our training camp : week 4 answers

Dun dun dun! Answer time. Here are this week’s quiz answers:

1. When do kickoffs occur?

  1. At the beginning of each quarter
  2. At the beginning of each new possession
  3. At the beginning of each half
  4. At the beginning of the game.

 

2. After a turnover, the ball is placed:

  1. At the spot where the turnover occurred
  2. At mid-field
  3. On the defense’s 30 yard line
  4. On the offense’s 30 yard line

 

3. If the ball is caught and downed in the offense team’s endzone during kickoff it’s called a:

  1. Touchdown
  2. Turnover
  3. Touchback
  4. Turndown

 

4. What is a “down” in football?

  1. A penalty
  2. A flag
  3. A new possession
  4. A chance to move the ball

 

5. The offense is facing a “3rd and 9” situation. What does this mean?

  1. It’s their 3rd down and they have to move the ball one yard for a new set of downs.
  2. It’s their 3rd down and they have to move the ball nine yards for a new set of downs.
  3. It’s the 3rd quarter and they have nine downs remaining before time runs out.
  4. It’s the 3rd quarter and there are nine minutes remaining before the 4th quarter begins.

 

6. On 4th down, a team can choose to:

  1. Punt
  2. Kick a Field Goal
  3. Gain yardage by running a play
  4. All of the above

 

7. John Elway is a former quarterback for the:

  1. Denver Broncos
  2. Kansas City Chiefs
  3. Oakland Raiders
  4. San Diego Chargers

 

8. The Kansas City Chiefs used to be called the Dallas Texans. Their quarterback for half of the season last year who is now a backup for the Dallas Cowboys. His name is:

  1. Tony Romo
  2. Matt Cassel
  3. Kyle Orton
  4. Jon Kitna

 

9. The Oakland Raiders temporarily moved to:

  1. San Francisco
  2. Los Angeles
  3. San Diego
  4. Anaheim

 

10. True or False: The San Diego Chargers have never been to the Super Bowl.

  1. True
  2. False

Our Training Camp : Week 4 Quiz

You’re already a month into this. A MONTH! You’re cruising! Here’s our Week 4 Quiz:

1. When do kickoffs occur?

  1. At the beginning of each quarter
  2. At the beginning of each new possession
  3. At the beginning of each half
  4. At the beginning of the game.

 

2. After a turnover, the ball is placed:

  1. At the spot where the turnover occurred
  2. At mid-field
  3. On the defense’s 30 yard line
  4. On the offense’s 30 yard line

 

3. If the ball is caught and downed in the offense team’s endzone during kickoff it’s called a:

  1. Touchdown
  2. Turnover
  3. Touchback
  4. Turndown

 

4. What is a “down” in football?

  1. A penalty
  2. A flag
  3. A new possession
  4. A chance to move the ball

 

5. The offense is facing a “3rd and 9” situation. What does this mean?

  1. It’s their 3rd down and they have to move the ball one yard for a new set of downs.
  2. It’s their 3rd down and they have to move the ball nine yards for a new set of downs.
  3. It’s the 3rd quarter and they have nine downs remaining before time runs out.
  4. It’s the 3rd quarter and there are nine minutes remaining before the 4th quarter begins.

 

6. On 4th down, a team can choose to:

  1. Punt
  2. Kick a Field Goal
  3. Gain yardage by running a play
  4. All of the above

 

7. John Elway is a former quarterback for the:

  1. Denver Broncos
  2. Kansas City Chiefs
  3. Oakland Raiders
  4. San Diego Chargers

 

8. The Kansas City Chiefs used to be called the Dallas Texans. Their quarterback for half of the season last year who is now a backup for the Dallas Cowboys. His name is:

  1. Tony Romo
  2. Matt Cassel
  3. Kyle Orton
  4. Jon Kitna

 

9. The Oakland Raiders temporarily moved to:

  1. Los Angeles
  2. San Francisco
  3. San Diego
  4. Anaheim

 

10. True or False: The San Diego Chargers have never been to the Super Bowl.

  1. True
  2. False

Divisional Breakdown : AFC West Teams

Today’s feature: AFC West Teams. And off we go:

The Denver Broncos

History: The Broncos were created as part of the original AFL and kept their identity throughout the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Their most famous player is former quarterback John Elway, who led the Broncos to five Super Bowls, won two back to back, and is now the Executive Vice President of the team.

Current Players to Know: Peyton Manning, ousted from Indy, landed in Denver. His continuing career in Denver is without a doubt the biggest story of the season. DeMaryius Thomas is the wide receiver who caught the game-winning pass in overtime in last year’s playoff win against the Steelers. Von Miller is an outside linebacker who was selected to the Pro Bowl last year – in his rookie season.

