Football Bible - mindsets7 - Things to keep in mind when socializing

Reference: Excerpts from the book “Football for Dummies”, by Howie Long and John Czarnecki.

Intro to Football

Football is played in all weather conditions — snow, rain, and sleet. Whatever the conditions may be, the game goes on.

On two particular holidays, sitting down and watching football has become an American tradition:

Thanksgiving Day: There are 3 NFL games played on turkey day
New Year’s Day: Many college bowl games are played on New Year’s Day

The Football Season

The football season runs from the last weekend in August through the college bowl games in December until Super Bowl Sunday at the start of February. To be a part of that experience, you need to have a working knowledge of the game.

The heart of the football season is during the fall months. However, training camps, practices, and preseason games often begin in the summer, and playoffs and bowl games are staged after Christmas and into February. Here’s how the season breaks down for each level of play:

College: College football teams play between 10 and 13 games, the majority in a specific conference — Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and so on. The top teams in the Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), which constitute the largest schools, advance via invitation to postseason bowl games or a four-team playoff for the national championship.
NFL: NFL teams play 16 regular-season games, preceded by a minimum of 4 preseason games that are played in August. The 32 NFL teams are divided into two conferences, the NFC (National Football Conference) and the AFC (American Football Conference), and the four division leaders and two wild card teams from each conference advance to the playoffs with hopes of reaching the Super Bowl, which is played in early February.
Playoffs: Unlike other major sports, the football playoff system is a single-elimination tournament.

Football is pretty much a weekend sport, although a few games are played on Monday and Thursday, particularly in the NFL.

High school games are usually played on Friday nights. College games are played on Saturdays, mostly during the day, although a few are held on Thursday and Friday nights. The NFL plays on Sundays for the most part. For television purposes, games are played in the early and late afternoon (Eastern time).

Broadcasting

Because television networks use up to 20 cameras for most games, viewers rarely miss out on plays. And with replay machines, the networks can show critical plays from several different angles, including a viewer-friendly angle for fans watching at home or at the neighborhood tavern.

Television shows like FOX NFL Sunday also help to make the game more personal by promoting the personalities under the helmets.

College Football

Marching bands, mascots, pep rallies, and cheerleaders add a fun dimension to college football.

Some teams, such as Notre Dame and Michigan, are steeped in folklore and tradition.

The Gridiron (the field)

Although the dimensions are the same, from high school to the NFL, every field seems different.

A stadium is the whole structure or area in which football and other games are played: the field, the stands, and so on.

NFL and college stadiums come in two main varieties: domed stadiums and outdoor stadiums. Domed stadiums are designed so that the players and the fans don’t have to deal with the weather; they always have a roof over their heads, and the teams always play on artificial turf. When you’re talking about big-time football, both types of stadiums generally seat between 50,000 and 107,000 screaming fans.

There are selected areas around the sidelines for photographers and television cameramen

The field has been 100 yards long and 53 yards wide since 1881. In 1912, the two end zones were established at 10 yards deep and have remained so ever since.

Lines on the field

End lines: The lines at each end of the field are called end lines.
Sidelines: The lines along each side of the field are called sidelines.
Goal lines: The goal lines are 10 yards inside and parallel to each end line and mark the front of the end zone
Field of play: The area bounded by the goal lines and sidelines
50-yard line: The field is divided in half by the 50-yard line, which is located in the middle of the field
End zones: The two areas bounded by the goal lines, end lines, and sidelines are known as the end zones

To make all these white lines, teams use paint or marking chalk.
The end lines and sidelines are 4 inches wide and rimmed by a solid white border that’s a minimum of 6 feet wide.
The field also contains yard lines, hash marks, and lines marking the player benches.
Yard lines, at intervals of 5 yards, run parallel to the goal lines and are marked across the field from sideline to sideline. These lines stop 8 inches short of the 6-foot solid border in the NFL.
The field is numbered every 10 yards, starting from the goal lines. All these lines and numbers are white.
Hash marks mark each yard line 70 feet, 9 inches from the sidelines in the NFL.
Two sets of hash marks (each hash is 1 yard in length) run parallel to each other down the length of the field and are approximately 18½ feet apart. When the ball carrier is either tackled or pushed out of bounds, the officials return the ball in bounds to the closest hash mark. Punted balls that go out of bounds are also marked on the nearest hash mark.
The hash marks are used for ball placement prior to most offensive plays so more of the game can be played in the middle of the field, which makes the game more wide open. If the ball was placed 20 feet from where it went out of bounds rather than on the closest hash mark, offenses would be restricted to one open side of the field for many of their run and pass plays. In other words, they would have to run or pass to the right or the left, and wouldn’t have the option to do either. But, when teams run the football and the ball carrier is tackled between the hash marks, the ball is declared dead at that spot and generally is placed where the ball carrier was tackled and stopped.
Six feet outside the border of the field, or 6 feet from the sidelines, is an additional broken white line that defines an area in which only coaches and substitute players may stand. Six feet farther behind this broken white line is where the bench area begins. Within this area, team doctors and trainers also examine injured players.

Two types of surfaces are used in football — natural grass and artificial turf.

Generally, though, natural grass is similar to your backyard lawn or any baseball outfield: It’s green, soft, and beautiful, but it needs to be mowed, watered, and replaced.
Artificial surfaces are cheaper to maintain than natural grass.

The goalpost serves as the guideline for the kicker, whose goal is to sail the ball high between the goalpost’s two vertical bars, an act that’s sometimes called splitting the uprights.

When a ball carrier reaches the end zone, he has scored a touchdown worth six points. The goal line is 8 inches wide (twice as wide as the typical yard line) in the NFL, and 4 inches wide at the high school and college levels.

NFL goalposts are a single standard type, known as the sling-shot design; on some high school and youth fields, however, you may still find goalposts in the shape of an H.

This post is fully padded to protect players when they collide with it in the back of the end zone. The crossbar is 10 feet above the ground and 18 feet, 6 inches long in the NFL and college.

The uprights, the two poles extending up from both ends of the crossbar, rise about 35 feet (30 feet in college and 20 feet in high school) and are 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

The goalposts generally are painted yellow or white. A 4-x-42-inch ribbon is attached to the top of each goalpost to aid the officials in determining the exact top of the upright when judging whether a kick has passed through the uprights. The ribbons also give kickers an idea of the wind conditions.

The Ball

In the NFL, the ball must be a Wilson brand, bearing the signature of the commissioner of the league, Roger Goodell. The ball can be inflated to between 12½ and 13½ pounds of air pressure.

To make it easier to grip and throw, the ball has eight raised white laces in its center. A quarterback can wrap his pinkie, fourth finger, and middle finger between these laces for a perfect grip.

In the NFL, the home club supplies 36 footballs in an open-air stadium or 24 footballs in a domed stadium, and the league supplies another 12 K-balls used only for kicking. (K-balls are sealed in a special box to be opened by the officiating crew and held in their custody until two hours before kickoff so they can’t be “doctored” by kickers and punters.) Outdoor stadiums require more balls in case of inclement weather, such as rain, sleet, or snow.

The Cast of Characters

Each football team has 11 players per side: 11 on offense and 11 on defense. Teams are allowed to play with fewer than 11 players (why would they want to do that?), but they’re penalized for having more than 11 players on the field during play, which is also known as live action. In high school, three or more talented players may play both offense and defense. And a few rare athletes may play both offense and defense in major college football and the NFL.

The nonstarting players (that is, those who aren’t among the 22 or so players who are listed in the starting lineup) are considered reserves, and many of them are specialists. For example, defenses may play multiple schemes employing a nickel back (a fifth defensive back) or two pass rushers (linebackers or defensive ends who are used strictly on passing downs to rush the quarterback). Also, an extra player is often used as the long snapper who snaps (hikes) the ball for punts, field goal attempts, and extra point attempts. Some of the reserves make the team because they’re excellent special teams players who are great on punt and kick coverages because they’re fearless tacklers in the open field.

The NFL, however, limits active, uniformed players to 45 per team on game day. A typical NFL game-day roster includes three quarterbacks, a punter, a placekicker, a kick return specialist, eight offensive linemen, four running backs, five receivers, two tight ends, seven defensive linemen, seven linebackers, and six defensive backs.

