The NFL has very stringent rules and regulations, especially concerning uniforms and equipment. As a result, most fans are aware of what teams will be decked out in. However, for eagle-eyed viewers, a rather uncommon patch on some players’ helmets might be a mystery.
There is a green dot on the back of certain players’ helmets during games — but what does it mean, and who wears it?
The Green Dot Mystery
The permutations and combinations in an NFL game are nearly infinite. Eleven players on the field on offense and defense for each snap allow several variables to come into play. As a result, the direction from the coaches might not always make it from the sideline to the huddle.
That is unless there is a direct communication line between the coach and a player, and that is where the green dot comes in. On offense and defense, one player gets to be in constant communication with the coach via radio. As only a few players were given the distinction, the green dot became an easy tell for officials to figure out who it was.
However, there are some regulations for the communication between the two. For instance, the relay goes only one way, with players not allowed to reply back to their HC.
Further, the signal isn’t constantly on. With 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or at the time when the ball is snapped, the feed is cut off and remains turned off during live action.
Earlier, only the QB on offense was allowed to have a voice in his ear, but with the evolution of the game, defensive players have also been given the same privileges. The official rulebook dictates:
“Each offensive and defensive team is permitted no more than one player on the field with a speaker in his helmet. Each team is permitted to have a maximum of three active radio receivers to be used on offense by its quarterbacks, and a maximum of three active radio receivers to be used on defense by players who have been designated as a primary and backup users.”
The communication radio was first introduced in 1993 when the play clock time went down to 40 seconds from 45. The reduction in time was increasing the number of timeouts being called, and teams complaining about a lack of planning time, so the league made the decision to introduce the radio.