200 plays on a wristband?! Why some NFL QBs wear play sheets on their wrists and others don't

"Trailing AFC North-rival Pittsburgh by 10 after Ja'Marr Chase's touchdown catch was reversed by replay, Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco received the call over his headset, flipped open his wristband and quickly glanced down as players gathered in the huddle. Flacco, who was traded from Cleveland to Cincinnati nine days earlier, has heard thousands of calls over his 18-year NFL career. But different teams use different verbiage, so the play sheet on his left wrist was crucial."

""When I first started using a wristband, there's a piece of it that was harder because instead of saying [the call] and picturing it as you're saying it, you're just reading words," Flacco said. "And then you kind of have to go back and think -- what did I just say?""

"Flacco is one of 20 current starting NFL quarterbacks who wear a wristband play sheet. Quarterbacks and coaches from 18 teams were asked about the device's pros and cons. Its biggest advantage is allowing a coach to quickly call in a number instead of a play, which can be lengthy."

The Cincinnati Bengals trailed the Pittsburgh Steelers by 10 after Ja'Marr Chase's touchdown was reversed, prompting quarterback Joe Flacco to use a wristband play sheet to receive a call. Flacco, acquired nine days earlier from Cleveland, flipped open the wristband, glanced at the play on his left wrist and targeted Chase for an 8-yard touchdown, the first of three TD passes in a 33-31 Week 7 win. Twenty current starting NFL quarterbacks use wristband play sheets. Coaches and signal-callers noted pros and cons: wristbands let coaches call a number quickly, while some quarterbacks avoid them to maintain eye contact and mental visualization.

Read at ESPN.com