Basics

5-Minute Football : Touchback

Here’s another new feature for the 2013 Season: 5-minute Football: a quick lesson to help you better understand one part of the game. Today’s lesson? All about touchbacks.

First and foremost, what’s a touchback?

A touchback happens most often during kickoffs. You know when the receiver in the back of the field catches the ball in the end zone and takes a knee? That’s a touchback, and you’ll often hear it referred to as “taking a knee” in the end zone. But it’s only once instance of a touchback ruling, because a touchback is not a specific play. It’s a ruling in which the ball is brought out to the 20-yard line to start the next drive. (Also: drive = new offensive possession.)

There are several other instances in which touchbacks are ruled. Have you ever seen a kicker boot the ball into/out of the end zone on a kickoff? That’s automatically ruled a touchback, and the offense will start their drive on the 20-yard line as a result.

Here’s a tricky touchback situation: when the offense fumbles the ball into the opposing team’s end zone (the end zone the offense is trying to score in) and a member of the defense recovers the ball in the end zone or provides the impetus for the ball going out of bounds in the end zone, it’s ruled a touchback, and the opposing team will get the ball at the 20-yard line. This also works in reverse, as we witnessed last Thursday night.

For those of you who are keen observers of Week 1 action, you may recall the play. Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan intercepted Baltimore QB Joe Flacco and ran it into the end zone…but got a little overzealous in his celebration and dropped the ball prior to crossing the goal line for the touchdown. (It would have been a touchdown, not a touchback, had he crossed the goal line into the end zone because it was the offense’s end zone, not his own end zone.) (Let’s talk about end zones next week, shall we?) Instead, since the ball went out of bounds in the offense’s end zone and Trevathan, the defender, was the impetus, it was ruled a touchback for the Ravens, who went on to score on their next offensive drive.

In (very) short form: touchbacks occur when the ball is downed in the end zone or outside of the end zone and results in a drive which begins at the 20-yard line.

Make sense?

(Have a suggestion for a 5-Minute Football lesson? I’d love to hear it!)

Fundamentals : Receivers

A receiver is a receiver is a receiver, right?

Well, kind of. But not really.

Let’s start this conversation with a disclaimer: every system is different. So the terminology referred to here is meant to be generally accepted information, not specific law for every NFL team.

With that said, let’s dive in and figure out who the receivers are and what they do!

Here’s a line up we’ve seen several times before:

This is a basic offensive formation. There are three wide receivers, one tight end, and one running back on the field.

(Bonus points for knowing which personnel group is on the field right now!)

So…aside from trying to advance the ball forward and score points, do all of these guys have the same job?

Nope! Just like each member of the offensive line has a different job or each member of the secondary has a different job, each of these players has a different job.

In general:

Wide Receivers run long routes and make big catches.

Tight Ends block, run, and catch – they are the multi-purpose components of the offense.

Running Backs run the ball after receiving a handoff from the quarterback.

Like all other aspects of football, none of these principles are set in stone. A running back can catch a pass in the backfield instead of being handed the ball. A tight end can run a long route usually run by a wide receiver. But in general, you’ll usually see them featured as described above.

In today’s conversation, we’re only going to focus on receivers – tight ends and wide receivers – and the different jobs they have. Let’s take a look at that lineup again, this time with new job descriptions:

So, what does each postion do?

The Split End (usually labeled the “X” receiver) is the wide receiver split farthest out from the offensive line. He is usually lined up on the line of scrimmage and opposite from the tight end. The split end is most often the team’s biggest and strongest wide receiver, since he will have to contend with the defensive back trying to “jam” him (keep him stuck) at the line of scrimmage.

The Tight End (usually labeled the “Y” receiver) is most often lined up on the line of scrimmage with the offensive linemen. Remember that 7 players are required to be on the line of scrimmage, and more often than not, the tight end is one of those players. The tight end really is the all-purpose player of the offense, and with the (now-defunct) evolution of a two tight end system in New England, the position continues to grow more and more. Tight ends block, run, and receive passes. This means they are well-rounded athletically: big enough to block, strong enough to run, and fast enough to catch a pass.

