Wanna get into football? Here’s what you need to know.

Hello everyone! So, I decided to step away from my beauty blog for the day and write about the great American game of football. Now, I did not know much about football until I started watching it with my father and boyfriend, and all of it was quite confusing, especially the positions. After much research, I wrote a basic guide to football. Enjoy!

The first step to learning about football is learning about the major leagues of the sport. The National Football League (NFL) But the National Football League has 32 teams that are split into two conferences, the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

Photo via Wade Austin Ellis via Unsplash

Here is a list of all the 32 teams, are you ready?

First, we have the National Football Conference (NFC), Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Saint Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Washington Redskins. 

Next, we have the American Football Conference (AFC), Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, and the Tennessee Titans. 

Photo by Adrian Cueil via Unsplash

So now that we know the teams, let’s learn more about the sport. 

When the two teams meet, the player’s positions depend on whether the team is playing offense or defense. The team that has the ball is the offense, and they are trying to get a touchdown (something we will touch on later), while the defense is trying to prevent the touchdown. 

The offense has eleven players but only eight positions.

• The quarterback is the leader of the team, he calls the plays, yells the signals, and receives the ball from the center.
• The center is the player who snaps the ball to the quarterback and handles the ball with every play.
• The running back is the player who runs with the football. 
• The fullback is the player who protects the running back from the defense. 
• The wide receiver’s main job is to use speed to avoid the defense and catch the ball. Teams can use two to four receivers per play. 
• The tight end serves as a receiver and a blocker, he is to the left or right of the quarterback in the lineup.
• The left and right guard are the inner two members of the lineup who protect the quarterback and the ball carriers.
• The right and left tackle are the two outer members of the lineup.

The defense also has eleven players with five positions.   

• The defensive tackle is the two inner players of the lineup whose job is to run through a gap in the offensive line to pressure the quarterback. 
• The defensive end is the two outer players of the lineup, their job is to run past the offense and attempt to tackle the quarterback.
• The linebacker is composed of either three or four players who defend the run and or the pass.  
• The safety is the last line of defense, they defend against the deep pass and the running from the opposing team.
• The cornerback is the players on the widest part of the fields to oppose the wide receivers.   

Photo by Ben Hershey via Unsplash

Now, let’s learn about scoring. The object of the game is to score more points than the other team, and there are four possible ways to score in football. 

1. Touchdown (6 points): To score a touchdown the ball must be carried into the end zone by the offensive team.
2. Extra Point or Two-Point Conversion (1 or 2 points): Right after the touchdown is made, the ball is placed on the opponent’s two-yard line. Usually, the offense will choose to kick the extra point into the field goal. The two-point conversion is more challenging it is done by running or throwing the ball into the end zone in the same manner as you would score a touchdown. 
3. Field Goal (3 points): If the offense can not score a touchdown, they will try to kick a field goal through the goalposts. It can be attempted from anywhere on the field on any down, inside the defense’s 45-yard line. 
4. Safety (2 points): A safety occurs when the offensive ball carrier is tackled behind his own goal line.

Photo by Tim Mielke via Unsplash

So, friends, that is the most basic information there is to the game of American football. Get the chips and dip ready and settle down on the couch for some Sunday night football. 

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