TIGHT END

The tight end is a player on the offensive unit that lines up between the wide receiver and the offensive tackle. Usually there is only one tight end on the playing field at a time, and he could be lined up on either side of the offensive line. The tight ends main responsibilites are to block like and offensive linemen, and to be a sure handed receiver. When the play requires him to run a pass pattern, he must be able to do it and focus on catching the football. When the play requires him to block, he must do it as if the team has an extra offensive lineman on the field. It is critical for a tight end to be good at both blocking and receiving, if he is not then he should find another position. A player must be able to combine size, brute strengh, and grace to be good at this position.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TIGHT END

1. Must have the size to play tight end. Tight ends are usually between 6 feet 2 to 6 feet 5 inches tall, and are between 250 t0 300 pounds.
2. Must be able to block, a good tight end needs to be able to block like an extra offensive linemen. He is expected to block defensive linemen, linbackers,and defensive backs.
3. Must know every running play in the playbook. He must know every aspect of his team's running game. He must know who to block on each play.
4. Must know every passing play in the playbook. He must know when to stay in and pass block, and when to run his pass patterns.
5. Must be able to run routes effectively. Tight ends are not usually the fastest guys on the team, so running precise pass patterns is very important.
6. Must have good hands, a good tight end should be able to a hit and still hold onto the football.
7. Must be mentaly tough, he has to take on a duel role as an offensive linemen and receiver.

TIGHT END TIPS

1. All of the tips that applied to the wide receiver, also applies to the tight end.
2. Practice blocking drills with the offensive linemen. When called to block, tight ends should be able to block just like an offensive linemen.
3. Practice running routes and catching the football with the wide receivers. Tight ends are not expected to be as fast as wide receivers, but they are expected to run precise patterns, and to catch the football like a wide receiver.

WIDE RECEIVER

A wide receiver is a player on an offensive unit in football, whom positions himself at the end of the offensive line. There are usually two of them on a playing field at the same time on opposite ends of the line. The wide receivers main function is to run pass patterns and catch passes thrown to them from the quarterback. On some rare occasions a team will try a trick play where the receiver can throw the ball, take a hand off from the QB, or catch a pass from a RB. Wide receivers are usually the most elusive and fastest players on the team, but there is room for players at the position who are not blessed with speed and quickness. Players not blessed with tremendous speed, but are willing to work hard on running proper pass patterns and catching the football, can still be productive wide receivers. One of the best wide receivers to play in the NFL was Jim Zorn and he did not have tremendous speed.


CHARACTERISTICS FOR A GOOD WIDE RECEIVER

1. Run at top speed throughout your pass pattern.
2. Run precise pass patterns.
3. Must be in good condition, must be able to run routes play after play.
4. Must be able to concentrate, he must concentrate on his routes, the other teams defense, and catching the football.
5. Must block defenders, your block can be the one that breaks another offensive player free.
6. Must be prepared to take a hit after catch, as a wide receiver your going to get hit.

WIDE RECEIVER TIPS

1. Catch the football with your hands not your body.
2. Look the ball in, use your eyes and focus on the football all the way into your hands.
3. Always catch the football at its highest point.
4. Control the football before trying to run with it. Many wide receivers fumble the football because they try to make a move before they secure the football.
5. Know exactly what routs you are to run.

RUNNING BACK POSITION

Running backs usually lines up behind the quarterback in an offensive formation, they specialize in rushing the football to gain yards. They can also catch passes from the quarterback, and on rare occasions can receive the snap from the center or even pass the football. When a team has an offensive formation that has two backs in the backfield, the lead back is called the fullback the other is called the tailback. The fullback usually blocks for the tailback helping him to gain yardage, but the fullback is also eligible to run or catch the football. Running backs must be in great mental and physical condition. A running back should know what he is supposed to do on every play. He also has to be able to carry the football between 20 to 30 times a game, catch passes out of the backfield, and block defensive players.

KEYS TO BEING A GREAT BACK.

