6 Things to Know About Football
1.
How does the game work?
In football two teams go head to head. The
main goal is to outscore the opposing team
and to allow as few points as possible.
There are a total of 22 players out on the
field at one time; 11 on offense and 11 on
defense. There are also seven referees on
the field during an NFL game but only about
3 in a high school game. The three that take
part in a high school game are the head
official and the two line judges. The line
judges make the call of whether or not a
player stepped out of bounds on any given
play. They also make the call of whether or
not a player is offside or not. The head
official makes the call of where the ball
needs to be spotted and makes sure
everything is under control.
2. What is the offense doing?
The goal of the offense is to drive all the
way into the opposing team’s end zone. If
they are successful then they get 6 points
added on to their score with a chance at
either one or two more points. Each time
the offense has the ball they have 4 chances
to gain at least 10 yards. If the 10 yards are
not achieved then the other team gets the
ball. If the 10 yards are achieved then the
offense gets 4 more attempts to do the
same until they either turn the ball over or
score a touchdown. To get the 10 yards
teams can either pass the ball or they can
run with it. There are a total of 11 offensive
players on the field. Those 11 don’t all do
the same thing. The 5 linemen block and
keep the quarterback safe from getting hit.
The quarterback passes or hands off the ball
and calls the plays. The running back runs
the ball. The receivers run routes and catch
the ball. There is not one position on
offense that is more important than the
other even though some will argue that the
quarterback is the most important.
3. What is the defense doing?
The defense is trying to stop the offense
from getting to the end zone. If they
achieve their goal of stopping the offense
then the team that was defending becomes
the offensive team. There are different
ways that the defense can choose to try to
stop the offense. They can play either zone
defense or man defense. In zone defense
each player has a different section or zone
of the field that they have to cover. In man
defense each player is assigned an offensive
player that they have to cover. The defense
also has the choice of playing either
conservative or aggressive. If they choose to
play conservative then the only people
rushing the quarterback are the defensive
linemen. If they play aggressively then they
will be blitzing the quarterback which
means more people other than just the
defensive linemen will be rushing the
quarterback. The defense can also choose
to play either a 4-3 scheme or a 3-4
scheme. In a 4-3 there are 4 linemen and 3
linebackers. In a 3-4 there are 3 linemen
and 4 linebackers. A turnover can be forced
in multiple ways. It can be either a turnover
on downs, an interception, or a fumble. An
interception is when a defensive player
catches a pass intended for an offensive
player. A fumble is when an offensive player
drops the ball when carrying it and it gets
picked up by the other team.
4. What is special teams?
Special teams is when neither the offense
nor defense are the ones on the field. There
are multiple subcategories of special teams
and many different positions. There’s
kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return,
and the field goal unit. For kickoff there are
11 players on the field on each team. The
team kicking the ball away from their end
zone becomes the defensive team and the
team receiving the ball becomes the
offensive team. The kickoff return team is
trying to run the ball as far as possible
before getting tackled so that the offense
has to travel less to score. The punt team
comes on when the offense wants to get
the ball as far away from their end zone as
possible. A punt usually occurs when a team
has used 3 out of 4 downs and isn’t close
enough to kick a field goal. Instead of
turning the ball over and giving the other
team a good field position the offense just
punts the ball away. The punt return team
is basically trying to do the same thing as
the kickoff return team but they have to be
more alert in case the offense fakes a punt.
The field goal unit comes out after the
offense scores a touchdown. When a
touchdown is scored the scoring team has a
chance to kick a field goal to get an extra
point. The scoring team can also choose to
run another play and get in the end zone
again to get two points instead of just one.
5. Is there special equipment used in football?
There are many different items that football players
must wear to be able to play football. There are
shoulder pads, helmets, girdles, knee pads, cleats,
and gloves. Shoulder pads are a very essential part of
being able to play football. Without shoulder pads
every hit would be a dangerous hit since there is so
much force being produced by a collision. Helmets
are also very essential. Without helmets the amount
of head injuries would be a lot higher. There are
technical advances being made in how helmets are
produced and these advances are making it harder
for players to get concussions or other head injuries.
Girdles are basically just thigh and butt pads to that
there is more protection. Knee pads help lessen the
impact to your knees which is an important part of
your legs. Cleats help gain traction and keep players
from falling over. There are different types of cleats,
some of them are designed for skill players and
some are for linemen. The ones designed for skill
players are made with speed and agility in mind. The
ones designed for linemen offer more support for
the ankle area. Gloves are another piece of
equipment. This last piece of equipment is optional.
Some players choose to wear gloves while others
decide not to. For skill players gloves are made to
help catch the ball. These gloves are made out of a
special material that improves grip with the football.
For linemen gloves are made with protection in
mind. They are rough on the palm and padded on
the back of the hand.
6. What skills are necessary to play football?
There are many skills necessary when it comes to
playing football. Each different position requires a
different skill set. A quarterback has to be able to
throw a football from a standing position and while
running. He also has to be able to think fast under
high pressure situations. Receivers need to be fast
and be able to catch while on the run. They also
need to have good footwork and be able to run a
good route. The offensive linemen must have good
footwork and be able to block so that the defense
doesn't get to the quarterback. A tight end must be
able to run routes, catch, and block. On defense the
linemen must be able to get off of a block so they
can go after the quarterback. A linebacker has to be
able to read the offense and be an excellent tackler.
They need to be able to rush the quarterback on a
blitz and cover a zone on a zone coverage play.
Cornerbacks need to be fast so that they can keep
up with the receivers. They also need to be able to
cover a single man or a zone. A safety requires all
the skill of a linebacker and a cornerback. All
defensive and offensive players need to be able to
read what the opposing team is doing which requires
a high football iq.