Uniforms

Jerseys
- The jersey is the uniform’s shirt.
- Every NFL team jersey comes with a different numeral to distinguish one player from another.
- Numerals, which appear on the front and back of the jersey,
- In the NFL, specific positions wear certain numerals. For example: Quarterbacks and kickers wear from 1 to 19. Running backs and defensive backs wear from 20 to 49. Linebackers wear from 50 to 59 or 90 to 99. Offensive linemen wear from 50 to 79. Defensive linemen wear from 60 to 79 or 90 to 99. Receivers wear from 10 to 19 or 80 to 89.
- On the back of each NFL jersey is the player’s surname in letters that are 2½ inches high. His name appears across the upper back just above the numerals.
- In the NFL and college, the visiting team usually wears a white jersey.
- A throwback jersey is a uniform from a team’s past. In 1994, to mark the 75th anniversary of the NFL, the league started permitting teams to wear throwback jerseys.
- The Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns have never redesigned their jerseys. They’ve worn the same uniforms, more or less, from the beginning.
Helmets
- Helmets are equipped with chin straps to keep them snugly in place.
- When you’re watching a game, you may notice players wearing helmets of slightly different shapes and designs. Players are allowed to choose the helmet design that works best for them as long as the helmet design is certified by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.
- Most linemen wear a face mask called a cage, which has a bar extending down from the middle and top of the helmet to below the nose area. There, this bar joins two or three bars that extend from both sides that completely prevent an opponent’s hands from reaching inside the face area and under the chin.
- However, few quarterbacks and receivers have a face mask with a bar coming between their eyes, because they want to ensure they can see clearly; many also leave the chin exposed.
- Today, you may see a punter or kicker with a helmet that has a single bar, but players who encounter more contact during games want more protection.
- Some helmets also have a sunshade across the eyes to prevent sun glare from interfering with the player’s vision. This sunshade also keeps opponents from seeing the player’s eyes, which may give the player an advantage because opponents can’t see where the player is looking.
Pads
- Pads are necessary to absorb the many physical blows a player takes during a game and protect every part of his body. Next to the helmet, the shoulder pads are probably the number-one protective gear players wear.
- Other pads include thigh pads, elbow pads, hip pads, tail pads, and knee pads, although not all players wear them.
- Here are some of the NFL rules: The NFL shield or logo must be visible on pants, jerseys, and helmets.
Towels
- Towels can be only 8 inches long and 6 inches wide and must be tucked into the front waist of the pants. (Quarterbacks and wide receivers often wear towels tucked into their waists to wipe their hands clean of mud and moisture between plays.)

The Rules

To keep things in small, easily digestible chunks, every football game is divided into quarters. In college and pro football, each quarter lasts 15 minutes; high school teams play 12-minute quarters. After the second quarter comes halftime, which lasts 12 minutes in the NFL, 15 minutes in college, and 15 to 20 minutes in high school. Halftime gives players time to rest and bands and cheerleaders time to perform (it also gives fans time to go get a hot dog). Coaches, players, or alumni are sometimes honored at halftime.

The game clock, which is operated by a timekeeper in the press box, doesn’t run continuously throughout those 15- or 12-minute quarters. (If it did, when would they show the television commercials?) The clock stops for the following reasons:

Either team calls a timeout. Teams are allowed three timeouts per half. A quarter ends. The stoppage in time enables teams to change which goal they will defend (they change sides at the end of the first and third quarters). The quarterback throws an incomplete pass. The ball carrier goes out of bounds. A player from either team is injured during a play. An official signals a penalty by throwing a flag. (I tell you all about penalties in the later “Penalties and Other Violations” section.) The officials need to measure whether the offense has gained a first down, or they need to take time to spot (or place) the ball correctly on the field.
Either team scores a touchdown, field goal, or safety. (I explain what these achievements are and how much they’re worth in the later “Scoring Points” section.) The ball changes possession via a kickoff, a punt, a turnover, or a team failing to advance the ball 10 yards in four downs. The offense gains a first down (college and high school only). Two minutes remain in the half or in overtime (NFL only). A coach has challenged a referee’s call, and the referees are reviewing the call (college and NFL only). A wet ball needs to be replaced with a dry one.
The offense has 40 seconds from the end of a given play, or a 25-second interval after official stoppages, to get in proper position after an extremely long gain. If the offense doesn’t snap the ball in that allotted time, it’s penalized 5 yards and must repeat the down.

Tie games

If a game is tied at the end of regulation play, the game goes into overtime. To decide who gets the ball in overtime, team captains meet at the center of the field for a coin toss. The team that wins the toss gets the ball and the first crack at scoring.
In the NFL, this method of handling tie games is sometimes called sudden death because, in regular season play, the game is over immediately after the first team scores.
Deciding a tie game has been criticized as unfair to the team that loses the coin toss. After all, if your team loses the toss, it may not get a chance to get the ball or score.
To calm the critics, the NFL instituted a new overtime policy in 2010. Now if the team that wins the coin toss scores only a field goal during its first possession, the opposing teams gets a crack at scoring too, and if this team scores a touchdown, it wins the game. If the game is still tied after both teams have had a chance to score, the game goes into sudden death, and the first team to score wins.

An important thing to remember is that an incomplete pass is returned to the spot of the preceding play,

A player is out of bounds whenever he steps from the field of play and touches (or flies over) the white sidelines or end lines. To remain in bounds for a catch, an NFL player must have both feet (including the toes of his shoes) touching the ground inside the end lines and sidelines and must be in possession of the football; in college and high school football, a player needs to have only one foot inside the end lines and sidelines to be considered in bounds.

The Coin Toss and Kickoff

Every football contest starts with a coin toss. Selected members of each team (called captains) come to the center of the field, where the referee holds a coin. In the NFL, the coin toss is restricted to three captains from each team. In college football, four players may participate. However, only one player from the visiting team calls heads or tails, and that player must do so before the official tosses the coin into the air (hence the name coin toss). If that player calls the toss correctly, his team gets to choose one of three privileges:

Which team receives the kickoff: Generally, teams want to start the game on offense and have the opportunity to score as early as possible, so the team who wins the toss usually opts to receive. They’re known as the receiving team. The referee, swinging his leg in a kicking motion, then points to the other team’s captains as the kicking team.

Which goal his team will defend: Instead of receiving the kickoff, the captain may elect to kick off and choose a goal to defend. Captains sometimes take this option if they believe that weather will be a factor in the outcome of the game.

When to decide: The team that wins the coin flip can defer, giving it the right to choose between kicking and receiving the second-half kickoff.

The team that earns the right to receive the ball gets the ball via a kickoff. To perform this kickoff, the kicking team’s placekicker places the ball in a holder (called a tee, which is 1 inch tall in the NFL and 2 inches tall in high school and college) on his team’s 35-yard line (NFL and college), or 40-yard line (high school). The kicker then runs toward the ball and kicks it toward the other team.

Down System

The offense has four downs (essentially four plays) to go 10 yards. If the offensive team advances the ball at least 10 yards in four tries or fewer, it receives another set of four downs. If the offense fails to advance 10 yards after three tries, it can either punt the ball on the fourth down (a punt is a kick to the opponent without the use of a tee) or, if it needs less than a yard to get a first down, try to get the first down by running or passing.

You may hear television commentators use the phrase “three and out.” What they mean is that a team failed to advance the ball 10 yards and has to punt the ball.

A first down situation is also known as a “first and 10,” because the offense has 10 yards to go to gain a first down. If your offense ran a play on first down in which you advanced the ball 3 yards, your status would be “second and 7”;

On the sideline opposite the press box is a group of three people, known as the chain gang or chain crew, who hold three 8-foot-high poles. Here’s an explanation of that crew:

Two people called rodmen hold metal rods with Xs at the top connected by a thin metal chain that stretches exactly 10 yards when the two rods are thoroughly extended. One rod marks where the possession begins, and the other extends to where the offensive team must go in order to make another first down.

The third person, known as the boxman, holds a marker that signifies where the ball is and what down it is. Atop this rod is the number 1, 2, 3, or 4, designating whether it is the first, second, third, or fourth down.

In all NFL stadiums, a person also marks where the drive began (that is, where the offensive team assumed possession of the ball).

Thanks to the miracle of technology, determining where a team has to advance the ball to get a first down is easier than ever — but only if you’re watching television. On the television screen during a game, you see an electronic line across the field that marks where a team must go to get a first down.

Scoring Points

A touchdown is worth six points — the ultimate goal.

