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Review and Preview : Week 6

Review

Turnover: When the team that has possession of the ball loses possession of the ball and the other team gains possession of the ball as a result. They are literally turning the ball over (giving it over) to the other team, hence the term “turnover.” When the running back has the ball and it comes lose and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. When a defensive back picks off a pass intended for a wide receiver, it’s a turnover. Any time the team that had the ball loses the ball and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. (From Tuesday’s post)

Fumble: When anyone who has possession (or is gaining possession) of the football mishandles it and loses it as a result. You may have heard of quarterbacks “fumbling the snap,” which is really a joint effort between the center and the quarterback to not get the snap off correctly. Fumbles can also occur when a ball carrier gets distracted or loses his grip or runs into any set of circumstances in which he loses possession of the ball after he has it. There are also forced fumbles, which occur when a defensive player causes the impetus for the fumble, usually by punching the ball out from behind. (From Tuesday’s post)

Interception: When a pass intended for an offensive player is caught by a defensive player instead. This happens most frequently when defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties) pick off a pass intended for a wide receiver. Interceptions also happen often when a quarterback throws a bad pass, or when a receiver runs a bad route and isn’t where he was supposed to be, or when the ball gets tipped.

Interceptions always refer to passing plays (or any play in which the ball goes through the air without hitting the ground first) and are always turnovers (because the other team is catching the ball, and therefore has possession of it). (From Tuesday’s post)

Pick 6: A Pick 6 is a specific type of interception in which a pass is picked off by a defensive player (hence “pick”) and is returned for a touchdown (hence “6” – since touchdowns are worth 6 points). All Pick 6’s are both interceptions and turnovers. (From Tuesday’s post)

Touchdown: When the football crosses the plane of the goal line – the white line separating the end zone from the rest of the field. If the ball – with or without the ball-carrier – crosses that line while an offensive ball-carrier is in possession of it, it’s a touchdown. If the ball is being thrown into the end zone and is caught by a receiver, the receiver needs to have two feet down in bounds and have full control of the ball to be called a touchdown. Touchdowns are worth 6 points. (From Wednesday’s post)

Wildcard Team: The four teams (two from each conference) that did not win their division but make it into the playoffs by merit of having the best record among non-division-winners in their conference. (From Wednesday’s post)

Preview

Normal Girl Game of the Week

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday at 8:25pm EST on ESPN

It’s the game everyone has been waiting for: Peyton’s return to Indy. Those on the inside who know Peyton say that he isn’t emotional about returning to the stadium he practically built, but it’s safe to say that everyone else will be. Expect quite a welcome home party for 18 and one heck of a game from the always-up-for-a-challenge Colts.

Also on the radar:

1. It’s a weekend of AFC East matchups: Patriots at Jets and Bills at Dolphins. The Patriots are rolling…but don’t count any of the other teams out of this division.

2. If the Giants are going to win a game any time in the near future, Monday night at home against the Vikings might be their best bet.

3. I’m going to go out on a (thin, brittle, extraordinarily shaky) limb and call an upset alert on the Chargers at Jaguars game. The Chargers are coming off a short week and west coast teams rarely do well coming to the east coast for early games (game time is 1pm EST). Plus, the Jags could be riding on emotion from giving the Broncos a run for their money last week in Denver. It’s far from a sure bet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

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Ashley’s Rookie Season : Touchdowns, Wildcards, and Intentional Grounding

Did you miss a post? Check out Round One and Round Two, or get to know Ashley better!

Q. What makes a touchdown a touchdown? Does the player have to catch the ball in the end zone, run the ball into the end zone? Both? And what if a player is tackled in the end zone? Does the touchdown still count?

A. This is a great question…one I can’t believe hasn’t been answered here in over A YEAR of posts!!! Oh my word! What an oversight! Let’s get right to it.

The NFL, as we know, is a funny place filled with funny rules. This funny nature extends to touchdowns. In general, to score a touchdown, the football just needs to cross the plane of the goal line – the white line separating the end zone from the rest of the field. If the ball – with or without the ball-carrier who is holding it – crosses that line, it’s a touchdown. Think of a quarterback stretching the ball over the top of a huge pile to extend the ball across the goal line and score a touchdown. The quarterback may not have crossed the goal line but the ball did, and that’s all that matters.

However, if the ball is being thrown into the end zone and is caught by a receiver, the receiver needs to have two feet down in bounds and have full control of the ball to be called a touchdown. To your question – if he’s tackled in the end zone that’s fine; he just has to maintain control of the ball and have two feet touch in bounds. If he runs out of bounds (or falls/is tackled out of bounds) after he’s caught the pass and has had two feet down in the end zone, that’s fine, too.

Touchdowns are worth 6 points. Teams usually opt to kick the point after (PAT, Point After Touchdown) but can also choose to “go for 2” – get the football into the end zone from the 2-yard line for 2 points.

Q. What is a wildcard team?

A. To start, let’s chat about how the NFL is organized. The NFL is divided into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC. Each conference is divided into four divisions, North, South, East, and West. Each division has 4 teams. Thus, there are 32 teams in the NFL (16 in each conference, 4 in each division).