1. Must be able to run the football, catch passes and block defenders. Coaches love running backs that can due all three.

2. Running backs must have mental and physical toughness; they need these two things to deal with the punishment they must endure.

3. Running backs must know the playbook; he has to know where to line up in the backfield and what to do on each play. The Running back is a key element on offense.

4. Must be able to run the ball hard for the duration of the game. great running backs get stronger running with the football in the fourth quarter.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN OTHER COUNTRIES

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FOOTBALL WEBSITES

CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN EUROPE

CENTRAL EUROPEAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OFAMERICAN FOOTBALL

AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN RUSSIA

AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN SWITZERLAND

NOTRE DAME JAPAN BOWL


AMERICAN FOOTBALL ARTICLE

American Football Gaining International Popularity

By: Jonathon Hardcastle

In most parts of the world, if you say the word "football" people assume you are referring to soccer, the most popular and most widely followed sport in the world. However, American football is starting to spark more interest overseas. The National Football League actively promotes American-style football out of the country, sending players as ambassadors and holding pre-season games in Europe, Mexico and Japan. Games are broadcast in many countries and the Super Bowl is broadcast to almost every country in the world.

American football is played in almost every continent on the planet including North and South America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific Rim nations. The International Federation of American Football is the official international governing body of American Football and oversees 45 member organizations. Beginning in 1999, the International Federation of American Football has also sponsored a world cup of American football with Japan taking the honors in both 1999 and 2003.

American football has also grown in popularity in Mexico, where many households are able to watch games on American television stations. There has been such interest in American football in Mexico that the NFL opened an office in Mexico City in 1997 to supervise fan development, marketing, public relations and special events. The NFL also publishes a Spanish-language web site targeted to Mexican fans.

American football is also gaining popularity in Europe. In 1991, the National Football League backed a European league called the World League of Football. From that emerged NFL Europe, a six-team league that serves as a spring developmental league for National Football League teams in the United States. Five of NFL Europe's teams are based in Germany and one is in the Netherlands. The National Football League not only uses the NFL Europe to develop new players, but also to develop and test new rules and regulations.

American football has always been popular in Canada although Canada does have its own Canadian Football League which plays with slightly different rules than American football. However, the National Football League continues to reach out to Canadian fans. For Super Bowl XL, held in Detroit, just across the border from the Canadian city of Windsor, the National Football League held special events specifically for Canadian fans including a special train that transported Canadian fans to Windsor to view the game at an arena there. The National Football League also publishes a website for Canadian fans that focuses on the progress and statistics of Canadian-born players.
Article Source: http://www.sportsarticlelibrary.com
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Football, Recreation, and Games
NOTE: The NFL has discontinued NFL Europe.

QUARTERBACK

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WHY BRETT FAVRE CAN LEAD THE VIKINGS TO THE SUPER BOWL.

The Quarterback is the player that runs and directs the offense. He usually gets the signal for the play from the coaching staff, and then he calls the play in the huddle. He usually lines up directly behind the center who hikes him the ball to start the play. The quarterback is involved in the majority of the offensive plays a team runs. He is either throwing it to a receiver, handing the ball off to a running back, or running it himself. In some situation a quarterback can call his own plays without getting a signal from the coach, one would be if a quarterback recognizes that the defense is running a certain play and then he calls an audible. Another rear situation is when the coaching staff allows the quarterback to call his own plays

QUARTERBACK TIPS

1. Develop leadership skills, coaches loves for their starting quarterbacks to be leaders.

2. Get a lot of practice in the offseason. You need to work on arm strengh and footwork. Work on throwing football often and far, also work on various dropbacks espiciaaly the 5 step dropback.

3. Practice looking off safety to create space for the wide reciever, do not telegraph your throws.

4. Watch and learn what good quarterbacks do in certain situations, watch them on films or television.

5. Mentaly visualize yourself coming to the line and facing certain defenses, come up with what you will do against it.

6. A quarterback needs to study the playbook, he should know what every offensive player is doing when the ball is hiked.


