FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: COMING TO TERMS
Now that I have a very basic understanding of what the defense and offense does on the field, it is time to move on to other terms used in the game. For the next few nights, we will take on five terms and discuss what they mean and what I thought they meant before going on this journey.
Backfield—What It Means: This is the of offensive players, which include the running backs and quarterback who line up behind the line of scrimmage.
What I Thought It Meant: They stood in the back of the field and watched what happened, only helping out when needed.
Down—What It Means: A period of action that starts when the ball is put into play and ends when the play is completed. The offense gets four of these and then must surrender the ball if they fail to do so.
What I Thought It Meant: Going down on the ground in order to do a sneak attack on the opposing team.
Drive—What It Means: This is when the offense has the football and keeps it until it punts or scores. At that point, the other team gets the ball.
What I Thought It Meant: Getting a ride to and from the game.
End zone—What It Means: This is a 10-yard-long area at each end of the field. When a player enters the end zone in control of the football, they score a touchdown. If a player is tackled in their own end zone while in possession of the football, the other team gets a safety.
What I Thought It Meant: The end of the field. I knew there was one for each team, but just thought that it was the point in which they had to stop.
Extra point—What It Means: This is a kick that is usually done after a touchdown and work one point. It is usually done on the two or three yard line, depending on what kind of game it is. (The two yard is for the NFL, the three for college and high school games.) It is generally kicked from inside the 10-yard line after being snapped to the holder and must sail between the uprights and above the crossbar of the goalpost.
What I thought It Meant: Extra points given out for a variety of reasons…in fact my mind went to when Super Mario got points in the video games.
Join us next time when we learn about more football terms!
