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. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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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 Chapter 5: The Passing Game ...... 77 Chapter 6: On the Ground ...... 93 Chapter 7: The Offensive Line ...... 113 Chapter 8: Offensive Plays and Strategies ...... 127 Part III: The Big D...... 151 Chapter 9: These Guys Are Huge: The Defensive Line ...... 153 Chapter 10: The Secondary...... 169 Chapter 11: Defensive Tactics and Strategies...... 185 Part IV: Meet the Rest of the Team ...... 203 Chapter 12: The Kicking Game ...... 205 Chapter 13: Coaches, General Managers, and Other Important Folks ...... 227 Part V: Football for Everyone...... 241 Chapter 14: Armchair Quarterbacks and Other Fabulous Fans...... 243 Chapter 15: Youth Leagues and High School Football...... 255 Chapter 16: College Football...... 267 Chapter 17: The NFL and Other Professional Football...... 287 Chapter 18: Fantasy Leagues ...... 305 Part VI: Staying in the Game...... 313 Chapter 19: The Mental Game and Motivation...... 315 Chapter 20: Conditioning, Training, and Diet ...... 327 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page viii
Part VII: The Part of Tens...... 341 Chapter 21: The Ten Greatest Defensive Players of All Time ...... 343 Chapter 22: The Ten Greatest Offensive Players of All Time...... 353 Chapter 23: The Ten Greatest Coaches of All Time ...... 365 Chapter 24: The Ten Best Teams of All Time...... 375 Chapter 25: The Ten Most Intense College Football Rivalries...... 385 Appendix: Football Speak...... 389 Index ...... 401 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page ix
Table of Contents
Introduction...... 1 About This Book...... 2 Conventions Used in This Book ...... 2 What You’re Not to Read...... 3 Foolish Assumptions ...... 3 How This Book Is Organized...... 3 Part I: Football 101 ...... 4 Part II: Go Offense...... 4 Part III: The Big D...... 4 Part IV: Meet the Rest of the Team...... 4 Part V: Football for Everyone ...... 4 Part VI: Staying in the Game ...... 5 Part VII: The Part of Tens ...... 5 Icons Used in This Book...... 5 Where to Go from Here...... 6
Part I: Football 101 ...... 7
Chapter 1: America’s Greatest Game ...... 9 Why Football Is the Best ...... 10 Why Anyone Would Play Football...... 11 How Television Helped Increase Football’s Popularity...... 12 Why the Super Bowl Is Number One ...... 12 Why Millions Cheer Each Year for College Football ...... 13 How Football Began ...... 14 The rules get defined ...... 14 Grange helps to spread the popularity of pro ball...... 15 How the Football Season Is Set Up Today...... 17 Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Gridiron ...... 19 The Big Picture: Stadiums...... 19 Getting Down to Business: The Field...... 20 Field dimensions...... 20 The marks on the field: Yard lines, hash marks, and more...... 21 Field surfaces ...... 24 The things that sit on the field ...... 25 Looking at That Funny-Shaped Ball ...... 27 Meeting the Cast of Characters...... 28 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page x
x Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition
What Football Uniforms Are All About...... 28 The jersey...... 30 Helmets and face masks ...... 30 Pads...... 31 Shoes and cleats...... 31 NFL uniform codes ...... 32 Chapter 3: Rules and Regulations ...... 35 The Clock Is Ticking...... 35 Getting a Game Started...... 37 Downs, Yardage, and Stuff...... 38 How You Score Points...... 39 Touchdowns...... 40 Extra points and two-point conversions ...... 41 Field goals...... 41 Safeties...... 42 The Roles of the Officials ...... 42 The officials’ lineup...... 43 The instant replay challenge system ...... 46 Penalties and other violations...... 46
Part II: Go Offense ...... 61
Chapter 4: The Quarterback ...... 63 The Quarterback’s Job ...... 63 The Qualities of a Quarterback ...... 65 Arm strength ...... 66 Competitiveness...... 66 Intelligence ...... 66 Mobility...... 67 Release...... 67 Size ...... 68 Vision ...... 68 Quarterbacking Fundamentals...... 70 Stance...... 70 Dropping back...... 71 Handing off ...... 72 Grip...... 73 Calling Plays and Audibilizing ...... 73 Quarterback Math...... 74 Chapter 5: The Passing Game ...... 77 The Passing Game...... 77 Receivers...... 78 Achieving the proper stance...... 79 Catching...... 81 Beating man-to-man coverage ...... 82 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xi
