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Players & Roles
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Offence
Quarterback (QB)
Quarterback is the most recognised position in American Football, A
Quarterback is the leader of the team and takes on responsibility for
the Offence’s performance. The Quarterback gets most of the media
attention in the NFL, often making them superstars.
The Quarterback calls the plays in the huddle and once the Offence is
set in the right formation, he calls out the coded signals (also called
the “cadence”) that let his team-mates know when the ball will be
snapped or if he is changing the play. Once the ball is snapped the QB
can either hand off or pitch the ball to a Running Back, Pass (throw)
the ball to a Wide Receiver, Tight End or sometimes a Running Back, or
run with the ball himself (although QBs don’t do this often!).
Quarterback’s must know what every player is assigned to do on every
single play in the Offence’s playbook. They must have a strong arm,
nerves of steel (waiting for the perfect moment to throw whilst
defenders are charging towards him takes courage!) and must have the
respect of their team-mates.
Running Back (RB)
These players are the workhorses of the Offence; they perform many
duties including running the ball (also known as rushing), catching
passes and blocking defenders. They must be very fast and agile as well
as being tough enough to withstand the punishment they must endure on
most plays. Once the QB hands off to them at the start of a running
play it’s up to the Running Back to find room created by the Offensive
Line to run through…after that it’s a simple matter of avoiding 11
angry Defensive players on the way to the Endzone! Fullbacks (FB) are
generally big Running Backs, with good catching ability but are mainly
used to “lead block” for the other Running Back, leading the way on
running plays, taking on Linebackers to clear a path for their
team-mate.
Wide Receivers (WR)
Receivers are fast and agile. With great catching ability, they run
specific pass patterns (or routes) designed to take them to a
designated area of the field and help them elude defenders who are
covering them – running specific routes means the QB knows before the
ball is snapped where his Receivers are going to be (or should be!) on
each play. A Receiver must be able to catch the ball no matter what the
circumstance, even if he knows he will be hit hard by a defender as
soon as the ball is in his grasp. As American coaches are fond of
saying, Receivers will end up getting hit on the play anyway, so they
might as well catch the ball too!
Tight End (TE)
The Tight End is a combination of the pass catching skills of a
Receiver with the blocking ability and strength of a Lineman. They are
versatile players who can run pass patterns on one play and can then be
called on to block for a Running Back on the next. The Tight End
usually lines up outside a Tackle on either the left or right of the
Offensive formation. The side the TE lines up on is called the
strongside by the Defence.
Offensive Linemen (O-Line)
The Offensive Line Must act as immovable objects on passing plays,
protecting the QB by blocking the Defence that are trying to get to him
before he passes the ball. On Running plays they become the
irresistible force, surging forwards to push defenders out of the way
and create room for Running Backs to sprint through.
This “Five Man Army” - must act as a unit, each of them knowing their
own assignments as well as what the other linemen will do on each play
or when the Defence suddenly shifts formation. The Centre (C) is the
only player on the field apart from the QB who handles the ball on
every play. He must snap the ball to the QB on the right verbal signal,
making sure the ball gets to the Quarterback’s hands smoothly, all the
while looking at the Defence and the Defensive Linemen opposite who are
primed to attack. The Guards (G) line up either side of the Centre,
with a Tackle (T) on the outside of each Guard. Left to right, it is
Tackle, Guard, Centre, Guard, Tackle. Guards and Tackles must be
equally good at run blocking, where they try to force defenders out of
the way and create a “hole” for the Running Back, and pass blocking,
where they form a wall of blockers around the Quarterback to give him
time to make the throw (creating a space or “pocket” for the QB).
Offensive Linemen are the unsung heroes of the team, as they do a tough
job but rarely get recognition for it. Every other position has
statistics to show how well they have performed, whether it’s number of
yards gained rushing for Running Backs, or number of tackles by any
defensive player, all except the O-Line get the numbers to talk about.