A team scores a touchdown, plus the loudest cheers from fans, when an offensive player carrying the ball, or a defensive player who has obtained the ball from the other team after recovering a fumble or intercepting a pass, advances from anywhere on the field and breaks the plane of his opponent’s goal line with the ball. (Breaking the plane means that a ball carrier can soar over the goal line in midair and have his efforts count for a touchdown — even if he’s hit in midair and lands back on the 1-yard line — as long as the ball crosses the plane.)

A try for an extra point, also known as a point after touchdown (PAT), is attempted during the scrimmage down that’s awarded after a touchdown.

The extra point is successful when the kicker kicks the ball between the uprights of the goalpost and above the crossbar, provided that the ball was snapped 2 yards away from the opponent’s goal line.

When a team is feeling particularly confident — or desperate — it might attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown.

The offense gets the ball on the 2-yard line (the 3-yard line in high school and college) and must advance the ball across the goal line, or break the plane, as if scoring a touchdown. In the NFL, the try (called a conversion attempt) is over when the officials rule the ball dead or if a change of possession occurs (meaning the defense intercepts a pass or recovers a fumble). In college, the defensive team can return a fumble or interception to its opponent’s end zone and score two points.

A field goal, often the consolation prize for an offense that tries to score a touchdown but stalls within its opponent’s 30-yard line, is worth three points.

You get the distance of a field goal by adding 10 yards (the distance from the goal line to the end line where the goalposts are placed) to the yard line from which the ball is kicked. Or simply add 17 to the number of yards that the offense would have to advance to cross the goal line (the extra 7 yards represents the typical distance of a snap for a field goal attempt). For example, if the offense is on its opponent’s 23-yard line, they’re attempting a 40-yard field goal.

A safety occurs when a player on the offensive team is tackled in his own end zone or goes out of bounds in his own end zone. A safety scores two points for the defensive team. After a safety, the team that was scored on must punt the ball to the other team from its own 20-yard line. For the offensive team, a safety is bad thing. The other team gets not only two points but also the ball in good field position. Normally, teams kick off from the 35-yard line. Having to punt from the 20-yard line allows the other team to advance the ball further up the field after the punt.

The Role of the Officials

All officials carry a whistle and a weighted, bright yellow flag, which they throw to signal that a penalty has been called on a particular play. In the event that an official throws his yellow flag during a play and then sees yet another penalty, he throws his hat.

The referee has general oversight and control of the game. He’s the final authority for the score, the number of a down in case of a disagreement, and all rule interpretations when a debate arises among the other officials. He’s the only official who wears a white hat; all the other officials wear black hats.

The referee announces all penalties and confers with the offending team’s captain, explaining the penalty.

Before the snap of the ball, he positions himself in the offensive backfield, 10 to 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and favors the right side if the quarterback is right-handed or the left side if the quarterback is left-handed. The referee also monitors any illegal hits on the quarterback, such as roughing the passer. He follows the quarterback throughout the game and watches for the legality of blocks made near him.

The umpire is responsible for the legality of the players’ equipment and for watching all play along the line of scrimmage, the division line between the offensive and defensive players. He makes sure that the offensive team has no more than 11 players on the field prior to the snap of the ball. At the start of a play in college football, he positions himself 4 to 5 yards off the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. In the NFL, he’s positioned in the offensive backfield until the final five minutes of each half, when he takes his traditional position on the defensive side.

Because he’s responsible for monitoring the legality of all contact between the offensive and defensive linemen, this official calls most of the holding penalties.

The head linesman sets up on the side of the field designated by the referee. He straddles the line of scrimmage and watches for encroachment, offside, illegal men downfield, and all the other line-of-scrimmage violations. He’s also responsible for ruling on all out-of-bounds plays to his side of the field.

The chain crew is the responsibility of the head linesman. He grabs the chain when measuring for a first down. He’s usually the official who runs in after a play is whistled dead and places his foot to show where forward progress was made by the ball carrier at the end of the play.

The line judge lines up on the opposite side of the field from the head linesman and serves as an overall helper.

The back judge has similar duties to the field judge (see the following section) and sets up 20 yards deep on the defensive side, usually to the tight end’s side of the field. He makes sure that the defensive team has no more than 11 players on the field and is responsible for all eligible receivers to his side.

The field judge lines up 20 yards downfield on the same side as the line judge.

With teams passing the ball more often, the side judge was added in 1978 as the seventh official for NFL games. Some high school games are played without a side judge, but, like the NFL, college teams have adopted the use of the seventh judge. The side judge is essentially another back judge who positions himself 20 yards down field from the line of scrimmage and opposite the field judge. He’s another set of eyes monitoring the legalities downfield, especially during long pass attempts. On field goal and extra point attempts, he lines up next to the umpire under the goalpost and decides whether the kicks are good.

Penalties

Football has more than 100 kinds of penalties or rule violations.

Looking at 5-yard penalties

Defensive holding or illegal use of the hands: When a defensive player tackles or holds an offensive player other than the ball carrier. This penalty also includes an automatic first down.
Delay of game: When the offense fails to snap the ball within the required 40 or 25 seconds, depending on the clock.
Encroachment: When a player enters the neutral zone and makes contact with an opponent before the ball is snapped.
Excessive timeouts: When a team calls for a timeout after it has already used its three timeouts allotted for the half.
False start: When an interior lineman of the offensive team takes or simulates a three-point stance and then moves prior to the snap of the ball. The official must blow his whistle immediately. A false start is also whistled when any offensive player makes a quick, abrupt movement prior to the snap of the ball.
Forward pass touches or is caught by an ineligible receiver on or behind the line of scrimmage: When an offensive lineman catches a pass that isn’t first tipped by a defensive player.
Grasping the face mask of the ball carrier or quarterback: When the face mask is grabbed unintentionally and the player immediately lets go of his hold, not twisting the ball carrier’s neck at all.
Illegal formation: When the offense doesn’t have seven players on the line of scrimmage. Also, running backs and receivers who aren’t on the line of scrimmage must line up at least 1 yard off the line of scrimmage and no closer, or the formation is considered illegal.
Illegal motion: When an offensive player, such as a quarterback, running back, or receiver, moves forward toward the line of scrimmage moments prior to the snap of the ball. Illegal motion is also called when a running back is on the line of scrimmage and then goes in motion prior to the snap. It’s a penalty because the running back wasn’t aligned in a backfield position.
Illegal substitution: When a player enters the field during a play. Players must enter only when the ball is dead.
Ineligible player downfield during a pass down: When any offensive linemen are more than 2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage when a pass is thrown downfield.
Invalid fair catch signal: When the receiver simply extends his arm straight up. To be a valid fair catch signal, the receiver must fully extend his arm and wave it from side to side.
More than 11 players on the field at the snap: When a team has more than 11 players on the field at any time when the ball is live. The offense receives an automatic first down if the penalty is committed by the defensive team.
More than one man in motion at the snap of the ball: When two offensive players are in motion simultaneously. Having two men in motion at the same time is illegal on all levels of football in the United States. Two players can go in motion prior to the snap of the ball, but before the second player moves, the first player must be set for a full second.
Offside: When any part of a player’s body is beyond the line of scrimmage or free kick line when the ball is put into play.

Surveying 10-yard penalties

Holding, illegal use of the hands, arms, or body by the offense: The penalty is most common when linemen are attempting to protect the quarterback from being sacked (tackled behind the line of scrimmage).
Offensive pass interference: When a forward pass is thrown and an offensive player physically restricts or impedes a defender in a manner that’s visually evident and materially affects the opponent’s opportunity to gain position to catch the ball.

These are the penalties that make coaches yell at their players because they cost the team 15 yards — the stiffest penalties (other than ejection or pass interference) in football:

A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent
Clipping below the waist: When a player throws his body across the back of the leg(s) of an opponent or charges, falls, or rolls into the back of an opponent below the waist after approaching him from behind, provided that the opponent isn’t a ball carrier or positioned close to the line of scrimmage.
Face mask: When a tackler twists, turns, or pulls an opponent by the face mask. Because this move is particularly dangerous, the penalty is 15-yards and an automatic first down.
Roughing the kicker: When a defensive player makes any contact with the kicker, provided the defensive player hasn’t touched the kicked ball before contact. Sometimes this penalty, which also results in an automatic first down.
Roughing the passer: When, after the quarterback has released the ball, a defensive player makes direct contact with the quarterback subsequent to the pass rusher’s first step after the quarterback releases the ball.
Unnecessary roughness
Unsportsmanlike conduct: When a player commits any act contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship, including the use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, officials,

Pass-play penalties

Illegal contact: When a defensive player makes significant contact with a receiver who’s 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Illegal contact is a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
Intentional grounding: When a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage due to pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completing it. If he throws such a pass in his own end zone, a safety (two points) is awarded to the defense. It is not intentional grounding when a passer, while out of the pocket (the protected area within the area of two offensive tackles), throws a pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage with an offensive player having a realistic chance of catching the ball. When out of the pocket, the passer is allowed to throw the ball out of bounds.
Pass interference: When a defensive player physically restricts or impedes a receiver in a visually evident manner and materially affects the receiver’s opportunity to gain position or retain his position to catch the ball.

