How do college defenses audible?

[Cincydawg]

OK, this sounds like a stupid question, but I'm asking how they do it mechanistically, when and why.

We can see them at times pointing and hollering and signalling, got that part.  What are they changing exactly?  

I can see when they appear to jump out of a blitz for example, or when they shift because of motion, the obvious stuff, but at times, to me, it looks like the offense is in a typical set and the defense starts adjusting, or looking to the sideline etc. and adjusting.

What are they seeing that I don't see?  I guess the same question could be asked for the offense obviously, the QB comes up and sees what to me looks like a normal defense but points to some dude, and the linemen start pointing, and I presume they are calling out assignments in the line, right?  Doesn't it get noisy?  

There are a lot of "games within the game" going on and I don't have much of an understanding of how it all works in real time with the clock ticking.

[FearlessF]

I will defer to one of the many X & O experts here.

But, I assume the defense sees a particular formation with the particular personnel package and from watching film can assume what play or cluster of plays might be expected.  They then shift the defense to match.

or obviously the D coordinator on the sideline calls for an adjustment because of what he sees or what the booth sees or just because his cut is telling him something 

[NorthernOhioBuckeye]

A lot of times when you see the defense line up and then see players start shifting, they are simply trying to confuse the offense. Some coordinators like to show a particular front or coverage, and then after the QB starts into his calls and the center makes his adjustments, they shift into a new look thus confusing the blocking schemes or the play routes.

There are times when a defense will automatically run a stunt or a blitz depending upon tendencies of the offense it a particular offensive set. You may be seeing the defensive players making calls to ensure that everyone is on the same page as usually this is audibled by a linebacker and/or a DB. 

[Cincydawg]

I guess a question is "How often do defenses really change their "play" significantly and how to they manage that?".

The risk of "broken coverages/ assignments" seems high, to me.

There is a LOT going on in a single play from scrimmage, and if someone could sort of lay out how colleges on both sides might handle that, it could be insightful for dummies like me.

Let's take some simple hypothetical.  Both teams play fairly standard O and D.  It's the first play of the game at the 25 yard line.  Team A comes out in a typical set, perhaps with a slot receiver in motion, and the defense starts pointing and yelling and signaling and gets a sign from the sideline.  What are they really doing there?

[Cincydawg]

The QB comes up to the line and points with both arms to the left.  The center grabs the ball and points off to the right and hollers something.  The man goes in motion.  The QB hollers out some "code".

What is really happening there?

I know in baseball, signals can get a bit complicated at times, but nothing like this.  You know, man on second, indicators, who is covering between short and second, still not this tough.

[OrangeAfroMan]

There's not a simple answer here.

At the HS or college level, a LB pointing and yelling could honestly just be him identifying his key very deliberately.  He also might do this simple task at the NFL level if his fellow LB is a rookie or something.

Personnel on offense can also be noteworthy to the defense, who either may just be making a very vocal note of the unique personnel or knowing that the personnel grouping suggests a certain play or play type.

You'll see LBs moving their DL a half-man over here and there due to the guy simply lining up wrong or due to a backfield shift or alignment (FB is offset rather than in the "i", etc).  Should the DT be in the gap or shaded on a shoulder of an OL?  Is he crashing down or taking on a double-team or running a stunt?  

The crazy, last-second NFL-caliber defensive audibles based on the offense audibling is next-level stuff.  The Captain has played in that D for many years and may often be an automatic "if this, then do that" type of check.  Okay, the offense passes 80% of the time when it's in a one-back set with trips right.  And when they adjust to the shotgun in that set, they like to drag the TE across the field backside, so heads up.  But when they do run, the RB nearly always cuts back, so the weakside LB needs to keep his eyes on the TE and the RB coming to him........that sort of thing.  

Most of the LB barking is the front 7, but an easy example of pass D adjustments would be a 4-WR set with a guy in motion, thus creating trips to one side.  The D may have been set for man, but they'd want to audible to zone, at least on that flooded side of the field.  

