BrooklynKnight
First Post
i have no idea why it came out black.
[OT] Can anyone help me understand Football?
- Thread starter Hardhead
- Start date
Storm Raven
First Post
Hardhead said:
A tailback and fullback are usually the same thing, the running back who starts furthest away from the line of scrimmage, although some teams call their half-back a tailback due to the particular offensive formations they use.
A halfback is usually a smaller runner, and in the I formation usually lines up between the fullback and the quarterback, although not necessarily so.
The names for the full-, half-, and quarter- backs date back to an old formation commonly used when football was a new game (but rarely used now) called the "single wing". The descriptions for the positions detailed how far back from the line of scrimmage they were in the formation (a quarter, a half, or the full distance back in the formation).
There are dozens of offensive football formations, and only slightly fewer defensive formations. A common offensive formation is the "I" formation, in which the quarterback, halfback, and fullback all line up in a row behind the center. There are usually five offensive linemen, plus a tight end, and two wide receivers in this formation. The "I" is an all purpose formation, used for running or passing. If the quarterback is backed away from the center, and there are fewer running backs, then this is the "shotgun" formation, usually used for passing. There are huge numbers of other formations though, from a power "I" formation (usually used for short yardage running plays, use two tight ends and two running backs) to a five wide receiver set in which the tight end and one of the running backs are replaced by receivers.
On defense, the two basic alignments are the "4-3" and the "3-4", this describes the number of defensive linemen and linebackers in the defense. A "4-3" has four linemen and three linebackers, and "3-4" has this reversed. But there are dozens of other formations, from a "nickel" formation (take out a linebacker and replace him with another cornerback, to better defend against the pass), or even a "dime" formation (two cornerbacks added), and so on.
Always, as long as he lined up in the backfield.
Once an offensive lineman is on the line of scrimmage and set in his down stance, he cannot move at all until the start of the play. A team can only have one man in motion at the time of the snap, and he is limited in the directions he can more (parallel to and towards the line of scrimmage only), and everyone else must stop completely before the snap (and be seen to be stopped). Any player who is not a down lineman can be put in motion.
Players in motion? Running backs or wide receivers usually.
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humble minion
Legend
*insert here: ravings about how soft, wimpy Yanks should climb out of their armour and try real (ie, Australian) football instead*
thalmin
Retired game store owner
What It Was Was Football
What It Was Was Football
By Andy Griffith (1953 ?)
It was back last October, I believe it was. We was going to hold a tent service off at this college town, and we got there about dinner time on Saturday. Different ones of us thought that we ought to get us a mouthful to eat before we set up the tent. So we got off the truck and followed this little bunch of people through this small little bitty patch of woods there, and we came up on a big sign that says, "Get something to Eat Here."
I went up and got me two hot dogs and a big orange drink, and before I could take a mouthful of that food, this whole raft of people come up around me and got me to where I couldn't eat nothing, up like, and I dropped my big orange drink. Well, friends, they commenced to move, and there wasn't so much that I could do but move with them.
Well, we commenced to go through all kinds of doors and gates and I don't know what- all, and I looked up over one of 'em and it says, "North Gate." We kept on a-going through there, and pretty soon we come up on a young boy and he says, "Ticket, please." And I says, "Friend, I don't have a ticket; I don't even know where it is that I'm a-going!" Well, he says, "Come on out as quick as you can." And I says, "I'll do 'er; I'll turn right around the first chance I get."
Well, we kept on a-moving through there, and pretty soon everybody got where it was that they was a-going, because they parted and I could see pretty good. And what I seen was this whole raft of people a-sittin' on these two banks and a-lookin at one another across this pretty little green cow pasture.
Somebody had took and drawed white lines all over it and drove posts in it, and I don't know what all, and I looked down there and I seen five or six convicts a running up and down and a-blowing whistles . And then I looked down there and I seen these pretty girls wearin' these little bitty short dresses and a-dancing around, and so I thought I'd sit down and see what it was that was a-going to happen.
About the time I got set down good I looked down there and I seen thirty or forty men come a-runnin' out of one end of a great big outhouse down there and everybody where I was a-settin' got up and hollered! And I asked this fella that was a sittin' beside of me, "Friend, what is it that they're a-hollerin' for? Well, he whopped me on the back and he says, "Buddy, have a drink!" I says, "Well, I believe I will have another big orange. I got it and set back down.
When I got there again I seen that the men had got in two little bitty bunches down there real close together, and they voted. They elected one man apiece, and them two men come out in the middle of that cow pasture and shook hands like they hadn't seen one another in a long time. Then a convict came over to where they was a-standin', and he took out a quarter and they commenced to odd man right there! After a while I seen what it was they was odd-manning for. It was that both bunchesfull of them wanted this funny lookin little pumpkin to play with. And I know, friends, that they couldn't eat it because they kicked it the whole evenin' and it never busted.
