Coming Home Magazine

THE POSITIONS Both teams put a group of 11 players on the field for every play. One group, the offense, tries to score with the ball, while the other, the defense, tries to stop the offense from moving down the field and scoring. Here's the breakdown of who's who: Offense • Quarterback: The offense leader who calls out plays and runs the ball forward or throws or hands it off to another teammate. • Running Back: Running backs can run with the ball after a handoff from the quarterback, catch the ball on a pass, or use their body to block a defensive player. • Fullback: Lining up between the quarterback and running back, fullbacks can block for running backs or catch and run the ball themselves. • Wide Receiver: The main passing target for the quarterback, they also sometimes block for other offensive players or take a handoff. • Tight End: These players can act as receivers or blockers. • Offensive Linemen: Five bigger players known as the left guard, left tackle, center, right guard, and right tackle. They primarily work to protect the quarterback from the defense and create a space for backs to run through. Defense • Defensive Linemen: Three or four players lined up across from the offensive line at the positions of defensive tackle and defensive end. Tackles mainly work to stop players running with the ball, and defensive ends try to tackle the quarterback. • Linebacker: As their name suggests, they back up the defensive line. • Cornerback: They defend wide receivers and can also catch the ball. • Safety: Usually the last line of defense, these players have a variety of responsibilities, but they primarily defend pass catchers. Special Teams Unless one team loses the football, every possession ends with a special teams play. All special teams plays involve some sort of kick, with each team attempting a kick, returning a kick, or defending the kick attempt or return. These plays involve the below positions: • Kicker: Does the kickoff or kicks the ball to score a field goal. • Punter: Kicks the ball to the opposing team when theirs is too far away to attempt a field goal. • Kick/Punt Returner: Catches the ball on a kickoff or punt to gain yards or score a touchdown. • Gunner: Tries to tackle the returner. • Blocker: Blocks the opposing team's gunners. THE RULES & PENALTIES There are always seven officials on the field who call out infractions to rules, called penalties, by throwing out a yellow flag. Each penalty carries a specific punishment that makes the distance needed to score a touchdown larger or smaller, depending on who is at fault. The most common penalties are: • Holding (+10 yards for offense; -5 yards for defense): An offensive or defensive player affects their opponent's movement by using their hands or arms instead of their body. • False Start (+5 yards): An offensive player moves before the ball is snapped to the quarterback. • Pass Interference (-5 yards for offense; new set of downs & ball placement for defense): An offensive or defensive player stops one another from catching the ball by holding or pushing significantly. • Delay of Game (+5 yards): The offense fails to start their play within 40 seconds. • Offside (+5 for offense; -5 for defense): The offense or defense moves beyond the football before a play starts. • Roughing the Passer/Kicker (-15 yards): A defensive player hits the offense's quarterback or kicker after they release the ball. • Unnecessary Roughness (+/- 15 yards; new set of downs for defense): Any physical contact deemed unnecessary. COMING HOME MAGAZINE 15

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