MMBS: Offensive play call terminology

[Discuss Thrower]

So the brief time I played football, our offense was incredibly simple in terminology such as "Ace 90 1122" where everything a dumb WR (aka me) needed to know as a route runner, and I knew the 90 meant a 3 step QB drop but never knew what exactly the same meant for linemen responsibilities.

That being said, I never knew what something like "Pro Right I, 32 dive" meant for both linemen and running backs..

TL;DR: I'd like to hear examples of simple and complex play calls at the highest level a CP member played at.

DISCUS.

[Easy 6]

"midget z 360 alabama red right 6"

Thats the classic, bread and butter deep post to mccluster.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

it's the center.

and its based off identifying the Mike backer.

or in lower levels of football identifying who the nose guard lines up over.

if you watched the Chiefs vs Broncos game 9 times out of 10 Peyton Manning would call out Derrick Johnson as the mike back and audible based off that, and then the rest of the line knew what to do.

This might explain why my HS line coach favored a "smarter" guy at center versus someone who was actually physically talented enough to play the position.

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

If the lineman know the back, and know the hole is flowing to, unless there are additional calls on for a defense change, they'll know who to block. Center and Guard will know their primary responsibilities depending on the defense setup, and they'll know if they should both take the DT of have individual task.

I'm sure it's much more complicated at the college and pro level because of the movement, but it was pretty cut and dried for us.

I played guard a little to, and I knew based on the call where I was going....if I were pulling for a sweep or trap and to smash the first
guy I got to on arrival. The only real difference was if someone didn't beat their guy, or if the D-line stunted or something. Otherwise, if
they OC and OG handled their guy, mine was the first LB on the 2nd level.

There wasn't much as far as fancy calls for the line, unless we saw a blitz coming. Then it's a matter of taking the inside or outside guy.

I'm sure it's much more complicated even at bigger Schools.


In the offenses I played in, the "1" was the quarterback, "2" "3" were running backs and 4 was a wing back. 2nd number was the hole and anything else
just told you draw, dive, trap, power trap, power dive, sweep, reverse.

And then the opposite of what you said applied to the line. If it was Zebra Left Y 102 stick, I knew it told the WRs and TEs where to go and what routes to run, but I only had to worry about my blocking responsibility...or if that play involved a route for a back.

Zebra is the personnel pakage, Left Y is the formation, 102 stick would be the receivers routes??

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Driving Wheel

Zebra is the personnel pakage, Left Y is the formation, 102 stick would be the receivers routes??

I think so.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

This might explain why my HS line coach favored a "smarter" guy at center versus someone who was actually physically talented enough to play the position.

most of the teams i played on in 6th, 7th and 8th grade always had an undersized center who looked more like a TE or FB or even a waterboy but was kind of smart, and they compensated that by putting two guys at guard who could also pass as tackles lol.

but in younger levels the defenses are more vanilla, they arent 34 or even 43. its that 5-2, 6-2 stuff because not many teams know how to pass. So its essentially identifying that extra DT/noseguard and where he lines up (directly over the center, between the center-LG or between the center-RG, that tells the interior lineman who their block responsibilities are.)

that is pretty generic and standard stuff for young kids which is why you see plays like Johnny Bravo 32 dive. Because all the blockers need to know is some bozo is coming through the 2 hole and you idiots need to figure how who to block/help/chip based on how the defense lines up around the 2 hole.


but at the same time as someone who was a skill player (WR) said he knew what the numbers meant for route combinations, as a lineman myself, I never had a clue what those were because they werent my responsibility. So it goes both ways when you play some ball in high school.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Driving Wheel

Zebra is the personnel pakage, Left Y is the formation, 102 stick would be the receivers routes??

Related note: when I played ball our tree was as follows:

1: 3 yard cut inside
2: 4 yard out
3: 5 yard curl
4: 10 yard out
5: ... actually I forgot this one..
6: .... and this one too.....
7: 15 yard post
8: 15 yard flag
9: Go

[Sorter]

Here's a good example: Gun Spread RT STRG 56 OLE SNOW

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by scott free

"midget z 360 alabama red right 6"

Thats the classic, bread and butter deep post to mccluster.

Which one of those is the interception indicator?

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Related note: when I played ball our tree was as follows:

1: 3 yard cut inside
2: 4 yard out
3: 5 yard curl
4: 10 yard out
5: ... actually I forgot this one..
6: .... and this one too.....
7: 15 yard post
8: 15 yard flag
9: Go

awesome.

[O.city]

Our route tree was


1 is a hitch
2 slant
3 bench
4 10 yard crossing route
5 10 yard out
6 is a comeback
7 is a corner
8 is a post
9 is a go
0 is a wheel

Typically your calls will be a strength call followed by you blocking scheme then your outside route calls

Right 2 gun yo 202

Formation strength to the right 2 te's yoyo motion route combo. We always had 3 number routes where 1st number is the x 2nd is y or te and 3rd is z

So 202 is slants outside and wheels from both slots

We always set the strength for the oline then let the center make calls based on formation

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Driving Wheel

awesome.

What sucked is that I couldn't catch a football to save my life at the time, so when I dropped a pass I had to push ups. I did about 50 total one practice. And, we couldn't get water unless we caught a 9 route to end the session so I wound up doing about seven tries before I caught one and got a drink. That sucked.

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by Driving Wheel

Zebra is the personnel pakage, Left Y is the formation, 102 stick would be the receivers routes??

The way I remember it, each receiver had a route and a spot.
The X receiver was a "1 route" The Y would be the "0" and the TE/slot/back would be the "2".

Each route had a number. 10 yard curl, post, flag...all had a number. Depending on your position, you'd run the associated place in the number.
1-0-2

[Molitoth]

I was a WR.... basically I had a couple routes to remember, and anything other than those pass plays, my job was to run the CB downfield and take him out of the play. This was 13 years ago.... so not completely accurate memory.

Blue meant power right side, and white power left.
Blue 90 - Z Right 10 yard hook
White 90 - Z Left 10 yard hook
Blue 91 - Z 10 yard out
Blue 92 - Z Flag
Blue 93 - Z Skinny Post
Blue 98 - Z out and up


It typically went something like this. We had a pretty decent RB, and our QB was dogshit at passing so we hardly ever had successful passing plays, even though our WR's had hands of glue (including me).

[Sully]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

So a guard would just have to memorize when to pull, for example, on a play by play basis?

On the vast majority of HS teams, the play all is tagged to tell the line the blocking, ie;
32 trap vs 32 lead vs 32 draw vs 34 counter vs 32 zone

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Sully

On the vast majority of HS teams, the play all is tagged to tell the line the blocking, ie;
32 trap vs 32 lead vs 32 draw vs 34 counter vs 32 zone

That's what I figured.