FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: GETTING INTO FORMATION
Just when I thought I was done covering football terms and could move on to talking about the different NFL teams, I realized I could not be more wrong. I discovered that I barely even scratched the surface! In addition to the terms we already discussed, we now have to get into the actual game and how it is played. First up is formations. For the next few days, I will go over the different types of formations and figure out what they mean and confess my initial thoughts on what they meant. Today, we begin with the offensive formation.
OFFENSIVE FORMATION:
Consists of: right and left tackles, left and right guards, center, ends
AKA: The Line
Role: Blocking
I am picturing this as a 2000-esque boy band concert—lined up by their ‘description.’ The heartthrob, the shy one, the bad boy, the cute one and the older brother. However,I doubt the offensive line will break out into a chorus of music about love and heartbreak….although, the ladies will swoon!
Anyway, they play near the linemen/tight ends and the wide receiver and are eligible receivers. Additional players are near the line of scrimmage and are extra pass receivers. As we know, there are up to four players behind the line of scrimmage, one of which is designated for the quarterback.
So what does the quarterback do? Once he gets the ball, he becomes the ball carrier and has several options as to what to do:
Keep the ball and run with it.
Hand or pitch it sideways or backwards to another player.
Throw a forward pass to an eligible receiver.
Hold it for a placer kicker, who will then attempt a field goal.
Punt to the other team or attempt a drop kicked field goal.
Join us tomorrow for part two of offensive formation!
