Football Question
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A player was talking about being in practice, being trained to "run cadence". I can't find what that means in football.
All I know is military cadence. You know, like:
"Up in the morning right before dawn
Roll out of bed and put my jump boots on
Eat my breakfast too damn soon
Hungry as a hound dog by noonWent to the mess hall on my knees
“Mess Sergeant, Mess Sergeant feed me please!”
Mess Sergeant said with a big ol’ grin
“If you wanna be Airborne you gotta be thin.”How does running cadence apply in football?
Please and thank you.
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That makes perfect sense. You can see how certain players perform the same maneuvers exactly the same way each time. You can recognize Brady just by his body language when he throws. He probably learned to do it that way by throwing thousands of footballs the exact same way each time.
Thanks, Loki.
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Cadence in football is quarterback cadence. QB cadence is different for each team and besides shifts and "live" words, you have pre-reads, hard counts, long counts, non-rythmic counts and silent counts.
As an explanation:
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Center calls the huddle. QB calls the play in the huddle, with the snap count and the live word. If the QB calls out the live word, the play changes to the play called at the line of scrimmage. If he calls a non-live word, the play remains as the huddle call.
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Huddle breaks, and the offense settles into formation. The QB will call for a formation shift, if needed, and he then does his pre-reads (middle linebacker, safeties, defensive formation). At that time he'll decide whether to change the play and possibly reset the formation, using live or dead words. He then sets the line.
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After the line is set, the QB calls the snap count, the ball is hiked and the play begins.
As an example:
Gun Flex Right Stack 394 Dragon Smoke Kill Turbo Sucker Right. Thats the play Drew Brees would call in the huddle. The snap count will be a hard count, on three. Live color is Blue.
Here's what that means...
Gun Flex Right Stack: That's the formation. "Gun" means Brees is in the shotgun. "Flex" means the Y receiver is flexed out a little bit from the line of scrimmage. And "Stack" means the two receivers on Brees' left side are essentially stacked on top of each other in the slot.
394: That's the protection. The "3" signifies that it's a three-step drop, which Brees said tells the offensive line to be "quick and aggressive." And the "94" signifies a max protection, so everyone should be able to block long enough to at least get the ball off on a pass play.
Dragon Smoke: That's a route concept -- in this case a quick pass designed to beat a blitz. Payton said the receivers would know whether to run a "drag" route or a "smoke" route based on the look the defense is giving or the game situation. The routes are where these names usually get most creative -- like Moore's "speed smash" to the corner of the end zone in the Super Bowl. Or "Harvey" or "Hank" or "Henry" (variations that all signify a hook route).
Kill: That's the key to this play -- the word that signifies Brees is calling two possible plays in the huddle. If he yells, "Kill!, Kill!, Kill!" before the snap, he's switching to the second play (which he did on Ingram's touchdown run).
Turbo Sucker Right: That's the run play Brees switched to when he saw the defense giving the look he wanted. "Turbo" means the Z receiver went in motion from the left side to the right side. And "Sucker" means it's a misdirection play that looks like Brees might hand off to the Z receiver on a jet sweep as he comes across. Instead, Brees hands the ball to Ingram, who runs up the middle between the right guard and the right tackle.
As the team breaks the huddle and line up in formation, the QB calls out, "Ready, Kill! Kill! Kill! Blue 80! Blue 80! Set! Hut! Hut!! Hut!
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Thanks for this, Jolly. I was starting to grok a vague idea of the awesome amount of knowledge the QB has to carry in his head. This just amplifies it. These guys are amazing.
ETA: Imagine, the fans watching the game don't even get to appreciate any of this! Even if they had the level of understanding in your post, they can't hear any of it from the stands. Not to mention that the QB's decisions must occur at lightening speed. All the fans can see is the result.
I have so much respect for these guys.
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I admit, I gave you the most complicated play calling system in the NFL.
As you go back down the ladder, the calls get a lot simpler. Shifts may be non-existent on the line of scrimmage, and different plays may be run out of the same formation.
An example.. QB calls in the huddle, "Veer, 52 Right, on two". That's a 5 back, hitting the number 2 hole (guard-tackle gap, right side) on the second Hut!
The huddle breaks, the team lines up in a T-formation (what the veer is run from) with a tight end to the right side. The team knows for this half, red is the live run color, green is the live pass color. all live colors are snapped on one. The QB sees the right corner edging up for a run blitz and decides to throw a deep fly to the split end on the right side.
The QB calls, Down! Green 40 long! Green 40 long! (The play has been changed from a run to a pass. The 4 is the split end on the right side. The TE knows to protect and the play call lets the weak side SE know to run a slant, trying to get the safety to bite.) Set! Hut! The ball is snapped and play starts.
That was an example of my high school system, without any line calls to muddy the water.
Most high schools will have a playbook of three or four formations, with twenty or twenty five plays, with corresponding plays and formations for the weak side. Say, four formations, fifty plays.
A pro system will have over two hundred plays, with multiple formations and simultaneous reads by the flankers, linemen and the QB on any given play...
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I admit, I gave you the most complicated play calling system in the NFL.
As you go back down the ladder, the calls get a lot simpler. Shifts may be non-existent on the line of scrimmage, and different plays may be run out of the same formation.
