So, friends, it’s October, and it’s also the fourth week of football. Normally, I wouldn’t’t care, but I now have a boyfriend who has two fantasy football teams, and dreams of running his own fantasy football podcast.
Of course, I have almost no clue how football works. So, with the help of my boyfriend, here is a lovely cheat sheet for other girls in my position, and really anyone who has no clue how football works, and wants to begin learning.
GENERAL POSITIONS:
Offense
Quarterback: “He throws the ball and facilitates the offense.” Basically, he’s like the leader of the pack; he calls the plays. He’s like the Troy Bolton of the team.
Tackle/Guard: “He blocks, duh.”
Center: “He hikes and/or snaps the ball to the quarterback.” Basically, he shoots the ball through his legs at the quarterback.
Tight End: “He blocks AND catches balls.”
Wide Receiver: “Catch.” He just receives the ball ;)
Running Back: “They run and sometimes catch the ball.” Sometimes people give them the ball.
Defense
Defensive Line (End & Tackle): “They rush the quarterback.”
Linebackers: “They back up the line.” Wow, thanks babe.
Cornerback: “Cover wide receivers.”
Safety: “Same as cornerbacks but deeper down the field.” (So why do they need different names?)
THE WEIRD NUMBERS AT THE BEGINNING OF PLAYS:
Ya know when the players line up and there’s a thing on the screen that says like “1st & 10” or “3rd & 5”? Basically, this has something to do with moving the ball 10 yards in a certain direction.
And then you see how in the gif there’s a black line and a yellow line on the field? The black like is where they start and then the yellow line is where they need to get to. So, they get like 3 tries (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) to get it to that point. And then if they don’t get through those 10 yards, they get a fourth turn but something else happens and it just gets too confusing. Basically, just know that the ball has the get from the black line to the yellow line. (Colors may vary)
Input from babe: “When the offense gets the ball, they get three chances to go ten yards and then if they don’t they either give up the ball or try going for another 1st down.”
POINTS:
Touchdown: This gets the team 6 points. Whoever has the ball runs into the end zone where the name of the team is drawn on the field.
Extra Point: This comes right after a touchdown. They kick it or something. But it is equivalent to 1 point.
Field Goal: This is 3 points. Someone kicks it through the field posts.
That’s about it. I don’t know, it’s pretty confusing but this is the general idea. Good luck, my friends.