01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page i Football FOR DUMmIES‰ 3RD EDITION by Howie Long with John Czarnecki 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iv 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page i Football FOR DUMmIES‰ 3RD EDITION by Howie Long with John Czarnecki 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page ii Football For Dummies®, 3rd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as per- mitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007926375 ISBN: 978-0-470-12536-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iii About the Authors Howie Long is a former Oakland/Los Angeles Raider defensive end with eight Pro Bowl appearances, a Super Bowl XVIII victory over the Washington Redskins, and many other accolades to his credit. His size (6’5”, 275 pounds), combined with his speed, strength, intensity, durability, and explosive quickness, set him apart. Long retired from the NFL after the 1993 season. Long currently is a commentator on the Emmy Award- winning FOX NFL Sunday program, which is the most- watched NFL pregame show in America. His previous television broadcasting credits include ESPN’s Up Close, on which he had a regular segment discussing current sports issues; HBO’s Inside the NFL; the weekly NFL Diary; NBC’s NFL Live as a guest studio analyst, and Costas Coast to Coast. He also wrote the opening chapter to Bo Jackson’s book, Bo Knows Bo. Long is no stranger to the limelight, as he’s been involved in many commer- cials and campaigns for Nike, Hanes, Coca-Cola, and Pizza Hut. He also made his big-screen debut in the action-adventure film Broken Arrow with John Travolta and Christian Slater and was featured in the 1998 film Firestorm. At Villanova University, Long was a four-year letterman in football as a defen- sive lineman. He was All-East and honorable mention All-American as a senior, and was tabbed the Most Valuable Player in the 1980 Blue-Gray Game. He was also a champion boxer as an undergraduate, and graduated with a degree in communications in 1981. John Czarnecki has reported on the last 19 Super Bowls and has consulted for NFL Today and currently for FOX NFL Sunday. A former newspaperman with such dailies as the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and the Dallas Morning News, Czarnecki is a frequent pro football contributor to Sport and Inside Sports magazines. 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iv 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page v Authors’ Acknowledgments From Howie Long: First, I’d like to thank my wife, Diane, and my three sons for their support. I’d also like to thank my former coach at the Los Angeles Raiders, Earl Leggett, who taught me not only how to be a great football player but also how to be a man. And I can’t forget my co-author, John Czarnecki, for all his hard work and dedication to this project. Thanks also to my friends around the NFL, Terry Robiskie, Hudson Houck, and Artie Gigantino, who contributed to this book. Finally, I’d like to thank all the people at John Wiley and Sons who par- ticipated in this project. From John Czarnecki: Thanks go to my proofreading wife, Vicki, and to my daughters for staying clear of me on my bad days. To my mom, who knew that I would do a book one day. To Ben, my computer expert, and Kathy, my transcriber, and John and Mike at Clone Copy. To the coaches, Earl Leggett, Terry Robiskie, Fritz Shurmur, Hudson Houck, and Ernie Zampese. To Barry Meier, my neighborly coaching expert. To Artie Gigantino, a special teams/television expert. To Garrett Giemont, a very special strength trainer. To two helpful workers, Don Seeholzer and Bryan Broaddhus. To Ron Wolf, for all his insightful football knowledge these past 15 years, and to my good friend, Peter King, for all his advice. And to my best friend, Pat, for not calling me for three months. Finally to Pam Mourouzis, our fine editor, who never raised her voice when I was yelling (arguing) about anything. The calm in the storm! 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Media Development Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Project Editor: Stephen R. Clark Layout and Graphics: Joyce Haughey, (Previous Editions: Pam Mourouzis, Stephanie D. Jumper, Laura Pence, Mary Goodwin) Alicia B. South Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Lefevere Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Copy Editor: Jessica Smith Proofreaders: Aptara, John Greenough, Technical Editor: David Morton Brian H. Walls Update Author: Peter Weverka Indexer: Aptara Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck Special Help: David Lutton Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan Mooney, Joe Niesen, and David Lutton Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: Football 101......................................................7 Chapter 1: America’s Greatest Game ...............................................................................9 Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Gridiron ..............................................................................19 Chapter 3: Rules and Regulations ..................................................................................35 Part II: Go Offense......................................................61 Chapter 4: The Quarterback ...........................................................................................63