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The Bad and the Ugly Aspects of Passing...... 83 Passing Patterns...... 85 The Shotgun Formation...... 88 Reading a Defense...... 89 Chapter 6: On the Ground ...... 93 An Overview of the Ground Game ...... 94 The Men Who Play the Ground Game ...... 95 The big back (or fullback)...... 95 The principal ball carrier (or halfback)...... 96 Running Backs Come in All Sizes and Shapes ...... 97 Running Back Fundamentals ...... 98 Running Backs Have an Assignment for Everything...... 100 Finding the Perfect Stance for Every Formation...... 102 Protecting Yourself and the Ball...... 103 Understanding the Terms of Running...... 104 Lining Up: The Formations...... 109 Chapter 7: The Offensive Line ...... 113 Looking Down the Line...... 114 Centers...... 115 Guards...... 116 Tackles ...... 117 The Lineman Physique: Fat Guys Doing the Job...... 117 Keys to Successful Offensive Line Play ...... 119 The proper stance...... 119 A solid base...... 120 Leverage ...... 121 Toughness ...... 121 Repetition ...... 122 A Lineman’s Worst Offense: Holding ...... 122 Familiar Blocking Terms...... 124 Chapter 8: Offensive Plays and Strategies ...... 127 Understanding That Offense Begins with Players ...... 128 Helping Offenses by Enforcing an Important Rule...... 128 Specialized Pass Offenses ...... 129 West Coast offense ...... 129 Shotgun offense ...... 130 Red gun (or run-and-shoot) offense...... 131 Beating a Defense...... 132 Battling a 3-4 front ...... 132 Running against a 4-3 front...... 133 Beating the four-across defense ...... 134 Beating press coverage...... 136 Passing against a zone coverage ...... 136 Selecting an offense versus a zone blitz...... 137 Throwing the post versus blitzing teams...... 138 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xii
xii Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Gaining Better Field Position...... 139 A field position pass...... 139 Possession passes...... 139 Play-action passes...... 140 Offenses for Sticky Situations...... 140 Deciding whether to gamble on fourth-and-1 ...... 140 Making a first down on a fourth-down gamble...... 141 Running a quarterback sneak ...... 142 Doing the two-minute drill ...... 143 Scoring Offenses...... 144 The best run play on the goal line ...... 144 Inside the opponent’s 10-yard line ...... 144 Two-point conversions ...... 145 Disguising a Successful Play ...... 148
Part III: The Big D...... 151
Chapter 9: These Guys Are Huge: The Defensive Line ...... 153 Lining Up on Defense...... 154 Those Big Guys Called Linemen...... 155 The types of defensive linemen...... 157 D line lingo: Did he call me “Liz”?...... 159 Keys to a defensive lineman ...... 161 Linebackers: The Leaders of the Defense ...... 162 What linebackers do ...... 163 Dealing with the senses ...... 164 Naming all the linebackers...... 164 Sacks, Tackles, and Other Defensive Gems ...... 166 Chapter 10: The Secondary ...... 169 The Performers ...... 170 Cornerbacks...... 170 Safeties...... 172 Nickel and dime backs...... 175 Secondary Tricks and Techniques...... 176 Doing a bump and run ...... 176 Staying with a receiver ...... 177 Stemming around ...... 178 Making a Mark: A Good Day in the Life of a Defensive Back ...... 178 Coverages to Remember ...... 180 Man-to-man coverage...... 180 Zone coverage...... 181 Eight men in the box ...... 182 The Nickel 40 defense ...... 183 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xiii
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Chapter 11: Defensive Tactics and Strategies ...... 185 Choosing a Base Defense ...... 186 4-3 Front...... 187 3-4 Front...... 188 3-4 Eagle...... 190 Dallas 4-3 ...... 192 Flex...... 193 Zone Blitz ...... 194 46...... 195 Kansas City Falcon...... 197 Over/Under 4-3 ...... 198 Tackling Tricky Situations...... 199 Stopping a superstar...... 199 Stopping the two-point conversion...... 200 Stuffing short yardage...... 201
Part IV: Meet the Rest of the Team ...... 203
