The Playbook Caller · Football playbook app by MiaMetrix

Know your formation is legal before the snap.

The Playbook Caller is a football formation board and playbook that checks every alignment against the rule book you play under: NFHS, NCAA, NCAA with the Texas UIL exceptions, or NFL. When a formation breaks a rule, it tells you what is wrong and shows the rule behind it.

14 days free · no card

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  • 4 rule books
  • English & Español
  • Phone, tablet and desktop

Try the Rule Check

Illustration · tap a rule book
I Formation. Y is 1.5 yards off the line. 1 issue under NFHS: 5 in the backfield.

I Formation with the tight end (Y) set 1.5 yards off the line. Each verdict is the app's own rule check for that book.

How to use it

From rule book
to wristband.

Eight steps, each shown on a real screen from the app.

  1. The Playbook Caller on a tablet with NFHS rules picked in the top bar and the Rule Check bar open: LEGAL, with what it checked on the I Formation in two groups, Rule book and Board checks.

    Pick your rule book

    Choose NFHS, NCAA, NCAA + Texas UIL or NFL in the top bar. Open the Rule Check bar to see what that book checks.

  2. The formation library open beside the field, with the Spread / Shotgun family expanded and Trips 3x1 selected and on the field.

    Choose or build a formation

    Open Formations to browse 140 formations by family, or press New formation and place your own players.

  3. The I Formation under NFHS with the tight end (Y) dragged off the line in the Editor. The Rule Check bar has turned red and reads 1 ISSUE · NFHS, 5 in the backfield, with the same label above the line.

    Drag a player, read the bar

    Turn on Editor and drag anyone. Move the tight end off the line and the bar turns red: 1 ISSUE, 5 in the backfield.

  4. The same move under NFL rules: 2 ISSUES. The open bar explains Only 6 on the line and Uncovered end, cites NFL 7-5-1(b) and 5-3-1 with a Source link, and the right tackle is ringed on the field.

    Fix the formation

    Open the bar for the rule and its source. Under NFL rules the same move also rings the right tackle, now an uncovered end. Drag the tight end back until the bar reads LEGAL.

  5. Draw mode on the I Formation: routes drawn from X, Z, Y and the tailback, with the notation buttons, the Ball to menu and Save as play under the field.

    Draw a play and save it

    Press Draw and sketch from each player: route, pass, block or motion. Play runs it; Save as play keeps it in your playbook.

  6. The Game day window on the Wristband tab: 14 of 14 saved plays numbered 1, 2, 3 for a 3-panel adult card, with Layout, Card size, Numbering and Copies menus and a Print wristband button.

    Print wristbands and call sheets

    Saved plays are numbered for a 1-, 2- or 3-panel wristband, or grouped by situation on a call sheet. Print it or save a PDF.

    Team plans and up · included in the trial
  7. The Team cheat sheets tab under the field, listing saved plays with their code, personnel and typical looks, and the Print sheet, Export CSV and Wristband & call sheet buttons.

    Share it with your staff

    Print the Team cheat sheet or export it as CSV. On Team plans, every coach you invite by email works from one shared library.

    Team: up to 6 coaches · larger staffs on request
  8. The board in Spanish under NCAA rules: Trips 3x1 with Z dropped off the line, a red bar reading 1 PROBLEMA · NCAA, Solo 6 en la línea, and an English button in the top bar.

    Work in English or Spanish

    Press Español in the top bar and the whole board switches, rule checks included. Each coach picks a language.

Step 1 of 8

Defensive coverages, Cover 0 to Cover 6

Six steps on the defense’s side of the ball: pick a coverage, read it, run it, then make it your own.

  1. The Coverage row under the field set to Cover 4 (Quarters) and Quarters vs 2×2, drawn against Spread 2×2. The field shows four solid deep-quarter zones, three hatched underneath zones and a line from each defender to the diamond of his drop; the right panel shows the look’s overview.

    Pick a coverage

    Press Draw, then in the Coverage row pick a family, Cover 0 to Cover 6, and a look. The board switches to Overlay, against the offense the look is drawn for.

