Training camp for the Tennessee Titans offensive unit versus defense
The final weekend of the 2011 NFL season is upon us. Although we have been traveling across the fútbol frenzied turf of South America for weeks 1-16, I haven’t been completely isolated from American football. Despite my distance from every yard-marked field I have participated in two pools, in which I must choose the winners of specific games and even rank my level of confidence in the victors. I have caught some Sunday and Monday night match-ups, but only managed to see one complete weekend at a sports pub in Lima. Every week I fail to win cash, but then again I was never good at these pools while living in New York.
If you think football players are mindless jocks, think again.
Football is my favorite spectator sport and I dedicated my mind and sacrificed my body to understand it better for six of my teenaged years. As a player, I missed countless parties and weekends at the Jersey Shore in order to attend agonizing twelve-hour summer practices called triple-sessions. During regular high school seasons I shirked the occasional homework assignment but developed aspects of my character that continue to assist me today. Film sessions, meetings, scrimmages, and games developed my concept of dedication and perseverance in the face of stress and pain. Studying dozens of individual plays with scores of variations for several positions tested my intellect and developed my propensity to improvise. And few situations can yield the camaraderie built amongst members of a football squad.
Why post about football?
Football is gaining popularity, but many people in the US and abroad find it confusing.
Now that I am amongst travelers and locals who have confused or ambivalent attitudes toward flying pigskins, I find myself explaining the rules and concepts of American football. Explaining jargon and drawing countless diagrams, I have utilized English, Spanish, and a combination of both to enlighten potential fans from five different continents and countless countries. The following text was my attempt to explain American football to former colleagues where I taught in the Bronx, New York two years ago. I hope that it helps demystify the sport.
As we approach the 2011 playoffs, send this to anyone who needs a BREAKDOWN.
Trying to understand football on Super Bowl Sunday?
Sporting our team colors at the Tsirklin/Freier Super Bowl party
Attempting to learn football while watching the Super Bowl can be confusing and intimidating. An abundant spread of food and drinks tempts you while celebrity-laden commercials and over-hyped halftime acts distract your attention from the game. Fans at your party may be too preoccupied with the on-field action to offer guidance and explanations. If they are like me, the melancholy of a long off-season looms as the final seconds of the Super Bowl dwindle to 0:00. Only sports bar owners, buffalo wing producers, and beer promoters feel the depression of the end of a football season as personally as a true National Football League (NFL) fan. Therefore, I will alleviate my sorrows by trying to demystify this simple yet chaotic game.
Some Basics of American Football
If a drive stalls the offense may kick a field goal for 3 points.
American football is an 11 on 11, team contact sport filled with short-term goals (getting first downs to sustain a drive), long-term goals (touchdowns and field goals), and plenty of violent hitting and calculated strategy throughout. An NFL game is sectioned into four 15-minute quarters. A kickoff takes place in the 1st quarter and in the 3rd quarter (after the half time break). This is so each team has a chance to start a drive.
Each team goes in a different direction in order to score points, but at the start of the 2nd and 4th quarters teams will change directions. It may seem strange that the teams switch sides in the middle of a drive. But this is for fairness in the face of adverse weather conditions or an uneven field. For example, a strong wind might be blowing left to right and effect throws and kicks, or one side of the field may be covered in holes. Switching sides ensures equality for both teams.
A football field is shaped like a huge rectangle and is 100 yards from one end zone to the other. These 100 yards are divided into ten-yard intervals which are clearly marked on both halves of the field. Starting at the end zones on each side of the field (which can be considered the 0 yard line or scoring zones) you have two 10 yard lines, two 20s, two 30s, two 40s which all meet up at the 50 (the middle of the field).
Professional (NFL) and collegiate (NCAA) football share more similarities than differences; so if you learn the basics of one you will be able to comprehend the other. In football there are three squads, or units, within a team. They are the offensive, defensive and special teams units.
Offensive Unit in Football
When the ball is snapped the offensive unit has the advantage of knowing the play.
The goal of an offense is to embark on sustained drives down the field in order to wear out their defensive opponents and ultimately to score points. The offense sustains these drives by methodically moving the ball down field and converting first downs (more on the offensive unit and first downs later). Offensive plays most often involve the quarterback throwing or handing off the ball to another player.
Defensive Unit in NFL
The defensive unit of a team tries to stop the opposition’s offense from gaining first downs and scoring points. A defense tries to get the ball back for their own offense as quickly as possible. In addition, the defense attempts to get the ball back for their offense with favorable field position. If a defense is successful in providing good field position for their offensive teammates, then the team will need fewer yards and plays to score points.
The defense waits for the huddle to break and looks to stifle the drive.
Another main objective for a defense is to create havoc for an offense by forcing turnovers such as fumbles and interceptions and by sacking the offensive team’s quarterback. These plays can destroy any momentum that an offense has generated and completely change the game.
A fumble occurs when a defensive player torments an opponent into dropping the football onto the ground. Either team can recover and advance the fumble once it hits the turf. Once the defensive team recovers a fumble, they leave the field and their offense takes over. This is because defensive players specialize in stopping the opponent and tackling. They would not be able to drive and get points because this requires a special set of skills. Conversely the other squad swaps their offensive players for defensive ones and the game changes directions. Sometimes an offensive player recovers a dropped fumble. In this case there was no turnover and the offense retains possession and continues in the same direction.
I spent many long summer and fall hours driving sleds and tackling dummies.
An interception occurs when a defensive player catches and steals a pass that was intended for an offensive player. Once the defender catches the pass they are free to run the opposite way and potentially score a defensive touchdown. Just as in a turnover involving a fumble, teams switch offensive and defensive units after an interception.
When a defensive player tackles the quarterback for a loss of yards it is called a sack. During a sack, it is common for an offense to lose a crippling 10 to 15 yards. They still have the football but they have extra yards to make up in order to get a new first down and continue the drive. Many times after a sack the offense is forced to throw the ball (as opposed to handing it off), in order to make up for the lost yardage.
Alumni of my high school football program gather around Thanksgiving for a game.
Is your head spinning like a runningback who got smashed by a linebacker? No worries, this is enough for now. Read this post a couple more times and you will have a basic understanding of American football. Ask questions to your friends and members of your family who enjoy football or send comments and questions to World Winder. Make sure to come back for Understanding American Football Part II. Try to catch the final weekend of the 2011 season and playoff games to add a visual for your new knowledge.
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