Hacking the grid #2

FHM's resident NFL enthusiast unravels the mysteries of gridiron/American football so that he isn’t the only Saffer who wakes up at 1am to watch the Superbowl in February.

After last week’s brief introducion to the magical world of gridiron, it’s time to get to know the different positions on the field. What makes American football unique is that it uses different teams for different situations. When you have possession of the ball, you’ll use your offense. Then, when you’re on your fourth down and need to punt the ball away for territory, you use your special teams. And when you’re defending, you use your defense. This week, we’re focusing on the offense.

The O-line

The I-formation is the best way to illustrate the different positions in an offensive team, but bear in mind that there are hundreds of different variations. One thing remains constant though, and that is the five players who line up at the line of scrimmage. It starts with the Centre (C), who is flanked by a Guard (Left – LG; Right – RG) on either side, and the guards are flanked by one Tackle on each side (Left – LT; Right – RT). This offensive line (O-line) alignment is one of the few constants in the modern form of gridiron. Your O-line players are the brick-outhouses of the team. Solid, impenetrable walls of muscle and nastiness who live primarily to protect the quarterback.  

Centre This oke is the multi-tasker of the O-line. It is his responsibility to put the ball in play at the line of scrimmage by moving the ball from the line and to the first receiver – who is usually the quarterback. This motion is called the “snap”. After snapping the ball back he must then concentrate on blocking the opposition so that they can’t interfere with the play or create space for the ball carrier to run through.  

Guard The guards assist the centre with blocking and creating gaps.  

Tackle A tackle’s main responsibility is also to block, but their focus is on the linebackers or defensive ends who are trying to rush the passer around the outside. When all five positions are actively blocking, it creates a clear area for the quarterback to work in, which is called the “pocket”.

Tight end

The role of the tight end (TE) has changed over the last decade. The position was first considered as an extra offensive lineman used primarily for run blocking and holding off edge rushers, but recently they’re being utilised as an extra receiver for short passes. The TE of today needs to block the initial rush and then break into space to receive a pass on a short post or fade route*.

*We’ll cover offensive terminology as the Hacking the grid series progresses

The signal caller

Even if you don’t know anything about American football, you know that the quaterback is the most important position on the field. Many people compare the position to rugby’s flyhalf, but it is a lot more involved than that.

A quarterback is usually the first receiver from the line of scrimmage and then has to make sure that the intended play is executed with the right timing and has to make sure the defense doesn’t figure out what’s going on. And if the O-line is overwhelmed, or the defensive scheme is disrupting the play, it’s the quarterback’s job to find a way to gain the advantage.

The quarterback in the video is Mark Sanchez out of the University of Southern California. He was chosen at number five overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Jets – who traded three draft picks and two players to the Cleveland Browns for the chance to draft Sanchez. If you put how much the Jets were willing to give up for a talented QB in perspective and also look at the R644 million contract that the Detroit Lions offered the number one draft pick, University of Georgia’s Matthew Stafford, for his services, you begin to realise just how important the position is.  

Wide receivers

As the main target for any pass, the wide receivers (WR) are the attacking weapons of American football. They are usually the quickest and most agile players on the field because they have to get downfield into open space in time to receive the pass. They also need to be able to memorise and execute the different run routes, which have been designed to beat defensive schemes. The key to the wide receiver position is quick acceleration off the line and then being able to get passed their marker and catch the ball.

And along with the blistering acceleration comes the ability to cut back and turn on a dime to leave the defender sprinting off in the other direction.  

The fullback When two players line up behind the QB, they are both referred to as running backs (because they’ll receive the ball on the run and accelerate towards the line and make yards with their feet). But the Fullback’s (FB) role is mainly as a blocker for the pass rush or as dummy runner so that the tailback can get away.  

Tailback The Tailback (TB) – aka runningback (RB) – is the main weapon of the rushing attack. He will receive the handoff from the QB and charge his way up the field like a bat out of hell. |FHM loves a good running game and a talented TB at the top of his game brings us lots of joy.

TBs are also been known to act as extra receivers, but have recently also been taking direct snaps from centre in more creative offensive schemes like the Miami Dolphins’ “Wildcat” offense that has three TBs line up under centre and use the QB as a WR – more on that in the coming weeks.

That’s all for now sportsfans, next week we’ll unravel the awesomeness that is the defense...