As we enter mid-October, we are entering a season of sports around the clock, and right now, the big two are the NFL and NHL. I hope that this NFL guide answers your questions, explains positions, and clears up any of the calls the referee may make.
Offense
The offense is made up of 11 players all working together to move the ball up the field to score a touchdown:
- Quarterback (QB): The playmaker. He passes off or throws the ball. He also has the possibility to keep the ball and try running it. He leads the huddles by laying out the play they’re going to run.
- The Center: A part of the O-line. He’s the guy crouching down in front of the quarterback. He snaps the ball and blocks the defense from getting to the QB.
- Running Back (RB): Also called a halfback. They run the ball from a handoff, catch passes, and block defense. Occasionally, you may also see them throwing a pass.
- Full Back (FB): The big boy they use for blocking. His main goal is to protect the quarterback.
- Wide Receiver (WR): The fast, skinny guys on the field who catch passes and run routes.
- Tight End (TE): Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. They’re the players who can do it all, pretty much. They block like a lineman, but will catch and run the ball like a wide receiver.
- Offensive Line (O-line): This position consists of 2 guards and 2 tackles. They protect the quarterback by blocking and creating running lanes for the other players.
Defense
They have 11 men on the field. They want to stop the ball and the other team from advancing:
- Defensive Line: First line of defense. They consist of 2 defensive ends (DE), one on each side, and 1 or 2 defensive tackles (DT). They are usually going after the person with the ball, typically the QB.
- Linebacker (LB): They are behind the defensive line. There are typically 2 or 4 of these guys running around. These guys are shadowing a runner and “rushing” the passer, which basically means applying pressure to make the other guy mess up their play.
- Cornerback: These are the fastest defensemen. There’s 2 or 4 on the field, and they have to be the quickest because they want to break up and intercept passes, or tackle if someone does catch a pass.
- Safety: The last line of defense. They’re expected to play back on the field, but they should be speedy in case they need to run up the field and help defend or cover players.
Special Teams
These are the guys who sit on the sidelines until a giant spotlight comes down from above and calls upon them for their 5 minutes of fame. These are the main positions you’ll hear about:
Punter: After the offense is stopped, they receive the ball and punt it down the field. Their goal here is to push their opponent as far back as they can.
Punt Returner: They catch the ball off the punt or kickoff and run the ball to gain as much field possession as possible.
Kicker: They come on for those extra points, and they want to kick the ball between the field goal posts. They are also the ones responsible for the kickoff at the beginning of each half in a game.
Scoring
There are five ways a team can score and gain points:
Touchdown: This way is worth 6 points. This is done by either running or catching the ball in the opponents end zone.
Extra Point or Two-Point Conversion: These occur after the touchdown. The team can either decide to kick the ball between the field goal posts for 1 extra point, or they can try to run and pass the ball into the end zone again for 2 points.
Field Goal: A 1-point attempt that’s usually attempted on a fourth down. This occurs when the ball is kicked through their opponents’ goalpost.
Safety: A way for the defense to score some points. They get 2 points if they tackle the offensive player with the ball into their own end zone.
The Basics
Kickoff
The kickoff is how the game starts. The ball is kicked off a tee from the 35-yard line in the defensive zone. They kick it to the offensive zone, where a return man will catch the ball and run it up the field. He wants to go as far as he can before defense stops him. Now, where he was stopped is where the first drive or set of offensive plays begins.
Line of Scrimmage
An invisible line that acts as the boundary separating offense and defense. Wherever the tip of the ball is when the officials place the ball down is where the line starts. The placement of this line changes after each play and is dependent on forward or backward progression.
Downs
A down is the offensives team’s chance to travel the ball 10 yards. They get four chances by running or passing the ball. If they cover 10 yards in 4 or fewer chances, they get another set of 4 new plays. There are some special instances where they may need to cover more than 10 yards. These can come in the form of penalties, which may add an additional 5 or 10 yards. Other times are when the defense pushes the offense back behind where their play started. The ball would now start there, and you’ll hear an announcer say “2nd and 12,” which means 2nd down and they have to cover 12 yards.
Turnover
If the offense doesn’t gain 10 yards in their four attempts, then the ball is turned over to the other team by a punt, or the offensive team may attempt a field goal.
Sacking
The defense does their job of taking down the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he can successfully throw a pass. This results in a loss of a down, and the offense loses yards. If the defender knocks the ball loose, this is considered a strip sack and a forced fumble. The intent also matters, like the QB has to be looking like he’s gonna pass the ball for it to count as a sack.
False Start
Only the offense can commit this penalty. It’s done by any movement or flinch that may confuse the other team before the start of the play. The offense then has to move 5 yards back and restart.