The (mostly) serious guide to football

A dummies guide to football

Graphic by Everett Baumann

Everett Baumann, Copy Editor, & Ian Sands, Staff Writer

Welcome to The Messenger’s guide to football! If you don't know anything about the sport, this is the place for you. So now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the (mostly) serious guide to football. 

A is for Attempt. An attempt happens when a team tries to score, or get the ball down the field. For example, when the quarterback throws the ball to a receiver, that’s a pass attempt, and a field goal attempt is when a kicker tries to kick the ball into the goal in the endzone. 

B is for Blitz. A blitz is where the team on defense tries to tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. They usually do this by sending additional defensive players to try and get to the quarterback.

C is for Coach. Every team has multiple coaches who are responsible for different jobs. The head coach is in charge of all the other coaches, but the offense coaches are specifically in charge of the offensive players and strategies.

D is for Down. A down is any time the ball carrier falls to the ground. This can happen when the defensive team tackles the offensive player with the ball. Every team has four downs before they have to kick off to the other team, but if they pass the first down line with a play, then their downs reset to four.

E is for End Zone. The end zones are the areas on each side of the field that each team tries to go towards. If a team carries the ball into the endzone then they score a touchdown. The goals stand behind the end zones.

F is for Field Goal. A field goal is worth three points. A team scores one by kicking the ball between the goalposts behind the end zone. Usually, teams attempt a field goal when they are on fourth down and within 35 yards of the end zone.

G is for Goalpost. The goalposts are the two yellow U-shaped structures behind each end zone. Teams kick the ball into the goalposts to get a field goal, or sometimes an extra point after they score a touchdown.

H is for Hail Mary. A Hail Mary is a strategy sometimes used by teams who are losing at the end of the game. Just before the time runs out, the quarterback will attempt to throw the ball to a receiver and score a touchdown. These are very rare because they are very hard to do.

I is for Interception. An interception occurs when a player on the defensive team catches the offensive quarterback's thrown ball intended for another receiver. When this happens, the player runs the ball as far down the field as they can, and the defensive team switches to offense.

J is for Juke. A juke happens when a person running with the ball dodges the defensive players trying to tackle them. They do this by pretending to move one way, then quickly running the other way, deceiving the person trying to tackle them.

K is for Kickoff. A kickoff typically occurs when a team is on fourth down and out of field goal range. The kicker punts the ball as far as they can to the other side of the field, and the teams switch offense and defense.

L is for Line of Scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is an imaginary line that extends across the field. The rules of the game prevent the teams from being able to cross this line, located where the football is being snapped from. The players can cross the line when the ball is snapped.

M is for the Miami Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins are Everett’s favorite team. They have not won a Super Bowl in 51 years. He hopes that this is the year his beloved fins win a Super Bowl. #finsup     

N is for NFL. The NFL stands for the National Football League. The NFL is the premier football league in the U.S. and features 32 teams from all across the country who compete each year for the Vince Lombardi trophy. The league awards the trophy to the winner of the Super Bowl. The NFL is the most popular league in the U.S.

O is for Overtime. If the game is tied after four 15-minute quarters, there is an additional 10-minute period called overtime. When the game goes to overtime, a coin toss determines the team that gets possession of the ball first. If the team that wins possession scores a touchdown on their first drive, the game is over. If not, the team that started on defense can score either a field goal or a touchdown to win the game.

P is for Pass Interference. Pass interference is when a defensive player prevents an offensive player from attempting to catch the ball in a fair manner.

Q is for Quarterback. The quarterback is widely regarded as the most important position in football. They orchestrate the offense, and everything runs through them. The quarterbacks are the best at throwing the ball. The best teams in football have the best quarterbacks.

R is for Running Back. The running back is a central position on the offense. They are best at running the ball. On a run play, the quarterback hands the ball off to the running back. A few notable running backs are Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, and Barry Sanders.

S is for Sack. A sack occurs when a defensive player tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he has a chance to throw or run the ball.

T is for Tom Brady. Tom Brady is thought to be the greatest football player of all time. He played 23 seasons in the NFL at quarterback and won seven Super Bowls, the most of any player. 

U is for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. When a player on one team does something that is deemed unsportsmanlike to a player on the opposing team, they receive a type of penalty called unsportsmanlike conduct. An example of this is when a player punches another player.

V is for Vince Lombardi. Vince Lombardi is whom the Super Bowl trophy is named after. He was a coach for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s. His team won Super Bowls I and II, and the trophy that is given each year to the winner of the Super Bowl is named after him.

W is for Wide Receiver. A wide receiver plays on the offense and specializes in catching passes thrown by the quarterback. A few notable wide receivers include Tyreek Hill, Jerry Rice, and Randy Moss.

X is for X’s and O’s. Coaches use X’s and O’s to help illustrate play designs.

Y is for Yards. Yards are the unit of measurement used in football. On a regulation NFL field, the field is 120 yards from the back of one endzone to the back of the opposite endzone.

Z is for Zone Defense. Zone defense is a strategy used to cover offensive players.  Coaches assign each player a zone of the field to cover. This ensures that the defense gets a stop.

And there you have it. You are now a certified football expert. If you have any questions, restart at A, and make sure to come out to Northview football games this year!

9/13 - Northview @ Marist

9/20 - Northview vs Lithonia

9/26 - Northview @ Tucker

10/10 - Northview vs Clarkston

10/18 - Northview vs Druid Hills

10/24 - Northview @ Southwest Dekalb

11/1 - Northview @ North Springs