Chapter 12: The Kicking Game ...... 205 Getting to Know the Men Who Make Up the Special Teams...... 206 Understanding What’s So Special about Special Teams ...... 207 Placekicking ...... 208 Kicking off...... 208 Returning the kickoff...... 213 Kicking field goals and PATs...... 215 Blocking field goals and PATs...... 218 Punting ...... 221 Setting up and kicking the ball ...... 222 Key performers on the punt team...... 222 Punt rules ...... 223 Punting out of trouble...... 224 Punt returning: A dangerous art...... 225 Chapter 13: Coaches, General Managers, and Other Important Folks ...... 227 Coaches ...... 228 What coaches do ...... 228 Coaching personnel ...... 229 Coaching styles and philosophies ...... 231 What coaches do when they’re not yelling on the sidelines ...... 235 General Managers ...... 236 Owners ...... 237 Scouts ...... 238 Trainers and Team Doctors ...... 238 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xiv
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Part V: Football for Everyone...... 241
Chapter 14: Armchair Quarterbacks and Other Fabulous Fans . . . . .243 Following a Game on Television...... 243 Knowing what to watch for ...... 244 Deciphering the announcers’ slang ...... 245 Watching a Live Game ...... 246 Picking the best seats ...... 246 Knowing what to focus on...... 247 Following a Game on the Radio...... 247 Just Here for the Show: The Football Halftime Show ...... 248 Keeping Up with Your Favorite Teams ...... 249 Newspapers...... 249 Magazines and books...... 249 The Internet...... 250 Checking Out the Football Halls of Fame...... 251 Get Your Tickets Here...... 251 Chapter 15: Youth Leagues and High School Football ...... 255 When to Start Kids in Football ...... 255 Signing Your Kids Up for Youth Football...... 256 Pop Warner and other similar programs...... 256 Punt, Pass & Kick...... 257 The NFL Junior and High School Player Development programs....257 Coaching a Youth Football Team...... 258 Teaching the fundamentals of offense...... 258 Teaching the fundamentals of defense...... 259 What Sets High School Football Apart ...... 260 Rule differences ...... 261 Style of play...... 262 Player lineups ...... 262 Making the Most of the High School Game...... 263 Players ...... 264 Coaches ...... 264 Parents...... 265 Making the Jump from High School to College or Pro Football ...... 266 Chapter 16: College Football ...... 267 Why People Love College Football ...... 267 Big, Medium, and Small ...... 270 Big-time schools ...... 271 Small college powers ...... 273 College Conferences ...... 274 The Bowl Championship Series ...... 276 The basics of the system...... 276 How the BCS teams are selected ...... 277 The controversy surrounding the BCS ...... 278 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xv
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Recent Trends in College Football ...... 278 Underclassmen are dropping out of school...... 279 Cornerbacks are the new stars on the horizon ...... 280 Scholarship caps are causing changes at the top...... 280 Recruiting is becoming more competitive ...... 281 The college game is turning into more of a business ...... 281 Those Father Figures: College Coaches ...... 282 The Heisman and Other Trophies...... 283 All-American and Other All-Star Teams...... 285 Chapter 17: The NFL and Other Professional Football ...... 287 The Birth of Pro Football ...... 288 The AFL Joins the NFL...... 289 Dividing the Ranks: The NFL Conferences...... 289 Getting to Know the Pro Football Schedule...... 290 The regular-season games...... 290 The playoffs...... 291 The Super Bowl...... 292 Building a Team: It’s More than Drawing Straws...... 293 Status Is Everything: Determining Player Designations...... 295 Divvying Up Talent with the Draft...... 297 Who picks when ...... 298 How picks are made...... 298 Show Me the Money: Player Salaries...... 299 Leveling the Playing Ground with the Salary Cap...... 300 Big Business and the TV Connection...... 301 Football Around the Globe...... 302 The CFL...... 302 NFL Europa...... 303 Arena Football ...... 304 Chapter 18: Fantasy Leagues ...... 305 How Fantasy Football Leagues Work...... 306 How to Play...... 306 Starting a league ...... 307 Taking care of administrative tasks ...... 307 Drafting a team ...... 308 Filling out your roster ...... 309 Managing your team after the draft ...... 309 Figuring your point total and winning ...... 310 Where to Find Information about Players...... 311 When Joining a National League ...... 311 Tips for Fantasy Football Success ...... 312 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xvi
