Football 101: The Very Basics

With football season in full swing, scores of fans are tuning in every Sunday to watch the game. But what if you don't understand football? This is a guide for football noobs on what to look out for when watching the game. For more about football, check out www.behindthetouchdown.com.

1. Running the Ball

Let's start from the basics. There are two ways to move a football - by running or passing the ball (see #2). In a run play, the quarterback hands off the ball to a running back who then runs the ball as far as he could.

2. Passing the ball

The other way of moving the ball is by passing aka throwing the ball. In a pass play, the quarterback throws the ball usually to a wide receiver (sometimes to a running back) and lets him run with it.

3. Touchdowns

And what's the point of all these running and passing? To score touchdowns. A touchdown is like scoring a goal in soccer or shooting a ball through a hoop in basketball. A touchdown is scored when you get the ball into the opponent's end zone. Each touchdown is worth 6 points. And obviously, the more touchdowns you have, the better.

Here's a compilation of all the touchdowns in the past three Super Bowls (2011 - 2013).

4. Under Center

So how do I know if a quarterback is going to run or pass the ball? Good question.

At the start of every play, the quarterback is in either of two positions - under center or shotgun (see #5). Usually (and emphasis on usually), when the quarterback is under center, it will result in a run play.

When a quarterback is under center, he is lined up directly behind a Center with the quarterback's hand literally touching the Center's butt. When the quarterback is ready, he will tap the Center's butt who will then snap the ball to the quarterback.

5. Shotgun

The alternative to being under center is to be in a shotgun position where the quarterback stands about away from the Center. This usually (and again, emphasis on usually) will result in a pass play.

6. Missing the snap

Most of the time, it isn't an issue for a quarterback to catch a snap from his center since they would have practiced it a gazillion times. But sometimes, bad things happen.

Now that you know some of the very basic football terminology, let's move on to something more sophisticated. Stay tuned for the next post on basic football schemes and strategies.

In the mean time, check out www.behindthetouchdown.com for more about football.