(For a free printable with all of that info, check out this post.)

Wildcard teams are the teams that squeak into the playoffs. Currently, 12 teams make the cut into the playoffs: each conference’s division winners (8 teams total) and the two teams from each conference with the highest record (4 teams total). Those 4 teams that didn’t win their division but had the highest record among non-divisional-winners within their conference are the wildcard teams.

Q. What is a grounding penalty? I heard something about a pocket and the ball clearing the line of scrimmage… (Eagles/Giants game – Manning had 3 of these)

A. Somewhere, Eli is making this face at the mention of his recent woes.

So, yes, Eli has been a good case study in intentional grounding, the penalty in question. Intentional grounding is a penalty called on the quarterback when he throws the ball a) from inside the pocket, b) short of the line of scrimmage, c) where there is no eligible receiver to catch the ball.

As a visual, picture the quarterback standing somewhere behind the offensive line and throwing a short pass to no one. That’s intentional grounding.

Why would a quarterback do that “intentionally”? Usually because he’s getting pressured by the defense. If he takes a sack (gets tackled by the defense while still holding the football), the new line of scrimmage will move backwards to wherever he was sacked. He doesn’t want to take that loss of yardage. So he will often try to “throw it away” – throw it to the sidelines as an incomplete pass. That’s legal. But if he tries to throw it away while he’s inside the pocket and it doesn’t travel past the line of scrimmage and there are no eligible receivers in the area, that’s intentional grounding.

Don’t try to think about it logically, since the logical conclusion is that there are no eligible receivers on the sidelines, either, so shouldn’t that be intentional grounding too? But it’s legal as long as the pass goes past the line of scrimmage. Intentional grounding has to meet all three requirements: inside the pocket, short of the line of scrimmage, thrown to a place where there are no eligible receivers.

And that’s Round Three! Questions, comments, concerns? High tail it over to the comments!

5-Minute Football : Turnover vs. Fumble vs. Interception vs. Pick 6

Football terminology is similar to all terminology in the English language: there a multiple terms for the same thing that sound the same but aren’t the same and can’t always be used interchangeably but sometimes can.

But just like there/their/they’re, there are easy ways to remember which terms go with which actions once you know what they mean. So consider this a little grammar lesson for turnovers! It’s going to be way less painful than any other grammar lesson you’ve ever had!

You’ve probably heard all of the terms listed in the title at some point in time: Turnover, fumble, interception, pick 6. They all have to do with a similar event, but all mean separate things. Let’s go through them from least specific to most specific:

Turnover: A turnover happens when the team that has possession of the ball loses possession of the ball and the other team gains possession of the ball as a result. They are literally turning the ball over (giving it over) to the other team, hence the term “turnover.” When the running back is carrying and the ball comes lose and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover. When a defensive back picks off a pass intended for a wide receiver, it’s a turnover. Any time the team that had the ball loses the ball and the other team recovers it, it’s a turnover.

Fumble: To fumble, as a verb, literally means to, “use the hands clumsily while doing or handling something.” And that’s what it means in football, too. It’s when the football is mishandled in one way or another and ends up on the ground. You may have heard of quarterbacks “fumbling the snap,” which is really a joint effort between the center and the quarterback to not get the snap off correctly. You’ll notice a fumbled snap when the ball is bouncing around somewhere in between the center and the quarterback and everyone on the field is trying to jump on it. Fumbles can also occur when a ball carrier gets distracted or loses his grip or runs into any set of circumstances in which he loses possession of the ball. There are also forced fumbles, which occur when a defensive player causes the impetus for the fumble, usually by punching the ball out from behind. Fumbles all relate to the football being on the ground when it isn’t supposed to be.

Not all fumbles are turnovers. If the other team recovers the fumbled ball, it is a turnover. But if the team previously in possession recovers the ball – like if the snap is fumbled but an offensive linemen jumps on it to recover it – then they keep possession of the ball. It is not a turnover. It is cause for celebration.

Interception: An interception is when a pass intended for an offensive player is caught by a defensive player instead. This happens most frequently when defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties) pick off a pass intended for a wide receiver. Interceptions also happen often when a quarterback throws a bad pass, or when a receiver runs a bad route and isn’t where he was supposed to be, or when the ball gets tipped.

So, to review:

A turnover is any time when the team that was in possession of the ball loses possession of the ball and the other team gains it as a result.

(Turnovers = other team gains possession.)

A fumble is when the ball is mishandled and ends up on the ground.

(Fumbles = on the ground.)

An interception is when the ball doesn’t go through the air to it’s intended target and gets caught by a defensive player. Interceptions are always turnovers.

(Interception = turnover through the air.)

A Pick 6 is an interception that gets run into the opponent’s end zone for a touchdown.

(Pick 6 = interception returned for a touchdown.)

See? Easier than English, right?!