  2. A Cover 1 five-man pressure against Shotgun: dotted man lines from the defenders to their receivers, rush arrows from the line, a deep middle zone, and the left cornerback tapped, with his card reading Man on X and inside leverage. The right panel lists the coverage.

    Read the marks

    Deep zones are solid, underneath zones hatched, and a diamond ends each drop. Man coverage is a dotted line to the receiver: a dot on his inside or outside shoulder for leverage, a cup for trail, a cap for over the top, a double bar for press. A thin arrow is a rush, and a double line with a bolt is a blitz. A spy, a job you can give any defender in the editor, runs long dashes to his spot, with a ring on the quarterback.

  3. Cover 6 against Spread 2×2, paused part-way through Play: a dash-dot seam splits the field into a Cover 2 side and a Quarters side, and the defenders are on their way to their drops. The right panel shows the coverage and its variants.

    Tap a defender, then press Play

    Tap a defender, or open Coverage in the right panel, for his key and job. In Quarters they spell out each read: the safety takes #2 if he goes vertical, otherwise he helps on #1. On Cover 6 a dash-dot seam splits the field and names each half. Play runs the drops, and the man defenders carry their receivers.

  4. The coverage editor on a copy of Cover 2: the nickel has been dragged onto the slot receiver, so a dotted man line now runs to him with a trail cup. The inspector under the field shows his job, Man, with Inside leverage and Trail.

    Edit it, or build your own

    With a defense on the field, press Edit in the Coverage row, or E. Drag from a defender: onto a receiver for man, past the line to rush or blitz, anywhere else to drop to that spot. Tap him to set his job, leverage and technique.

  5. The coverage editor on Cover 4: the middle underneath zone is selected with a handle on each corner, widened and renamed Hole in the inspector, which also shows its type, edges and size. Split field is on, with the halves named Boundary and Field.

    Draw and shape the zones

    Pick Deep zone or Underneath zone and drag a box. Drag a zone to move it, drag a corner to resize it, and rename it in Label. Split field divides the field Cover 6 style. Undo and Redo step through every change.

  6. A saved look, Our Tampa 2, on the field and picked under My coverage looks in the Coverage row. Below, the Team cheat sheets tab lists it as a play, with the Print sheet, Export CSV and Wristband & call sheet buttons.

    Save it and use it

    Save look keeps it under My coverage looks and with your playbook’s Custom plays. It plays, exports as SVG or PNG, prints on the Team cheat sheet, and can go on the wristband and call sheet. With Saving to: Team, it goes to your staff’s shared library.

    Wristband and call sheet: Team plans and up · included in the trial

Step 1 of 6

Rule books

Four rule books.
One board.

Pick the book your games are played under. The check follows it: how many players are on the line, how many are in the backfield, the interior linemen (college and high school), who is on the ends (NFL) and the kickoff alignment.

High school

NFHS

The high school book. At least 5 on the line, no more than 4 backs, and 5 interior linemen.

College

NCAA

At least 7 on the line and 5 interior linemen, plus the free-kick alignment rules.

Texas high school

NCAA + Texas UIL

Texas UIL plays the NCAA book with its own exceptions. The board applies both.

Pro

NFL

At least 7 on the line and an eligible receiver on each end, including the 2026 kickoff alignment.

A coaching aid, not an official ruling

The Rule Check tells you what the book says about your alignment. The officials on the field still make the call.

Where a rule is not confirmed for a book, the app says so. Two NFHS checks, more than 11 players and a player in the neutral zone, show “Article number not confirmed” with their source when they flag a set. Where we have not found the rule in a book’s text, such as a player drawn beyond the end line under NFHS, the board flags it as a board check: not a rule-book foul, so there is no rule to show.

The Playbook Caller is independent. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NFL, NCAA, NFHS or UIL. See every rule and its source.

Features

Built for the install,
not just the whiteboard.

The Rule Check bar

Always on the field: LEGAL or the number of issues, each one named, and the rule one tap away.