Defence
Defensive Linemen (D-Line)
Many people get confused by the two lines in American Football,
thinking that the Defensive Line protects the Quarterback. Nothing
could be further from the truth, as these players are the first in line
to try and get to the QB, or whichever unlucky “target” has the ball on
the play. Defensive Linemen can be either Defensive Ends (DE) or
Defensive Tackles (DT). As the name implies, the End plays on the end
of the Defensive Line, the Defensive Tackle is between the Ends. In a
4-3 formation, there are 2 DEs and 2 DTs, in a 3-4 formation, there are
2 DEs and 1 DT, sometimes called the Nose Tackle (NT) because he plays
right in front of the Centre. Just as Offensive Linemen must be good
both run and pass blocking, Defensive Linemen must be equally good at
pass rushing (getting through the O-Line to the Quarterback) and
stopping the running plays. In this way, they must also alternate
between irresistible force and immovable object! The battles between
both lines are intense and violent, as no matter what play it is, these
large, strong aggressive players are fighting it out.
Linebackers (LB)
Linebackers must be versatile as they have several responsibilities. A
Linebacker may be called upon to rush the QB on a pass, or drop back
and cover a Receiver running a pattern. On some plays they must watch
for Running backs darting through any holes in the lines. With these
tasks in mind, they must be fast and agile enough to cover Offensive
players running patterns but they must also be strong enough to take on
big Fullbacks and Offensive Linemen who try to block them. Linebackers
can play in a variety of positions; Middle Linebackers (MLB) are
responsible for the centre of the field and typically must be big
enough to take on Running Backs charging straight at them through the
lines. Outside Linebackers (OLB) have the perimeters of the field to
cover, and must watch for Tight Ends and speedy Running Backs. In a 3-4
formation, there are 4 Linebackers, 2 at outside and 2 inside. Teams
can use this formation to confuse an Offence and have more players
available to Blitz.
Cornerbacks (CB)
The Cornerback is the Defence’s answer to Wide Receivers. Corners must
cover Receivers when they are running their patterns and ensure that
they make a tackle as soon as the Receiver makes a catch. Better still,
is when a Cornerback can Intercept a pass intended for a Receiver.
Should a Receiver score a Touchdown however, it can be a long walk back
to the huddle for the Cornerback who got “burned” on the play.
They must be every bit as fast and agile as a Receiver, but have a
harder job as they often run backwards at first to stay focused on the
Receiver. Cornerbacks must also be strong (and brave enough) to take on
bigger players like Running Backs should they elude the other members
of the Defence.
Safeties (S)
The Safety’s motto is “if everyone else misses, don’t miss.” They are
the last line of Defence but are sometimes the first to attack, with a
brutal combination of speed and power they are combinations of
Linebackers and Cornerbacks, with the ability to cover Receivers and
bring down Running Backs. There are normally 2 Safeties on the field;
the Strong Safety (SS) will line up on the same side as the Tight End
and will cover him, the Free Safety (FS) is free to move to where he is
needed in coverage.
Specialists
Kicker (K)
The player who kicks the ball on kickoffs, extra point attempts, and
field goal attempts. A Kicker either kicks the ball while it's being
held by a teammate or kicks it off a tee.
Holder
The player who catches the snap from the Centre and places it down for
the Kicker to attempt to kick it through the uprights of the goalpost.
On an attempted field goal, the holder must catch the ball and put it
into a good kicking position, ideally with the laces facing away from
the kicker. This must be a player with great catching ability, or used
to handling the ball. Often a back-up QB, or the Punter.
Kick Returner (KR)
The kick returner is the player that catches kickoffs and attempts to
return them in the opposite direction. He is usually one of the faster
players on the team, often a Wide Receiver.
Punter (P)
The player who stands behind the line of scrimmage, catches the long
snap from the Centre, and then kicks the ball after dropping it toward
his foot. The punter generally comes in on fourth down to punt the ball
to the other team with the idea of driving the other team as far back
as possible before they take possession of the ball.
Long Snapper (LS)
The Centre position as it would be played on Offence, but this player
specializes in making longer snaps for punts and field goal attempts. A
Long-Snapper generally has to snap the ball seven-to-eight yards behind
him with the accuracy that allows the Holder or Punter to handle the
ball cleanly.
Punt Returner (PR)
The job of a Punt Returner is to catch the ball after it has been
punted and run it back toward the punting team's end zone.
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