How To Call An Offense With Hand Signals & Picture Boards

The evolution of the spread offense is upon us, and offenses in football are moving faster than ever. Communicating with picture boards and hand signals is a common theme among spread offenses. Why do they use picture boards and hand signals?

Teams use picture boards and hand signals in football to communicate more quickly with multiple players, giving coaches more flexibility to make real-time adjustments to the play call. Instead of huddling, teams can look to the sideline, see a picture or hand signal, and know exactly what play is called.

Coaches are innovating every chance they get to communicate with the quarterback and the offense.

This blog will look at how coaches use hand signals and picture boards to relay plays from the sideline.

Coaches are communicating with their offense in many ways, including:

• Hand Signals
• Picture Boards

The main goal of the coordinator is to get the call to the offense/quarterback as quickly as possible.

Why Offenses Use Hand Signals & Picture Boards

A few reasons:

• Keeps the defense/coaches off their rhythm
• Tires players out
• Allows the offense to create confusion

When teams practice, move, and play fast, they create a rhythm that is hard to stop defensively. Everything from formations to up-tempo puts defenses at a disadvantage.

One major benefit of playing fast is that it tires players out. Running 3-4 plays in under a minute can quickly drain the front seven. If the offensive lineman and skill positions are in good shape, this is where the big plays tend to pop off.

The last perk of moving fast is creating confusion. If defensive teams are used to huddling, this will force them to set up right away, causing miscommunication within the defensive scheme.

Why Don’t All Teams Use Picture Boards & Hand Signals

Moving fast is not all great. Here are a few reasons why:

• If you move too quickly, your defense will be tired from always being on the field
• Going 3-and-out quickly will kill your time of possession.
• Offenses can quickly fall out of rhythm if stopped early and often

The first and main reason why going fast is not for everyone is simply fatigue.

This was one significant criticism of Chip Kelly’s offensive schemes. He would call three plays in under a minute and have to punt. The defense wouldn’t have time to make adjustments before they were back on the field.

This small bit from the Dusty & Cam Show, demonstrate how moving fast can have an adverse effect on the body:

• The Eagles, by week 12, have already played a full season (play-wise)
• Players’ bodies started to break down midway through the season

Maintaining ball and clock control is essential in winning football games. Moving fast neglects the time of possession battle, as three-and-outs can stall an offense.

Last, the rhythm can stall. Good offenses & quarterbacks get in a rhythm to maximize potential. When you’re moving fast (especially in cold weather), the offense going three and out can stall a drive and keep your offense on the sidelines.

Hand Signals In Football

The evolution of hand signals in football started with a single coach using sign language to communicate directly with his quarterback. Here is a video of former ASU coach Todd Graham signaling plays.

These hand signals then evolved into multiple coaches giving hand signals. We’ve seen 3, 4, and sometimes 5 coaches (sometimes players) giving hand signals in football. Some coaches are used as dummies, others to signal to certain positions.

Hand signals in football are nothing new to the game of football. However, their popularity has increased with the innovations in the spread of offense.

Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, a school that fields a football team with all deaf players, uses hand signals in football for offense, defense, and special teams.

Below is a great video by CBS on how Gallaudet students play fast and effectively using only sign language.

Picture Boards In Football

Picture boards have gained popularity ever since Chip Kelly and Oregon began using them in the 2008 season. The picture boards have multiple meanings.

Often crafted in a 4-picture square, each item can mean something different. We’ve seen the colors, words, celebrities, animals, and anything you can ever imagine in the picture. They often relate to a word or meaning in offensive play calls. Oftentimes, they mean nothing! It’s just a way to psych the opposing defensive staff to think they can decipher it.

An example of how a coach could use the picture board above:

• The top left box is the formation
• The top right is the protection
• The bottom left is the running back’s responsibility (Run/ Pass)
• The bottom right is the concept (Run/Pass)

Here is an example of how a coach could use the picture board above.

So before the game, a coach could use any bald characters to describe an empty formation (No hair = no backs). The O could stand for 50 protection. The elephant could be a heavy package (elephants = heavy personnel). The books could be used for a read concept across the formation for all receivers.

Above is just an example of how coaches can relate to these picture boards. There are thousands of combinations that can allow coaches to be creative.

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