Oct
14
An Introduction to American Football
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The point of this is to explain some basic strategy and why the people on the field do what they do. I will be writing on more particular aspects of the game as football season progresses.
1. Downs: Attempts to march down the field and score points
Imagine you had 22 people to entertain, and all you had was a strange oblong-shaped ball and a 100 yard rectangular field.
You could set the ball down mid-field, and divide your 22 into 2 squads of 11 each, assigning them a half of the field. You could then tell each team to fight for the ball, and take the ball however they like from each other but get it onto the extreme (”end zone” is the football term) of the other team’s side for points.
Modern American football starts from that very simple setup, and gets extraordinarily complicated very fast because of its premium on violence. If you just let the players play, they’d kill each other. The modern game involves people running 20 yards or more to hit each other full speed so as to get the other player to drop the ball (a “fumble,” whereby any team can claim possession).
So what happens is that both strategies and rules have developed to stop play and make the most out of those stoppages. The game occurs in moments, called “downs,” for the most part. The ball is set at some place on the field (”the line of scrimmage”) and the side having possession (”offense”) lines up with the opposing defense lined up on the other side. Typically the offense has to get the ball 10 yards down the field after it is snapped (put in play) by running or passing to get a set of more downs; play stops when the ball carrier is down (tackled by the other team) or a forward pass hasn’t been caught (”incomplete”) or he has caught it but run out of bounds or scored.
2. Why does everyone line up in that funny way? Why can’t you just have 11 people line up randomly?
OK. We’ve moved on to the question of strategy. The modern game uses a very particular strategy for offense; there are many other possibilities, but we’re just going to stick to what happens usually. A human wall (every team fields at least 5 linemen) is created, one member of the wall has the ball and “snaps” it on command to the quarterback (QB) unless the play says otherwise.
Everything on offense runs through the QB. Why is this? Because he’s the one member of the team surveying the field and seeing what the defense is doing.
Get the strategy? The idea is a human wall buys one guy on your team a little bit of time. With that time, he may make a forward pass, and the QB is therefore outfitted with specialized members of the offense to get yards for downs. He’ll have wide receivers, players that don’t line up with the linemen but line up closer to the sideline. (A pattern exists called an “out pattern” where the wide receiver runs up the sideline then makes a sharp cut to get out of bounds; the QB must deliver the ball to the receiver as he is approaching the sideline. Typically that window of time and space is very narrow, but the play almost can’t be defended.) He’ll have running backs, who on some plays could be handed the ball and just run upfield, depending on the blocking and the defense, but coming out of the backfield as opposed to from nearer the sideline, give the defense more to fight with. There are also players called “tight ends” who are almost a cross between a lineman and a receiver; they can be left in a play to block or sent upfield to run a route and make a catch.
2a. Why can’t every play be a running play?
My dad used to wonder why a team can’t just have lots of very good, overpaid offensive linemen, and give the ball to any old running back, and just run every down. The problem with this is obvious: all it takes is one guy coming free from the defense to blow up the play, and since one guy has to have the ball, 10 other linemen plus the one back means that you’d be in a prime position to lose yardage every down. That one guy unaccounted for is dangerous business.
2b. So how do teams get big running plays?
Since modern offensive personnel, lined up however, is already a tactic - you don’t know if they’re going to run or pass, they’re set up for both really - you set up plays where as they develop, linemen and tight ends and even wide receivers get multiple blocks in. Part of this setup involves getting the referees to put the ball closer to one sideline than another. Putting a receiver on that “near” sideline forces the defense to pay attention to that side of the field, even though it’s narrow. You could then fake a pass or run that side, and come back and run to the wider side of the field; the linemen would get multiple blocks b/c they block to sell the fake, then block as the running back moved out to the wider side of the field.
3. How is defense even possible? The fact you set up an offense that varied means a lot of things exist to throw you off in the first place…
Defense is possible because certain formations are more adept at doing things than others. For example, if the offense comes in with lots of linemen and tight ends and one wide receiver, it’s a safe bet they’re running.
Furthermore, modern defensive personnel are very specialized themselves. A QB has a lot of reading to before the snap, both on and off the field. Typically a defense lines up 4 linemen, who attack right at the line of scrimmage, linebackers, who patrol the middle of the field or come in to hit the QB, and the “secondary,” quick fast guys who run with wide receivers or patrol closer to the end zone. Usually, if your QB is your field general for the offense, a safety, a specialized member of the secondary, is your field general for the defense, since he sees everything going on in front of him.
To get an idea how effective most defenses are, I’d say look at how many yards the average running play in the NFL goes for. I think it’s 3 yards, last I checked. All a defense has to do is key in on you and hit you, even those the offense has what is called “initiative” and can dictate the tempo of the game. Here’s what I’m thinking to illustrate the efficiency of modern defense: you always get 4 downs when you get the ball back. If you ran three times you’d pick up 9 yards, but not get a new set of downs. You’d be facing using your last down and you could be stuck on your side of the field.
4. Kicking
A large part of the modern game is field position. It’s a lot easier to go 40 yards than it is 80. So there are these things called “special teams” which come out every time field position is an issue.
A punting unit comes when an offense stalls midfield or in its own territory or is only shallowly in an opponent’s territory. The idea is to kick the ball away on 4th down and put the opposing offense in a bad spot.
There are also kickoff coverage units; every time an opponent scores, a team receives the ball by having it kicked to it. You obviously want to catch that ball and return it as far as possible.
Finally, there’s kicking a field goal, which is when you stall in an opponent’s territory but have someone talented on your team who can do this. Touchdowns that reach the end zone are worth 6 (with an extra kicked point, 7, with a two-point conversion, 8) and a field goal is worth 3.
