About the Players
About the Players
By Christopher Fister
Each team employs three units of 11 players; the offense, the defense and the special teams.
Offensive teams usually consist of one center, two guards, two tackles, one tight end, two wide receivers, one quarterback and two running backs. Different teams may use different combinations of receivers and backs depending on their style of play.
The center (the player who snaps the ball to the quarterback), the guards and the tackles are responsible for blocking for the ball carriers and protecting the quarterback as he attempts a pass. Tight ends are also primarily blockers on running plays and receivers on passing plays.
Wide receivers will run a variety of passing routes to attempt to get open and receive a pass from the quarterback.
Running backs are the primary ball carriers for most teams, although many college and high school teams employ the quarterback as a ball carrier as well. There are two primary types of running backs, the halfback and the fullback. The halfback, also referred to as the tailback, is usually the team’s main ball carrier while the fullback is mainly a blocking back.
The quarterback is most often seen as the team’s leader, responsible for calling plays or relaying plays from the coaches and executing handoffs on running plays as well as getting the ball in the hands of the wide receivers via the forward pass.
On the defensive side, teams usually employ two tackles, two ends, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties, although the makeup of the defense differs depending on the game situation. The tackles and ends are the first line of defense, lining up a football’s-length away from the offensive line. Linebackers are versatile players called on to both stop running plays, interrupt passing attempts and rush the quarterback. Cornerbacks and safeties are pass defenders with cornerbacks usually lining up directly opposite the offense’s wide receivers while safeties line up further back. Again, defensive alignments change depending on the situation, whether the offense has short or long yardage to go for a first down.
Special teams are employed during kicks and punts. Among the responsibilities of special teams players are the following:
Gunner – The gunner’s primary duty is to run downfield as quickly as possible to attempt to stop the opposing team’s ball carrier. Thus gunners are often the fastest runners on the team. Defending teams will usually put two blockers on gunners to slow them down.
Holder – The holder takes the snap from center on field-goal and extra-point attempts and places the ball on the ground for the kicker to kick.
Kick/punt returner – The player who catches kickoffs and punts and tries to return them as far upfield as possible. Again, this position is mainly reserved for the fastest players on the squad.
Long snapper – This player takes up the center position on field goals, extra points and punts and is responsible for snapping the ball long distances accurately.
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Christopher Fister is a former sports editor at the New York Post.
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December 23rd, 2005 at 1:28 pm
do you have tips for kick and or punt returners as far as how to catch the ball and the best way to return it?