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Surviving the Super Bowl : Special Teams

It’s hard to imagine that often times all of the complicated scheming and hard-fought battles between offenses and defenses are ultimately decided by one guy’s leg…but more often than not in a close game, that’s exactly what happens. It all comes down to a kick.

There are five types of kicks to be aware of, and you’re probably familiar with most of them:

1. Kickoffs: Kickoffs happen after scoring drives and at the beginning of each half. A coin is flipped at the beginning of the game to determine who kicks off first (the winner of the coin toss gets to decide whether they want to kick off first (and therefore play defense first) or defer to the second half (and therefore play offense first), a decision entirely based on strategy, not whim).

2. Punts: Teams punt the ball away when they have reached 4th down and don’t believe it wise (or possible) to try and get the extra yardage they need to get to the first down marker. (We talked about punts in more detail in the 4th down section of the basics of offense post, if you need a refresher.)

3. Field Goals: If a team is near the end zone and can’t score a touchdown in 3 downs, they’ll likely kick a field goal on 4th down. Field goals are worth 3 points. You might have noticed that the distance from the line of scrimmage to the end zone and the distance from the line of scrimmage to a field goal are different. You’re right! If a team is at the 30-yard line on 3rd down, they’ll be kicking a 47 yard field goal attempt, not a 30 yard field goal attempt. That’s because 17 yards are added to the distance to account for the 10 yards of end zone (the goal post is at the back of the end zone) and the space between where the line of scrimmage is and where the kicker lines up (7 yards away).

4. Extra Points: After a team scores a touchdown (6 points), they line up to kick an extra point (…you guessed it: 1 point!), for a total of 7 points. Barring a penalty, extra points are kicked from the 2-yard line. (If a team is behind and needs to catch up or even/exceed the score, they might “go for two,” which means that instead of kicking an extra point after a touchdown, they’ll line up at the 2 yard line and try to get the ball in the end zone. If they do, it’s worth 2 points.)

5. Onside Kicks: If a team is down by a lot of points late in the game and is slated to kick the ball off to the other team, they might attempt an onside kick to regain possession of the ball and try to score more points on offense. You’ll notice an onside kick attempt quickly and easily because the teams stand much closer to each other than they do for normal kickoffs. In an onside kick, the ball is kicked low to the ground and travels like a skipping rock. It must travel at least 10 yards, but the kicker will try to keep it as close to 10 yards as possible to give his team a greater chance of recovering the ball, since the other team is lined up closer than usual and has a greater likelihood of reaching the ball first. (For much more on onside kicks, see this post.)

* 6. Drop Kicks: Yesterday, my friend Jason politely pointed out that I had missed a category of kicks: drop kicks. And he was right! (And just a side note – that’s why I love writing this blog: I get to learn from writing the posts AND from all of you guys. So please never hesitate to bring up a question or point out something that might have been overlooked. It helps make the site better, and I’m all for that!) Drop kicks happen every once in a blue moon (literally), but are important to know about because they can easily catch the opposing team off-guard. As defined by the NFL rulebook, a drop kick is “a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground.” A team can drop kick a field goal or an extra point, but they can also drop kick a fair catch. A player signaling for the fair catch of a punt can receive the punt and then drop kick the ball in a field goal attempt. For more information about drop kicks, see this article. Thanks, Jason!

All of the kicking plays described above are executed by the special teams unit – an ironically named bunch seeing as how they usually get the short end of the respect stick. But special teams can truly make or break a season for a team. Have you ever seen a complete momentum shift after a team that was down returns a kickoff for a touchdown? That’s all special teams. How about when a team misses an opportunity to go to the playoffs due to missed field goal in the final seconds of the game? That’s special teams, too. It’s the unit that is either a team’s best friend or worst enemy.

The special teams unit is responsible for any play that involves punting or kicking. The placekicker and the punter are specialized positions specifically for the special teams unit. Those players only play on special teams. But guys who play on offense and defense can, and usually do, have a role in special teams as well as a roll on offense or defense. You might have heard of Wes Welker, who has long been one of the Patriots best wide receivers, but has also been a star on the return team. Ditto: Chicago’s Devin Hester (although Hester primarily shines in special teams). More often than not, though, rookies and second-string players are relegated to the less glamorous positions on the special teams units because they haven’t earned playing time on offense or defense yet.