Both bunchesful wanted that thing. One bunch got it and it made the other bunch just as mad as they could be! Friends, I seen that evenin' the awfulest fight that I ever have seen in all my life !! They would run at one -another and kick one- another and throw one another down and stomp on one another and griiind their feet in one another and I don't know what- all and just as fast as one of 'em would get hurt, they'd take him off and run another one on !!
Well, they done that as long as I set there, but pretty soon this boy that had said "Ticket, please." He come up to me and said, "Friend, you're gonna have to leave because it is that you don't have a ticket." And I says, "Well, all right." And I got up and left.
I don't know friends, to this day, what it was that they was a doin' down there, but I have studied about it. I think it was that it's some kindly of a contest where they see which bunchful of them men can take that pumpkin and run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without gettin' knocked down or steppin' in somethin'.
What It Was Was Football
By Andy Griffith (1953 ?)
It was back last October, I believe it was. We was going to hold a tent service off at this college town, and we got there about dinner time on Saturday. Different ones of us thought that we ought to get us a mouthful to eat before we set up the tent. So we got off the truck and followed this little bunch of people through this small little bitty patch of woods there, and we came up on a big sign that says, "Get something to Eat Here."
I went up and got me two hot dogs and a big orange drink, and before I could take a mouthful of that food, this whole raft of people come up around me and got me to where I couldn't eat nothing, up like, and I dropped my big orange drink. Well, friends, they commenced to move, and there wasn't so much that I could do but move with them.
Well, we commenced to go through all kinds of doors and gates and I don't know what- all, and I looked up over one of 'em and it says, "North Gate." We kept on a-going through there, and pretty soon we come up on a young boy and he says, "Ticket, please." And I says, "Friend, I don't have a ticket; I don't even know where it is that I'm a-going!" Well, he says, "Come on out as quick as you can." And I says, "I'll do 'er; I'll turn right around the first chance I get."
Well, we kept on a-moving through there, and pretty soon everybody got where it was that they was a-going, because they parted and I could see pretty good. And what I seen was this whole raft of people a-sittin' on these two banks and a-lookin at one another across this pretty little green cow pasture.
Somebody had took and drawed white lines all over it and drove posts in it, and I don't know what all, and I looked down there and I seen five or six convicts a running up and down and a-blowing whistles . And then I looked down there and I seen these pretty girls wearin' these little bitty short dresses and a-dancing around, and so I thought I'd sit down and see what it was that was a-going to happen.
About the time I got set down good I looked down there and I seen thirty or forty men come a-runnin' out of one end of a great big outhouse down there and everybody where I was a-settin' got up and hollered! And I asked this fella that was a sittin' beside of me, "Friend, what is it that they're a-hollerin' for? Well, he whopped me on the back and he says, "Buddy, have a drink!" I says, "Well, I believe I will have another big orange. I got it and set back down.
When I got there again I seen that the men had got in two little bitty bunches down there real close together, and they voted. They elected one man apiece, and them two men come out in the middle of that cow pasture and shook hands like they hadn't seen one another in a long time. Then a convict came over to where they was a-standin', and he took out a quarter and they commenced to odd man right there! After a while I seen what it was they was odd-manning for. It was that both bunchesfull of them wanted this funny lookin little pumpkin to play with. And I know, friends, that they couldn't eat it because they kicked it the whole evenin' and it never busted.
Both bunchesful wanted that thing. One bunch got it and it made the other bunch just as mad as they could be! Friends, I seen that evenin' the awfulest fight that I ever have seen in all my life !! They would run at one -another and kick one- another and throw one another down and stomp on one another and griiind their feet in one another and I don't know what- all and just as fast as one of 'em would get hurt, they'd take him off and run another one on !!
Well, they done that as long as I set there, but pretty soon this boy that had said "Ticket, please." He come up to me and said, "Friend, you're gonna have to leave because it is that you don't have a ticket." And I says, "Well, all right." And I got up and left.
I don't know friends, to this day, what it was that they was a doin' down there, but I have studied about it. I think it was that it's some kindly of a contest where they see which bunchful of them men can take that pumpkin and run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without gettin' knocked down or steppin' in somethin'.
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johnsemlak
First Post
I rarely engage in these sports threads, but this one has me wanting to get some of my long unanswered questions answered!
I finally understand what a 'nickel defense' is. What is meant when team uses a 'bear defense'? I think it's a reference to the Chicago bears, but I never knew what it was (and I was a bear fan growing up, go figure)
I finally understand what a 'nickel defense' is. What is meant when team uses a 'bear defense'? I think it's a reference to the Chicago bears, but I never knew what it was (and I was a bear fan growing up, go figure)
Storm Raven
First Post
johnsemlak said:
It is a run defense that moves six men up to the the defensive line.
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
By the way, if anyone does want to have 'soccer' explained to them, I'll gladly take a shot at it. 
MeepoTheMighty
First Post
Classic
It's sorta like hockey, without the ice, sticks, or excitement.By the way, if anyone does want to have 'soccer' explained to them, I'll gladly take a shot at it.
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