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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.

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).

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.

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.

5-minute Football : What’s the pocket?

Ever heard the term “pocket passer” or “inside/outside the pocket” and started to look for something that might appear on a pair of Levi’s? Those terms are referring to where a quarterback is standing when he throws the football – or more specifically, the location of an invisible box and where a quarterback is standing in reference to that box when he’s throwing the football.

Football. It gets more like Harry Potter every day.

The pocket is a 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. To be technical about it – widthwise, the pocket encompasses the space 2 yards beyond the furthest linemen and lengthwise, it’s as far back as the offense’s end zone.

Let’s incorporate a visual to help put the pocket puzzle together:

(Need a refresher on the positions shown above? Check out this post.)

Why is that box called a pocket? As the play unfolds, the offensive linemen will curve into a horseshoe shape to protect the quarterback from oncoming defenders – a shape that also looks like a pocket.

Traditionally, quarterbacks tend to stay within the protection of the pocket – hence the reason why some quarterbacks are referred to as “traditional pocket passers.” But modern running quarterbacks tend to take their chances and bolt for rushing yards or passing opportunities outside of the pocket.

Last week we learned that the location of the pocket becomes important when intentional grounding is in question. Intentional grounding is a penalty called against a quarterback when he throws a pass that is inside the pocket, short of the line of scrimmage, and in a location devoid of eligible receivers.

This might sound like a dumb question but it’s one I had for a long time – for the purposes of intentional grounding, is the pocket defined as the space between the furthest linemen before the snap or during the play?

It’s the latter. The pocket is constantly changing due to the positions of the linemen (or blocking tight end), so the call depends on where they are at the time of the pass, not on where they were when the play started.

Make sense?

YOUR Questions : How do I pick a team?

Being a fan of an NFL team, or of any team, for that matter, will rip your heart out. It will make you cry in your jersey the night of an excruciating loss and make you cry in your pajamas the next morning when you wake up and remember what happened. It will make you become wholly irrational: you will start to say no to social plans because your team is playing and it’s televised; you will do strange things like yell at TV screens and jump up and down alone in your living room and nervous-eat a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s in the the 4th quarter of a playoff game. Being a tried-and-true fan will see your everyday loyalty and raise it to a lifetime of indentured servitude. It will take your time, your tears, your weekends, your perspective, and last but certainly not least, your sanity. It will put you smack dab in the front car of the wildest roller coaster of your life with no control over the intensity, duration, or direction of the ride.

In short: it’s awesome.

But if you aren’t already a fan of a team…how do you choose which one to root for? It’s a huge decision. Not to put too much pressure on you…but it’s a question that equals in gravity to whom you choose to marry. Seriously. In fact, even though I’m not yet married, I feel like being a diehard fan has multiple parallels to marriage: it’s a lifetime commitment that will bring you unlimited joy and unthinkable grief…sometimes all in one weekend.

That’s similar to marriage, right?

If you are looking for a ~~spouse~~ team to tie your anchor to, here are three helpful Do’s and Don’ts to consider when choosing your team.

DO Consider:

1. Geography

This is the reason most people become fans of certain teams, and it makes sense. If you live in the direct geographical area of the team you are going to cheer for you have a built-in support system. The locals are going to high-five you when your team wins and give you a knowing look of “there’s always next season” when your team loses. Living where your team lives also gives you the opportunity to cheer them on in person, and you can always count on the games being televised in your area.

If you know you are going to be living where you are living for awhile and that place is near a team, definitely consider cheering for the hometown squad. It makes life a whole lot easier.

2. Family History

Do you have a long line of Cowboys fans in the family? Does everyone gather on Sundays to cheer on the Chargers? If so, consider being part of that lineage. While it’s funny to see Uncle Ted turn a bright shade of fuchsia when you arrive to his Raider Nation Sunday Kickoff party decked out in Broncos gear…let’s just say it won’t help to create a sense of family unity. Having a family support system, like having a geographical support system, is also a plus. And you automatically know what to get everybody for Christmas.

3. Compelling Qualities

If you don’t live near a team and no one in your family is a huge fan of one team in particular, the best way to choose a team is to do a little research and compare compelling qualities. I’ll use myself as an example, since this is how I became a Packers fan. I live in Upstate New York, so my regional team would technically be the Giants, but could have just as easily been the Jets, Bills, or Patriots. I wasn’t particularly enamored with any of those teams and wasn’t close enough to the epicenter to feel like they were truly my hometown teams. No one in my family had an allegiance to any NFL team, so there wasn’t any friction there – although when I was in 4th grade I liked the Cowboys because the boy I liked was a big fan. That’s as close as I got to signing on with a franchise due to family ties. But when I was in 5th grade, everything changed. I saw Brett Favre running around the Superdome with his helmet hoisted high into the air, and it was like love at first sight: I was officially a Packers fan.

Like all incidents of immediate love, there needs to be a foundation to the relationship to substantiate the infatuation. I came to love the franchise (the only publicly owned franchise in all of professional sports), the rich history (including the title for most total championships of any NFL team), the high quality – personally and professionally – of players and coaches who called Green Bay home over the years (Bart Starr, Vince Lombardi, Reggie White, Mike Holmgren, to name just a few), the blue collar, hardworking-but-fun-loving, attitude that defines the team and the fans, and the overall nature of what it means to be a Packers fan.

It’s so important to have pride in your team, especially when you don’t live in the area and don’t have other family or friends as fans, so surveying the compelling qualities of your potential new team is all-important. Don’t necessarily look at the team right now because the current roster will change, coaches will come and go, and and good seasons and bad seasons are par for the course. Instead, take a look at the team’s history, what the franchise stands for, the nature of the fanbase, the current and former players and coaches, and ask yourself how you’d fit in.

Mostly, trust your gut. It’s kind of like choosing a college: you read a lot of brochures and take in a lot of info and visit a lot of campuses – but when you know, you know.

For the love of all that is fandom, DO NOT:

1. Jump on a Bandwagon

Just say no. The current fans won’t like you (and can spot a bandwagon-jumper a mile away) and you’ll soon find yourself looking for another bandwagon to jump onto once the one you’re on falls to pieces, as it inevitably does. The star player will get injured, the dynamic head coach will lose games, and the preseason favorite will soon become the regular season dud. Thinking about picking the team that just won a Super Bowl because you think they’re a sure bet for a future replete with victory? Think again. It’s been 8 years since a defending Super Bowl Champion has even won a playoff game. And the chances of repeating as two-time champs are incredibly slim.

Whatever you do, stay off of the bandwagon. It’s a highly unstable place to be.

2. Choose a Team Because You “Should”

It doesn’t work in dating and it doesn’t work in fandom. Picking a team just because you feel like you should pick them – whether it’s because or a hometown connection or family connection or because you like a boy who likes a team – never leads to a happy long term relationship. It’s hard enough to be a fan as it is, and it’s harder still to stay committed and not get resentful when things go south if you’re only in it because you feel like you have to be.

3. Choose Lightly with the Intention of Choosing Again Next Season

Don’t pick a team “just for now.” Just don’t do it. You’ll become a serial dater of multiple teams and really, who can keep up with that Instead, take your time and pick a team for the long haul without looking back.

Being a fan is one of the most rewarding experiences life has to offer – truly. It’s the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself in the context of community, to stick with a constant through the highs and lows, to believe that there is always hope for the future. Don’t miss out on being a true fan just because you don’t currently have a team! Use these guidelines, choose wisely, and cheer on.

If you are already a fan of a team, what has your experience been? How did you pick your team? Would you add any do’s or don’ts to the list?