And there you have it! Next week we’ll have a final review (hint: a quiz) to make sure you’re 100% ready, but if you’ve made it through the offense, defense, and special teams posts over the past few weeks, you are well on your way to Surviving the Super Bowl! Way to go!

(Do your own touchdown dance. Come on, just do it! You know you want to.)

Surviving the Super Bowl : The Basics of Defense

If you survived The Basics of Offense last week, you’re in luck. The Basics of Defense is much easier (the intricacies of defense, not so much – but that’s another post for another day). You’re going to breeze right through this, I know it!

First, let’s talk about who’s on the field and what they generally do:

A standard defense gets divided into two sections: the defensive front (7 players) and the defensive backs (4 players).

The Defensive Front:

Defensive Tackles (DT): The defensive tackles play on the inside of the defensive line (the line of players directly across from the offensive line). In a 3-4 system, as pictured above (3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers), the defensive tackle is the player in the middle and is called the nose tackle. Don’t worry too much about the particulars, just know that the defensive tackles are in place to stop running plays as well as contain the offensive linemen in front of them (or him, if there’s only a nose tackle in place).

Defensive Ends (DE): The defensive ends play on the outside of the defensive line. If the offense runs the ball, the defensive end on the side of the run needs to stop the run. If it’s a passing play, the defensive end will rush (run at full speed) the quarterback in an attempt to sack him (tackle him to the ground).

Linebackers: There are several types of linebackers – you can learn more about the Mike, Sam, and Will linebackers in the glossary. What’s important to know is that linebackers are the teams best tacklers; they are responsible for guarding against both running and passing plays.

The Defensive Backs ( also known as the “secondary”):

Cornerbacks: Cornerbacks generally line up near the line of scrimmage directly across from the offense’s best wide receivers. You’d be right to wonder why they are called cornerbacks and collectively known as defensive backs if they play up front with the defensive front. You’re not crazy – that’s a legit question. Here’s the deal: as soon as the ball is snapped, the cornerbacks will backpeddle and take off running toward the backfield to cover the wide receivers who are also running in that direction (toward the end zone). So cornerbacks line up in the front of the formation, but in a split second they’ll be sprinting to the backfield, waiting to make a play on a long ball.

Safeties: Safeties generally play towards the inside and can move up to the front or to the back depending on their position. The free safety (FS) usually lines up the farthest back and defends the deep middle of the field against passing plays. His goal is to break up the pass or intercept the ball. The strong safety (SS) defends against the run and the pass; he lines up closer to the front of the formation, usually covering the tight end. (General Note: whatever side of the formation the tight end lines up on is called the “strong side” because he’s an extra player added to that side, which is why the safety covering the tight end is called the “strong” safety. See, it all connects!)

Putting It All Together:

So you know who these guys are and what they do. Now it’s time to translate that to what you’ll see this weekend while watching the games.

In general, you’ll rarely see a defense as straight forward as the one diagrammed above. It’s pretty vanilla. But you can easily tell what kind of play the defense is anticipating just by where all of the players are lined up, even if you’re unsure of who’s who in a complicated formation. It couldn’t be easier.

Are the majority of players bunched up toward the front of the line? The defense is expecting a run. Remember when we talked about 8 in the box? Anytime the defense brings more than the standard 7 players into the box (the part of the field where the linemen and linebackers play), you can be fairly sure that the defense is either planning on blitzing the quarterback or stopping a running play. (And remember – the cornerbacks don’t count. They’re outside of the box, on the edges of the formation.)

Are the majority of players spaced out in the backfield? The defense is expecting a pass. The defense usually employs specific packages for this type of situation. In a nickel package, a linebacker is taken off the field and an extra defensive back is put in (because there can only be 11 players on the field for each unit at all times, so they’d have to swap players in and out). In a dime package, two linebackers are taken out and two defensive backs are put in. The more defensive backs, the more chance the defense has of breaking up a pass or intercepting it.

