Football 101 Basics
Hail Mary
A desperation high, arching pass thrown a gazillon yards toward the end zone in hopes of scoring at the end of a half because a team is hopelessly behind or at the end of a game in hopes the pass will be completed and the game will be won in a last ditch effort.
Simply put – it is a prayer (the play will work). And it is usually pure chaos since the offense has at least three players waiting to (hopefully) catch the ball and the defense has at least five players trying...
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We are kicking off the our series of Football terms you need to know! Why? Because we want you to understand the game, look cool and impress your friends.
Hang Time
The amount of time the ball – when punted - hangs in the air. A longer hang time gives the opposing team time to get down the field to stop the person (often times called punt returner) from advancing down the field toward his end zone once he has caught the ball.
Move the Chains
When a team has the ball they are playing offense and need to move the ball 10 yards...
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In the game of American football, numbers are very important. And not just in scoring. The number of yards covered, how many downs a team has, the number of players on the field (one extra man = you have a penalty!) And then there’s the jersey numbers.
According to official NFL Rule 5, Section 1, Article 4, players must wear numerals on their jerseys. Personally, I think this is a great rule because 1) once you learn what they mean, it’s much easier to follow what’s happening on the field and 2) can’t you just...
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There are two sides to every story, and in football, the offense and defense have very different perspectives. We started with the defense. Now, we’ll share a basic overview of the offense and in separate posts, break down each position. Hike!
The offensive unit is on the field when its team has the ball. As with the defense, there are generally three layers of players:
1. Offensive Backfield (the quarterback is the centerpiece of this 3-man unit)
2. Offensive Linemen (center line at the line of scrimmage, 6 men)
3. Wide Receivers (2 men off the side of the offensive line)
Here is the breakdown...
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Ok ladies, let me start with this: I have been watching football for 2+ decades, and until I started to read up on the Defensive Line, I had zero idea who's who and what's what. So, let's learn together!
In general there are 3 layers of defensive players
1. Defensive Linemen (first layer with 6 men)
2. Linebackers (second layer with 3 men)
3. The Secondary (it's called the "secondary" but it's the 3rd row with 2 men, I know, it's meant to confuse us)
The primary function of the Defensive Line is to stop the Offense; stop the running game, stop the throwing game...
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Okay ladies, let me start with this: I have been watching football for 2+ decades, and until I started to read up on the Defensive Line, I had zero idea who's who and what's what. So, let's learn together!
In general there are 3 layers of defensive players
1. Defensive Linemen (first layer with 6 men)
2. Linebackers (second layer with 3 men)
3. The Secondary (it's called the "secondary" but it's the 3rd row with 2 men, I know, it's meant to confuse us)
The primary function of the Defensive Line is to stop the Offense; stop the running game, stop the throwing...
Read More...
I have Missy Elliot's, "I don't want no one-minute man" lyrics stuck in my head right now. Love that song. Imagine playing that song 4 times in a row and you may be able to get through a "2-minute warning" in football. There ain't nothing 2-minutes about it.
The 2-minute warning occurs in the at the end of the 2nd and 4th quarter when the clock runs down to 2 minutes. The official calls a timeout and the real fun begins. The players go into what is called a "2-minute drill" which means: it's time to score people!
NFL games consist of 60...
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Baby, Are you Down, Down, Down Down, Down?
In American football, each team has four downs (plays, attempts) to move the football 10 yards down the field.
Each down begins with a snap or a kick, and ends when the ball or the player in possession of the ball:
is declared down by an official,
a team scores,
or the ball or player in possession of it leaves the field of play.
Each time one of these three things happens, it is declared a “first down,” “second down,” and so on and so forth. Although it doesn’t seem like much, it is actually normal for teams to...
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I don't know about you, but there are a few things I think of when I hear the word "hash:"
My favorite Chicago brunch - a scrambled egg skillet with potatoes!
Something I may or may not have tried in college...
A tool used in social networking-- truly the best way to label your topics in Twitter.
But only recently did the word "hash" make me think about football...Let's start from the beginning.
The Football Field
From grade school up through the NFL, a regulation football field measures a little more than an acre - 100 yards long and 53 yards wide. The look of the field...
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