In the NFL, the plays are called by coaches, not players. On offense it is usually the offensive coordinator or the head coach; on defense it is the defensive coordinator.
The chosen play is spoken through a one-way radio to a single player on each side, the one wearing a green dot on his helmet, who relays it to the rest of the team in the huddle.
That is the surprise for anyone new to the sport. The quarterback is running the play, but he rarely chose it.
The short answer: coordinators, and sometimes the head coach
Each side of the ball has a coach whose job is to call its plays. On offense that is the offensive coordinator, unless the head coach is an offensive specialist who keeps the duty for himself. On defense it is almost always the defensive coordinator. Special teams have their own coordinator for the kicking plays.
So on any given snap, one coach is choosing what the offense runs and, on the far sideline, another is choosing what the defense does to stop it. Everything else on the staff exists to prepare and support those two calls.
The coaching staff, from the top down
An NFL team carries a large coaching staff, but its shape is simple once you see the tiers:
- The head coach runs the whole operation, sets the game plan and hires the rest.
- Three coordinators each run one unit: offense, defense and special teams.
- The position coaches sit under them, one for each group of players: quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, the offensive line, the defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs.
The head coach usually rises through either offense or defense and stays closest to that side. An offensive-minded head coach often calls the offensive plays himself and leaves the defense to his coordinator, and a defensive-minded one tends to do the reverse.
How the call reaches the field
Once a coach picks a play, it has to travel from the sideline to the huddle in seconds, and it does so by radio.
One offensive player, almost always the quarterback, and one defensive player, usually a linebacker, wear a helmet with a speaker inside. A green dot on the back of the helmet marks who they are, so the officials can check that only one player per side is wired up. The coach speaks, the player listens and relays the call, and it is strictly one-way: the player cannot answer back. The system has been in quarterbacks’ helmets since 1994 and on defense since 2008.
The fifteen-second cut-off
Here is the rule that shapes the rhythm of every play. The coach’s voice is switched off with fifteen seconds left on the play clock, or the instant the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.
Someone hired by the league does nothing else on game day but flip that switch. Once it goes quiet, the player on the field is on his own to read what the other team is showing and to change the call if he has to. The league wants it that way, partly to stop a coach effectively playing the game by remote control, and partly so that a loud crowd still counts for something. The play clock they are racing is one of the game’s timing rules, which I cover in how the NFL play clock works.
When the radio fails
For all the technology, the backup plan is gloriously low-tech. When a helmet radio fails, and it does, teams fall back on hand signals, laminated wristbands, and coaches on the sideline holding up giant boards covered in random pictures. A player looks over, finds the agreed image, and knows the call.
It is a multi-billion-pound sport whose fail-safe is a coach waving a poster of a cartoon and a traffic cone. Each unit also keeps a backup player with a spare radio helmet, so if the main one leaves the field or his battery dies, the green dot simply moves to him.
Does the head coach call the plays?
Sometimes, not always, and it is one of the most-argued questions in the sport. A head coach who built his career on offense will often keep play-calling for himself, because it is the thing he does best. Others hand it to a coordinator and manage the bigger picture instead: the timeouts, the challenges, whether to gamble on fourth down, and keeping the team steady.
Neither choice is right or wrong. A head coach who calls plays has direct control but a very full plate; one who delegates trusts a specialist and keeps his own head up for the whole game. When a team is struggling, “should the head coach hand off play-calling?” is often the first question the fans ask.
To see what the play-caller is actually choosing between, the runs and passes on offense and the coverages and blitzes on defense, start with how the offense works and how the defense works, the other halves of how football is played.
Frequently asked questions
Who calls the plays in the NFL? Coaches call the plays, not players. On offense it is usually the offensive coordinator, or the head coach if he specialises in offense. On defense it is normally the defensive coordinator. The call is sent by radio to one player on each side, who relays it to the rest of the team.
What does an offensive coordinator do? The offensive coordinator designs the offensive game plan and, on most teams, calls the offensive plays during the game. He works under the head coach and above the offensive position coaches, and is responsible for how the team moves the ball and scores.
How does the quarterback know which play to run? A coach on the sideline speaks the play into a one-way radio in the quarterback’s helmet, marked by a green dot. The quarterback hears it and relays it in the huddle. The radio is cut off with fifteen seconds left on the play clock, so any last change is made by the quarterback at the line.
Does the head coach call the plays? Some do and some do not. Head coaches who specialise in offense often call the offensive plays themselves, while others hand play-calling to a coordinator and focus on managing the game. Both approaches are common, and teams switch between them.