February 17, 2025
NFL Coaching Language: What’s the Deal with It?
For decades, NFL coaches have been talking to certain players of their team in a particular language and/or code. For example, in the early days of football, coaches would use hand signals and/or less complicated verbal communication, which would be told to the quarterbacks before they’d run out to the huddle for the next play. However, in today’s game, they’re primarily delivered via radio communications and occasionally through hand signals. This has led to many questions about the language including: has the communication between players and coaches always been like this?? How long has it been being used? Why and how do they do this? And finally, what does the language mean?!
Well, the language may have originated as far back as the 1970’s, having been created by two assistant coaches for the New England Patriots, Ron Erhardt and Ray Perkins. It’s used as a way of indicating to the players what plays, formations, and routes to run on a specific drive, and it was delivered in ways that prevented the opposing team from finding out what play was going to be run next. Since then, this practice has (for the most part) stayed the same. The only major changes to occur happened in 1994 when the terminology became more modernized, communication methods advanced with the use of radio headset communication systems, and the overall complexity of the calls became much more difficult.
For example, in the New Orleans Saints modern play call “Hop to Gun Kings Trips Right Tear 52 Sway All Go Special X-Shallow Cross H-Wide,” the “Hop to Gun King Trips Right” indicates the lineup formation. The “Tear 52 Sway” indicates the protection scheme, or whether or not the running back will need to protect the quarterback. The “All Go Sport” is the play time or otherwise tells whether the play will be a “run” or “pass” play. Finally, the “X-Shallow Cross H-Wide” will indicate the receiver’s routes and the “cadence,” or otherwise when the ball will be snapped to the quarterback. Also, when a quarterback shouts out something like “Blue 42!” or “Green 18!” before the ball is snapped, he is signaling to his offense that they are changing the play.
The play-calling language used by NFL head coaches has been around for as long as the game of football has, and it will likely only continue to evolve with the sport as time goes on.