We’ve heard of players bringing ways to understand football language and different verbiage from other teams. But what in the world is a “loaf chart”?

It’s something Bengals CB Mike Hilton brought over from his days in Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, specifically Steelers CB Joe Haden. In fact, this has made its way across the AFC North, as Haden brought it with him to Pittsburgh from Cleveland.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com explained:

“[It’s] a system where the defensive backs police themselves by literally paying for their mistakes in practice and then taking each other out to dinner at the end of camp. It included “Loafs,” which means not going all out and busting to the ball.”

“Every team grades, but (Hilton) was definitely the one who said, we’re going to do it this way. Everybody has goals, everybody has standards,” Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said, according to Hobson. “That was kind of the first time we were able to measure ourselves to a standard. Are you loafing? Are you having mental errors? Stuff like that. Mike brought that and did a great job. I think it helped a lot of people. Understand what we’re supposed to be looking for on the field.”

So far, Hilton has not been loafing, registering nine tackles through two games and already becoming a key cog in the Bengals’ defense. He’ll face his former team for the first time Sunday as the Bengals visit the Steelers.