Author: Beka

The Basics : Schedule & Game Timing

Today, let’s talk about the timing elements at play: the schedule and game timing.

Preseason starts in August (aka right now! WOOT!), the regular season runs from September to January, and the postseason is played in January and February. Preseason is 4 weeks long. It’s basically a warm-up – teams get to assess their new players and figure out how they want to implement their systems for the regular season. The regular season is 17 weeks long, with each team getting one week off at some point in the season (this is called a “bye week”). The postseason is when the playoffs occur and it culminates with the Super Bowl.

As far as game timing goes, games consist of four 15-minute quarters. The 12-minute break in the middle of the game is called halftime (during the Super Bowl, it’s way longer, and it’s called Over the Top Entertainment). There are also two 2-minute breaks that occur at the end of the first and third quarters to allow the players time to switch ends of the field (they rotate after every quarter).

After the sides have rotated at the end of the first and third quarter play resumes as normal – the Offense just picks up where they left off (but on the opposite end of the field). But after halftime, the team that did not kick off to start the game kicks off a whole new drive. It doesn’t matter if you were a yard away from the end zone when time ran out before halftime: you’re out of luck!

During each quarter, the “play clock” is running. This means that the Offense has 40 seconds from the end of a play to snap the ball and start the next play (except for injuries and time outs and a few other random things, after which the play clock is set to 25 seconds instead – just to be confusing). If the Offense doesn’t get the ball snapped in time, they receive a “delay of game” penalty.

There are a few situations in which the play clock stops. That happens when an incomplete pass is thrown, when a player steps out of bounds, or when a penalty is called.

Stopping the play clock when time is running out at the end of a half is a lucrative action for the Offense because it gives them more time to score. That’s why you’ll see people screaming for a player to “GET OUT OF BOUNDS!!!” when he has the ball and needs to score but time is running low.

Our Training Camp : Week 2 Answers

The results are in! Time to find out how your answers fared in our Week 2 Quiz:

1. Where is the red zone?

  1. The end zone
  2. Out of bounds
  3. The 20 yards prior to the end zone
  4. The spot where a penalty occurred

 

2. True or False: All teams play each other over the course of one season.

  1. True
  2. False

 

3. Who will be returning as starting quarterback for the Texans?

  1. T.J. Yates
  2. Tony Romo
  3. Matt Leinart
  4. Matt Schaub

 

4. The Jaguars were the (      ) team to be added to the league:

  1. 28th
  2. 29th
  3. 30th
  4. 31st

 

5. Andrew Luck is starting at QB for the Colts. Their former franchise QB was:

  1. Peyton Manning
  2. Tom Brady
  3. Brett Favre
  4. Eli Manning

 

6. The Tennessee Titans were originally the:

  1. Houston Texans
  2. Houston Oilers
  3. Tennessee Tigers
  4. Baltimore Ravens

 

7. Jimmy Haslam just bought the:

  1. Bengals
  2. Seahawks
  3. Browns
  4. Steelers

 

8. Terrell Owens signed a one-year contract with the:

  1. Bengals
  2. Seahawks
  3. Browns
  4. Steelers

 

9. Who will be starting at QB for the Browns on Week 1?

  1. Brandon Weeden
  2. Colt McCoy
  3. Mark Sanchez
  4. Tim Tebow

 

10. The New York team that could benefit from some group therapy is:

  1. The Jets
  2. The Giants
  3. The Bills

Our Training Camp : Week 2 Quiz

Week 2 has arrived! Here’s your Week 2 Quiz:

1. Where is the red zone?

  1. The end zone
  2. Out of bounds
  3. The 20 yards prior to the end zone
  4. The spot where a penalty occurred

 

2. True or False: All teams play each other over the course of one season.

  1. True
  2. False

 

3. Who will be returning as starting quarterback for the Texans?

  1. T.J. Yates
  2. Tony Romo
  3. Matt Leinart
  4. Matt Schaub

 

4. The Jaguars were the (      ) team to be added to the league:

  1. 28th
  2. 29th
  3. 30th
  4. 31st

 