The Flanker (usually labeled the “Z” receiver) is the wide receiver opposite from the split end. He is usually lined up off of the line of scrimmage because he is beside the tight end. If he were aligned on the line of scrimmage, the tight end would be “covered up” and therefore be an ineligible receiver. Since the flanker is usually off the line of scrimmage, he has room to get away from the defensive back and run his route, or “beat the jam,” which is why flankers are usually smaller and faster than split ends.

The Slot Receiver (labeled in a bunch of different ways, but usually F, H, J, or even Y or Z), is the receiver in between the split end and the offensive line or in between the flanker and the offensive line – literally, in a “slot.” The slot receiver can be a tight end, but doesn’t have to be – like Wes Welker or Victor Cruz, who are both wide receivers. The slot receiver has similar characteristics to the tight end – a player who can block, run, and catch – but is usually more wide receiver in physique and play than tight end.

Do all receivers play the same positions all the time? It depends on the player and the system and the play in question. But seeing as how receivers are placed at each specific position because of their skill set (like having big, physical receivers at split end), it makes sense to keep them there most of the time.

Make sense?

(Thanks to Coach Curtis over at Strong Football for providing insight and information for this post!)

Fundamentals : Pulling

Pulling is one of those terms that is just kind of thrown around in football jargon. You might have heard commentators say something like “they used a pulling guard,” or “so-and-so pulled to the left to create the lane on that play.” This is actually one of those times when it is what it sounds like – kind of. Let’s break it down!

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Pulling is when a player, usually a lineman (offense or defense), leaves their regular assignment and moves to the other side of the field.

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Why would a player (or players) pull to the other side? Usually, to stack the offense on one side and create a running lane for a back or receiver. We saw this last week with a couple of screen pass concepts: one side of the line pulls to the other side to create a screen of protection for the ball carrier. But it happens in other types of plays on offense – and defense, too. Defensive linemen can also pull to stop the action they anticipate coming from a particular side.

Here’s a slow breakdown of what pulling looks like from an offensive line perspective:

And here’s what it looks like when humans do it:

And here’s what it looks like in a game – a college game – but still, same concept. Watch how the right guard (57) and the left guard (66) pull in unison to the right to create a lane for the running back (5):

See how it works? Whenever you see linemen pulling, you can expect to see action in whichever direction they are heading.

Fundamentals : Screen Pass

Remember that other conversation for another time about screen passes? We’re having it today!

So…what is a screen pass?

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A screen pass is a deceptive short pass used to take advantage of aggressive defenses. It’s set up like a long pass, but instead of going long the quarterback throws a short pass to a receiver who has slipped behind the oncoming defensive line and is protected by a “screen” of offensive blockers.

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Let’s break that down a little further. A traditional screen pass usually consists of 3 steps:

1. The quarterback drops back to pass, which would indicate a long passing play.

2. While the quarterback is dropping back, a receiver will make his way into the flat (the area 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield) and members of the offensive line will release from their blocks, letting the defensive line plow ahead toward the quarterback. The offensive blockers will run ahead of the receiver and form a “screen” of protection in front of him.

3. The quarterback throws the pass to the open receiver before the defenders arrive. The receiver then tries to gain as many yards as he can (Yards After Catch) with the help of his offensive blockers.

Make sense? Not so much?

Either way, this might help:

Let the record state that this is a highly unlikely play. But I thought it might help to see a visual you’ve seen before and go from there. Because, hypothetically, this could be a screen play under the right circumstances. The quarterback would drop back, the receiver (a tight end, in this case) would go into the flat, and the left guard and left tackle would release from their blocks and form a screen in the flat for the tight end.

It would help if you could see the defensive backfield. So let’s just add that into the “flaws” column for this visual, which seem to be mounting by the minute.

Be that as it may – the concept makes sense, right?

