The quarterback cadence - how do they manage a snap call over crowd noise

The sounds are familiar to every NFL fan, even if most are not entirely sure what they mean.

Before every snap, the quarterback will yell some combination of colours and numbers, often followed by a series of grunts. And then the ball is fed back to them by the centre.

For instance, Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is often heard rasping: “White 80, white 80 … hut, hut”.

This is known as a quarterback’s “cadence”. The words and numbers themselves can have little to no meaning outside of signalling to the rest of the offense to get ready for the play to begin and to let the centre know when to snap the ball.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has one of the more unique and recognisable snap counts, usually hollering: “Here we goooo!” before a quick “ready, set”.

Sometimes the rhythm of a cadence or any slight changes in the words used or the intonation can carry a message about the play that is about to be executed or what the quarterback is expecting the defense to do.

But most often, the finer detail of the play is communicated in the huddle and the signal caller will let his teammates know whether to “go on one”, or “go on two” and so forth, meaning the ball is to be snapped on his first or second “hut” or “set” etc.

(Getty Images)

The purpose of a unique and varied snap count is to ensure the defense doesn’t know exactly when you’re going to start a play. If they can time the count, they can more quickly apply pressure to the quarterback or tight coverage to receivers.

But one complicating factor is crowd noise. In hostile away arenas, the fans will unleash a cacophony of whistles and boos pre-snap, making it impossible for a quarterback’s count to be heard.

In these situations, the offense might utilise what’s known as a “silent count”.

The silent count can take different forms. One option is that one of the guards in the offensive line will take responsibility for the timing of the snap, looking back at the quarterback for instruction before signalling to the centre to snap the ball with a physical tap on their side, leg or back.

Another option is that the players will all count silently in their heads, with the play being started once they reach a pre-determined number.

And sometimes the quarterback might use a series of claps – which have a better chance of being heard amid the crowd noise – to indicate the snap count.

So even when a quarterback falls quiet, there’s plenty going on before every play begins.

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