ANSWER PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

1. NY Jets- Mark Sanchez, QB USC
2. NY Jets - Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio State
3. Atlanta - Matt Ryan, QB Boston College
4. Ryan Leaf, QB Washington State


QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK

1. Who is the best NFL quarterback of alltime?

2. Who was the best quarterback in the NFL for the 2008 season?

3. Who was the best quarterback in college for the 2008 season?

4. Who will have the most yards passing this season Aaron Rodgers or Bret Favre.

To answer questions respond to comments section or email me at nyuball@gmail.com.
For each question I will choose the best answer and put it on the site

NFL DRAFT

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The NFL Draft[1], is held annually in April. It is the major way by which National Football League teams select players (primarily from college football) for their teams. The 2009 NFL Draft took place on April 25-26 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Rules for determining draft order
The draft is determined by the teams won and loss record. Teams with the worst record usually gets a higher pick in a draft round, for example a team that goes 1-15 will make a pick before a team that goes 8-8. That order is based generally on each team's regular season record, with the exception of the two Super Bowl contestants, who are placed at the end of the draft order. Teams can move up in draft order by making deals and trades for draft picks with other teams.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS.

1. Neil O'Donnell
2. Brett Favre
3. 60 percent said Minnesota Vikings.
4. 75 percent said the Dallas Cowboys.

QUESTIONS

1. Which team made the best draft picks for the 2009 season?
2. Which first round draft pick did the worst in 2008?
3. Which first round draft pick did the best in 2008?
4. Who was the worst number one draft pick of all time?

SUPER BOWL RUNNER-UP

QUESTIONS

1. Who was the Pittsburgh Steelers starting Quarterback in their only Super Bowl lost?
2. Who was the Green Bay Packers starting Quarterback in their only Super Bowl lost?
3. Which team will be the first to lose 5 Super Bowls?
4. Which team will lose the Super Bowl next year?

SUPER BOWL LOSERS


Buffalo Bills 4
Minnesota Vikings 4
Denver Broncos 4
Dallas Cowboys 3
Miami Dolphins 3
New England Patriots 3
Philadelphia Eagels 2
Washington Redskins 2
Oakland Raiders 2
Kansas City Chiefs 1
Baltimore Colts 1
Los Angles Rams 1
St Louis Rams 1
SanDiego Chargers 1
Pittsburgh Steelers 1
Greenbay Packers 1
Atlanta Falcons 1
Tennessee Titans 1
New York Giants 1
Carolina Panthers 1
Seattle Seahawks 1
Chicago Bears 1
Arizona Cardinals 1


ANSWER TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

1. Bud Grant of the Minnesota Vikings and Marve Levy of the Buffalo Bills both lost 4 Super Bowls.
2. The stadium to host the most Super Bowls is the Louisiana Superdome, it hosted 6 Super Bowl games.
3. The Super Bowl winners received 73,000 per man.
4. Eight defensive players have won Super Bowl MVP's. The players are Chuck Howley from the Cowboys Super Bowl V, Jack Scott from the Dolphins Super Bowl VII, Harvey Martin from Cowboys Super Bowl XII, Randy White from the Cowboys Super Bowl XII, Richard Dent from the Bears Super Bowl XX, Larry Brown from the Cowboys Super Bowl XXX, Ray Lewis from the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV, and Dexter Jackson from the Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVIII.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

SUPER BOWL WINS

Pittsburg Steelers 6
Dallas Cowboys 5
Sanfrancisco 49ers 5
New York Giants 3
New England Patriots 3
GreenBay Packers 3
Washington Redskins 3
Los Angeles Raiders 3
Miami Dolphins 2
Indianapolis Colts 2
Denver Broncos 2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1
Baltimore Ravens 1
St Louis Rams 1
Kansas City Chiefs 1
New York Jets 1
Chicago Bears 1

QUESTIONS

1. What Head coach has lost the most super bowls?
2. Which stadium has hosted the most super bowls?
3. How much money did each player win on the Steelers for winning the 2009 super bowl?
4. How many defensive players has won the super bowl MVP?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

1. Steelers lost one super bowl in their history, super bowl XXX Cowboys 27 Steelers 17.
2. Chuck Noll won 4 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, super bowl IX, X, XIII, XIV.
3. The Greenbay Packers won the NFL championship the year before super bowl I.
4. The loser of the super bowl receives championship rings for winning their conference.

