Audibles

Question
QUESTION: Hello Couch Louis!
I have a question about audibles...
Who audibles the QB to his players?
He says for instance "Silver 48", but how do they know which play that is?? I thinks it's impossible to give a play a number and a color....to make this with all plays, it seems impossible, 'cause you have to know all plays and if every play will ahve a number oder color or something else, you have to notice all, and thats pretty hard, I think...there has to be a system...
DO you know how that works??
ANSWER: Dear Markus,
Everybody uses their audible system differently. In some cases the coach might give his plays a color; I do not know what every coach抯 mind set is. However, this is the exception to the rule. In most cases, plays do not have a color assigned to them.

Each week every coach, around the country, picks a live color for the up coming football game. A live color signals his football team that they are about to call an audible.

Here is the way the system is used on the whole; the colors tell the football players whether the play is live or a fake. The numbers tell the players what the play is.

For example, the live color for the week might be "Red". Every time the quarterback says "Red everybody on his team knows that he is calling an audible. The number that follows the color 揜ed?tells the football players what the play is.

For example, the number 28 on a live play might mean, play number 28 or the 2-back runs into the 8-hole. Like I said, most systems are different.

All other colors used by the quarterback that week are known as fake colors or fake calls. Fake colors are used to keep the defense from guessing what the real plays are. This way you can call 揜ed 28? this week, and have it mean that you are going to run the 2-back into the 8-hole. Next week, the quarterback can make the same call and have it mean absolutely nothing. It is just another fake audible.

I hope I answered your question. If not, please let me know and I will do my best to help you.
Your friend, Coach Louis.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Couch Louis!
Thanks for you answer!
But now I have another question...
When they say "Red 28" and Red is their color, then the 2-back runs in the hole 8. But What if the QB say Green 28, what are they doing then? Then all of the players know they have to play a fake...but how should they play them?
But thanks again for your quick and very detail answer!!

Answer
Dear Markus,
It is nice to hear from you again. Let me try to answer your question.  

When the offense is in a no huddle situation, and the quarterback is calling non-live colors, the offensive players simply wait until the quarterback calls the live color, therefore, giving them the new play.

During the game, when the offense is using the huddle system, the quarterback can either change the play or keep the one called in the huddle. If he calls the live color, the players will run the new play. If he only calls non-live colors, then the offensive players will simply run the play that was called in the huddle.

I hope I answered your question. If not please let me know and I will do my best to help you out. Do not be shy ask as many questions as you need too. I am here to help you.

Your friend, Coach Louis.