Disputing a Call: The Instant Replay Challenge System

Under the instant replay challenge system, a coach who disagrees with a call can ask the referees to review it with instant replay.

Coaches can challenge up to two calls per game. However, if they challenge a call and the referees decide after reviewing it that the call stands, the team that issued the challenge loses a timeout. In the rare instance of a coach making two successful challenges within a game, he is allowed a third challenge.

To challenge a call, the coach must make the challenge before the ball is snapped and the next play begins. To signal a challenge, the coach throws a red flag onto the field of play. Usually, coaches wait for the replay to be reviewed in the coaches’ booth upstairs, or they view the play on the stadium’s big screen before issuing a challenge.

In the NFL, in the final two minutes of each half, neither coach may challenge a call. A replay official monitors all plays and signals down to the field to the referee if any play or call needs to be reviewed. In addition, in the NFL, all scoring plays and turnovers (fumbles and interceptions) are automatically reviewed by the replay official.

Positions

Larger athletes generally play on the offensive and defensive lines — what are called the trenches.

Leaner athletes who are faster and quicker generally play the skill positions, such as quarterback, running back, and receiver.

The Quarterback

The quarterback is the player who announces the plays in the huddle, but he doesn’t call them on his own. Coaches on all levels of football (peewee, high school, college, and the NFL) decide what plays the offense will use.

The QB lines up directly behind the center at the beginning of each play. In the NFL, a quarterback receives plays from a coach on the sidelines via an audio device placed in his helmet.

Although NFL coaches don’t allow quarterbacks to call their own offensive plays (except in no-huddle situations when little time remains on the clock), a player must be prepared to change the play at the line of scrimmage if it doesn’t appear that the play will succeed. Changing the play at the line of scrimmage in this way is called audibilizing (see the later “Calling Plays and Audibilizing” section for more on this topic).

Depending on the design of the offense, the quarterback takes a three-step, five-step, or seven-step drop before throwing the ball.

The area in which the quarterback operates, most likely with a running back (RB) and the offensive line protecting him from the defense, is called the pocket.

In the NFL, the quarterback doesn’t run the ball very often unless he’s being chased out of the pocket or instructed to run a quarterback sneak. Teams run this play when the offense needs a yard or less for a first down. In a quarterback sneak, the quarterback takes a direct snap from the center and either leaps behind his center or guard or dives between his guard and center, hoping to gain a first down.

In passing situations when the team has many yards to go for a first down or touchdown, quarterbacks sometimes take a shotgun snap. In this instance, the quarterback stands 6 to 8 yards behind the center and receives the ball through the air from the center much like a punter does. Starting from the shotgun position, the quarterback doesn’t have to drop back. He can survey the defense and target his receivers better. However, defending against a quarterback who lines up in the shotgun position is easier for the defensive players, because they know the play is very likely to be a pass instead of a run.

What a QB needs to succeed

Arm strength: But velocity is important when throwing a football because it allows a quarterback to complete a pass before a single defensive player can recover (react to the pass) and possibly deflect or intercept the ball. The more arm strength a quarterback has, the better his ability to throw the ball at a high speed.

Accuracy: When a receiver goes out into a route, most of the time he’s open for only a tiny window of space and time. The best quarterbacks can put the ball in the ideal spot for the receiver to not only catch the ball but to catch it in stride to gain more yards down field.

Mobility: A quarterback’s mobility is as important as his intelligence and his arm. He must move quickly to avoid being tackled by defensive players.

Release: If a quarterback doesn’t have exceptional arm strength, he’d better have a quick release. After the quarterback raises the ball in his hand, usually near his head or slightly above and behind it, he releases, or rapidly brings his arm forward and lets the ball loose.

Size: Players of all different heights and weights have played the quarterback position, but NFL quarterbacks are preferably over 6’1″ and 210 pounds. A quarterback who’s 6’5″ and 225 pounds is considered ideal. A quarterback wants to be tall enough to see over his linemen — whose average height in the NFL is 6’5″ to 6’7″ — and look down the field, beyond the line of scrimmage, to find his receivers and see where the defensive backs are positioned.

Quarterbacking fundamentals

Dropping back: After he masters the stance, a quarterback learns how to drop back and set up to pass. The depth to which a quarterback drops in the pocket generally is determined by how far from the line of scrimmage the receiver is running. If the receiver is running 5 to 6 yards down the field and then turning to catch the ball, for example, the quarterback takes a drop of no more than three steps. The quarterback generally moves further away from the line of scrimmage as the pass routes (the paths receivers take when going out for a pass) of his receivers get longer. For instance, if the receiver is running 10 to 12 yards down the field, the quarterback takes five steps to put himself about 7 yards back from the line of scrimmage.

Handing off: One of the most important things for a quarterback to master is the running game and how it affects his steps from center

Passing grip: Because different quarterbacks have different-sized hands, one passing grip doesn’t suit everyone. Some coaches say that a quarterback should hold the ball with his middle finger going across the ball’s white laces or trademark. Other coaches believe both the middle and ring finger should grip the laces.

Calling plays and audibles

The quarterback may say “686 Pump F-Stop on two.” The first three numbers (686) are the passing routes that the receivers — known as X, Y, and Z — should take. Every team numbers its pass routes and patterns, giving receivers an immediate signal of what routes to run. On this play, the X receiver runs a 6 route, the Y receiver an 8 route, and the Z receiver another 6 route. “F-Stop” in this case refers to the fullback’s pass route. And “two” refers to the count on which the quarterback wants the ball snapped to him. In other words, the center will snap the ball on the second sound.

Most teams snap the ball on the first, second, or third count unless they’re purposely attempting to draw the opposition offside by using an extra-long count.

After the quarterback reaches the line of scrimmage and puts his hands under the center, he says “Set” (at which point the linemen drop into their stances) and then something like “Green 80, Green 80, Hut-Hut.” The center snaps the ball on the second “Hut.” “Green 80” means absolutely nothing in this case. However, sometimes the quarterback’s remarks at the line of scrimmage prior to the snap count inform his offensive teammates of how the play will be changed. The offensive linemen also know that the play is a pass because of the numbering system mentioned at the beginning of the called play.

Quarterback Math

Quarterbacks are judged statistically on all levels of football by their passing accuracy (which is called completion percentage), the number of touchdowns they throw, the number of interceptions they throw, and the number of yards they gain by passing. This last statistic — passing yards — can be deceiving. For example, if a quarterback throws the ball 8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and the receiver runs for another 42 yards after catching the ball, the quarterback is awarded 50 yards for the completion.

(You may hear television commentators use the term yards after the catch to describe the yards that the receiver gains after catching the ball.) Quarterbacks also receive positive passing yards when they complete a pass behind the line of scrimmage — for example, a screen pass to a running back who goes on to run 15 yards. Those 15 yards are considered passing yards.

Examining Manning’s statistics, you see that he attempted 659 passes (Att) and completed 450 of those passes (Comp) for a completion percentage of 68.3 (Pct Comp). In attempting those 659 passes, his receivers gained 5,477 yards (Yds), which equals an average gain per attempt of 8.3 yards (Yds/Att). Manning’s teammates scored 55 touchdowns (TD) via his passing while the defense intercepted (Int) 10 of his passing attempts.

When you see a newspaper article about a football game, the story may state that the quarterback was 22 of 36, passing for 310 yards. Translation: He completed 22 of 36 pass attempts and gained 310 yards on those 22 completions. Not a bad game.

Last but not least you have the NFL quarterback rating formula, also called the passer rating formula. It makes for an unusual math problem.