Head Coach: John Fox

2011 Regular Season Record: 8-8

What to Watch For in 2012: Peyton Manning. Watch for his every move to be dissected relentlessly as everyone tries to figure out whether or not he’s still the player he once was.

The Kansas City Chiefs

History: The Chiefs were originally the Dallas Texans, and actually had considerable success under that moniker. However, after the move to Kansas City and the AFL-NFL merger, things started to go downhill. Their one and only Super Bowl win came right after the merger in 1970.

Current Players to Know: Matt Cassel was a standout backup quarterback for the New England Patriots when Tom Brady was injured in the 2008 season. That earned him a starting spot in Kansas City, where he was traded in the 2009 draft. Dwayne Bowe is the team’s best wide reciever by a landslide and an essential component of their offense. Dontari Poe holds down the defensive fort at nose tackle.

Head Coach: Romeo Crennel

2011 Regular Season Record: 7-9

What to Watch For in 2012: Matt Cassel will be starting at quarterback again after losing his spot last season to Kyle Orton, who was traded by the Broncos when Tim Tebow earned the starting job there. Orton has since left to assume the backup role in Dallas. Cassel will now have the responsibility of reclaiming the team and his former prowess.

The Oakland Raiders

History: Oakland was selected as the 8th AFL team even though they had no stadium, no ownership, and had not asked for a team. After holding a local contest, the new team was named the “Oakland Señors,” but after a few weeks the name was changed to the Raiders because…well…that’s so much better. The Raiders moved from Oakland to LA 1982 and then back to Oakland again in 1995. The team is synonymous with long-time owner Al Davis, who, though eccentric, was essential to the history and progress of the NFL.

Current Players to Know: Carson Palmer, former Bengals quarterback, will get the to start his first full season as the Raiders quarterback this year. When he’s healthy, Darren McFadden is an excellent running back. And the whole Defensive Line is of note for the Raiders, who dominate in this area.

Head Coach: Dennis Allen

2011 Regular Season Record: 8-8

What to Watch For in 2012: The Raiders have a new coach this year, but the Raiders have a new coach every year. Sometimes more often than that. Since they aren’t in the strongest division in the NFL they could have a decent shot at the playoffs if they could establish any kind of consistency.

The San Diego Chargers

History: The Chargers were part of the original AFL. They spent one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. Surprisingly, since they are often playoff contenders, the Chargers have only been to the Super Bowl once (in 1963) and have never won.

Current Players to Know: Phillip Rivers has been the team’s quarterback since 2004. Ryan Matthews is an up-and-coming running back. Melvin Ingram was selected by the Chargers in the first round of this year’s draft and is expected to work wonders at the linebacker position as a pass rusher.

Head Coach: Norv Turner

2011 Regular Season Record: 8-8

What to Watch For in 2012: In the 2000’s the Chargers won five divisional titles in six years. They are always good. But they’re rarely good enough, especially in the past few years. It’ll be tougher for them this year with wide reciever Vincent Brown out with a broken ankle for at least half of the regular season and star running back Ryan Matthews out with a broken clavicle for 4-6 weeks.

The Basics : Game Play

Today, it’s all about game play.

And game play all starts with the kickoff.

Two things can happen here:

Kickoffs occur at the beginning of every new possession (excluding turnovers, when the ball is played from the spot where the turnover ended). You might hear a new possession being called a new “drive” – they’re the same thing.

The ball is placed on a tee on the Defense’s 30-yard line, and a Placekicker (not the other Kicker, who kicks field goals and extra points) kicks the ball to the awaiting Offense. Of note: the Offensive players on the field at this time are part of the Special Teams Unit, and they may or may not also play for the Offensive Unit. (Example: The Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester is the best Special Teams returner in the league, but they’ve also tried to utilize him in their Offense as a Wide Receiver.) Wherever the returner (“return man”) is stopped is where the Offense begins their drive.

…or…

If the ball is caught in the Offensive team’s end zone, the player who caught it can either try to run it out of the end zone and get as much yardage as possible before being tackled or he can chose to kneel down in the end zone, an action called a “touchback.” This results in the ball being placed on the Offense’s 20-yard line.

Next, downs!

Once the Offense starts their drive, they have FOUR chances, called “downs,” to move the ball 10 yards from where they started (this place is called “the line of scrimmage”).

Each play is then calculated by what chance (down) the Offense is on and how many yards they have left until they reach 10 yards total.

Once they reach or exceed the 10 yards in one set of downs, they get a new set – four more chances to move the ball 10 more yards.

[Example: On the first play, the quarterback hands the ball off to the running back, who runs three yards past the line of scrimmage. When the teams line up for the next play, the count will be “Second Down and Seven” because it’s their second chance and they have seven yards left to go to get to ten yards total.]

