Study Guide: Football Unit
History of Football:
Derived from the English game of rugby, American football was started in 1879 with rules organized by Walter Camp, player and coach at Yale University.
Walter Camp
- Walter Camp was born April 17, 1859, in New Haven, Connecticut.
- He was general athletic director and head advisory football coach at Yale University from 1888-1914.
- Camp played football at Yale and helped evolve the rules of the game away from Rugby and Soccer rules into the rules of American Football as we know them today.
- Walter Camp edited every American Football rulebook until his death in 1925.
William Ebb Ellis
- William Ebb Ellis was a student at the Rugby School in England.
- In 1823, Ellis was the first person noted for picking up the ball during the soccer game and running with it, thereby breaking and changing the rules.
- In 1876, at the Massasoit convention, the first attempts at writing down the rules of American football were made.
Walter Camp contributed the following changes from Rugby and Soccer to American football:
· the line of scrimmage
· 11 on a team instead of 15
· created the quarter-back and center positions
· forward pass
· tackling as low as the knee was permitted - 1888
· a touchdown increased in value to six points and field goals went down to three points - 1912
The NFL or the National Football League was formed in 1920.
http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/HistoryFootball.htm
Football Positions:
- Quarterback- The player who receives the ball from the center at the start of each play before either handing it to the running back, throwing it to a receiver, or running with it him/herself.
- Running Back/Halfback-An offensive player who lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. A running back's primary role is to run with the football, he/she is also used as a receiver at times.
- Defensive Back-generally try to keep receivers from making catches.
- Wide Receiver- An offensive player who lines up on or near the line of scrimmage, but split to the outside. His/her primary job is to catch passes from the quarterback.
- Tight End- An offensive player who serves as a receiver and also a blocker.
- Center- The offensive lineman who hikes (or snaps) the ball to the quarterback at the start of each play. The center lines up in the middle of the offensive line.
Football Terms/Definitions:
Offense: The team that has possession of the football and attempts to advance it toward the defense’s goal line.
Defense: The unit that is responsible for keeping the opposition out of their end zone.
Down: A play, starting when the ball is put into play and ending when the ball is rules dead. Basically, a down is one play.
End Line: The very end of the field, at either end.
End Zone: A 10-yard section stretching the width of the field at both ends of the playing field.
Forward Pass: Throwing the ball so that it ends up further downfield that is started.
Fumble: When any offensive player loses possession of the football before a play is blown dead.
Goal Post: The poles at the rear of each end zone through which teams score field goals and extra points.
Huddle: When the 11 players on the field from one team form a group to discuss the upcoming play.
Incomplete Pass: A forward pass that touches the ground before being caught or that is caught while the player is out of bounds.
Interception: A pass that is caught by a defensive player, giving his/her team possession of the ball (also known as a pick or pick off).
Kick: This term is used to refer to a place-kicker’s attempt to kick a field goal, extra point, or kickoff. Also refers to the act of kicking by either the place-kicker or punter.
Line of Scrimmage: An imaginary line stretching the width of the field that separates the two teams prior to the snap of the ball.
Pass Interference: Illegally hindering another player’s chances of catching a forward pass.
Place-Kicker: The player who kicks the ball on kickoffs, extra point attempts, and field goal attempts.
Punt: a kick made when the punter drops the ball and kicks it while it falls toward his/her feet.
Sack: Any tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
Shotgun: A passing formation in which the quarterback stands 5-7 yards behind the center before the snap.
Snap: The action in which the ball is thrown or handed by the center to the quarterback, to the holder on a kick attempt, or to the punter.
Spiral: The spin on the ball in flight after the quarterback releases it.
Turnover: A loss of possession of the ball via a fumble or interception.
Scoring Points:
Ø Field Goal: A scoring play worth three points that involves a place-kicker kicking the ball through the uprights of the goalpost in the opponent’s end zone from anywhere on the field.
Ø Touch Down: A scoring play in which any part of the ball, while legally in the possession of a player who is in-bounds, crosses the plane of the opponent’s goal line.
Ø Extra Point: After a touchdown, the scoring team is allowed to add another point by kicking the football through the uprights of the goalpost.
Ø Two Point Conversion: A scoring play, immediately after a touchdown, in which a team can add two bonus points by running or passing the ball into the end zone on one play starting from the opponent’s two-yard line.
Individual Passing Patterns
· 5 Yard Curl- The wide receiver runs up the field 5 yards, stops, and returns back towards the quarterback.
· 5 Yard Out- The wide receiver runs up the field 5 yards and cuts to the sideline.
· 8 Yard Post- A wide receiver runs up field 8 yards and cuts toward the center of the field on a 45-degree angle.
· Streak- The wide receiver runs straight up the field as fast as possible.