Andrew Saville

Alex Micciantuono
10-20-14
Communication in Football
Communication is a major part in the sport of football. It may not be something you can
see directly from your television, but there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Some
examples would be through the coaches, players, and referees. They all a major contribution
that allow the game to go smoothly.
To begin, communication is a major component between coaches and players.
Interaction between the two can be a major contribution to a teams success. It all begins with
the coaches. There are typically three main coaches on a football team. These being the
offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and the head coach. Though this can vary per
team, that is the most common setup. The offensive coordinator is typically responsible for
making play calls. Vice versa the defensive coordinator does the opposite in controlling the
defense and their game plan. Both of them are considered to be the second in command for the
team following the head coach. Finally, there is the head coach. He overseers the rest of the
coaching staff. It is rare for the staff to be in disagreement, but when it occurs, his views reign
supreme. They are also held to a much higher standard than the other coaches. This can
involve dealing with media, recruiting, and much more.
In continuation, players also communicate amongst themselves. For players, the main
communicator would be considered the quarterback. The quarterback is responsible for
receiving plays from the coaches and relaying them to the rest of the team. This is easier said
than done for its also his responsibility to read the defense and call audibles. An audible is a
sudden change in the play directly before the snap; this is usually used when the quarterback
sees an opening in the defense to take advantage of.
Finally, officials too play a critical role of communication in football. Commonly referred
to as referees, the responsibility of an official is to enforce rules and keep order during the
game; in doing so, officials use many different methods of communication. An official can be
easily recognized by their clothing; they wear white pants, a white/black striped shirt, and a

Andrew Saville
Alex Micciantuono
10-20-14
black belt. Next, officials utilize lots of equipment to get their communication across. A whistle is
one of these pieces of equipment; it is used to blow the ball dead (stop the play). A bright yellow
flagalso known as a penalty marker, is thrown at the spot of a foul. Bean-bags are used to
mark the spot of a fumble or where a punt reception has occurred. Unlike penalty markers,
bean-bags do not have to be thrown to the exact spot, they are usually just tossed parallel to the
nearest yard line. A game data card and pencil is used to keep track of the pregame coin toss,
team timeouts, and fouls called incase officials come across any confusion during the game. To
keep the game time, play clock, time timeouts, and time between quarters, officials use a
stopwatch. The head referee carries a coin to conduct the pregame (and if necessary overtime)
coin toss. Officials also have a crew that handles the chain sets. Chain sets measure the down
and distance of a play. It indicates to the fans/coaches/players what down the play is, along with
how far the offense has to go to get a first down. If the spot of the ball is too close to determine
whether its a first down on the field, the chains are brought onto the field to get an exact
measurement. The phrase move the chains, is synonymous with the play being a first down.
There are several different positions that lie under the term official. The first of these positions
is the head refereebest noticed by his white cap. The head referee is responsible for the
general supervision of the game and has the final say on everything. Anytime a penalty or
game-break is called, the head referee announces it over his microphone. He also gives an
explanation to the fans and media if there is any confusion over a ruling. The other positions
(Umpire, Head linesman, Line judge, Back judge, Side judge, and Field judge) all use the earlier
discussed equipment to convey their communication in their respective parts of the field. Fans
love to hate officials but it is a job that shouldnt be taken for granted as the NFL found out in the
2012 labor dispute. The NFL referees were replaced by replacement officials (mostly from
high-school and college) and their performance was highly scrutinized. Officials follow unique
procedure in order to get across the best communication possible to the players, coaches, fans,
and media.

Andrew Saville
Alex Micciantuono
10-20-14
In conclusion, there are many different groups and methods of communication used in
football. Players, coaches, referees, and others all convey information in their own ways in order
make the game as efficient as possible. Without communication on the field, there would be no
game, it would just be one huge mess.