Shiloh wrote:
You can't just run onto the field in football and expect to play well by just knowing how to tackle or throw the ball or catch, etc. You have to know your coverages, blocking assignments, formations, etc.
For instance, a QB not only has to know what the play is, he has to know what each recievers route is, is it a 3, 5, or 7 step drop, what coverage are the DB's in, are the LB's blitzing, where is the first down marker? It gets even more complex than that when time is a factor. On the defensive side it is nearly the same. Say you're a MLB you have 1-3 read steps depending on pass or run, if run you have to attck the right gap or the RB will be able to completely forget about you at all and you'll have basically removed yourself from the play, if it's to the outside you have to persue. If the play is a pass, are you on coverage or rush, then you have to decifer what kind of coverage or rush to perform. First off there is the speed blitz which is just getting to the QB as fast as possible then there is the delayed blitz which is for a 7 step drop where you wait for the gaps to open and fire into them until then you're on a weak zone coverage. As for coverage you have to know whether you're on man-to-man or zone. If zone what area of the field? If man-to-man which reciever, this can actually be confusing as a LB because they are usually put on coverage of TE's and RB's and if your read is wrong someone is open.
Why I love football.
When you watch it, there are 22 guys you can be looking at to see what each is doing and try to see the play as it's happening, and before it happens. My favorite thing to watch in a football game is the line because if you can understand the line, you can understand why everything is happening the way it is happening.
I love the hybrid positions in football like Tight end, fullback, and strong safety. You can have TE/FB solely for blocking, or you can have them as pass receivers. You can have a fullback who just charges through for the 3rd down and short conversion or use him as a regular receiver, or a potential full-time running back. Tight end is just a great position to watch because the guy is lineman/backer size yet he's running around with the ball. lol A good and versatile tight end can add a level of power and control to a team unlike most other positions IMO(as we saw when eljae smith walked all over the giants in week 2 with something like 100 yards in philly's excellent first half). Then there's strong safety which admittedly is usually just a support coverage guy, but take for example a player like Adam Archuleta (at least in his time with the rams) he served almost solely as a pass rusher/run stopper, and a zone dominator with his hard hitting and solo open field tackle skill. He was basically a small linebacker with tremendous speed and an extra running start, while maintaining the strength to bowl over offensive linemen on his way to the qb/rb.
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