140 formations, 90 coverage looks, plus your plays

82 offensive and 58 defensive sets to start from, special teams included, grouped by family, and 90 coverage looks from Cover 0 to Cover 6. Draw routes and run the play at game speed.

Wristbands and call sheets

Print wristband cards and call sheets straight from your plays.

Team plans and up · included in the trial

One library for your staff

The account owner invites each coach by email, and the whole staff works from the same shared playbook.

Team: up to 6 coaches · larger staffs on request

Export and print

Copy a diagram as PNG, download SVG, print sheets, or export CSV and JSON.

English and Spanish

The board, its menus and help, and every rule check read in English or Spanish, and each coach can switch at any time. Formation and play names, the built-in formation notes and the case studies stay in English.

Who it's for

For the staff
that builds the playbook.

High school staffs · NFHS or UIL

Head coaches and coordinators

Put in your offseason install knowing every set’s alignment is legal before Friday night.

  • Check trick and unbalanced sets against the NFHS book, or UIL in Texas
  • Print wristbands and call sheets for game day
  • Work in English or Spanish, coach by coach
College staffs · NCAA

Coordinators, quality control and analysts

Build the playbook under the NCAA book, with one library the whole staff shares.

  • Catch a short line or a missing interior lineman before an official does
  • Invite every coach on the staff by email
  • Export diagrams to your install decks and cut-ups

Every account is for an adult coach (18+). Players and parents do not get accounts.

Pricing

Simple plans.
Start free.

14 days free · no cardYou pay only when you choose a plan. Pay yearly and get 2 months free.

Personal

For one coach

$9.99/ month

or $99 a year (2 months free)

  • All 4 rule books and the Rule Check
  • 140 formations, 90 coverage looks; draw and run plays
  • PNG, SVG, CSV and JSON export
  • English and Spanish
  • No wristbands or call sheets
Start free trial
For staffs

Team

Up to 6 coaches

$29.99/ month

or $299 a year (2 months free)

  • Everything in Personal
  • One shared team library
  • Invite coaches by email
  • Wristbands and call sheets
Start free trial

Program & Unlimited

Up to 15 coaches, or unlimited

Let's talk

For staffs of more than 6 coaches.

  • Everything in Team
  • Seats for the whole staff
  • Ask us about purchase orders
Talk to us

Prices in US dollars. Taxes may be added where required. Cancel any time from Manage billing in the app.

School paying by purchase order or invoice? Email us before your trial ends and we will tell you what we can provide.

We are choosing a small group of founding programs: high school and college staffs who help shape The Playbook Caller. Email us to ask about founding-program pricing.

Ask about founding pricing
FAQ

Straight answers.

Is the rule check official?
No. It is a coaching aid: it reads your alignment against the book you pick and cites the rule. The officials on the field make the call. The Playbook Caller is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NFL, NCAA, NFHS or UIL.
What if a rule is not confirmed for my book?
The app says so. If a rule’s article number is not confirmed for your book, the flag says “Article number not confirmed” and still links the source. Today that applies to two NFHS checks: more than 11 players, and a player in the neutral zone. If we have not found the rule in your book’s text, the check is a board check: the board flags your diagram, says it is not a rule-book foul and shows no rule. Today that covers a player drawn beyond the end line under NFHS, and a defender drawn there at the snap under the NFL.
Do I need a card for the trial?
No. You get 14 days free with no card. Choose a plan when you are ready; nothing is charged before then.
Can my whole staff use it?
Yes. Team covers up to 6 coaches, and larger staffs can talk to us about Program or Unlimited. The account owner invites each coach by email, and everyone works from one shared library.
Can players or parents have accounts?
Not today. Every account is for an adult coach (18+).
Can I get my work out of the app?
Yes. Copy a diagram as PNG, download it as SVG, print sheets, or export your library as CSV or JSON.
Does it work in Spanish?
Yes. The board, its menus and help, the rule checks and this page are in English and Spanish. Formation and play names stay in English.
Social

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