And if you’re thinking either scheme leaves the defense vulnerable in one way or another – you’re right. If everyone is up front expecting a running play, the offense might be tempted to try a bomb downfield. If everyone is spread out in pass coverage, the offense might have an opportunity to run through an obvious hole up front. It’s always a gamble – but that’s what makes football so much fun to watch!

Does all of this make sense? Do you feel more comfortable watching a game now that you know what the offense and the defense do and how they’re trying to beat each other? If you have any questions, leave ’em in the comments and I’ll be happy to help!

Surviving the Super Bowl : The Basics of Offense

Last week, we learned about how teams make it into the playoffs. But for the next few weeks we’ll be addressing what they do once they get there. Specifically, what happens on offense, defense, and special teams.

Today we’ll dive into a no-frills, quick and easy explanation of the offense. This is by no means a be-all and end-all breakdown of understanding the offense. We’ll get into that in the off-season. For now, I just want you to be able to know the basics of what’s going on when the offense is on the field so you can enjoy the games this weekend.

Really, you can! Here we go:

The Basics of Offense in 4 Simple Points That Won’t Make You Pull Your Hair Out

1. The offense is the team in possession of the football.

When you’re watching the game, you’ll recognize the offense as the team that has the football and is trying to move it down the field to score. You’ll see the quarterback take the snap from the center (the exchange of the football at the beginning of the play) and either run or pass the ball. That team is the offensive team on that particular drive (a drive = the total collection of plays for the team on offense during their current possession of the football). (Don’t you feel wiser already? And it only gets better from here!)

2. The offense has 6 players that never change, and 5 who change frequently (but always, ALWAYS, 11 players on the field at all times).

There are six consistent players for the offense: the quarterback, who leads the offense by throwing or handing off the football, and the offensive line, which consists of five players who protect the quarterback so he has time to do something with the football. The other five players are a combination of skill position players: running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers. Running backs are the guys who get the ball handed off to them and try to barrel down the field while holding onto the football. Tight ends can either run or catch; they’re the most versatile of the skill players. Wide receivers are the ones who run down the field and make spectacular catches. These five players are sent out in different combinations based on the type of play the offense wants to run. (To learn more about these combinations, check out these two posts on personnel groups.)

3. In general, you can identify offensive players by where they are lined up on the field.

Here’s a basic offensive formation:

The offensive line is the line of 5 squares. From left to right, you’ll find the left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, and right tackle. Directly behind the center is the quarterback, who will take the snap from the center (the center is the one who has his hand on the football at the beginning of the play and transfers it to the quarterback – an action known as “snapping” the ball). The yellow triangles are the skill position players. The running backs (RB) generally line up in the backfield near the quarterback. The tight ends (TE) usually line up close to the offensive linemen. Wide receivers (WR) line up on the outsides of the formation, near the line of scrimmage (the imaginary line where the play starts from).

4. The offense has four chances, called “downs,” to advance the ball ten yards. If they do, they receive a new set of downs and the opportunity to continue trying to reach the end zone to score.

Don’t give up on this part before we start! Even if the whole first down thing has confused you in the past, you’ll be able to learn it quickly and easily today. This is the hardest part, but if you can add and subtract at a 1st grade level, you can learn this, no sweat.

You are already familiar with the terminology. You’ve heard TV commentators talk about “3 and outs” and “1st and 10” and “4th and long.” Here’s what all of that means:

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.

Stay with me! Here’s an example!

Let’s say the offense is starting their drive on their own 20 yard line (a very common occurrence). (Just a note – the 50 yards of field from the offense’s end zone = their “own” side of the field. The 50 yards of field on the defense’s side of the end zone = the defense’s territory.) The ball will be placed on the 20 yard line, and the imaginary line extending from the ball to both sidelines is the line of scrimmage. The offense needs to reach or exceed the 30 yard line, which means they’ve gained at least 10 yards total from where they began (at the 20 yard line), over the course of the next 4 downs to receive a new set of downs and therefore another opportunity to score. You will know how far the offense needs to go to gain a new set of downs thanks to the magic of technology: they need to reach or exceed the bright yellow electronic line on the field, which indicates how far the offense has to go to get a first down.

