Quarterback Drama.... 1 vs 2 ; What is a Quarterback?

First and foremost, What is a quarterback? (pulled from a friends facebook page, in regards to the fact that her son is a peewee QB)

These were some of the answers and jokes about her sister asking this same basic question....

Is he the one that hits the people or runs the ball?

Isn't he the guy that throws the ball?

Isn't he the guy that stands by the ticket counter and gives everyone buying a ticket their quarter back after paying? 

The last one was obviously a joke from a guy! However C'mon Ladies!!! Let's get this together you are at some point going to have a man in your life who watches, or plays football. This may be a boyfriend/husband, brother, son, father, etc... 

So to answer this basic question, yes the Quarterback (QB) is the guy who throws the ball. He also hands the ball to the Running Backs. He occasionally even runs the ball himself, especially in Pop Warner leagues. (Pop Warner is pee wee) If your QB is tackling people it is most likely because he threw the ball to the other teams defensive players.

A few famous retired Quarterbacks you may have heard of: 

Dan Marino- Miami Dolphins

Troy Aikman- Dallas Cowboys

Joe Montana- San Francisco 49ers

John Elway- Denver Broncos

Now into the current season, here is some of the QB drama I am watching....

#1 vs #2

Andrew Luck and the Colts VS. Robert Griffin III and the Redskins

This game is Saturday 8/25/2012. This is a pre season game that puts the first and second overall NFL draft picks against each other as starting QB's for their new teams. So far in 2 games each guy has looked good. This game should see the first significant amount of time for both guys. This is really the last week to get timing down with their teammates. I am looking forward to seeing how both guys handle the pressure, how well they move the ball, and their progress in reading professional NFL defenses. Do I believe that hype that this one game will show who is better? NO! I believe this will not turn into the Peyton Manning vs Ryan Leaf debate of 1998. I fully believe that both guys will be successful, and continue to improve over their first few seasons in the league. 

What will be the deciding factor in this game? 

I fully believe that both of these highly touted Rookie QB's will continue to play well. So on that note, lets see which defense steps up!

May the LUCK be with you...

Today begins the much anticipated NFL career of Andrew Luck. In this time of rebuilding I hope that our new head coach Chuck Pagano, started by getting our horseshoe pointed upward again. While I have read positive things from training camp my expectations are not high for this season. I hope that he can exceed what Peyton Manning did in his first season, which was also a miserable season.

I am looking forward to seeing the offensive line with Jeff Saturday. He has been the staple that held that group together so well. These 5 guys are going to be key to Andrew Luck's success, as they have to give him the time to read the field and make the plays we need to win games.

I am also looking forward to seeing how well Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis switch up to stand up linebacker in the new defensive scheme. For our two amazing defensive ends to take on this new position is a bit scary. I hope that it is an experiment that ends up well for both guys, and doesn't leave us waiting around to hear that one of these guys (Dwight Freeney) has been traded just before the trade deadline. The reason I believe that Freeney will be the one who is traded is because Mathis just signed a nice new contract in the off season.

I hope that our backfield is improved, it is Delone Carter's time to step up and be the man! I hope that our two rookie tight ends are ready for the speed of the professional game.

One position that couldn't get much worse is cornerback. So we should see some type of improvement with coverage there. I'm hoping that the new defensive scheme assists in this.

Then you have your old steady veterans, that we are looking for the same level of play from. Pat McAfee and Adam Vinatieri are both amazing kickers and should help our special teams. You have Reggie Wayne who is now the veteran presence in the offensive huddle, and Austin Collie getting a chance to play out wide instead of the slot. Also picking up where they left off will be Pat Angerer, as he leads our defense into battle.

So here is a cheer to being #ColtStrong and anxiously awaiting the kickoff to a new era in Indy.

As a side note, I'll also be rooting for Brit Miller #49 Fullback for the St. Louis Rams. He is a home town boy for me.

Cheers
-Amanda

History in the Making!

This Thursday evening when the Packers and Chargers kick off history will be made. The first female official will be on the officiating crew. Her name is Shannon Eastin. She is technically a replacement official, from a college conference. The NFL is using replacement refs, because of the labor dispute between the NFL Referee Labor Union and the NFL.