[Cincydawg]

I'm just trying to get a better understanding of what happens pre-snap in college.

I see "stuff", I just don't understand most of it.

[Drew4UTk]

i don't think it's as complicated as it seems at the college level or below... 

defense is reactionary- the squad may go out with one intention or set, just to realize it's no good and shift out of it.  

on elite college teams and certainly in the pro's, the defense will 'draw' the offense by showing one look just to act like they know what the offense is doing shifting into another (smiling and taunting, pointing and threatening) and then getting the offensive play they actually want to begin with- this is knowing the audible tendencies of the opponent based on down, field position, clock, ect... O's counter by doing the opposite- marching to the line in one set with full intentions to shift into another--- making it 'not' an audible. 

John Chavis, while DC at UT once in a blue moon was cut loose- and the defense would float like mad- no down linemen, lots of leap frogging linemen and LB pulling up and dropping back- it looked crazy, but it was to NOT show the O what set they were in.  I wish they would have ran it more as it discombobulated the O more times than it didn't, and when it was all said and done, they were just in a 43.  the players liked doing it though, it was plain to see.  

but as far as method to madness, at the college level and below, i truly believe the players are picking up things they saw on film such as a slot showing intent to of picking the corner in a man-to-man and giving the LB heads up he's gonna hafta cover than- or seeing a OG ever so slightly shift his weight indicating he's going to pull or stunt and moving the DT six or eight inches inside or outside making the OG's job of picking up the block more difficult... 

i like watching this cat and mouse game as much as watching elite players make the plays that make them elite.. 

it's been said a thousand times and i'm not the author, but- scheme puts the players in position, and the skill makes the tackle.  for this reason it drives me nuts to see a defender either close on a player right before the snap or put too much gap by falling back, also right before the snap.... through the magic of DVR, you can rewind and watch either the DC or the position coach steam when they do that unsolicited.  that's the O getting into the D's head, and it ain't an audible more than it is.    

also you've got to consider ol' Madden's claim: Only an outmatched defense blitz's.... that's changed greatly this generation as defenses going on the offensive has become a lot more prevalent- but there is still a truth to it... defenses built around blitz packages as a matter of course are basically attempting to take ownership instead of be owned.  they're more often hiding something than they are showing how good they are.   

all that^ said, there is something else going on before the snap, and it's tied to directly to:  players are actors.  some of them are better than others at acting.  even at HS level, the D players *again being reactionary watch their assignments and notice if the player is acting too 'nonchalant' or too interested, looks too long at the QB or exchanges a glance with a key blocker (if running).... 

i have a love/hate thing going on with the advent of visors.  

Corey Moore is a good if not one of the best examples... DE for VT around the turn of the century... the dudes eyes were HUGE and occupied at least 50% of the real estate behind that mask it seemed.  He was also a helluva pass rusher and could cover, too... i asked him about that visor of his and he laughed and said it's responsible for at least half of his being in the right position... he said he'd approach the line and never shift his head from looking one direction while his eyes were looking the other- he'd give the QB or runner warm fuzzies he'd been fooled.. the funny part is, if he was wrong, he'd already be in the players head he was looking toward without hardly noticing him... he felt strongly that's why he seemed to always be in the play. 

George Coontze, former GB linebacker and from up the road a bit from me used to be a customer of mine- he and i would BS from time to time about the game, and he'd bitch about players like emmitt smith wearing their helmets low across the brow and keeping their heads down taking position- and that it wasn't so much that he did it when he was going to run the ball by design (a 'tell' and giveaway) but that he wouldn't forget to do it when he didn't run the ball- he said half the players production was based on those seconds prior to snap and how well they 'sold' their part... emmitt excelled, and bought him a fraction of a second at least half the time, and that's all the time a player like emmitt needed. 

like i said... actors.  

and a recent case in point- the Bama QB who threw the OT streak TD to win the game.. he 'looked' the defender off the receiver for the separation he needed- he sold it well... Baker Mayfield is damn good at 'looking' players away.  i could go on... i'll shut up now. 

