If you are a fan of football you have likely heard the term red zone used during a game. Most fans know what this term means but many are not aware of the term green zone.
The green zone in football refers to the distance between the line of scrimmage and the first down marker. This is much different from the red zone which is a specific area of the field that covers the twenty-yard line to the endzone.
The Green Zone was created by NBC which digitally coloured a portion of the field a darker shade of green. When watching on television viewers would see that the area between the line of scrimmage and the first down line was a dark shade of green.
Purpose
The purpose of the green zone in football was to allow fans watching the game to get a better understanding of what was happening on the field.
Many fans that are new to the game of football do not have a solid understanding of how the downs system works. NBC believed that including this darkened area of the field will help these fans get a better understanding of where the ball needed to go.
Keep in mind the NBC broadcast already included the digital blue line to mark the line of scrimmage as well as the yellow line to mark the first down.
Outcome
NFL fans across the world seemed to all have the same opinion regarding the green zone being added to the CBS broadcast, they hated it.
The green zone was added to start the 2018 NFL season and NFL fans were quick to express their dislike of this new graphic. Most fans found that the inclusion of the green zone in football to be totally unnecessary.
These fans found that the blue line of scrimmage and yellow first down line were more than enough information to show fans how far the ball had to travel for a first down.
Fans found that this digital shading did not need to be added to the field. This was seen as an unnecessary graphic that actually made it a bit harder to see the field.
After the 2018 season, CBS no longer used the green zone in their broadcast.
Other Uses Of Green Zone
On top of the CBS green zone graphic seen on your TV there has been another use of the term green zone in football. Pittsburgh Steelers long-time coach Mike Tomlin uses the term green zone in place of the term redzone.
Tomlin believes in using this name in order to promote a more positive association when possessing the ball in between the opponent’s twenty-yard line and their goal line.
When Coach Fleck of Minn. refers to green zone, what is he referring to?
Coach Fleck is likely referring to the area inside the twenty-yard line. Some coaches call this area the green zone despite most fans knowing it as the “red zone”.