Feb
25
Dissertation Update
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Some of you are asking how this is going, so I think talking about the plan openly is a good idea, especially as it helps me get settled.
Right now my goal is to get as much Xenophon read as possible until I hit a saturation point and start writing the first major part in earnest - major themes of the Cyropaedia are to be discussed at that point, with a view to the Memorabilia.
So what I want to do is make sure I review all the Socratic writings of Xenophon while I work through a few secondary sources on the Cyropaedia. Right now I’m working through the Oeconomicus slowly and making notes and it is frustrating: it feels like lots of bits and pieces that would make great blog entry topics, but I’ve read this before and it didn’t come together then and it’s only “sort of” coming together now. I’ve also started Xenophon’s Hellenica, which takes place after Thucydides’ Pelopennesian War, and that’s actually going down quickly - it’s a relief to just read and not have to think about every word.
I think I’m doing a lot, but I’m not sure how it’s all going to come together exactly, and I want to remember it all, not merely stress. I think I might actually have to slow the reading down, now that I write this - the Socratic writings require extra care and review and I’m not thrilled about the notes I have on the Oeconomicus so far (actually, I’m really thrilled with them, but I’m not sure the thesis I’m advancing will hold up as I keep working out details).
You can see the issue with the “I might need to slow down” idea, of course, and understand implicitly why I’m camping out in the library for 5 hours, break, another 5 hours, repeat process. Right now, my head feels numb, and I don’t know what themes I would discuss if I had to talk about my work with any of you.
Jan
31
I Don’t Know About You…
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Am I just imagining this?
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Dec
18
On the Eagles’ Prospects for Next Year:
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Ned Macey at Football Outsiders put it perfectly:
A rehabbing quarterback, inconsistent secondary, and poor red zone offense have spelled the difference between a 9-5 team heading to the playoffs and a 6-8 team questioning the direction of the franchise. If they stay the course, odds are they would be right back in the thick of a playoff chase next season. If they panic and dump one of the best quarterbacks in football because the team around him has regressed and the local talk radio shows are calling for his head, the Eagles will get the sustained mediocrity they deserve.
Technorati Tags: football, eagles, mcnabb
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Dec
10
On Giants-Eagles, 12/9 - Are You McNabb Haters Going To Blame Him For This One?
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Let’s get this out of the way now: that Giants pass rush is ferocious, and with targets like L.J. Smith and Reggie Brown doing their best to jog to and sit down in completely covered zones, McNabb’s avoiding the rush was quite frankly spectacular. He’s moving incredibly well and with good speed.
Oh, and in case you want to dispute how crappy the receiver set McNabb has is, here’s Mike Tanier from Football Outsiders:
You know who I don’t want to see play football anymore? L.J. Smith. He didn’t have a terrible statistical game [against the Seahawks], but he missed some opportunities to haul in catchable balls that would have made a difference. I am tired of seeing him fall down after every catch. His production can be measured in Inches After Catch. This is a contract year, I think, so hopefully I won’t see him in Philly next year. He’s not terrible; he just seems like a guy we’ve been settling for four years while Chris Cooley, Jason Witten, and Jeremy Shockey make a difference for the other teams in the division.
And regarding Reggie Brown, Jason Hutt has this observation from earlier in the season:
Reggie Brown looked disinterested against both the Giants and Redskins. Fairly disappointing in what should be a breakout year.
But back to McNabb - his throws were pretty decent too, but what makes McNabb especially good is his ability to read the field.
All of you who were praising Feeley because of his throwing the ball out on a first read, I think, have to eat crow (h/t to Josh for pointing out Feeley’s “quickness” as going to his first read. Also, I should credit Josh for the “blame Andy Reid for this crap season” view, he’s the one who’s been quite forward about how stupid the playcalling has been generally). Feeley’s picks in previous games were a direct result of that “throw the ball immediately” mentality, and watching the coverage the Giants were playing he would have thrown probably 5 interceptions that game. I could be wrong about this, but my suspicion is that the “McNabb holds the ball too long” complaint should really be praise for him being patient and not trying to force plays.
That McNabb completes the number of passes he does to this receiver set makes me wonder what would happen if we asked Peyton Manning or Tom Brady how successful they might be with only receivers like L.J. Smith or Kevin Curtis. Granted, Curtis and Baskett have been playing great football in terms of run blocking and stepping up the best they can. But they’re not able to get the separation in man coverage or tight zones that is needed to, I dunno, play in the NFL. My money is that if you asked Manning the Greater or Brady about playing with those receivers, they’d laugh in your face. We’ve already seen Manning have hell this year with his starting receivers out.
Josh has observed that the difference this season is who’s missing - Donte Stallworth, as we all know, was on the Eagles last year but actually wanted to get paid for getting open and being a threat. So he was let go and joined New England, which we all know is having a terrible year, and he is an integral part of their carnival of suck.
I remember the days when the Eagles had Charles Johnson and Torrance Small and I was just a kid and even I knew that they weren’t going anywhere with those receivers. I think McNabb deserves better than for the only decent receiver in his tenure here to have been T.O. Roy Williams at Detroit is complaining about his touches there - hint, hint Eagles management, he’d be a great add for next year.
Seriously, this team is getting old and the injury bug will hit next year too. But I think the talent for the future can be cultivated while the current roster is just added to, minus the parts that are utterly and completely unproductive. It’s not clear the receivers Philly has are NFL quality, and the defensive tackles need to most certainly be upgraded, and the secondary needs some more depth (notice the difference in how the defense attacks when Dawkins is out - the defense is far too reliant on him). A few upgrades via free agency while planning some years ahead in the draft isn’t too much to ask for: next season doesn’t have to be as crappy as this one, not at all.