Football 101

It has been brought to my attention that there are many people out there who don’t know much about football and I would like to apologize. I just assume that everyone knows the sport and I am sure some of my blogs are not making sense to the ones who aren’t familiar with the basics. I am going to provide a brief rundown of the definition of football, how the sport is played, and descriptions of the games positions. The intention of this blog is to allow a better understanding about the game.

In order to expand on the game of football, one must understand the definition first. In my own words, the definition of football is a game played between two teams on a rectangular field consisting of goal posts on each end whose object is to get a ball over the goal line by passing, running or kicking. In American football, we have a National Football League (NFL) which consists of two conferences: The American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Based on the link, each conference is broken into four divisions consisting of four different teams. Each team is divided into three separate units called the offense, defense, and special teams.

Second, one must understand how the game is played. Football is played on a field consisting of 100 yards. The object is for the offense to get the ball from one end of the field to the other in the end zone. Each team is given four attempts to gain ten yards per turn. The purpose of the defense is to try to stop the offense from gaining the full ten yards. Usually, by the fourth turn, if the offense is unable to advance the ten yards, they are forced to kick the ball to the opponent. When a team reaches the end zone they are considered to have scored what is known as a touchdown. Scoring a touchdown gives the team six points and the opportunity to kick a field goal for an extra point or gain two with a two point conversion. If the team is unable to reach the end zone and is close enough to the goal line they can opt for a field goal. Here the kicker attempts to kick the ball between the goal posts from the position the ball was carried to last. If made, the team receives three points. The game continues on for four quarters consisting of fifteen minutes. If there is a tie at the end of the game then another quarter is added and the first team to score wins.

Lastly, below is a list and description of all the positions played in football.


OFFENSE
Quarterback(QB) – generally positioned to take the snap. This person calls the plays and then preceding the snap can pass the ball down field, hand the ball to a running back, or personally run the ball himself.
Running back(RB) - tries to advance the ball by carrying it on plays from the line of scrimmage
Full back(FB) - whose position is behind the quarterback and halfbacks and who primarily performs offensive blocking and line plunges
Wide Receiver(WR) - the key player in most of the passing plays. A player eligible to receive a pass who usually takes a position on or near the line of scrimmage, but at some distance from the other members.
Tight End(TE) - an offensive end who lines up close to the tackle
Offensive Tackle(OT) – their job is to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football.
Offensive Guard(OG) - protect quarterback from the incoming defensive line and linebackers during pass plays.
Center(C) – passes the ball to the quarterback.

DEFENSE
Defensive end(DE) – used to block offensive players by trying to not let them get to the outside of the field.
Defensive Tackle(DT) – can be used for many roles. Main purpose is to block the offensive line from advancing. Typically the largest and strongest.
Nose Guard(NG) – Defensive player that lines up directly with the Center.
Linebacker(LB) – generally line up behind the line of scrimmage. (the imaginary line where a play is started.)
Cornerback(CB) – used to cover the receivers of the offensive line
Safety(SS) – line up ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage and their duty depends on the defensive scheme.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker – kicks field goals, extra points, and sometimes kickoffs.
Holder – the player who receives the snap before a field goal and holds the ball for the kicker.
Punter – this player kicks the ball to the receiving team after they are unable to advance the ten yards.
Long Snapper – Like the center, this player snaps the ball to the kicker or holder.
Kick Returner – catches the ball after a kickoff and attempts to run as far as he can before getting tackled.
Gunner – specializes in running quickly down the sideline to try to tackle the kick returner or punter.

Now that you have a general definition, a short explanation on how the game is played, and information on the positions, my future and previous blogs will hopefully be easier for you to follow and spark your interest. There exists more information and rules that go along with this sport; however, my objective was to offer some basic knowledge of this popular game we know as football.