At the Water Cooler : Week 6

Team in trouble? Lost your QB? Facing a fierce foe? No problem! This was the week of close calls – few of them wins for the underdog – but closer than expected all the same. Let’s review:

NY Giants at Chicago Bears (Bears won, 27-21)

To get the week off to a great start, this one was a lot closer than most people expected it to be. But the interceptions (among other things) are killing the Giants. To their credit, Chicago is really good at causing turnovers. And to their credit, the Giants are really good at turning it over this season.

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills (Bengals won, 27-24 OT)

Apparently Buffalo is on a quarterback streak. Thad Lewis started for the ailing EJ Manuel after being promoted from the practice squad earlier this week and he did a great job holding down the fort against a solid team.

Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns (Detroit won, 31-17)

Matthew Stafford must have ripped the top off a can of spinach and downed it at halftime. He and the Lions trampled all over the Browns in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (Chiefs won, 24-7)

It’s good for football when the Chiefs and Raiders are competitive, and it’s been awhile since that has happened. This game was a good start – and holy sacks! After tasting the turf TEN TIMES it’s no wonder Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor had so many interceptions.

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings (Panthers won, 35-10)

Unless you are a Panthers fan you were probably hoping this one would end in a win for the Vikings after what Adrian Peterson endured last week. Good showing by the Panthers all the same.

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Eagles won, 31-20)

Well hey there, Nick Foles! The Eagles backup QB had quite a day against the plague-infested Bucs.

Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens (Packers won, 19-17)

The Packers may have lost wide receivers James Jones and Randall Cobb but came away with a win. And a lot of confidence in the leading scorer…kicker Mason Crosby.

St. Louis Rams at Houston Texans (Rams won, 38-13)

Apologies to the good fans out there, but the Texans deserved to lose this one based on fan behavior (or misbehavior) alone. It’s time for the league to step in and address out of control fanatics. As fate would have it, after cheering when Matt Schaub went down with an injury and backup T.J. Yates came in, Yates proceeded to throw a Pick 6…the very thing that has been haunting Schaub as of late.

Pittsburgh Steelers at NY Jets (Steelers won, 19-6)

The defense looks to be back in Pittsburgh, as are the wins as a result.

Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks (Seahawks won, 20-13)

And the streak continues: 11 consecutive home wins. Although the Titans did put up a good fight in this round.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos (Broncos won, 35-19)

This one could have been a lot worse – in fact, it was only a 2-point game at the half. Nicely done, Jags.

New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots (Patriots won, 30-27)

This game came down to one factor: Tom Brady being Tom Brady. In what has to be one of his most gratifying wins, Brady led the Patriots down the field at lightening speed in the last minute for a game-winning touchdown. It was awesome.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (49ers won, 32-20)

Four forced turnovers sealed the deal for the Niners in this one.

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys won, 31-16)

A collective sigh of relief was probably exhaled last night in Dallas by fans of both teams – the Cowboys didn’t look rattled after their heartbreaker of a loss last week, and RGIII definitely looks like RGIII again.

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (MNF on ESPN)

Bolts vs. Colts should be a great matchup in the Normal Girl Game of the Week. Can’t wait to see how this one shapes up for both teams.

Bye: Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins

Review and Preview : Week 5

Review

Last week was an intense week full of new review terms, so we toned it down a bit this week so that no one’s head exploded (including mine). Here’s what you need to know!

Bootleg: A play in which the quarterback runs behind the offensive line, in the same direction they are moving, before running outside of the offensive line in an attempt to break down the field and gain as many rushing yards as possible. (From Tuesday’s post)

Naked Bootleg: The same as a bootleg, only the quarterback runs in the opposite direction of the offensive line before breaking down the field for as many rushing yards as possible. (From Tuesday’s post)

Rushing: What the NFL calls “running” in all statistics and official terminology. But sometimes they also call it running (running back, running play, running the ball)…because that’s what the players are doing. (From Tuesday’s post)

Pocket: The term used to describe the distance between the furthest offensive linemen – this includes the tight end if he’s blocking with the offensive line and not running a route to catch a pass. Widthwise, the pocket is 2 yards beyond the furthest linemen and lengthwise, it’s as far back as the offense’s end zone. (From Thursday’s post)

And…that’s it! It was a light week around here, although I did really enjoy Wednesday’s post about choosing your NFL team wisely. That’s worth a read if you missed it.

Preview

Normal Girl Game of the Week

Colts at Chargers, MNF on ESPN

Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers are two red hot quarterbacks at opposite ends of their careers. It should be a high scoring affair in San Diego on Monday night between the kid and the veteran, and definitely one worth watching.

Also on the Radar

1. The Patriots will be looking to bounce back after a close loss to the Bengals, but it’ll be a tall order to do so against an undefeated New Orleans team.

2. The battle for the NFC East ~~rages~~ limps on, this week in a match up between the Redskins (coming off a bye week) and the Cowboys (coming off a gut wrenching loss to the Broncos).

3. How terrible will Jacksonville’s trip to Denver be? It’s unthinkable. There are no words.