-cam.com/video/LWS-T67bx-4/w-d-xo.html). It was impressive to see him with a new team running plays after only about a day and a half with the Rams.
Mayfield had been demoted to 3rd string with the Panthers, so he asked to be released. Many believing this might be the end of his career. He recently signed with Tampa Bay.
The play call is just the beginning LMAO! Now the QB has to get everyone lined up, and figure out what the defense is doing, call his audibles and line adjustments and usually only has about 15 seconds to do all of that. THEN he has about 1-4 seconds to successfully get a pass to a wide receiver while he has 300 pound linemen trying to kill him lol. QB is one of.. if not the hardest position in sports. You have to be a brave man to play that position
😂😅😂 plays checks and adjustments really are a different language for every team. The same goes for defense too. Not quite as extensive
Great comment from Robert Dedrick, below. As fans, we know the basic generic terminology for many plays--counter (run play), trap, screen, post (pass), hook (used to be "button hook"), flea flicker, etc., but the actual plays called by the QB in the huddle provides the exact pieces of information for the categories provided by Robert D, below and each player knows his assignments--and as you might guess a "blown assignment" can result in anything from a failed play to a disaster such as an interception taken back for a TD by the defense (this might happen if the receiver runs the wrong route and the pass is a timing play in which the QB at exact timing throws the ball to where the received is supposed to be, but instead a defender is sitting there--this is also why, BTW, it is difficult to know who is to blame for those kinds of plays since we don't frequently know who screwed up--the receiver, the QB, the O-line blocking or parts of all three--or , that the defended just made a great play by reading and anticipating the play---i.e., see TROY POLAMALU, ED REED). Sorry for the long post!
Usually each word is for a specific group of players. So like the o line has to pay attention to maybe the first word to know their instructions then the receivers listen to the second word to know their instructions etc. So certain players just listen for like one word instead of every player responding individually to a whole sentence
I remember my favorite play was zombie in middle school when I heard zombie I was on a go route as a tightend 😂😂
How to Read a Defense/ A Guide to the Basics of Football Coverages. By X's and Noles.
A QB must be able to identify what coverage a Def is in so he can throw to the right reciever.
Def rotates Coverages to confuse QBs .
Even in High school we only has 20 play, and we still confused.
Whoever recommended this video had to have been playing an April fools prank on you lol.
I think the person that wanted you to see this wanted you to see the mental demands that often go totally unnoticed.
Honestly when football comes back you guys should live stream games. Be a lot of fun watching with yas!!
The playbook and play calls are considered “top secret”
The analogy I use for the NFL is that it is essentially a mix of gladiatorial combat with high level chess.
LOL "Did anyone understand that?" - LOL. I played for many years. I was a WR 1st, so I listen to the play and the part that applies to me I learn. I do not need to know if the Guard has "Gap" responsibility first or "on" responsibility first. The OL listens to the part that applies to them, they do not care if I run a Post or a Flag or an "In" or and "out" or a "fly" - well maybe in that it would be a pass block or a run block or how long they hold the block before they go downfield, Etc. The QB has to know it all and it sounds complicated. When I moved from WR to TE, I didn't even know what they were talking about when they said I had "Gap, On, Backer" in the playbook. It now is easy, My 1st responsibility is to block whoever is in the gap 1st. if no-one is there, then the man on me and again if no-one is there, I take on the closest Line Backer. It's not nearly that complicated, but also not nec to learn it all unless you plan on playing for that team. Even then you only learn the part that applies to you (unless your are the QB, then Good Luck). I think you need to learn basics the TV Announcers would use like what is a "post" or a "Flag" or a "Go" or a "Hook and Ladder" or a "Flee Flicker" or a "Hail Merry", etc., etc. Maybe learn the gaps and some basic receiver patterns maybe a few Running calls like a Draw vs a fold, vs a counter, etc.
Each play has a few basic components, and gets communicated either in the huddle, or on the line right as the play is about to start.
Let's get in the huddle and make an imaginary play from my imaginary playbook. Let's assume that we have 3 receivers that our playbook calls the X,Y, and Z receivers:
"Trips right yankee spider zebra yippy X Option on two"
1) Formation (how you line up before the snap)
- "Trips Right" means a formation where there will be three receivers on the right side
2) Motion (how players move before the snap)
- "Yankee" means the "Y" receiver lines up right, and then switches to the left side before the snap. This will help the QB read how the defense reacts to the movement to see if they are playing a zone defense or a man-to-man defense
3) Protection (the blocking scheme for the lineman)
"Spider" is derived from SPR , or Slide Protection Right side, so the lineman will block in a horizontal motion to the right
4) Routes (How the receivers will run)
"Zebra, Yippy, X option" means that the "Z" receiver will rub the defensive back on the line, the Y receiver will run a short sideways route, and the X will have the option do one of two routes depending on how the defense reacts to him.
5) Snap Count (When we will snap the ball)
"On Two" means they will say the key word to snap the ball "GO!", but nobody will move. The QB wants to see what the defense does, or maybe just to keep them on their toes so that they can't anticipate the snap count. The play will be begin the second time the QB says "GO!"
