DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum The Running game.

Based on his posts, I don't think he knows anything.

Okay, now that you bring it up, this isn't the case as much any more, but the cadence that you here the QB say on Sundays used to be very specific. Teams do all sorts of things to disguise them now, but they used to be very simple...

First the color in the cadence...

There is a second box that QB's look at. Generally that box starts behind the deepest LB and the width is generally between the outside legs of your two inside receivers. The QB simply looks at the number of safeties inside that box. Usually it's 0, 1, 2, or 3. This helps the QB narrow down the possible coverage combinations. Each of those 4 options is assigned a color. Red, Green, Blue, etc...

Next the number... This simply says how many guys are in the box we all know. The box between the tackles. 5 = 50, 8 = 80 etc...

So Red 80 would mean 0 safeties between the inside WR's and 8 guys in the box. That would mean that you most likely have man coverage on the outside without deep help in the middle.

Now Red 82, might signal the same thing, but also potential blitzer, a hot route, a blocking combination or an audible. Red 83, sames reads but another different response.

Sometimes A QB might make the read "Omaha". That just means that Chicken Parm is very tasty.

The line captain (usually the Center) will make his calls usually before the QB. If the line hears that the QB called something that moves the the FB or TE for example... they'll need to adjust for that.

This isn't taking into account reads of safeties cheating forward in the 2nd box (blitz)or CB's lining up inside WR's (Man) vs outside (zone) or many other things, but you can see even in this very simple scenario just getting the entire o-line on the same page every play is not easy. Add to that, that defenses try to disguise what they are doing by showing one thing and then adjusting right before the snap and it is amazing that o-lines respond as well as they do.

WOw that is cool stuff! - I have a dumb question - Since the the play is called in the huddle, how does that play into the cadence, then. What would the huddle play call be vs. the cadence? A continuation - a clarification - a change?

Unfortunately No, I'd like to say I was 4 inches and a half second away from being a College LB. The 4 inches being height and the half second being 40 time.

I should explain better since I really was trying to tie into what you were saying about run blocking.

In an inside ZBS, lets say a line call is an "ACE" combination block which would be a combo block between guard and center on a nosetackle. On whatever particular play it happens to be, if there are 8 men in the Box, the FB is expected to fill 1st level responsibility in the guard's area as primary before going to the 2nd level. The FB hears Red 80 from the QB and does his job in most cases, But what if the QB says Red 82 and the 82 is to signal the FB to motion to the other side away from the hole? The tackle on the play side might have had a drive step block before but has to change it to a slide step to fill that space at least temporarily in case one of those 8 men is run blitzing into that gap. The FB can't communicate with the line and they can't communicate with him. The tackles block on the side that the FB goes to is probably going to change as well and maybe even the guard's block on that side too. That's 3 or 4 blocks that changed off the call of the QB.

Let's say the QB calls Red 70. There are 8 men in the box, but the QB just said there were 7. Your FB can't communicate with the line. Some schemes may say forget what you think you see and go with whatever the QB says and others may say whatever you see in the box determines the play and forget what the QB says, but either way, everybody has to be thinking the same way and be on the same page. Now if it's Red 72 the line has to know okay the QB was wrong about the guys in the box, but is the FB going into motion? etc... It gets complicated very quickly and everybody has to figure out their assignments in seconds. It just amazes me that it is done so accurately so often.

Where did I pick up cadence calls? I really can't remember, it's been so long ago. I read a lot about different football schemes in general. That might actually have been Paul Brown's system because I have read a lot about him, but don't quote me on that.

Actually it can be all 3.

Normally you call the play and that is the play you are running. You adjust the play based on your reads from there.

Lets say you add a 5th color. Black. That could be used as the audible color. Black 83 could mean that "there are 8 guys in the box but run audible #3" or it could mean "check the box yourself and run audible #83"

There is also something called the package play that gets used in the NFL and College. That package could be 3 or 4 different plays some run and some pass.

When you line up, the QB makes his reads which determine which of those 3 or 4 plays you are running.

When did this turn into a locker room discussion?

Thanks. More I can look for when I watch. Informative!

No, only homer fans.

You're sharp tonight, Pit...