A rating of 100 or above is considered very good; an average rating is in the 80 to 100 range, and anything below 80 is considered a poor quarterback rating.

The Passing Game

A quarterback wouldn’t be much good without receivers to catch the ball. Wide receivers and tight ends are the principal players who catch passes, although running backs also are used extensively in every passing offense.

Tight ends aren’t as fast as wide receivers because they play the role of heavy-duty blockers on many plays. Teams don’t expect tight ends, who may outweigh a wide receiver by 60 pounds, to have the bulk and strength of offensive linemen, but the good ones — like Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers and Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots — are above-average blockers as well as excellent receivers.

Basic offenses have five possible receivers: the two running backs, the tight end, and the two wide receivers. The wide receivers are commonly referred to as X and Z receivers. The X receiver, or split end, normally aligns to the weak side of the formation, and the Z receiver, or flanker, aligns to the strong side of the formation. The tight end is known as the Y receiver. (In simplest terms, the strong side of the formation is the side with the most distance to the sideline.)

Important passing terms

Deflection: A deflection happens when a defensive player uses his hands or arms to knock down (or deflect) a pass before it reaches the receiver. This act usually occurs near the line of scrimmage when defensive linemen jump, arms raised, into a quarterback’s visual passing lane, hoping to deflect the pass. Deflections can lead to an interception or incompletion.
Holding: Holding is the most common penalty called against the offense when it’s attempting to pass.
Illegal forward pass: A quarterback can’t cross the line of scrimmage and throw the ball.
Intentional grounding: This penalty occurs when a quarterback standing in the pocket deliberately throws the ball out of bounds or into the ground.
Interception: An interception is the act of any defensive player catching a pass.
Roughing the passer: This penalty was devised to protect the quarterback from injury. After the ball leaves the quarterback’s hand, any defensive player must attempt to avoid contact with him. Because a defensive player’s momentum may cause him to inadvertently run into the quarterback, he’s allowed to take one step after he realizes that the ball has been released. But if he hits the quarterback on his second step, knowing that the ball is gone, the referee (the official standing near the quarterback) can call roughing. It’s a 15-yard penalty against the defense and an automatic first down.
Sack: A sack happens when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage by any defensive player.

Looking at Passing Patterns

Comeback: On the comeback, the receiver runs hard downfield, between 12 and 20 yards, and then turns sharply to face the football. The comeback route generally is run along the sideline.
Crossing: The crossing pattern is an effective pass against man-to-man coverage because it’s designed for the receiver to beat his defender by running across the field. The receiver can line up on the right side of the line of scrimmage, run straight for 10 yards, and then cut quickly to his left.
Curl: For this 8- to 12-yard pass beyond the line of scrimmage, the receiver stops and then turns immediately, making a slight curl before facing the quarterback’s throw.
Hook: This common pass play, which is also known as a buttonhook, is designed mostly for a tight end, who releases downfield and then makes a small turn, coming back to face the quarterback and receive the ball. A hook is similar to a curl, except the turn is made more abruptly and the pass is shorter, at 5 to 8 yards.
Post: This is a long pass, maybe as long as 40 to 50 yards, in which the receiver runs straight downfield, and then cuts on a 45-degree angle toward the “post,” or goalposts.
Slant: The receiver runs straight for 3 to 8 yards and then slants his route, angling toward the middle of the field.
Square-out: The receiver on this pattern runs 10 yards down the field and then cuts sharply toward the sideline, parallel to the line of scrimmage.
Streak (or Fly): This is a 20- to 40-yard pass, generally to a receiver on the quarterback’s throwing side (which is right if he’s right-handed or left if he’s left-handed). The receiver, who’s aligned wide and near the sidelines, runs as fast as he can down the sideline, hoping to lose the defensive man in the process.
Swing: This is a simple throw to a running back who runs out of the backfield toward the sideline. The quarterback generally throws the pass when the running back turns and heads upfield. The swing is usually a touch pass, meaning the quarterback doesn’t necessarily throw it as hard as he does a deep square-out (described earlier in this list). He wants to be able to float it over a linebacker and make it easy for the running back to catch.

Shotgun formation

In football terminology, formation describes how the players on offense line up before the ball is snapped.

Offenses use the shotgun when they have poor pass blocking or when they’re facing excellent pass rushers. Teams also use the shotgun when they want to pass on every down, usually when they’re behind. However, many offenses use the shotgun simply because the quarterback and the coach like to use it. Other teams use the shotgun only when they’re in obvious passing situations — such as on third down when they need 4 or more yards for a first down, or anytime they need more than 10 yards for a first down.

The center must be able to make an accurate, chest-high, 7-yard snap to the quarterback. You can’t fool the defensive players; they know you’re probably throwing the ball, and the pass rushers won’t hesitate to sprint for your quarterback in hopes of a sack.

The Running Game

Running back may be the most physically demanding position in football. A great running back, whose productivity dictates his team’s success, is asked to take a tremendous beating on a weekly basis. Every game he faces 11 angry men who have a license to physically punish him. Rarely does one defensive player bring down a great running back. He gets hit from every angle — high and low. Often, one player grabs hold of the running back while a number of defenders take clean shots at him.

In football, the ground game refers to running the football.

Sometimes teams run the ball and keep the clock moving. This ploy is called ball control. Running the ball is the best way to maintain possession and keep the clock moving when a team is ahead because the clock doesn’t stop if a player is tackled in bounds. However, if the quarterback throws an incompletion, the clock stops. Stopping the clock is advantageous to the defense;

The NFL has become somewhat of a pass-happy league, but the running game is still vitally important.

The next time you see an offense set up, look for the two players who line up in the offensive backfield (the area of the field behind the quarterback and the line of scrimmage). These players are the running backs. The smaller one is the main ball carrier, and the larger one is the guy charged with protecting the ball carrier.

On most teams, the principal ball carrier is called the halfback (also called the tailback or the running back).

When a team employs two running backs in the offensive backfield, the bigger of the two is usually called the fullback. He’s there to block and clear the way for the halfback, who’s the main ball carrier.

Little guys slip by opponents in the open field. They’re difficult to grab hold of and tackle — it’s almost like their shoulder pads are covered with butter.

On the other hand, big brutes like Jim Brown simply run over everyone. Brown never concerned himself with making tacklers miss him. At some point, every coach looks for a big back who can run over everyone in his way.

Running back fundamentals

Running backs need more skills than players at other positions. That’s because on any given play, a running back may run the ball, catch a pass, or block an opposing player. Occasionally running backs are even called upon to throw a pass or kick the ball.

On most football teams, the running back is the best athlete on the team.

Receive a handoff: A runner must receive the football from the quarterback without fumbling. To do this properly, his arms must form a pocket outside his stomach. If the back is right-handed, he bends his left arm at the elbow in a 90-degree angle, keeps his forearm parallel to the ground, and turns up the palm of his left hand. His right arm is up to receive the ball so that when the quarterback places the ball in his stomach area, his right forearm and hand close around it.

He must know every hole number in the playbook. A typical NFL playbook may contain between 50 and 100 running plays. The holes (the spaces opened up by blockers), which are numbered, are the only things that tell the running back where he’s supposed to run with the ball. The play will either specify the hole number or be designed for a specific hole.

When facing smaller defenders, the running back may use a stiff arm (extending his free hand) to jostle the defender in his face mask or shoulder area.

Stances

A running back can use two stances: One is the up stance, in which he has his hands resting on his thighs, a few inches above his knees. This stance is also called the two-point stance. The second is the down stance, in which he puts his right hand on the ground like a lineman. It’s also called the three-point stance because one hand and both feet are on the ground.

Runners can use the two-point stance when they’re in the split-back formation, with one back aligned to the left of the quarterback and one to the right. However, most coaches prefer their runners to use the three-point stance in this alignment because they believe it provides the runner with a faster start than the two-point stance — much like a sprinter bursting from his blocks. Some runners remain in the two-point stance in split backs, which can tip off the defense that they’re going to pass-protect for the quarterback or run out for a pass. The running backs can then resort to a three-point stance with the intention of confusing the defense.

In the I formation, so named because the center, quarterback, fullback, and halfback line up behind one another to form a letter I, the deep back is always in a two-point stance.

Lining up: The formations

I selected three backfield formations that focus specifically on running backs. One is the pro-set, which is also known as the split-back or split T formation. Another is the I formation — where both runners are aligned together behind one another and behind the quarterback and center. The third formation is the I formation’s hybrid, the offset I formation. Most teams give these offset formations names like Jack, Queen, Far, Near, and so on.

