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American Football Game-Play Referee Signals
During an American football game, the referees can’t yell loud enough for a stadium full of people to hear, so the referee uses signals to inform everyone of everything that transpires on the field. Here’s [more…]
The Quarterback's Job in a Football Game
With the exception of kicking plays, quarterbacks touch the ball on every offensive play during a football game. A quarterback’s job is to direct his team toward the end zone and score as many points as [more…]
How a Quarterback Reads the Defense in a Football Game
When a quarterback prepares for a football game, he wants to be able to read the defense — look at a specific defensive alignment and instantly know which offense will or won’t succeed against it. [more…]
What the Running Backs Do in a Football Game
Understanding what’s going on during football running plays is much easier when you know who’s responsible for the running game. The next time you see a football offense set up, look for the two players [more…]
Football's Offensive Team: What Makes a Good Running Back
Running backs need more skills than American football players at other positions. During any given football game, a running back may run the ball, catch a pass, or block an opposing player. Occasionally [more…]
Possible Stances for Running Backs in Football
The running backs in an American football team’s offense use established stances, depending on the play being run. A running back can use two stances: [more…]
Football's Offensive Team: Formations for Running Backs
An offensive formation in a football game is how the offense aligns all 11 of its players prior to using a particular play. A team can run or pass out of many formations, but these three backfield formations [more…]
Running Plays in Football
Football offenses, whether in high school, college, or professional games, uses a certain set of running plays. Here are some basic running plays used in all levels of football: [more…]
The Keys to Successful Offensive Line Play in Football
In a football game, the offensive line’s job is to protect the quarterback. Linemen need to develop certain characteristics, both individually and as a unit, to effectively execute plays that keep the [more…]
Pass Offenses in Football
In an American football pass play, the offense throws the ball, rather than running with it. A team uses specific types of pass offenses, depending on the situation. These pass formations are used throughout [more…]
How an Offense Can Beat a Defense in American Football
One of the primary factors that helps a football coach decide what offense to run and what plays to call is how the defense sets up. Various defenses call for different strategies to beat them. [more…]
How the Offense Scores in a Football Game
When the offense in an American football game can move the ball downfield toward the end zone, it can score. These offensive plays can score a touchdown or two-point conversion. [more…]
Disguise a Successful Offensive Play in Football
During the course of an American football game, a team’s offense often finds that one pass play works particularly well against a certain defense and matchup. To keep using the play in that game and to [more…]
Football Defense Terms
Every American football team has its own vocabulary for referring to different defensive positions. Here are some of the most common terms that teams use to refer to defensive linemen and their alignments [more…]
Football Defense Keys
In American football terminology, a key is what a defensive player looks at prior to the snap of the ball. For example, if it’s first-and-5, odds are that the offense will attempt to run the ball. The [more…]
Football's Defense Team: The Linebackers
By the design of the American football defense, linebackers are the leaders of that 11-man squad. The rest of a team’s defense looks to the linebackers in a number of ways: [more…]
The Types of Football Linebackers
Although an American football linebacker’s main intention as part of a team’s defense is to tackle the offensive player with the ball, a variety of different types of linebackers can be out on the field [more…]
Football Defensive Alignment Terms
To better understand the inner workings of the defense in American football, you need to know how a defense lines up. Most defenses line up according to where the tight end on offense lines up. A defensive [more…]
The Positions in a Football Secondary
The secondary is the name given to the group of players on an American football team who make up the defensive backfield. All the players who make up the secondary are called [more…]
Tricks and Techniques of a Football Secondary
When defensive backs line up as part of an American football team’s secondary, they rarely know whether the play will be a pass or a run. In a split second, after the ball is snapped, the secondary must [more…]
Football Defensive Back Plays
American football’s defensive backs have a number of plays they can make. Their goal with these plays is to prevent the opponent’s receivers from catching the ball and prevent a possible touchdown. [more…]
Types of Defensive Coverage in Football
American football teams’ defenses employ two types of pass coverage: man-to-man and zone coverage. Both coverages have many variations and combinations, but the core of every defense’s coverage begins [more…]
Types of Football Defenses
An American football team has a variety of defensive strategies. The defense lines up differently, for example, when it’s making a goal-line stand or when it’s defending against a long pass. To help you [more…]
Difficult Situations a Football Defense May Face
Defenses in American football are under constant pressure in every game: One mistake in a defensive play (a missed tackle in the open field or a blown assignment, for example), and the opponent has points [more…]
The Role of Special Teams in a Football Game
The players in American football who put their foot to the ball are known as specialists, and they’re part of special teams. Although the kickers (including placekickers, punters, and field goal kickers [more…]
