Today, I’m sick. Sick with football fever. It’s so contagious. I have to admit – I actually planned my weekend trip to Trader Joe’s and my laundry run around today’s Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game! And I’m not disappointed. Amid the sudden rainfall, a major collision took place in the second quarter, with re-plays from every angle just in case you missed the cracking helmets and slippery somersaults. You don’t see THAT at Wrigley Field.
But, let me back up. I’d like to share with you some lessons I learned during my first week of Football 101. And they all begin with my favorite letter…
Sanchez, Mark. If you haven’t checked him out yet, ladies, take a gander. A recent GQ model, he is also the rookie QB (check it: already got the lingo down!) of the New York Jets, and today (9/20), on only his second start, he helped lead his team to victory, 16-9, against the New England Patriots. I am following him on Twitter!
Sack. This is what happens when the QB, attempting to pass, is tackled behind the line of scrimmage (where everyone lines up before each play). When this happens, I hear testosterone-tinged “yee-ahhs!” and “Whoos!” from my open window. Check out these photos on Flickr.com to see what it’s all about.
Shotgun Formation. This is an offensive alignment where the QB lines up three to five yards behind the center to receive the “snap’ (see glossary) to start the play. I just finished reading Chapter 3 of my book, “Get Your Own Damn Beer, I’m Watching the Game” by Holly Robinson Peete (wife of Rodney Peete, former NFL QB for 16 years) and I am proud to say I can identify each player in this formation. (One down, ??? to go).
Take a look.
Shotgun Formation
The Stanford-Cal. While watching the Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots game last Monday, the announcer referred to an exciting play as resembling college football’s momentous Stanford-Cal play. Here’s “the play”: with four seconds left in the game, UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears passed the ball around, charging toward the end zone to score a winning touchdown. The best part: everyone thought the game was over and the Stanford band was already on the field. Watch one of the most exciting games in college football as the Bears are victorious (and knock out a trombone player in the act!)
So, that’s lesson #1 – I hope it helped a little! Gotta get back to the end of the game. Stay tuned for more as my journey continues.