Third down is when life gets tense. Let’s say it’s 3rd and 3 – meaning that it’s the third chance and they have 3 yards left to go to get to 10 total – and the ball is on the Defense’s 30-yard line. The Offense runs a play but only gets 2 yards instead of the 3 they need for a new set of downs. It’s now 4th and 1. (The time when hairs turn gray.) The Offense has three options:

1. “Go for it” on 4th down and try to get the one yard they need. However, if they don’t get the yard, they turn the ball over to the Defense right where it is on the field, which would put the Defense in excellent position for the next drive.

2. Try a field goal. The field goal counts as a play, which counts as the 4th down. It would be a long shot because about 17 yards are added to the total distance (to account for the 10 yards of the end zone and 7 yards to the line of scrimmage – don’t worry about any of that). If the Kicker makes the field goal, awesome. If not, the other team gets the ball at the line of scrimmage.

3. Punt the ball. This means that they’re just kicking it off from where the ball currently is and the other team returns it.

So to review: plays occur in a set of four downs that repeat until the end result is a score, a punt, or a turnover.

Luckily, because of the magic of technology, figuring out this whole “down” situation is easier than ever. There is usually a bright electronic line drawn on the field that signifies how far a team has to go until they earn 10 yards and a new set of downs. Not that you need any help from technology, since you are well on your way to becoming a Football Knowledge All Star.

Our Training Camp : Week 3 Answers

I’m sure you all did AMAZING! Here are this week’s quiz answers:

1. The regular season is ( ) weeks long:

  1. 15
  2. 16
  3. 17
  4. 18

 

2. True or false: Teams play 17 games per regular season.

  1. True
  2. False

 

3. Football games are timed in:

  1. Periods
  2. Halves
  3. Innings
  4. Quarters

 

4. It’s half-time. Your team ended the half with the ball on the other team’s 1-yard line. What happens at the beginning of the next half?

  1. Your team starts at the 1-yard line at the opposite end of the field
  2. Your team starts at the same place as when the first half ended
  3. The other team takes possession and starts at your team’s 1-yard line
  4. The team that didn’t kick off to begin the game kicks off now and a new drive begins

 

5. Which of the following actions will NOT stop the play clock?

  1. A complete pass is thrown
  2. An incomplete pass is thrown
  3. A player steps out of bounds
  4. A penalty is called

 

6. Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow are quarterbacks for the:

  1. Bills
  2. Dolphins
  3. Patriots
  4. Jets

 

7. Bill Belichick, Patriots head coach and football guru, is known for wearing which piece of clothing while coaching:

  1. T-shirts
  2. Bowties
  3. Hoodies
  4. Dress Pants

 

8. After a bumpy start at training camp and an arrest, which player was recently ousted from the Dolphins roster?

  1. Terrell Owens
  2. Chad Johnson
  3. Randy Moss
  4. Kenny Britt

 

9. Joe Philbin is the Dolphins current head coach. He was formerly the Offensive Coordinator for:

  1. The Seahawks
  2. The Patriots
  3. The Packers
  4. The Jaguars

 

10. How many consecutive times did the Bills appear in and lose the Super Bowl?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Our Training Camp : Week 3 Quiz

Week 3! Here already! The quiz of the week:

1. The regular season is ( ) weeks long:

  1. 15
  2. 16
  3. 17
  4. 18

 

2. True or false: Teams play 17 games per regular season.

  1. True
  2. False

 

3. Football games are timed in:

  1. Periods
  2. Halves
  3. Innings
  4. Quarters

 

4. It’s half-time. Your team ended the half with the ball on the other team’s 1-yard line. What happens at the beginning of the next half?

  1. Your team starts at the 1-yard line at the opposite end of the field
  2. Your team starts at the same place as when the first half ended
  3. The other team takes possession and starts at your team’s 1-yard line
  4. The team that didn’t kick off to begin the game kicks off now and a new drive begins

 

5. The action that will NOT stop the play clock is when:

  1. A complete pass is thrown
  2. An incomplete pass is thrown
  3. A player steps out of bounds
  4. A penalty is called

 

6. Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow are quarterbacks for the:

  1. Bills
  2. Dolphins
  3. Patriots
  4. Jets

 

7. Bill Belichick, Patriots head coach and football guru, is known for wearing which piece of clothing while coaching:

  1. T-shirts
  2. Bowties
  3. Hoodies
  4. Dress Pants

 

8. After a bumpy start at training camp and an arrest, which player was recently ousted from the Dolphins roster?

  1. Terrell Owens
  2. Chad Johnson
  3. Randy Moss
  4. Kenny Britt

 

9. Joe Philbin is the Dolphins current head coach. He was formerly the Offensive Coordinator for:

  1. The Seahawks
  2. The Patriots
  3. The Packers
  4. The Jaguars

 

10. How many consecutive times did the Bills appear in and lose the Super Bowl?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5