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+---- Thread: *Beginner Football Guide: Offense (/showthread.php?tid=32665)
*Beginner Football Guide: Offense - Naosu - 05-31-2021
Voucher claim
Hello people of ISFL. I’ve been on the site for a little over a year now and am still a beginner in regards to football knowledge. Other than ISFL I’ll generally watch one or two NFL playoff games plus the Super Bowl each year and that’s it. I figured I would do somewhat of a research article and look into what each different position does. I hope to have a better understanding of the game by the end of this series and maybe give insight to other users that are football casuals. I originally had planned to write about all positions and some formations, but I ran out of time. Next time I do this it'll be on defense and special teams.
Offense:
Offense is a term used to describe the team that has possession of the ball and is trying to get to the opponent’s end zone. The eleven offensive players can be divided into two main groups: five offensive linesmen whose main job is to stop opponents and protect their quarterback, and six receivers and backs whose main job is to move the ball. Either by running it or passing it.
Offensive Positions:
Quarterback:
The quarterback is the most well known position and is the heart and soul of the offense. They are responsible for relaying information from the coach to rest of the team during huddles, and are the first player to receive the ball at the start of each play. At times they have to think on their feet and call out late adjustments based on the opposing defensive positioning. There are a few different types of formations the quarterback can take. If they are directly behind the center (person snapping the ball to the quarterback), this is called “under center”, if they start further back behind the center (roughly 4 yards) this is the pistol formation, and if they start even further back (roughly 7 yards) this is the shotgun formation. Once the quarterback receives the ball they have three basic options to move the ball. They can hand it off to a player to run the ball, they can throw a pass to any player up the field, or they can opt to run the ball themselves.
Offensive Line:
The main goal of the offensive line is to block the opposing defense, protecting their quarterback. For the most part they don’t touch the ball aside from snapping. There are a couple different offensive line positions which are:
Center: This is the player who initiates play by snapping the ball to the quarterback. As the name indicates they are in the middle of the offensive line. After snapping they still follow the main objective of blocking the defense. They are also responsible to call out last second adjustments for this group.
Offensive Guard:
These guards line up on each side of the center. Besides the main offensive line function they may also come out to block for a ball carrier on running plays.
Offensive Tackle:
These guys line up further outside, beside each guard. They will block for both running and passing plays. For a right-handed quarterback, the left tackle is charged with protecting the quarterback from being hit from behind. They are usually quicker than other OL as they have to compete against rushing defensive ends.
Running Back:
Running backs line up behind the offensive line in position to receive a hand off from the quarterback to execute a running play. Depending on the play, anywhere from one to three running backs can be utilized. There are several different varieties of running backs based on their role. The halfback is usually a team’s primary ball carrier on rushing plays and they can also catch passes when all the other receivers are covered. The fullback is generally larger and stronger than a halfback and their main focus is blocking, but they can still be used for catching or running. Fullbacks will line up closer to the line of scrimmage in order to better help with blocking. A wingback is a rarer form of running back. They line up behind the line of scrimmage outside of the offensive tackle. They’re only used in specific formations.
Wide Receiver:
Wide receivers are catching specialists. Their main job is to get open for passes and have a route with no close defenders to run afterwards. They generally line up (wide) near the sidelines at the start of the play. There are different names depending on where they line up. A wide receiver who lines up directly on the line of scrimmage is called a split end, one who lines up behind the line is called the flanker, and a wide receiver who lines up between the outermost wide receiver and the offensive line is said to be "in the slot" and is called the slot receiver.
Tight End:
Tight ends play directly next to the tackles on either side of the offensive line. They are a mix between a wide receiver and an offensive linesman. For the most they will block, especially on running plays. Although since they can be wide receivers, they will also catch passes sometimes. From what I can tell with ISFL fantasy it’s pretty obvious which tight ends are asked to block less than others.