An example.. QB calls in the huddle, "Veer, 52 Right, on two". That's a 5 back, hitting the number 2 hole (guard-tackle gap, right side) on the second Hut!
The huddle breaks, the team lines up in a T-formation (what the veer is run from) with a tight end to the right side. The team knows for this half, red is the live run color, green is the live pass color. all live colors are snapped on one. The QB sees the right corner edging up for a run blitz and decides to throw a deep fly to the split end on the right side.
The QB calls, Down! Green 40 long! Green 40 long! (The play has been changed from a run to a pass. The 4 is the split end on the right side. The TE knows to protect and the play call lets the weak side SE know to run a slant, trying to get the safety to bite.) Set! Hut! The ball is snapped and play starts.
That was an example of my high school system, without any line calls to muddy the water.
Most high schools will have a playbook of three or four formations, with twenty or twenty five plays, with corresponding plays and formations for the weak side. Say, four formations, fifty plays.
A pro system will have over two hundred plays, with multiple formations and simultaneous reads by the flankers, linemen and the QB on any given play...
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They know, once they hear the play. The Saints line runs a zone blocking scheme, so priority gaps are inside gap, head up, outside shoulder. If running against a 34 defense, the center will take the NG, the right guard will probaby turn the NG before blocking the LB and the right tackle will likely wham the DT, before sliding off to catch the outside LB or safety.
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I like football.
And I don't know 1/3 as much as an awful lot of people know.It's the ultimate team sport. If eleven guys on offense do everything right, they score every play. If the eleven guys on defense do everything right, the other team never gains a yard.
The game is full of nuance and instantaneous adjustments.
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Did they put the ball on the ten yard line? Or closer?
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Here's the reason I asked...In the Red Zone (20 yards and in) offenses change a little. As they get closer, things change a lot.
When a team makes a first down on the ten yard line or closer, to their opponent's goal line, they cannot make another first down. They have four downs to make a touchdown or kick a fieldgoal, or turn the ball over on downs. So, the situation becomes not First & 10, but First & Goal.
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Here's the reason I asked...In the Red Zone (20 yards and in) offenses change a little. As they get closer, things change a lot.
When a team makes a first down on the ten yard line or closer, to their opponent's goal line, they cannot make another first down. They have four downs to make a touchdown or kick a fieldgoal, or turn the ball over on downs. So, the situation becomes not First & 10, but First & Goal.
@jolly Okay . . . so "goal to go" means the offense's only option is goal or turn over the ball, yes?
So what does the drill consist of? Obviously to bull through to the end zone, but in a drill this means what? Setting up a scenario where your defense pretends to be the oppo's defense? So the drill is really to sharpen the offense at the ten? (Or closer.)
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First & Goal offense uses a lot of whams, power shifts and more straight ahead type running. Longer pass patterns are out, so short fades and slants are used a lot. You might see a running play go wide, but it's usually a quick pitch and not a reverse or flanker sweep.
Saints are famous for a play that uses a tackle reach to seal, a tight end on an isolation block and a short pitch to Kamara, who runs for the pylon. They also use a Jumbo Package when inside the five, where they bring in an extra offensive lineman, for power running. Inside the one, Brees was a master at the QB sneak, where he would take the snap, jump and reach the ball over the plane of the goal line. They seldom run any of these plays (with the exception of very short yardage situations) anywhere else on the field.
And while the offense is working on short yardage Goal to Go, the defense is too. Corners play tight. Lineman get lower. Gaps get narrower. Linebackers key on possible lead block and watch for slants and scrape routes. They know that the offense's options have narrowed and they key on the possible.
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First & Goal offense uses a lot of whams, power shifts and more straight ahead type running. Longer pass patterns are out, so short fades and slants are used a lot. You might see a running play go wide, but it's usually a quick pitch and not a reverse or flanker sweep.
Saints are famous for a play that uses a tackle reach to seal, a tight end on an isolation block and a short pitch to Kamara, who runs for the pylon. They also use a Jumbo Package when inside the five, where they bring in an extra offensive lineman, for power running. Inside the one, Brees was a master at the QB sneak, where he would take the snap, jump and reach the ball over the plane of the goal line. They seldom run any of these plays (with the exception of very short yardage situations) anywhere else on the field.
And while the offense is working on short yardage Goal to Go, the defense is too. Corners play tight. Lineman get lower. Gaps get narrower. Linebackers key on possible lead block and watch for slants and scrape routes. They know that the offense's options have narrowed and they key on the possible.
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In related news, pity the poor Bucs. Their training camp must be a blast. As in, blast furnace.
Tampa Bay Times: "TAMPA — Monday was hot in Tampa Bay. So hot, that a thermometer at Tampa International Airport recorded a record-high temperature for any July 26 in the recorded history of the city.
The previous high for July 26 in Tampa happened in 1935, when it peaked at 95."
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And another thing! Watching Arians swanning around in his fancy cart with the sunshade because he's too fat to walk, kvetching at the players for not being enough conditioned, really chaps my you-know-what. It's a good thing they have Brady, who walks the walk, to look up to.
What is it with fat coaches, anyway? Him and Belichick. Should be Belly-chick. Hey, Belichick, check your belly! Har de har.
Grump.
Okay, I'll stop talking to myself now. Unless I think of some other deathless thing.