Split-back formation: In the split-back formation, the runners are aligned behind the two guards about 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Teams use this formation because it’s difficult for the defense to gauge whether the offense is running or passing.

I formation: In the I formation, the tailback (TB) — the runner who will carry the ball — can place himself as deep as 7 yards from the line of scrimmage. By stepping this far back, the runner believes he’ll be in full stride when he nears the line of scrimmage.

Offset I formation

Basic running plays

Blast or dive: Every team has a black or dive run in its playbook; it’s the simplest of carries. Usually led by a blocking fullback, the running back takes a quick handoff from the quarterback and hits a hole between an offensive guard and a tackle. The offense calls this run when it needs a yard or two for a first down.
Counter: This play is an intentional misdirection run on the part of the offense. The quarterback fakes a lateral toss to one back who’s heading right, running parallel to the line of scrimmage. He’s the decoy. The quarterback then turns and hands off to the remaining runner in the backfield, generally a fullback, who runs toward the middle of teh line, hoping to find an opening between either guard and the center.
Draw: This is a disguised run, which means it initially looks like a pass play. The QB fakes a pass and then turns and hands the ball to a runner.
Pitch: This run is usually from a two-back formation. The quarterback (QB) takes the snap and fakes a handoff to the first back (HB), who’s heading directly toward the line of scrimmage; he then tosses (or pitches) the ball laterally to the other runner (FB), who has begun to move to the outside.
Reverse: For this play, the halfback (HB) receives the handoff from the QB and then runs laterally behind the line of scrimmage. The ball carrier meets up with a wide receiver (WR) and then hands the ball to that receiver running in the opposite direction.
Slant: This run is exactly like sounds. Instead of running straight toward the line of scrimmage, the runner (HB) slants his angle outside after he receives the ball.
Sweep: This run is pretty common. It begins with two or more offensive linemen pulling, or leaving their stances and running toward the outside of the line of scrimmage. The ball carrier (HB) takes a handoff from the QB and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage, waiting for his blockers to lead the way around the end. The run is designed to attack the defensive end, outside linebacker, and cornerback on a specific side.

The Offensive Line

The job of offensive linemen? To protect the most hunted commodity in the game — the quarterback — and to block for the ball carrier. The line also opens up holes in the defense for the running backs (by blocking, or impeding the movement of, defenders). Ball carriers try to go through these holes, which are also called running lanes.

The offensive line (or O line) is also essential to the passing game. Its job is to shield the quarterback, allowing him two or three seconds of freedom in which to throw the ball. The more time the line gives the quarterback to scan the field and find an open receiver, the better chance the quarterback has of a completion or a touchdown pass.

The offensive line is made up of five players, with the man in the middle called the center. Every offensive line position is based on the center. To the right of him is the right guard, and outside the right guard is the right tackle. To the left of the center is the left guard, and outside the left guard is the left tackle.

If the quarterback is right-handed, the left tackle is also referred to as the blind-side tackle.

So there are three main offensive line positions — center, guard, and tackle.

Most coaches put their best athlete at left tackle if their quarterback is right-handed (and more than 90 percent are).

Like a center in basketball, a football center is in the middle of the action. He’s the player who snaps (or delivers) the ball to the quarterback. As the snapper, he must know the signal count — when the quarterback wants the ball to be snapped, indicated by a series of commands, such as “Down. Set. Hut hut hut!”

This center-quarterback exchange initiates every offensive play. Before the play begins, the center stands over the ball and then bends down, usually placing both hands around the front tip of the football. He snaps (or hikes) the ball between his legs to the quarterback.

And unlike the offense, the defense may move before the ball is snapped, which allows a defense to set up in a vast array of formations. The center is essentially a coach on the field, redirecting his offensive line teammates as necessary based on how the defense aligns itself. On nearly every play, the center points to the defenders and, using terminology that the defense can’t decipher, gives his fellow linemen their blocking assignments.

Guards, who line up on either side of the center, should be some of the best blockers. In a block, an offensive lineman makes contact with a defensive player and uses his hands, arms, and shoulders to move him out of the way. A guard is doing his job if he clears the way, creating a hole for a running back to run through. A guard also must be able to fight off his man — stopping the defender’s forward momentum — and prevent him from rushing the quarterback on a pass play.

The neutral zone is the area between the offensive and defensive lines. It’s the length of the ball in width. Only the center is allowed in the neutral zone until he snaps the ball. If a lineman from either team lines up in this zone prior to the snap of the ball, his team incurs a 5-yard penalty.

Tackles tend to be the biggest linemen, and in the NFL they’re generally the most athletic.

Tackles should be the stars of the offensive line because their job on the ends of the line is to repel some of the game’s best defensive linemen and pass-rushers.

He has a lot of responsibility on the edge (the outside shoulder of the defensive end or linebacker aligned over him)

Not all running plays are designed to go inside the tackles. Off-tackle runs are usually run to the strong side of the formation, where the tight end, who serves as another blocker, lines up. On off-tackle runs, the tackle must contain his man and push him inside toward the center of the line as the ball carrier runs wide, or outside the tackle.

Today, offensive linemen fall in two categories:

The big, burly (heavyset) lineman:
- These players imposed their will on their opponents and pounded them repeatedly — considered a power offense. Their style was to beat their opponents into submission.
- The power offense is common when a coach believes that his offensive line is bigger and stronger than the opposition’s defensive line.
The smaller, quicker lineman:
- This lineman takes more of a surgical approach, slicing and picking the defense apart. The best example of this type of line play is the classic West Coast offense. This scheme involves a lot of angle blocking, which means an offensive lineman rarely blocks the defensive player directly in front of him; he does everything in angles.

What style a team chooses often depends on its quarterback, the size and ability of its offensive linemen, and the coach’s offensive preference. If your quarterback has the ability to escape the rush, the West Coast finesse works fine. If you have an immobile quarterback, you may want Foreman-like blockers who are difficult to get past.

Note: Linemen want to change stances occasionally to prevent defensive players from zeroing in on exactly what the offense is doing; this changing is known as giving the defensive player different looks.

An excellent offensive lineman is able to maintain proper balance. The key to proper balance is having a solid base. A lineman’s feet should be set a little wider than the width of his shoulders; that way, the torso is set like a perfect upside-down T. If the lineman can maintain this stance, in most cases he won’t be knocked off his feet.

The point between the blocker and the quarterback, where the offensive lineman wants to meet the defender he plans to block, is called the intersection point. The offensive lineman needs to reach that point as quickly as possible. The slower the lineman assumes that position, the easier it is for his opponent to get him turned. That’s really what the defensive player is trying to do — turn the offensive lineman. After the offensive lineman is turned, the defensive player can shorten his distance to the corner. And after he accomplishes that, the defender can make an inside move because he has the offensive lineman pointed in the wrong direction.

O-line penalties

Clipping: When an offensive lineman blocks an opponent from behind, hitting him in the back of the legs or in the back. The infraction costs the offense 15 yards. However, clipping above the knee is legal within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage.
Encroachment: Encroachment happens when a player enters the neutral zone before the ball is snapped and makes contact with the opposition.
False start: A false start is when an offensive lineman who’s in a stance or set position moves prior to the snap of the ball. This is a 5-yard penalty with a replay of the down.
Helping the runner: After the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage, an offensive lineman can’t push or pull him forward, helping him gain extra yardage. Helping the runner is a 10-yard penalty with a replay of the down.
Holding: When an offensive lineman grabs and holds onto a defensive player, it’s called holding, and it’s one of the worst things an offensive lineman can get caught doing. An offensive lineman is whistled for holding when he grabs an arm or a jersey, or even tackles a player who has managed to get around him. Linemen are allowed to use their hands, but they can’t use them to clamp onto an opposing player and limit his movement. If a lineman is caught holding a defensive player in the NFL, the penalty is 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. Now, some people will tell you that offensive linemen hold on every play, but mainly those accusations are coming from defensive guys like me. Generally, if the offensive lineman’s hands are inside the opponent’s shoulder and his chest area (where the jersey number is), he can grab and hold all he wants as long as he keeps the defender in front of him. But if a defender goes to the ground really fast for no apparent reason, it’s obvious that he’s being held, even if the offensive lineman’s hands are inside.
Offside: This happens when an offensive player lines up over the designated line of scrimmage, trying to gain an edge on blocking or simply forgetting where he should be. Generally, the lineman either places his hand over the line of scrimmage or tilts his upper body over the line of scrimmage. Offside is a 5-yard penalty with a repeat of the down.

