why does the quarterback have to call the play at the line if they’ve discussed it in the huddle

Question

So, notwithstanding an audible where he’s changing the play, what else is there to announce?

In: 1

Answer 1

The QB calls an audible when he believes changing the play will lead to a better outcome than running the huddle play.

There are a huge number of defensive formations and offensive plays built to exploit each ones weakness, so if changing a play can allow taking advantage of a better matchup than the called play, many coach’s systems allow the QB to make a read and change the play.

The other stuff is there to communicate various sub play options, like how a blitzing player should be blocked, and then there’s a ton of chatter designed to prevent the defense from predicting the snap count.