I’ve had today’s date circled,
starred, and stickered on my calendar since February 3, 2013 (Super Bowl
XLVII). It’s back to the gridiron. The National Football League (NFL) season
officially kicks off tonight with defending Super Bowl champions, the Baltimore
Ravens, taking on the Denver Broncos.
I have so
much to say about football because it’s my favorite sport so bear with me as we
navigate all over the board.
What’s the
hype with football? What makes people flock to a TV all Sunday or even on
Thursday and Monday nights? Growing up in a strict Italian family firmly rooted
in togetherness, the only time the TV was ever allowed to be on during dinner
was if the Steelers were playing.
To me
football is pure excitement. Whether you’re watching two incredible teams play
and battle it out to the finish or a terrible team be dominated, or better yet,
the underdog pull through with the victory, there is a constant rush.
People
watch football because there is always action. It’s a fast-paced game that’s
unpredictable. You can bet on a game, but you never know when someone may get
hurt or play badly enough to effect the outcome. Tuning in to American Idol is
simple. You know what you’re going to get, a lot of singers who should stick to
singing in the shower and some who deserve a record deal right then and there.
With football though, you never know what to expect.
Football is
a game that is never over until the clock ticks to 0:00. Anything can happen at
any given second and the momentum change can determine the outcome of a game.
It is a game of strategy but can be simple as well. The difference between
backyard football and the NFL? Well a couple million dollars and some extra X’s
and O’s is about all. When it comes down to it, the object is still the same,
get the ball into the end zone to score and make sure to release the beast on
defense to prevent the other team from scoring.
To get more
into the game itself though. In the National Football League there are 32 teams
with 53 active players each. There are practice squad players too, but we’re
going to focus on the 53 who you’d see on the sidelines or field each week.
There are 22 players on the field at a time, 11 from each team. Offense try to
score and defense try to prevent them from scoring. Special teams are the
players who are on the field during kickoffs, punts, field goals, and extra
points.
Let’s break
that down a little more.
Each team gets four “downs” to go
ten yards. If they do get ten yards, the downs are reset, if not, on the
fourth, depending on where a team is at on the field, they can choose to “go
for it”, punt it away, or attempt a field goal if they are in range.
If a team makes it to the end zone
to score a touchdown, they receive six points. They are then given two options,
kick the PAT (point after touchdown) or go for the 2-point conversion. 2-point
conversions are rare unless a team is desperate for the lead or tie late in the
game. PATs are almost automatic for a kicker so they’re the most logical
choice.
When a team doesn’t quite make it
to the end zone but are close, the field goal unit is sent in. A made field
goal is worth three points and a missed is obviously worth nothing.
If a team doesn’t score a touchdown
and isn’t close enough for a field goal, the special teams will punt the ball
away, trying to get the ball down the field as far as they can to make it hard
for the other team to score.
In the
barebones of the offense, there is a quarterback, usually the face of the team,
running back, wide receivers, lineman, and tight end.
Quarterbacks
are the ones who “take the snaps”. Quarterbacks are the playmakers and in
charge of guiding their team down the field to score. QBs usually take the most
heat because they’re almost always the first to be blamed in the event of a
loss.
(I get a rush when the center
(offensive lineman) snaps the ball and the linebackers go for the blitz, I feel
bad for the quarterback!)
When a
quarterback is throwing, his main target is a wide receiver. They’re the ones
running down or across the field trying to shake off the defense to get open to
catch the pass. These are normally some of the fastest guys on the team because
they need to be able to run their route quickly since their quarterback doesn’t
have much time.
Running
backs are the general term given to the players who are in the backfield with
the quarterback. These players are usually versatile meaning not only can they
hold on to a football and plow through defense, but they can also block in the
event that a QB passes instead of handing it off to the running back. Some
running backs are smaller and more agile, able to cut and reverse direction
kicker, whereas some are big burly men who will drag half the defense along
with him as he pounds out those extra inches.
Some of the
positions most often overlooked are the offensive linemen. Their job is to
protect the quarterback, block for the running back, all the while making sure
they don’t create a penalty such as holding or a false start. They’re big and
strong, but usually are some of the biggest teddy bears there is.
Also in the
offense are tight ends who are occasionally referred to as utility players. Occasionally
a tight end will line up and do the same job as a wide receiver, but sometimes
they line up as an offensive linemen. They’re overall role depends on the style
of offense that a team runs, but sometimes they will be the huge playmakers
when a quarterback is in desperation for a man to throw to.
On to my
favorite, the defense.
I believe
that defense is what makes or breaks games. They prove more than anyone else
how badly they want it. Not only do they have the huge task of stopping the
other team from scoring, but they also could create a turnover and score
themselves.
Defense is
basically made up of defensive backs, defensive linemen, and linebackers.
Defensive
backs are the equivalent of wide receivers. The strong safety, free safety, and
corner backs are all considered defensive backs. They are the ones who chase
wide receivers down the field hoping to intercept or break up the pass.
Defensive
linemen are much the same as their counterparts. Their job is to go after the
quarterback if he’s dropping back to pass and hopefully they can sack him (to
sack the quarterback is cause him to lose yards by pursuing him until he’s
tackled or completely blindsiding him – my personal favorite). They also try to
stop the running backs right at the line of scrimmage (where the ball is
snapped) so the offense doesn’t gain any ground.
I like to
tell myself that if I would’ve been a boy and played football I would’ve been a
linebacker. They do a little bit of everything. Linebackers will sometimes line
up on the line of scrimmage to stop a run play or perhaps blitz the quarterback
(in short, blitzing is dropping all other responsibilities to try to sack the
quarterback). They also have the ability to drop back and help cover receivers
in the event of pass play.
Now to the
main event.
I’m waiting
for the day that the Super Bowl becomes recognized as a national holiday.
Every year
more people tune in to this national event that captures America’s focus for an
entire evening. For weeks after people will rave about the commercials and the
outcome of the game.
According
to Forbes, the cost of a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl in 2013 was
$4,000,000. That’s a lot of zeroes for not a lot of time. I like to think that
America is actually tuning in to watch the game, and not just the commercials,
but sometimes it seems like the other way around.
For Christmas this past year, my
mom gave me Holly Robinson Peete’s book, Get
Your Own Damn Beer, I’m Watching the Game. It’s subtitled “a woman’s guide
to loving pro football”, but Holly is such an excellent writer that I believe
anyone could get enjoyment out of the book. I highly recommend it because not
only is it filled with football facts and information, but also stories and
important events in football history.
Good luck trying
to get me to do anything on Sundays for the next 22 weeks because I’m going to
be glued to my TV!
Xoxo,
~Francesca
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