# NFL QB Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 15, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745 "2007-10-15T02:22:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/1 "2007-10-15T02:22:04Z")

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Why are they sporting a green dot on the back of their helmets? A friend pointed this out during today’s Bears/Vikings game (grrr), and I’ve never noticed it before. The QBs in the NE/Dallas game that followed had the same thing. Is it for television, something to do with HDTV, maybe? Or for the refs, to identify the QB in a pileup? Enquiring minds, and all that.

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**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/2 "2007-10-15T02:25:36Z")

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Green dots mean that the helmet’s have radios in them. You are only allowed one of those on the field at one time. We had a thread on this recently.

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**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/3 "2007-10-15T02:27:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Carol Stream]  
Why are they sporting a green dot on the back of their helmets? A friend pointed this out during today’s Bears/Vikings game (grrr), and I’ve never noticed it before. The QBs in the NE/Dallas game that followed had the same thing. Is it for television, something to do with HDTV, maybe? Or for the refs, to identify the QB in a pileup? Enquiring minds, and all that.  
[/QUOTE]

The green dot indicates who has their helmet wired up for radio. Only one can be wired on the field at any time, and it is the indication of who that person is.

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**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/4 "2007-10-15T02:34:29Z")

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I think that we need a sticky for this question or something…

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**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/5 "2007-10-15T03:00:09Z")

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[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF]  
The green dot indicates who has their helmet wired up for radio. Only one can be wired on the field at any time, and it is the indication of who that person is.  
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Are the green dots new this season, or have they been used for awhile?

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**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-qb-question/422745/6 "2007-10-15T03:03:51Z")

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Yep, new rule. It began with the 2007 NFL season.