Now you have the play, you are on the line, and you are ready to run the play. If the QB wants to make an adjustment, for example, they see a favorable defensive matchup if one of their receivers runs a different route, they may call an "audible" and yell a codeword "Omaha!", or send a signal (closed fist) to one of his receivers to change their route from a long slant, to a short curl.
Yeah, this isn't important to learn because each team uses their own words to describe similar plays. It's just a means for teams to talk out loud without the other team being able to immediately know what they are calling.
basically the quarterback is the brains of the team like a general and must know all plays any play that the coach calls.
What makes it more confusing is that the terminology will vary from team to team and from year to year. However, certain words and names will mean the same thing. X, Y, Z refer to specific skill players. Also, certain rout types like Go (run deep), Sluggo (Slant and Go, start with a slant then go deep), and Banana (the route looks like a banana [slant to the inside, run straight back, slant to the outside).
There’s an expression in America: “inside baseball”. This video is very… inside baseball… even though… well, you get the point.
I played football at a low level college and even there the playbooks can be hundreds of pages for both offense and defense. At the NFL level if is far more complex than college because of the team specific game plans that coaches create week to week just keep expanding over time. However in a given week teams usually focus on specific group of 100-150 possible plays they think will be most effective against the upcoming opponent and really work on making sure everyone is up to speed on those specifics.
Often when a new coach is hired and brings his playbook they reduce it down during the first season so as not to overwhelm the players and then keep expanding it the longer they are there. New coaches who came from another NFL team the prior year will also usually try to sign a few players from their previous team who can also help players on the team get up to speed faster by explaining things to other on the field, both in practices and in games.
Notice how some of the coaches or play callers will cover their mouths when calling the play? That's because both Intel (spying) and Counter Intel (preventing spies) are a huge part of game day. In the stadium across from the coach's bench, in the stands, there's probably one or more lip readers with binoculars watching the coach to try to decipher his play call, and radio to repeat it to the other team, which then transmits it directly to the defensive players on the field.
And that's why coaches or play callers cover their mouths.
As an American football fan for 20+ years this stuff still hurts my head
the problem with football is : every team can run the same exact play but they all will call it different names...
thats why the sundance cheeseburger play wasnt shown lol
formation :
shotgun 5 wide receivers ( 3 on left side of formation , 2 on right side )
wide receiver routes from left to right :
far left receiver route : streak / fade / "9"
next receiver : slant
next receiver : 5 yrd out
next receiver ( slot receiver on right side of formation ) : curl / post curl
last receiver ( out side receiver on far right side of formation ) : post corner
name of play could literally be called ANYTHING lol
example : gun 5 left , salad , fade. ( then at the end of calling the play the qb calls the snap count ) " on 2 , on 2 " .( break )
^ that same formation and play for a different team will have a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NAME .
example : gun trips left , scatter , corner etc etc
( in highschool etc they usually keep the play calls simpler )
example : ( each route has a number system )
1-9 then specialty route will have a name . like scroll or post curl , dig etc
so the play call is a lot simplified ...
example : ( call the routes from left to right like reading a book ) empty , trips left , 9 , 1 , 3 , 4 , 8 ( depending on what the numbers correlate to what route etc )
Every team has its own terms, so all of this x32 teams... and each team averages around 4,000 to 6,000 plays on their playbook... you can imagine the nightmare it is, to be trades to another team and having to re-learn it all again.
Some systems have a hybrid of using numbers and letters and then use words for the letters. Some are all numbers indicating types of routes for wide relievers. A certain number will indicate run or pass and then a number for a player getting the ball and the assigned gap. Even numbers are the gaps on the right and odds are for the left side gaps. And this one of those most simple systems.
It's crazy especially because a lot of players have to deal with playbook changes every season
You may be hearing an audible. A coach will give a set play and then allow the qb to change it. There are ways a qb can change the play. The audible is one. Another is the qb lifts his leg and brings it down. That's let a receiver know to move to the other side of the field. If the qb sees the defender follws the receiver, then the qb knows it's man to man coverage vice zone coverage in which defensive player covers only a portion of the field.
They are not going to call a play then show you a play because a offensive system takes years to build. These coaches have been working on their play book since they started football, so they are TOP SECRET.
I remember my high school we had a couple plays with ridiculously long names and here’s one of our relatively simple ones and it was called gun bunch Reno, Z flare X option Zulu which all it was our formation bunch Reno means RPO to right side Z receiver runs a quick out route, and then the X receiver runs a option route and Zulu mean zone left and that was one of our quick place that we have just say whenever we didn’t have a lot of time or just a quick simple play to get yards .
At 5:30 the coach is talking about a weak side linebacker blitzing down the middle and how the running back would need to block him. That kind of terminology is more important to know than play calling. For identifying linebackers they usually say will, Mike, sam... for weak middle and strong. The gaps would be good to learn. Most of that stuff is universal, where a lot of play terminology changes from team to team.
Y’all should see hand signals like I had in high school 🤣
All the different cadences and verbiage is different across teams and plays. A larger part of being a QB is to memorize this and effectively communicate it to the offense, especially if they need to change the play on the fly.
-Yes not having your plays instantly deciphered by the other team is the point of the "code speak".
-The code intentionally sounds like gibberish, but there is a method to the madness. They will use words that start with the correct letter to indicate the instructions for that player. Xylophone could be a signal for the "X" receiver to run a certain route.
- I understand it but only because I played football.