SUPER BOWL

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The game is between the champions of the American Football Conference(AFC) and the National Football Conference(NFC). The Super Bowl is one of the most popular and anticipated sporting events in the United States. The game attracts football fans all over the country and is televised all over the world.

NOTABLE SUPER BOWLS

1. XLII: New York Giants upsetting the previous unbeaten New England Patriots 17 -14.
2. XLI: First Two African American head coaches in a super bowl, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29 - 17 making Tony Dungy the first African American head coach to win a super bowl.
3. XXXII: Denver Broncos upsetting the Greenbay Packers 31 - 24 giving John Elway his first super bowl.
4.XXII: Doug Williams becomes first African American Quarterback to win super bowl by leading the Washington Redskins to victory over the Denver Broncos 42 - 10.
5.XII: This super bowl had Two MVP winners in the Dallas Cowboys 27 - 10 victory over the Denver Broncos. The two were defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin of the Dallas Cowboys.
6.VII: Miami Dolphins completed their undefeated season by beating the Washington Redskins 14 - 7. The Dolphins went 17 - 0 and is still the only team to do this in NFL history.
7.III: New york Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16 - 7 giving credibility to the AFL. This is als the game that Joe Namath guaranteed victory.
8. I: First world championship game between the AFL and the NFL, Greenbay defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35 - 10.



QUESTIONS

1. How many super bowls has the Pittsburg steelers lost in their history?
2. Which NFL head coach has won the most super bowls?
3. Who won the NFL championship the year before super bowl I?
4. Do the super bowl loser get championship rings for winning their conference?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

1. 25% said they should stop.
2. 80 percent who answered, said they believed only a few of them whould chance it.
3. None inducted as a referee.
4. 90% said they believe it will happen.

REFEREES

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THE THIRD TEAM
POSITIONS

1. Head Referee - He is responsible for making final decisions, and has final authority on all rulings.
2. Umpire - This offcial stands behind the linebackers and looks for illegal blocks or holding by the offensive lineman.
3. Head Linesman - This offcial stands at one end of the line of scrimmage, he looks for lineman jumping off side.
4. Line Judge - The line judge assistes the Head linesman, he is on the opposite end of the line, across from the head linesman. His responsibility is to look for off sides and any penaltys before the snap.
5. Field Judge - He lines up behind the secondary players, he works on the same sideline as the line judge. He is responsible for making decisions near his side of the field. He rules on pass interference, incomplete passes and illegal blocks.
6. Side Judge - He lines up behind the secondary, and he works the same side line as the heads linesman. Just like the field judge he is responsible for pass interference, illegal blocks, and incomplete passes near his side of the field.
7. Back Judge - He stands deep behind the secondary, he also can rule on illegal blocks, pass interference and incomplete passes. The back judge also has the final decisions on field goals.


QUESTIONS

1. Should the NFL stop using instant replay?
2. Do you think NFL and college referees gamble on their games?
3. Has any referee ever got inducted to the NFL or college hall of fame?
4. Do you think there will ever be a female referee in the NFL?

ANSWER PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

1. Paul Bear Bryant, 1945 Maryland, 1946 - 1953 Kentucky, 1954 - 1957 Texas A&M, 1958 - 1982 Alabama.
2. Vince Lombardi, 1959 - 1967 Greenbay Packers, 1969 Washington Redskins.
3. Urban Meyer, University of Florida.
4. Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins.

To answer questions respond to comments section or email answers to nyuball@gmail.com.