5. Andrew Luck is starting at QB for the Colts. Their former franchise QB was:

  1. Peyton Manning
  2. Tom Brady
  3. Brett Favre
  4. Eli Manning

 

6. The Tennessee Titans were originally the:

  1. Houston Texans
  2. Houston Oilers
  3. Tennessee Tigers
  4. Baltimore Ravens

 

7. Jimmy Haslam just bought the:

  1. Bengals
  2. Seahawks
  3. Browns
  4. Steelers

 

8. Terrell Owens signed a one-year contract with the:

  1. Bengals
  2. Seahawks
  3. Browns
  4. Steelers

 

9. Who will be starting at QB for the Browns on Week 1?

  1. Brandon Weeden
  2. Colt McCoy
  3. Mark Sanchez
  4. Tim Tebow

 

10. The New York team that could benefit from some group therapy is:

  1. The Jets
  2. The Giants
  3. The Bills

News and Notes : 8.8.12

Here’s a recap of the past week’s notable NFL news:

  1. Jimmy Haslam, CEO of the Pilot Flying J travel centers, bought the Browns. Reportedly for over $1 billion dollars. That’s a lot of cups of coffee.
  2. Brandon Weeden will start at QB for the Browns. Staying in Cleveland, let’s return to a story we discussed last week, the QB battle between Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden. The fact that Weeden won the spot isn’t an overwhelming surprise, but the timing is a bit abrupt since they haven’t even played their first preseason game yet.
  3. T.O. is back in action. Terrell Owens has had his fair share of media time. (Notable moments include the “Get your popcorn ready,” statement and the “That’s my quarterback,” press conference/therapy session.) Whatever you may think about T.O. the person, you have to respect the work he’s put into getting back on the field. He tore his ACL in the 2011 offseason after a lackluster season with the Cincinnati Bengals. He rehabbing and being cleared to play he held a televised workout so that teams could evaluate and sign him…and no one showed up. Not one NFL team. So he played for the Indoor Football League (which is as inauspicious as it sounds) for a season…and was cut from that team as well. Undeterred, he continued to work and was rewarded yesterday with a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. I sincerely hope he has a great season!
  4. The Jets continue to struggle with the “team” concept. All of the drama last season apparently wasn’t enough to deter the Jets from being…the Jets. A 20-player brawl erupted on the sidelines on Monday, and you’d think that’d be plenty for one training camp. But reportedly multiple additional fights broke out in camp on Tuesday, which led to punishment sprints for the entire team…the type of thing that happens in high school camps, not professional camps. Even those outside of the organization aren’t helping matters, with former Jets Joe Namath and Boomer Esiason ripping Tim Tebow. Someone needs to pipe in a little “All You Need is Love,” to Jets Headquarters. For the full recap on recent events, read this. (Money quote: “And to think, the Jets relished the trip to Cortland because they felt it would foster team unity.”)
  5. The NFL might be backtracking with the Saints case. Remember all of the bounty drama? All of the suspensions? Some of the players fought the punishments, vehemently, and the NFL is starting to crack. Most notably: rumor has it that Jonathan Vilma, who was originally suspended for the entire season, has reportedly been offered an 8 game plea bargain. Rumor also has it that he won’t take it; he wants his name cleared more than he wants to play half a season. Have to respect a man of conviction.
  6. Tragedy at Eagles camp. If you are a praying person, please pray for the Reid family as they mourn the unexpected loss of their son, Garrett. Andy Reid has been the Eagles head coach since 1999 and is very well-respected in the league.

Divisional Breakdown : AFC South Teams

Welcome to this week’s divisional breakdown! Today, we’re learning all about the AFC South.

The Houston Texans

History: Houston’s team was the Oilers until 1997, when owner Bud Adams was granted permission to move the team to Tennessee. They (eventually) became the Tennessee Titans. Teamless, Houston levied for an expansion team and was granted one (but not before a long and expensive battle with Los Angeles). The Texans first season was 2002.