Offensive Plays and Strategies

When football teams decide which play or formation to use, they base the decision on the personnel matchups they want. Coaches study the opposition and examine hours of film hoping to find the weak links in the opposing defense. No defensive team has 11 great players. So, the offense’s design is to move away from the opposition’s strengths and attack the weaknesses.

What has aided offensive production in the last dozen or so NFL seasons is the enforcement of the 5-yard bump rule, which forbids defensive backs from pushing or shoving receivers 5 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage in hopes of pushing them off their pass routes.

Pass offenses

Few passes travel more than 10 or 12 yards. I’m sure you’ve heard about the bomb — a reference to a long pass — but those 35- to 40-yard or longer pass plays are pretty rare, thanks to the modern pass offenses that are run in the NFL and college football.

West coast offense

The West Coast offense uses all the offense’s personnel in the passing game, as opposed to an I-formation team that’s structured to run the ball and rarely throws to the running backs. Rather than running long routes downfield, the wide receivers run quick slants or square-out patterns toward the sidelines, hoping to receive the ball quickly and gain extra yards after the catch. The receivers run a lot of crossing routes, meaning they run from left to right or right to left in front of the quarterback, maybe 10 yards away. Crossing routes are effective because they disrupt many defensive secondary coverages.

Shotgun offense

For obvious passing downs, some teams use the shotgun offense. In the shotgun, the QB lines up 5 to 7 yards behind the center and receives a long snap.

From a defensive lineman’s viewpoint, the shotgun is okay because you don’t have to concentrate on defending the run; you know that the offense is going to pass. In other formations, a defender has to be prepared for both possibilities: run or pass. He has to think before reacting. When facing the shotgun, a defensive lineman has only one mission: to get to the quarterback as fast as he can.

Beating a defense

When facing a 3-4 front (three down linemen and four linebackers), the offense’s best strategy is to run weak side, or away from the tight end (which is always the strong side of any offensive formation).

In the four-across defense, the defense plays all four secondary players deep, about 12 yards off the line of scrimmage. To beat this defense, the offense wants to have two wide receivers (WR) run comeback routes, have the tight end (TE) run a 16-yard in route, and have the two backs (RB) swing out to the right and left.

Press coverage is when the defensive team has its two cornerbacks on the line of scrimmage, covering the outside receivers man-to-man. One tactic against this defense is to throw to the tight end (TE), who runs to the middle of the field. Another option is to throw to the running back (RB), who’s swinging out to the left. The wide receivers (WR), who are being pressed, run in the opposite direction, away from the area in which either the tight end or the running back is headed.

When I say “passing against a zone coverage,” I’m talking about a defensive secondary that’s playing zone — meaning the cornerbacks are playing off the line of scrimmage. They aren’t in press coverage. The best pass against a zone coverage is the curl, and the best time to use it is on first-and-10. A receiver (WR) runs 10 to 12 yards and simply curls, or hooks back, toward the quarterback (QB). He usually curls to his left and attempts to run his route deep enough to gain a first down.

When facing a defense that blitzes a lot off the corner (linebackers or safeties coming from either wide side of the line of scrimmage against your offensive tackles), the offense should align with two tight ends in order to help pass-protect. To beat a zone blitz with a passing attack, the offense must find its opponent’s weakest defender in the passing game (be that cornerback, safety, or linebacker).

Teams that blitz from a basic 4-3 defense may use a safety to blitz the quarterback. When a team uses a safety to blitz, usually the defense is vulnerable in the center of the field, where both safeties should be. Still, very few teams leave the deep post wide open because it can give the offense a quick six points.

In need of a score late in a game, every team runs a no-huddle offense in an attempt to move down the field quickly. In essence, by quickly running plays without pausing to huddle, the offense prevents the defense from substituting players and changing its scheme. The quick pace of play can tire out a defense, leaving it vulnerable to a score.

Gaining better field position

When offenses face third down and more than 6 yards, which is known as third-and-long, the safest play is for the quarterback to throw to a running back who’s underneath the coverage of the defensive secondary. Why? Because in such situations, the defensive secondary, which is aligned well off the line of scrimmage, is always instructed to allow the receiver to catch the ball and then come up and tackle him, preventing a first down.

Early in the game, when your offense is down by ten or fewer points, you want to run a safe play on third-and-long, knowing that you’ll probably end up punting the ball. In other words, your offense is raising its white flag and giving up. That’s why this pass to the running back is called a field position pass. Maybe the back will get lucky, break a bunch of tackles, and gain a first down, but basically you’re playing for field position. The odds of beating a good defensive team under third-and-long conditions are pretty slim.

Most of the time, a possession pass is a short throw, between 8 and 10 yards, to either a running back or a tight end. The intent isn’t necessarily to gain a first down but to maintain possession of the ball while gaining yardage. Often, teams call possession passes several times in a short period to help the quarterback complete some easy passes and build his confidence.

If the quarterback wants to throw a possession pass to a wide receiver and the defensive secondary is playing off the line of scrimmage, his best option is to throw a 5-yard hitch. A 5-yard hitch is when the receiver runs up the field 5 yards, stops, and then turns back so that he’s facing the quarterback.

In a play-action pass, the quarterback fakes a handoff to a running back and then drops back 4 more yards and throws the football. The fake to the running back usually causes the linebackers and defensive backs to hesitate and stop coming forward after they realize that it isn’t a running play. They stop because they know they must retreat and defend their pass responsibility areas.

If neither team has scored and the offense is on its own 20-yard line, that’s a perfect time to throw the football. Some conservative offensive teams run play-action only in short-yardage situations (for example, second down and 3 yards to go). But play-action works whenever the defense places its strong safety near the line of scrimmage, wanting to stuff the run. Because the defensive pass coverage is likely to be soft, the offense has a good opportunity to throw the ball. And the defense shouldn’t be blitzing, which in turn gives the quarterback plenty of time to throw.

Sticky situations

The toughest area in which to make a decision is between your opponent’s 35- and 40-yard lines — a distance that may be too far for your field goal kicker but too close to punt. If your punter kicks the ball into the end zone, for example, your opponent begins possession on the 20-yard line, giving you a mere 15-yard gain in field position. When you’re making the decision whether to kick or punt in this 35- to 40-yard line area, you may as well toss a coin.

The quarterback sneak is one of the oldest plays in the book. But it isn’t that simple to execute, and it doesn’t always succeed. The play is designed for the quarterback to run behind one of his guards, using the guard as his principal blocker. Teams run the quarterback sneak when they need less than a full yard, sometimes only a few inches, for a first down.

To be successful with the sneak, the quarterback delays for a moment and determines the angle the defensive linemen are coming from. Then he dives headfirst, pushing his shoulders into the crack behind whichever guard (the right or left side) is called in the huddle.

Your team has two minutes left in the game to drive 70 yards for a score. You must score a touchdown (and successfully kick the extra point) to tie the game. As an offensive coach, you’re hoping the defense decides to play a prevent defense, which means they use seven players in pass coverage while rushing only four linemen or linebackers at the quarterback. When a defense plays a prevent defense, you may want to run the ball because the running back has plenty of room to run after he crosses the line of scrimmage.

The best pass play to use in this situation is the triple stretch, which is also known as the vertical stretch. In this play, one receiver runs a deep pattern through the secondary, another receiver runs a route in the middle, and another simply runs underneath. The underneath route may be only 5 yards across the line of scrimmage and underneath the linebackers’ position in pass coverage.

Offenses when in scoring position

The best running back in the NFL isn’t necessarily the one that coaches choose when their teams are near the goal line. The “dodger and dancer” type of runner who can break out in the open field isn’t as valuable near the goal line as the “pound it in there” guy. Down on the 1-yard line, you need a powerful runner — a tough, physical player — who can bowl over people. Because he’s going to be hit, he needs to be able to bounce off one or two tacklers. Well, okay. The best play at the goal line is always something straight ahead.

For a two-point conversion in the NFL, the ball is placed on the 2-yard line, the same spot as for a kick. (College and high school teams must score from the 3-yard line.) You’d think that the two points would be automatic, but over the years, two-point conversions have been successful just 47 percent of the time, whereas kickers convert extra-point attempts at a rate of around 99 percent.