The first play is called “1st and 10,” because it’s the offense’s first down (chance) and they still have 10 yards to go to get a new set of downs. Let’s say they hand the ball off to a running back and gain 3 yards. The next play would be called “2nd and 7,” because it’s their second chance and the running back gained 3 of the 10 yards needed for a new set of downs, so the offense still has 7 yards left to go before they earn a new set of downs. 10 – 3 = 7. See! 1st grade math! You can do this!!!

Ok, so it’s now 2nd and 7. Since the offense started at the 20 yard line, we know that they are now at the 23 yard line because they gained 3 yards on the last play. Let’s say the quarterback throws a quick pass out to a wide receiver who catches it and gets tackled at the 25 yard line. It’s a 2 yard gain. So what’s the new down and distance?

It you answered 3rd and 5, you’re right! It’s now the offense’s 3rd chance, and they’ve gained 5 total yards (3 on 1st down, 2 on 2nd down), so 10 – 5 = 5 yards left to go.

So it’s 3rd and 5. The quarterback drops back to pass, but he doesn’t find anyone open. He sees a small hole in the defense and keeps the ball himself, trying to run through the hole to gain at least 5 yards. But he’s tackled at the 29 yard line. He only gained 4 yards.

The new down and distance? 4th and 1.

Are you still with me? Because we’re going to make things a little more complicated now that we’ve reached 4th down. Re-read that last section again and then meet me at the next paragraph.

Ready? Let’s move on to 4th down!

When a team reaches 4th down, it’s not as simple as trying one last time to get a first down. If the offense tries and fails on 4th down, they surrender possession of the football right where they are – no kicking or punting – to the other team. So in this situation, if the offense were to go for it on 4th and 1 at their own 29 yard line and the quarterback throws an incomplete pass for no gain, that means the other team would take over at the offense’s 29 yard line, giving them excellent field position to score. They’d already be within field goal range and aren’t even 30 yards away from the end zone. Unless a team is desperate, you’d rarely see an offense “go for it” on 4th down when they are so deep in their own territory.

What you’d normally see in this situation is the offense punting the ball – kicking the ball to the other team – to start the other team’s new possession. This is what we call a “3 and out.” The offense tried to advance the ball 3 times, failed to get a first down, and then had to punt the ball away.

Let’s switch things up for a moment and pretend that the offense isn’t on their own 29 yard line, they’re on the other teams 29 yard line. In that situation, the offense has two options on a 4th and 1 play: they can try for a field goal, which would be kicked from the 46 yard line (because you have to add 17 yards to the line of scrimmage to account for the length of the end zone and where the players line up), a fairly standard field goal attempt. But the offense might also try to go for it on 4th down to try and gain the one yard they need for a new set of downs. This makes sense for 2 reasons: 1. If they make it, they’re in great field position to try and score on the next set of downs. 2. If they don’t, the other team gets the ball right where they are, on the offense’s 29 yard line, which isn’t giving them too much of an advantage in terms of field position.

Let’s review. When 4th down comes to call, a team has these options:

1. PUNT. This happens most often when a team is on their own side of the field (the 50 yards connected to their own end zone) or fairly close to it.

2. KICK A FIELD GOAL. This happens most often when a team is within field goal range (30-50 yards is typical length for NFL kicks) and doesn’t want to give the other team the ball where they currently are. (Although it should be noted that if the offense misses the field goal, the other team gets the ball at the spot of the kick (not at the 4th down line of scrimmage), unless the kick is from the 20 yard line or closer, in which case the other team would get the ball at the 20 yard line.)

3. GO FOR IT. This happens most often when the yardage is short (4th and 1 or 4th and inches) and the team believes they can either convert (get the 1st down) or hand the ball over on downs without sacrificing too much field position.