Current Players to Know: Matt Schaub will be returning as quarterback after sitting out the second half of last season to a foot injury. J.J. Watt will be holding down the fort on defense as the team’s star defensive end as long as his dislocated elbow heals by the season opener on September 9th. And Andre Johnson is Andre Johnson: possibly the best wide receiver in the league.

Head Coach: Gary Kubiak

2011 Regular Season Record: 10-6

What to Watch For in 2012: The Texans could be a Super Bowl contender in 2012. They made a splash in the playoffs last season and that was without starting QB Matt Schaub. If they can stay healthy they could have a great season.

The Indianapolis Colts

History: The Colts have been members of the NFL since it’s inception and were one of three teams to move over to the AFC during the 1970 merger. They moved from Baltimore to their current home in Indianapolis in 1984.

Current Players to Know: Andrew Luck, Andrew Luck, and Andrew Luck. You may have heard that the Colts’ 14 year franchise quarterback, Peyton Manning, was ousted from Indy for the young whipper snapper Andrew Luck. Luck is touted as the best prospect to come out of the draft in decades, so all eyes will be on him and how he replaces a legend this season.

Head Coach: Chuck Pagano

2011 Regular Season Record: 2-14

What to Watch For in 2012: Well…everything. The Colts were deplorable last season without Manning, and their reaction was to clean house completely. Sixty of the ninety players who reported to training camp this season are new, the head coach is new, the defensive system is new, even the long-standing executives are new. It’ll be so interesting to see how the Colts adjust to this era in their history.

The Jacksonville Jaguars

History: The Jaguars are a relatively new team, granted as an expansion team and the 30th team overall in 1995. They’ve had sparks of greatness and splashes of less-than-greatness in that short amount of time.

Current Players to Know: Maurice Jones-Drew will be the big name here – he’s the running back who is holding out for a better contract and is key to the Jaguars offense functioning at it’s best. Rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon should help the offense if he lives up to his potential. Blaine Gabbert is almost definitely going to be the starting quarterback.

Head Coach: Mike Mularkey

2011 Regular Season Record: 5-11

What to Watch For in 2012: The Jaguars can do defense…it’s offense they struggle with. If Blaine Gabbert struggles Chad Henne would be the replacement at QB – not a bad deal in the least, and potentially preferable. The MJD story will continue to be a focal point until it resolves.

The Tennessee Titans

History: The Tennessee Titans were originally the Houston Oilers. They remained the Oilers even after they moved to Tennessee in 1997 (owner Bud Adams requested the move), but in 1998 due to fan request the name was changed to the Titans.

Current Players to Know: Matt Hasselbeck is a veteran quarterback, Jack Locker is a second year QB. The two are currently fighting it out (cordially) for the starting spot. Chris Johnson is a running back who had a record setting year several years ago but has not returned to similar glory since, although he’s still outstanding at his job.

Head Coach: Mike Munchak

2011 Regular Season Record: 9-7

What to Watch For in 2012: Who starts at quarterback? How productive will Chris Johnson be? Will Kenny Britt, consistently delinquent juvenile, be available to play for most/any/all of the season or will he be suspended? The Titans managed to have a decent year last year (partially because most of the other teams in the division managed to have a non-decent year last year), so they have the potential to be respectable this season.

The Basics : The Where

Today, we’re going to talk about where all of this football play happens, in two parts:

Part I : The Field

A football field is 100 yards long and 53 yards wide. Each end zone is 10 yards long and is in addition to the field (so the entire field measures 120 yards).  The 20 yards prior to each end zone is referred to as the “red zone” because it’s where all of the important stuff goes down. At the back of each end zone is a goal post (the “uprights”) into which field goals and extra points are kicked.

Part II : The Locations

Geographically, there are 32 teams located all over the United States. The NFL is arranged in two conferences comprised of four divisions each – a north, south, east, and west component for each division – with four teams in each division. (We went over this briefly last week as well.)

Teams have an equal number of home and away games (eight each). The away games are determined on a rotating schedule so that eventually all of the teams get to play each other – but not all in the same season.

Sometimes games are played in Canada and London. It’s strange but true.