Ms. Eastin has been working for this, and predicted in 1999 that she would make it to the NFL. Way to go GIRL! Dreams do come true.

Here is a link to the Yahoo story: http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/shannon-eastin-poised-first-woman-ref-nfl-history-185200396.html

Condolences

Just wanted to take a moment to send out my condolences to Coach Andy Reid , his family, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

What is a Tight End?

Okay ladies... I know you hear TIGHT END, and think don't they all have tight ends? Especially in those form fitting spandex pants!

 I mean really, what is a tight end? What are his responsibilities?

A tight end is the player that lines up on either end of the offensive line. (Sometimes you have a tight end on each side of the offensive line.) 

The picture above illustrates the offensive line, tight end, and quarterback. #5 Josh Freeman (wearing green) is the Quarterback. The player directly in front of him is the Center. Then on each side of the center play an offensive guard, and offensive tackle. Just to the Right of the offensive line is the tight end. (You see the third guy from the center? #44 Dallas Clark)

The players that play this position have two main responsibilities: Blocking and Receiving. A tight end is often responsible for picking up a block on defensive players who are blitzing the line of scrimmage, or to help make a hole for the halfback. 

In this picture you can that the Tight End, Dallas Clark #44 is lined up in front of the halfback just to the left of the offensive line (not visible) so that he can block for the halfback to run the ball. He will try to block anyone coming towards the line of scrimmage, and make a hole for his teammate to run through.

They also run routes similar to a receiver to catch passes and help the offense get down the field to score. Most times the tight end will run a route that consists of 5-10 yards down field and then turn in or out trying to give the quarterback an additional throwing target. Often times when going over the middle of the field they will get tackled hard, also called blown up, knocked out, leveled, etc... this area of the field can be very dangerous with defenders looking to score the big hits. A lot of concussions injuries happen in this area of the field.

In this (off centered) photo, the tight end Dallas Clark is making a catch. Allowing his quarterback to move the ball down the field. As you see he slid to catch the ball protecting himself from the big hit that would surely come. (He also slid faster than I could move/focus the camera)

Notice in this photo his stance is different? He is further outside of the offensive line and will be running a route. This type of stance can be a clear signal that it is a pass play, or trickery used to make the defense think it is a pass play.

I hope that this post has made you more clear on what a Tight End actually is! This specific tight end featured is one of my favorites as he was drafted by Indianapolis out of Iowa. So he's a Big 10 guy, that played many years for my beloved Colts. I am really hoping that he can be back to his pre-injury game in his first season with Tampa Bay. I got to meet him briefly on Wednesday, he signed my jersey where I learned he's also a lefty and a joker. That must be why I've liked him so much!!

Have a great day, the preseason officially kicks off in 2 days!

-Amanda

Past, Present, Future...

This morning as I enjoyed a steamy humid morning at training camp this little girl caught my eye...wearing a Simeon Rice jersey, a pair of sparkly Toms shoes, and an attitude of oblivion to the giant men out on the field getting ready to kick off a new season.

She fully represents why I want to write this blog about football. Although she is no older than two and never saw Simeon Rice play she is representing in the jersey. Simeon Rice was one of the great defensive ends on the Bucs' Super Bowl Team. He represents the past in this post. Those guys who we don't want to forget, because they were so great to watch as they did their job.

Today in the present time, she was more interested in watching the people in the stands and playing with whatever she brought from home than what was happening on the field. In fact I am not sure she knew why she was even there! (I could be wrong, as I didn't stop to talk) Those guys on the field at One Buc Place, and 31 other NFL training camps are working through the hot humid weather wearing full football pads and helmets, so I don't want to hear how hot you are!! (Yes, I have to remind myself this too!) They are anxiously awaiting the kickoff to this season, as are we the fans.

This little fan is our female fan of the future! I'm so happy to see that she (or her mom) decided to let her rock the jersey instead of a cheerleader outfit. So ladies, and any guys out there reading this... don't leave your daughters out! Immersing them in athletics will help them grow into self confident and self assured women. They will be strong, and capable. While she may never choose to play football, there are many options out there for her! Look at the 5 teenage girls from the USA that won a gold medal in team gymnastics last night! Encourage her spirit, dedication, and ability to choose what she wants to do!!

Cheers to a new season of football...