All of you smart people might be wondering how this concept is even possible since offensive linemen are not allowed to go past the line of scrimmage during passing plays. And that would be an excellent question! On screen plays, offensive linemen are allowed to cross the line of scrimmage. It’s the exception to the rule, a football phenomenon you’ve likely come to expect.

The traditional screen clearly takes some doing. It’s a whole lot of timing and execution, especially as far as the offensive line is concerned. But there are a BUNCH of other types of screens, and not all of them employ movement by the offensive line. The most popular in the NFL is likely the bubble screen, so we’ll take a look at that one.

A bubble screen is a receiver screen – meaning that the receivers are the ones who are going to be forming the actual “screen” part of the screen pass, not the offensive linemen. In a bubble screen, one or more receivers cuts off oncoming defensive backs. In the meantime, another wide receiver moves slightly back and then up again to give the screen time to get in place before catching the ball and running upfield in the area cleared by his screen to gain as many yards after the catch as possible.

Using the same visual, it might look something like this:

(Just so we’re clear: that is a conversation bubble labeled “football.” Oh yeah, I went there. Flaw #800. We might have to forget this post ever happened.)

Ok, so in the bubble screen, the quarterback still drops back, only now he’ll have a bit more time to throw since the offensive line will be blocking for him the entire time. The wide receivers go out and pick up the defensive backs, and the receiver in question – tight end, again – bubbles out and then goes upfield after catching the pass.

More on screens in Film Room this Wednesday. Until then, you might want to pop over to this excellent post on all things screen over at ESPN. They don’t use conversation bubbles as footballs over there. I know…shocking! And 10 points to whoever can name where the then-college quarterback named in the article is playing now in the NFL.

Film Room : OTAs

Yesterday we learned that an OTA is an Organized Team Activity with a lot of rules attached – including rules that prohibit direct contact between players. So if football players can’t hit each other at a practice…what do they do? And how is it helpful to coaches?

That’s what Coach Billick explains in this video:

So, what did we get out of that?

Coach Billick’s interpretation of OTA is Organization Training Activities – same thing. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe.
The offseason program is like spring football in high school and college, a collection of workouts, practices, scrimmages that build a foundation for the regular season.
About 1,000 plays are run throughout the course of the OTAs – roughly about the same number as run in the regular season. (Unless you are at Eagles camp with new head coach Chip Kelly, in which case you’ll be running 2,000 plays. In one day.)
The primary goal of OTAs is to get players used to the tempo a coach is trying to achieve. I’m tempted to make another Eagles joke here, but really, the tempo at the Eagles camp is going to be markedly different than the tempo at the Cowboys camp, or the Giants camp, or the Redskins camp. Each team has a unique rhythm to their practices and play calling, and OTAs help players get a good feel for that rhythm.
It’s not all about the tempo on the field. OTAs also instill off-the-field expectations – what meetings, film study, and workouts look like.
OTAs are also primarily for installing the system on offense, defense, and special teams. What does that mean? Let’s say a team’s defensive coordinator is going to switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3. That new 4-3 defense is going to be installed (taught and learned) during OTAs. Then, during training camp, the new system will be reinstalled and cemented in place so that it’s good to go when preseason and then the regular season arrive. It doesn’t only apply to teams that are completely overhauling their schemes, though. A lot of teams will probably adjust their systems and install more ways to either cater to or stop the newly popular option offenses in the NFL.
There are 3 phases to physical training in the offseason: cardiovascular training, football muscle memory training, and hitting shape (which happens during training camp when hitting is allowed).
The end result? Players come to training camp mentally and physically ready to play.

Makes sense, right? Thanks, Coach Billick!

Fundamentals : How to Use Uniform Numbers

You might have read that title and thought it was a typo…or just a weird post about repurposing old jerseys. But it’s so not! Your life is about to get so much easier, all thanks to the magic of uniform numbers.

Really.

So remember last week when we talked about the single high safety and how to find him on the field? That one was pretty simple, because you know that the one guy hanging out up top is the single high safety. It’s as close to self-explanatory as you’ll get in the NFL.