5. Enjoy the game!

You now know the basics of offense. You know who’s on the field, what they’re trying to do, and what all of the numbers mean. You know that the yellow line isn’t just for esthetic appeal, and know how important it is to the progression of the offense. But when in doubt? Just enjoy the athleticism and competitive greatness on the field. In my opinion, there’s nothing better.

Questions? Comments? Victories? Confusions? Leave ’em in the comments below and we’ll take care of one and all!

Go have fun practicing your newfound knowledge this weekend!!!

Surviving the Super Bowl : Playoffs

Hello, ladies! Welcome to Surviving the Super Bowl! Over the next few weeks we’ll be reviewing information that will be essential to not just surviving the Super Bowl this year, but actually enjoying the game!

This week, we’ll start with learning how teams advance through the playoffs and earn the right to play in the Super Bowl.

Ready? Let’s go!

In the NFL, there are two conferences, the NFC and the AFC. There are four divisions within each conference (north, south, east, and west), and four teams in each division (resulting in 32 teams).

I’m better with visuals, so here’s what that looks like:

Does that make sense?

Ok, so from all of those teams, only 12 make it to the playoffs (six from each conference).

To make the playoffs, a team has to place first in their division (AFC North, NFC South, etc). During the 16-game regular season schedule a team plays all of the other teams in their division twice: once at home, and once away.

Example: in the NFC North, the Packers play the Lions, the Bears, and the Vikings once at Lambeau (home), and they will also travel to Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota to play each team at their own stadium (away). That accounts for six games each season. The results of these divisional games are especially important because, as we talked about above, a team needs to win their division to make it to the playoffs. If two teams in the same division have the same overall record, the team that has the best divisional record gets the playoff spot.

The remaining 10 games are played in an even split of home and away games on a rotating schedule against all of the other teams in the league.

The four teams that win their division from each conference are ranked (“seeded”) according to their regular season record. That results in eight teams total. The remaining four teams are called “Wildcard” teams. These are the two teams from each conference who have the best regular season record. When matched up, the team that is seeded higher plays at home; the lower seed has to travel.

Here’s what the 2012 playoff picture looks like. The teams in yellow are the teams that won their division; the teams in green are the wildcard teams. Each team’s seed is shown by the number next to it.

The playoffs are a single elimination tournament played over the course of several weeks. Here’s what happens each week:

Week 1: Wildcard Round

The top two seeds from each conference earn a first round bye, which means they get the week off. After a long season, it’s a coveted luxury since all of the teams are playing hurt and greatly benefit from a week without a game. This year, the top two seeds in the AFC are the Broncos (1) and the Patriots (2) and the top two seeds in the NFC are the Falcons (1) and the 49ers (2).

Among the remaining eight teams, the highest and lowest seeds in each conference play each other (Seeds 3 and 6) and the middle seeds play each other (Seeds 4 and 5). So, using our little infographic up there, we know that in the AFC, the Ravens (4) and playing the Colts (5) in Baltimore and the Texans (3) are playing the Bengals (6) in Houston. In the NFC, the Redskins (4) are playing the Seahawks (5) in Washington and the Packers (3) are playing the Vikings (6) in Green Bay.

Week 2: Divisional Round

The top seeds return from the bye week and get to play at home. The same schedule follows: the highest and lowest ranked seeds play each other and the middle seeds play each other. So whichever teams won their wildcard round game the week before travel to their assigned divisional round game.

Week 3: Conference Championships

At this point, four teams remain, two from each conference. Those teams play each other (at the higher seeded teams stadium) and the winners are the AFC and NFC Conference Champions. Those two teams are the teams that go to the Super Bowl.

Week 4: Bye Week (Week Off)

AKA: Controlled craziness. Until media day arrives, the only day the media has access to players, at which point the craziness is completely uncontrolled.

Super Bowl!

The AFC and NFC Champions play each other in a predetermined location. This year, the game is in New Orleans.

(Side note: a home team has never played the in the Super Bowl in their own stadium. Isn’t that crazy?!)

