The first question in everyone’s mind when Cole Holcomb went down with a season-ending knee injury was: Who gets the green dot?
Kwon Alexander, that’s who.
Per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, the veteran inside linebacker will be relaying defensive plays with Holcomb out.
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 coach’s instructions.
In the early days of the NFL, there was no on-field communication between players and coaches, merely hand signals. The system went through several iterations after initially being invented by two Cleveland Browns fans in 1956. It makes getting the unit on the same page more seamless and significantly reduces the need for timeouts. The signal, operated by the officials, is cut off just before the snap takes place (or after the play clock has only 15 seconds left).
Quarterbacks also wear them.
Kwon Alexander said he’ll have the green communication dot going forward with Cole Holcomb out for the season
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) November 8, 2023