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Part VI: Staying in the Game ...... 313
Chapter 19: The Mental Game and Motivation ...... 315 You Can’t Win without Goals ...... 315 Setting team goals ...... 316 Setting individual goals ...... 317 Motivating Yourself...... 319 Getting into the right frame of mind ...... 319 Preparing for a big game ...... 320 Visualizing success...... 320 A Coach’s Most Important Job: Motivating His Team ...... 322 Finding the right tone ...... 322 Getting a team in top mental shape ...... 324 Motivating with speechesand other techniques...... 325 Focusing on the right games...... 326 Chapter 20: Conditioning, Training, and Diet ...... 327 Getting Your Body into Football Shape...... 327 Off-season conditioning...... 328 Preseason conditioning ...... 329 Staying in shape during the season ...... 329 Strengthening Your Muscles...... 331 Weight Training in the Off-Season...... 333 Bulking Up without Steroids...... 334 Stretching ...... 335 Eating Your Way to Better Football Performance ...... 336 Pregame and postgame meals ...... 337 Water and sports drinks ...... 337 Making Safety a Priority ...... 338 Playing Hurt versus Playing in Pain...... 339
Part VII: The Part of Tens...... 341
Chapter 21: The Ten Greatest Defensive Players of All Time ...... 343 Doug Atkins...... 343 Dick Butkus ...... 344 Kenny Easley...... 345 Joe Greene...... 346 Jack Ham and Ted Hendricks ...... 346 Mike Haynes...... 347 Ken Houston ...... 348 Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke...... 348 Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen ...... 349 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xvii
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Jack Lambert ...... 350 Dick “Night Train” Lane...... 350 Bob Lilly ...... 351 Gino Marchetti...... 351 Chapter 22: The Ten Greatest Offensive Players of All Time ...... 353 Terry Bradshaw...... 354 Jim Brown...... 354 Dave Casper...... 355 Earl Campbell ...... 356 Mike Ditka/John Mackey ...... 356 Otto Graham ...... 357 John Hannah ...... 358 Don Hutson ...... 359 Hugh McElhenny ...... 360 Joe Montana...... 360 Jim Parker ...... 361 Walter Payton ...... 361 Gale Sayers...... 363 Art Shell...... 363 Gene Upshaw ...... 364 Chapter 23: The Ten Greatest Coaches of All Time ...... 365 Paul Brown...... 366 Joe Gibbs...... 366 George Halas...... 367 Jimmy Johnson...... 368 Vince Lombardi ...... 369 John Madden ...... 370 Bill Parcells ...... 371 Knute Rockne...... 372 Don Shula ...... 373 Bill Walsh...... 374 Chapter 24: The Ten Best Teams of All Time ...... 375 Chicago Bears (1940–43)...... 376 Cleveland Browns (1946–55) ...... 376 Dallas Cowboys (1992–95) ...... 377 Green Bay Packers (1965–67) ...... 378 Miami Dolphins (1970–74) ...... 378 Notre Dame (1946 and 1947)...... 379 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1980–85)...... 380 Pittsburgh Steelers (1974–79)...... 380 San Francisco 49ers (1984–89) ...... 381 Washington Redskins (1982–91)...... 382 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xviii
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Chapter 25: The Ten Most Intense College Football Rivalries . . . . .385 Alabama versus Auburn...... 385 Army versus Navy...... 386 California versus Stanford...... 386 Florida versus Georgia...... 386 Harvard versus Yale...... 386 Lafayette versus Lehigh ...... 387 Michigan versus Ohio State ...... 387 Minnesota versus Wisconsin...... 387 Notre Dame versus USC ...... 388 Oklahoma versus Texas ...... 388
Appendix: Football Speak...... 389
Index...... 401 03_125366 intro.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 1
Introduction
think that millions of people across America are intrigued by football — Iall types and levels of it. These people may have friends or family who have made the football season a ritual, from the last weekend in August, through the college bowl games in December, until Super Bowl Sunday at the start of February. To be a part of that experience, you need to have a working knowledge of the game.