But what if you’re trying to figure out where the rest of the defensive backs are and you’re just not sure based on the formation alone?

That’s the beauty of uniform numbers.

In the NFL, players must to adhere to specific rules when it comes to picking their number. They have to select a number that is within the range for their position.

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Each position in the NFL is identified by a specific range of uniform numbers.

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What are those numbers and ranges? I made you a printable for you so you’ll have them handy all season long! (Just click the “Print Me!” icon below. A new window will open up and you can print the image by selecting File>Print in your browser. Enjoy!)

[ilink url=”http://www.footballfornormalgirls.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pocket-Guide-to-NFL-Uniform-Numbers.jpg” style=”download”]Print Me![/ilink]

Ok, so how do we infuse this newfound knowledge into game day?

Let’s take a look at one of the screen shots from last Wednesday’s post.

It’s fairly obvious that this is Cover 1. We see Earl (hi, Earl!) hanging out up top. Also, he’s circled and the text beneath him says, “single high safety.”

I aim to please here, people.

So we know where Earl is – but where are the rest of the defensive backs? Are the three players in the second level linebackers? Which of the players on the defensive line are actually defensive linemen?

If you know your team well, you might know just based on what personnel your team usually fields. You know the players on the field. But if you don’t know the team, you can use three clues – uniform number, context, and the roster – to know who is on the field even if you don’t actually know who is on the field.

Let’s take a look at this play from a different angle and use our first clue to determine who’s on the field.

Uniform Number

Using a combination of the screenshot and the video, we can see everyone’s jersey and determine their position based on their number. Let’s work left to right across each level in the formation:

25: Defensive back

57: Linebacker

69: Defensive lineman

92: Defensive lineman or linebacker

79: Defensive lineman

50: Linebacker

39 (not shown): Defensive back

56: Linebacker

54: Linebacker

31: Defensive back

29: Defensive back

It’s pretty cut and dry just from a survey of the uniform numbers. The only question is 92 – is he a linebacker or a lineman? We can figure that out by looking onto Clue 2.

Context

Let’s take a look at this situation: 92 is in between two other defensive linemen. He’s in a 3-point stance, and a quick Google search tells us that he’s 300+ lbs – much too big for the typical linebacker. From the context we can tell that he’s more than likely a defensive tackle, which would make the other d-linemen next to him defensive ends. But to be sure we can always move to Clue 3, which is almost always* the golden ticket.

*Almost always – because a player can report as a different position than his uniform number indicates. We’ll be talking about that more next week!

Roster

We can be 100% sure of who’s on the field by using the Seahawks 2012 Roster.

25: Cornerback (Richard Sherman)

57: Linebacker (Michael Morgan)

69: Defensive end (Clinton McDonald)

92: Defensive tackle (Brandon Mebane)

79: Defensive end (Red Bryant)

50: Linebacker (K.J. Wright)

39: Cornerback (Brandon Browner)

56: Linebacker (Leroy Hill)

54: Linebacker (Bobby Wagner)

31: Safety (Kam Chancellor)

29: Safety (Earl Thomas)

When we match the players to their positions to their jerseys, the whole picture makes a lot more sense than it might have initially:

It makes sense that the corners are on the edges, that there are three down linemen, that the linebackers are coming up front as pass rushers, and that the strong safety is in the second level playing zone. Adding all of the pieces together makes an effective whole, and also teaches us a lot more about what the defense was going for on this play. From this look, it seems like the defense was probably expecting a running play, since they’ve stuffed so many guys in the box.

Now, realistically, are you going to have time to do this level of breakdown before the snap of every play? Probably not. The game happens – and changes! – much too quickly for that. You might not have time to figure out every player at every position, but you’ll more than likely be able to spot that one player who made a difference on the last play and figure out who he is by using the workflow you learned today – number, context, roster – and by knowing all of the basics you’ve learned so far.

Because you’re just that good!

But just in case you need a little extra practice, we’ll be going over this again in Wednesday’s film room post. Let’s consider it our OTA for the week. See you then!