Alright, ladies. Consider your playoff briefing complete. Now you know how the teams got to the playoffs; next week we’ll talk about what you need to know to watch them play in the playoffs.

Need info sooner than that? No problem! Check out any of the Basics posts or head over to the Glossary for a great primer on anything you need to know!

The Basics : The Super Bowl

Just as the Super Bowl is the culmination of the football year, our Basics information is also coming to a close. This is our LAST Basics post!!! We made it!!! Next week we’ll have two more divisional posts and then…a final exam! Time to start hitting the books!

In the NFL, there are two conferences, the NFC and the AFC. There are four divisions within each conference (north, south, east, and west), and four teams in each division (resulting in 32 teams). Twelve teams make it to the playoffs, six from each conference.

To make the playoffs, a team has to place first in their division. During the 16-game schedule a team plays all of the other teams in their division twice: once at home, and once away. Example: the Packers will play the Lions, the Bears, and the Vikings once at Lambeau (home), and they will also travel to Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota to play each team at their own stadium (away). That accounts for 6 games each season. The results of these divisional games are especially important because a team needs to win their division to make it to the Playoffs. If two teams in the same division have the same overall record the team that has the best divisional record gets the playoff spot.

The remaining 10 games are played in an even split of home and away games on a rotating schedule against all of the other teams in the league.

The four teams that win their division from each conference are ranked (“seeded”) according to their regular season record. That results in 8 teams total. The remaining 4 teams are called “Wildcard” teams. These are the two teams from each conference who have the best regular season record. Don’t count them out just because they’re the last ones in – Wildcard teams can be dangerous in the playoffs! (2010 Packers, I’m looking at you.) (!!!)

The playoffs are a single elimination tournament played over the course of four weeks (one of which is a free week in between the conference championship game and the Super Bowl). At the end of the playoffs, one AFC team and one NFC team remain. The AFC and NFC Champions play each other in the apex of all that is good in the world: the Super Bowl.

And after the Super Bowl we mourn the offseason…the absence of football for an ETERNITY (or about 6 months).

The Basics : Scoring

Today’s Basics post is all scoring, which is kind of the whole point of the game. So it’s a special week here! Let’s get movin’!

Things the Offense Wants to Happen:

Touchdown = 6 points! WOOT!

A touchdown is scored when the FOOTBALL (not the player) crosses the goal line into the end zone. However, the player must maintain control of the football while in the boundaries of the end zone in order for it to count as a touchdown (this is where instant replay and endless dissection of where exactly the ball is located comes into play).

Extra Point (aka Point After Touchdown or PAT) = 1 point

Which is why touchdowns are commonly thought to be worth 7 points. Not true! The extra point is kicked after a touchdown is made. It’s kicked from really close (the 2 yard line) so it almost always goes through.

Two-Point Conversion = 2 points

(Bet you could have figured that one out on your own.)

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If a team could greatly benefit from scoring 2 points instead of the standard 1 after scoring a touchdown, they’ll line up like they would if it were running a regular play and try to run or pass the ball into the end zone for a two point conversion.

Things the Offense does NOT want to Happen:

Safety = 2 points

(Not to be confused with Safeties, who are Defensive players.)

This is when an Offensive player is tackled in his OWN end zone. The two points are then awarded to the other team. It usually happens when the Offense gets stuck way far back in their own territory after penalties or a really, really good kickoff.

Turnovers

There are three ways that the Offense can “turn the ball over” to the Defense, which results in the Defense gaining possession of the football.

Fumbles: This is when the player who is carrying the ball either drops it or has it ripped away from him. Whoever recovers the ball gains possession of the ball and, consequently, a new Offensive possession.

Interceptions: This is when the ball is thrown and someone on the Defense catches it. Safeties and Cornerbacks are good at this.

Failed 4th Down Conversions: This is when the team goes for it on 4th down and doesn’t get the yardage needed to reach 10 yards for a new set of downs. For example: a team goes for it on 4th and 2 and only gains 1 yard. Since they did not earn a new set of downs, the other team gets the ball at it’s current spot on the field.