In my mind, this book serves to give you that knowledge and to help you better facilitate interaction with your friends, family, or whoever you watch football with. To many people, on the surface, football seems to be a compli- cated game. Twenty-two players are on the field at one time, plus a number of officials. The intricacies of first down, second down, and third down, and everything from how many offensive linemen there are to what the quarter- back really does or doesn’t do all need to be explained and simplified. This book will help; that’s why I decided to write it.
I think the game itself is far less intimidating if you get a basic working knowledge of football. After you break through that initial fear of being over- whelmed by football and what you don’t understand, everything else about the game will fall into place. After that starts happening, you’ll see the game clearly, like when you wipe the early morning dew off your windshield — suddenly everything becomes crystal clear.
I know a lot more about the game today as a whole than I did when I was a player. I played in high school and in college, plus I played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). But being a television analyst — 2007 will be my fourteenth season for FOX Sports — has forced me to learn even more about this game that I love.
As a player, I had a working knowledge of the passing game, of how a sec- ondary works in coverages, and of the offensive and defensive line forma- tions. I had a working knowledge of general managers, scouts, and head coaches. But working as an analyst, I have been forced to cover the entire game. I no longer view football from a defensive lineman’s perspective. Instead, I look at football as a whole. And I’m still learning every day. That never changes. I don’t think you’ll ever stop learning when it comes to foot- ball. It’s the same for everyone — the players, the fans, the coaches, and the television experts. So don’t feel alone out there. 03_125366 intro.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 2
2 Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition About This Book I wrote this book to help you find out what you want to know about football. Therefore, I don’t expect you to read every single page in order. Sure, you can read the book from front to back if you want, but if you’d rather skip around and just read about the topics that interest you, that’s fine, too.
Neither do I make you remember obscure facts from earlier chapters to make sense of later chapters. If you need to know something that I discuss in an earlier chapter, I either define that thing again or refer you to the chapter that contains the information. Also, if you don’t know a certain word of football jargon, you can turn to the Appendix, which explains some of the most common terms. What could be simpler?
Conventions Used in This Book To help you follow along, this book uses certain conventions. For example, every time I use a new term, I italicize it and then define it. (You can also find definitions of terms listed in the Appendix at the back of the book.)
I also use diagrams — you know, those X and O things — to show you what I’m talking about when I describe lineups, formations, and plays. So that you aren’t left wondering what all those little symbols mean, here’s a key to the diagrams used in this book:
O Offensive player X Offensive center
Offensive player with defender lined up on left shoulder
Offensive player with defender lined up on right shoulder
Defensive player
Path of offensive player Spot where offensive player stops to block or catch a pass Pass Pitchout 03_125366 intro.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 3
Introduction 3 What You’re Not to Read You may want to know everything there is to know about football. Or you may want to know only what you need to know to get by — so that you don’t make yourself look dumb in front of your friends and family by yelling “Touchback!” when you really mean “Touchdown!” Because I can’t be sure what you want to know, I’ve set things up so that you can tell what to skip if you want only the basics. Throughout the book, I include things called sidebars — gray boxes that give background information, tell stories about famous players of yesterday and today, explain more technical concepts, and so on. Skip these if you just want a working knowledge of the game.
Foolish Assumptions You may not know much about football, but I know that you’re no dummy either. For whatever reason, you want or need to know more about football than you do now. You may be asking questions such as