Coaches have a universal chart that tells them when to kick and when to attempt a two-point conversion (the chart was supposedly devised by UCLA coach Tommy Prothro in 1970 with the help of his offensive coordinator, Dick Vermeil). Coaches like the chart because they dislike being second-guessed by players and the media for making the wrong choice — a decision that may result in a defeat. Here’s what the chart says:

If you’re behind by 2, 5, 9, 12, or 16 points, attempt a two-point conversion. If you’re ahead by 1, 4, 5, 12, 15, or 19 points, attempt a two-point conversion. If you’re behind by 1, 4, or 11 points, you have to make the dreaded judgment call — it can go either way.

The Defensive Line

Nose tackle: The defensive lineman who lines up directly across from the center

Defensive tackles: Line up on either side of the nose tackle across from the offensive gaurds

Defensive ends: The defensive ends line out outside the tackles and opposite the offensive tackles. They are responsible for chasing the quarterback out of the pocket and trying to sack him.

A defensive lineman needs to be 260 pounds or bigger.

Linebackers

By the design of the defense, linebackers are the leaders of that 11-man squad. They’re the defensive quarterbacks and coaches on the field, beginning every play by giving the defensive call. They set the standard for every defense by being able to get to the ball before anyone else. They’re usually emotional leaders who excel in leading by example. If they play hard, their winning attitude carries over to the rest of the defense.

Although a linebacker’s main intention is to tackle the offensive player with the ball,

(Vacating their assigned areas to go after the quarterback is called blitzing.)

Terms

A sack refers to tackling the quarterback for a loss behind the line of scrimmage.

When two defensive players tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage, they must share the sack.

The term tackling has been around for more than 100 years. A player is credited with a tackle when he single-handedly brings down an offensive player who has possession of the ball.

Tackles, like sacks, can be shared. A shared tackle is called an assist.

The Secondary: Last Line of Defense

The secondary is the name given to the group of players who make up the defensive backfield. The basic defensive backfield consists of four position players: a right cornerback, a left cornerback, a strong safety, and a free safety.

The players who make up the secondary are known collectively as defensive backs, or DBs.

Basically, their job is to tackle runners who get past the defensive line and the linebackers and to defend — and hopefully break up — pass plays.

Cornerbacks

The cornerback is typically the fastest of the defensive backs.

Most defensive schemes employ two cornerbacks (CB) in man-to-man coverage

Most teams attempt to place their best cornerbacks against the opposition’s best receivers.

If a team’s cornerbacks are smaller and slower than its opponent’s receivers, that team usually plays more zone coverages, fearing that fast receivers will expose its secondary’s athletic weaknesses.

Safeties

Most defenses employ two safeties — a strong safety and a free safety. Safeties often are called the defense’s quarterbacks, or the quarterbacks of the secondary. They must see and recognize the offense’s formations and instruct their teammates to make whatever coverage adjustments are necessary. These instructions are different from what the middle linebacker tells his teammates.

Of the two types of safeties, the strong safety is generally bigger, stronger, and slower.

Coaches often refer to (and judge) their safeties as small linebackers. These players should be above-average tacklers and should have the ability to backpedal and quickly retreat in order to cover a specified area to defend the pass (which is called dropping into pass coverage).

The strong safety normally aligns to the tight end side of the offensive formation (also known as the strong side, hence the name strong safety), and 99 percent of the time, his pass coverage responsibility is either the tight end or a running back who leaves the backfield.

The sole reason strong safeties are more involved with the run defense is because they line up closer to the line of scrimmage. Coaches believe that strong safeties can defend the run while also having the necessary speed and size to defend the tight end when he runs out on a pass pattern.

The free safety (FS) is generally more athletic and less physical than the strong safety. He usually positions himself 12 to 15 yards deep and off the line of scrimmage,

He should have the speed to prevent the inside-the-park home run, which in football terms is the long touchdown pass. He also must have the speed and quickness to get a jump on any long pass that’s thrown in the gaps on the field.

Being the final line of the defense against the long pass, the free safety must be capable of making instant and astute judgments.

A free safety must also be able to cover a wide receiver in man-to-man coverage, because many offenses today employ three wide receivers more than half the time.

Nickel and dime backs

The fifth defensive back to enter the game is called the nickel back, and the sixth defensive back to enter is termed the dime back. The nickel term is easy to explain — five players equal five cents. The dime back position received its name because, in essence, two nickel backs are on the field at once. And, as you well know, two nickels equal a dime.

The one downside of using a defensive scheme that includes nickel and dime backs is that you weaken your defense against the running game.

Defensive coaches believe they’ve prepared for the occasional run and that these extra defensive backs give the defense more blitzing and coverage flexibility.

Secondary tricks

Bump and run – Defensive backs are allowed to hit receivers within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, but beyond that, hitting a receiver is a penalty.

Positive plays a defensive back can make

Interception: The ultimate prize is an interception, which is when a defensive back picks off a pass intended for a receiver. An even bigger thrill is returning the catch for a defensive touchdown, which is called a pick-six (pick because the pass was picked off, and six because returning the catch for a touchdown scores six points).
Pass defensed: Pass defensed is a statistic that a defensive back achieves every time he deflects a pass or knocks the ball out of a receiver’s hands. You can also say that the defensive back broke up a pass. A pass defensed means an incompletion for the quarterback.
Forced fumble: A forced fumble is when a defensive back forces the ball away from a receiver after he gains possession of the ball. Defensive backs have been known to use both hands to pull the ball away from the receiver’s grasp. This play is also known as stripping the ball. Any defensive player can force a fumble, and forced fumbles can happen on running plays, too.

Pass interference and illegal contact

When a receiver is running in a pass pattern and is more than five yards away from the line of scrimmage, a defensive player can’t push, shove, hold, or otherwise impede the progress of the receiver. If he does any of those things before the quarterback throws the ball, he’s called for either defensive holding or illegal contact. Both penalties result in five yards and an automatic first down for the offense.

When a pass is in the air, if a defensive player pushes, shoves, holds, or otherwise physically prevents an offensive receiver from moving his body or his arms in an attempt to catch the pass, he’s called for pass interference. Except for being ejected from a game, pass interference is the worst penalty in professional football for any member of the defensive team. Why? Because the number of yards that the defense is penalized is determined by where the penalty (or foul) is committed.

If a defensive player is flagged (penalized) in the end zone, the offensive team is given the ball on the 1-yard line with a first down.

Two types of coverage

Football teams employ two types of pass coverage: man-to-man coverage and zone coverage.

Man coverage

Simply stated, man-to-man coverage is when any defensive back, or maybe even a linebacker, is assigned to cover a specific offensive player, such as a running back, tight end, or wide receiver. The defender must cover (stay with) this player all over the field until the play ends. His responsibility is to make sure the receiver doesn’t catch a pass. The most important rule of man-to-man coverage (which is also known as man coverage) is that the defensive back must keep his eyes on the player that he’s guarding or is responsible for watching. He’s allowed to take occasional peeks toward the quarterback, but he should never take his eyes off his man.

Zone coverage

In zone coverage, the defensive backs and linebackers drop into areas on the field and protect those zones against any receivers who enter them. The biggest difference between zone coverage and man-to-man coverage is that in the latter coverage, a defender is concerned only about the player he’s covering. In virtually all zone coverages, two defensive backs play deep (12 to 15 yards off the line of scrimmage) and align near the hash marks.

In a zone coverage, each defensive back is aware of the receivers in his area, but his major concentration is on the quarterback and reacting to the quarterback’s arm motion and the ball in flight. Coaches employ zone coverage against teams that love to run the football because it allows them to better position themselves to defend the run. Other teams use zone coverage when the talent level of their secondary personnel is average and inferior to that of the offensive personnel they’re facing.

The simplest way to recognize a zone defense is to observe how many defenders line up deep in the secondary. If two or more defensive players are aligned deep (12 to 15 yards off the line of scrimmage), the defense is in a zone.

The box is the imaginary area near the line of scrimmage where the defensive linemen and linebackers line up prior to the offense putting the ball into play. Usually, a team puts seven defenders, known as the front seven, in that box. But a team can put an eighth man — the strong safety (SS) — in the box, if it has two outstanding cornerbacks (CB) who can cover wide receivers (WR) man to man.