Football Positions
Everything You Need To Know About Football Positions
Football positions as they stand during regulation play will find no more or less than 11 players on each side of the field. The offensive team is the one who has possession of the ball, and their job is to advance the ball toward the end field without losing it or forfeiting it due to using too many downs during one play sequence. The other team is on the defense, and they will try everything that can to hold the offense back and away from the end zone. Play is determined in 10 yard chunks, where the offensive team has four “downs” in which to move the ball that far.
They can throw, catch, and run the ball in order to get the job done, but if they fail to move the ball within three downs they have to choose from three options: try to get a first down by using their last possession, kick a field goal (3 points) if they are close enough, or punt the ball away for the defensive team to begin on offense. If the offensive team fails to convert a fourth down attempt, they will lose possession of the ball at that particular spot on the field, and the defensive team will then switch their football positions in order to form an offensive team. The football positions for the offensive team are as follows:
-Quarterback: the one who throws or passes off the ball, and who also makes the calls for each play.
-Halfback: also referred to as the running back, he sometimes receives thrown passes but his main purpose is to the run the ball through and around heavier traffic.
-Fullback: responsible for pass blocking and run blocking, but can also carry and receive on any given play.
-Wide Receiver: he lines up to the outside and near the line of scrimmage, but then runs cut routes in order to receive passes.
- Tight End: he has two jobs, both to block for the quarterback and then to run patterns for receiving passes.
- Offensive Tackle: there are two, and the job is quite simple…push ‘em back, push ‘em back, way back!
- Offensive Guard: there are two, and they are to line up on either side of the center, who snaps the ball to the quarterback. They are then to block whoever they can get their shoulders into.
- Center: the snapper, he begins to assist with blocking once the ball leaves his hands.
Defensive football positions are up next.
The first line of defense comes from the defensive tackle, the defensive end, and the nose tackle. These players are the first football positions to make contact, and their jobs are to stop the running game and cramp the quarterback. The second line of defense comes from the linebacker position, and he blocks anyone who made it through the first line. Lastly, but perhaps most important, are the defenders who are charged with guarding the wide receivers, and these football positions are called the cornerback and the safety.