[Cincydawg]

That's helpful, my takeaway is there is less going on than it seems in terms of complexity.

I have remarked how the QB will come up to the line fairly often and look at what appears to be a very standard defensive set and starts pointing and hollering.  

If it's early in the game and it's 2nd down and 6 to go, it's not as if the defense needs to change into some strange set, and they don't seem to in the main, to me, but the QB often points to something.

In a loud venue, the hollering has to be drowned out unless you're in their ear, and whatever is said is apparently very brief, one word, as when the QB yells something back at the RB after an audible.  It's not like he has time to say "Zebra 32 split", it's more like black or white.

[bayareabadger]

That's helpful, my takeaway is there is less going on than it seems in terms of complexity.

I have remarked how the QB will come up to the line fairly often and look at what appears to be a very standard defensive set and starts pointing and hollering.  

If it's early in the game and it's 2nd down and 6 to go, it's not as if the defense needs to change into some strange set, and they don't seem to in the main, to me, but the QB often points to something.

In a loud venue, the hollering has to be drowned out unless you're in their ear, and whatever is said is apparently very brief, one word, as when the QB yells something back at the RB after an audible.  It's not like he has time to say "Zebra 32 split", it's more like black or white.

A lot of that pointing is probably calling out protections to OL with fairly limited viewpoints. 

[FearlessF]

much of this yelling and hollering can be a simple calling out the keys and the defense that they are running w/o changing anything

similar to most sports, coaches like players to communicate.  This just let's everyone know what the LB is seeing or the SS is seeing.

just reassuring the entire defense that the keys and responsibilities are correct

chatter is better than silence, even though all 11 know the play  

[847badgerfan]

Much of what a defense can do to adjust on the fly is determined in the film room. The players must be schooled on the opponent for any adjustment to work. All the yelling and pointing won't work otherwise.

[Cincydawg]

It still is rather fascinating to me.  I like to watch a game where the outcome is not of any real interest and watch one player entirely, not the ball.  So, I see a lot of movement presnap and pointing and hollering and I sort of wonder what is going on beyond the obvious.  

I realize the OL has to call out blocking schemes.

Which brings another question, how often are the audibles misunderstood creating a Big Play?  I know last year on occasion the Dawg RBs had open lanes I could have drive a truck through and I wondered if that was a defense that messed up.

Get a guy out of position because he misheard the play seems like a real threat.  OMAHA OMAHA!!!

And of course if it's loud and the right tackle mishears his assignment, bad things can happen.

[Drew4UTk]

i fully agree with that observation, Cincy, in that when a player 'sells out' it has a rich reward if he's right, or can cost them hugely if wrong.  

as an example, and back to '11 i think it was... when LSU and BAMA played twice... 

LSU had a reckless D that was a blast to watch.  they seemed everywhere at once and created havoc.  Meanwhile, Bama was methodical.  'MOST LIKELY' LSU had a player that was going to hit the carrier really quickly, and most often that resulted in a tackle... but if that player wasn't successful? - the O would get a few yards before another player closed on them.  Bama, on the other hand, has played much the same since at least '08 with their method which was a touch softer 'padding' the carrier and that is always seemingly having three tacklers in the 'vicinity' (but not crawling all over the O player) of the play at any given moment, and almost to the point the first hit was to slow it down and the second/third to do the ugly.  

those players (bama) played in a superior scheme by my reckoning... always being in the right place.  meanwhile, LSU gambled.  they got paid a LOT more than they had to pay, but it worked for them due to the athletes they had at the time.  I want to tell you something over 15 players from that team were ultimately drafted. 

i think this folds directly into how well a coach knows his players skill/talent, how much he trusts them, and how he adjusts the scheme to accommodate them.