Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander was just named the wearer of the green dot less than a week ago. With his season now over, who gets it when the Steelers take on the Cleveland Browns this week?
In his weekly press conference today, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a very brief response: “Undecided.”
You’ve seen the green dot, but if you don’t know what it’s all about, here it is: The defensive player (usually a linebacker or safety) donning a green sticker has a one-way communication system — consisting of a receiver and a speaker — in his helmet in which he can hear the coaches’ instructions. He has the critical responsibility of relaying those plays to his unit.
In the early days of the NFL, there was no on-field communication between players and coaches, merely hand signals. The in-helmet radio system was invented by two Cleveland Browns fans in 1956 and was subsequently outlawed by the commissioner. A modern version allowing coaches to communicate with quarterbacks was instituted leaguewide in 1994. In 2008, the league expanded the system to the defensive side of the ball. It makes getting the unit on the same page more seamless and significantly reduces the need for timeouts. The signal, operated by a league employee, is cut off after the play clock has only 15 seconds left.
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