Football For Dummies, 3rd edition (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))

432 Pages·2007·5.79 MB·english

by  Howie Long

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Football
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
3
RD EDITION
by Howie Long
with John Czarnecki
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Football For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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About the Authors
Howie Longis a former Oakland/Los Angeles Raider
defensive end with eight Pro Bowl appearances, a Super
Bowl XVIII victory over the Washington Redskins, and
many other accolades to his credit. His size (6’5”, 275
pounds), combined with his speed, strength, intensity,
durability, and explosive quickness, set him apart. Long
retired from the NFL after the 1993 season.
Long currently is a commentator on the Emmy Award-
winning FOX NFL Sunday program, which is the most-
watched NFL pregame show in America. His previous television broadcasting
credits include ESPN’s Up Close,on which he had a regular segment discussing
current sports issues; HBO’s Inside the NFL;the weekly NFL Diary;NBC’s NFL
Liveas a guest studio analyst, and Costas Coast to Coast.He also wrote the
opening chapter to Bo Jackson’s book, Bo Knows Bo.
Long is no stranger to the limelight, as he’s been involved in many commer-
cials and campaigns for Nike, Hanes, Coca-Cola, and Pizza Hut. He also made
his big-screen debut in the action-adventure film Broken Arrowwith John
Travolta and Christian Slater and was featured in the 1998 film Firestorm.
At Villanova University, Long was a four-year letterman in football as a defen-
sive lineman. He was All-East and honorable mention All-American as a senior,
and was tabbed the Most Valuable Player in the 1980 Blue-Gray Game. He was
also a champion boxer as an undergraduate, and graduated with a degree in
communications in 1981.
John Czarneckihas reported on the last 19 Super Bowls and has consulted
for NFL Todayand currently for FOX NFL Sunday.A former newspaperman
with such dailies as the Los Angeles Herald Examinerand the Dallas Morning
News,Czarnecki is a frequent pro football contributor to Sportand Inside
Sportsmagazines.
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Authors’ Acknowledgments
From Howie Long:
First, I’d like to thank my wife, Diane, and my three sons for their support. I’d
also like to thank my former coach at the Los Angeles Raiders, Earl Leggett,
who taught me not only how to be a great football player but also how to be
a man. And I can’t forget my co-author, John Czarnecki, for all his hard work
and dedication to this project. Thanks also to my friends around the NFL,
Terry Robiskie, Hudson Houck, and Artie Gigantino, who contributed to this
book. Finally, I’d like to thank all the people at John Wiley and Sons who par-
ticipated in this project.
From John Czarnecki:
Thanks go to my proofreading wife, Vicki, and to my daughters for staying
clear of me on my bad days. To my mom, who knew that I would do a book
one day. To Ben, my computer expert, and Kathy, my transcriber, and John
and Mike at Clone Copy. To the coaches, Earl Leggett, Terry Robiskie, Fritz
Shurmur, Hudson Houck, and Ernie Zampese. To Barry Meier, my neighborly
coaching expert. To Artie Gigantino, a special teams/television expert. To
Garrett Giemont, a very special strength trainer. To two helpful workers, Don
Seeholzer and Bryan Broaddhus. To Ron Wolf, for all his insightful football
knowledge these past 15 years, and to my good friend, Peter King, for all his
advice. And to my best friend, Pat, for not calling me for three months. Finally
to Pam Mourouzis, our fine editor, who never raised her voice when I was
yelling (arguing) about anything. The calm in the storm!
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
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Copy Editor:Jessica Smith Proofreaders: Aptara, John Greenough,
Brian H. Walls
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Update Author: Peter Weverka
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Editorial Assistants:Erin Calligan Mooney,
Joe Niesen, and David Lutton
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance
Introduction.................................................................1
Part I: Football 101......................................................7
Chapter 1: America’s Greatest Game...............................................................................9
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Gridiron..............................................................................19
Chapter 3: Rules and Regulations..................................................................................35
Part II: Go Offense......................................................61
Chapter 4: The Quarterback...........................................................................................63
Chapter 5: The Passing Game.........................................................................................77
Chapter 6: On the Ground...............................................................................................93
Chapter 7: The Offensive Line......................................................................................113
Chapter 8: Offensive Plays and Strategies..................................................................127
Part III: The Big D....................................................151
Chapter 9: These Guys Are Huge: The Defensive Line..............................................153
Chapter 10: The Secondary...........................................................................................169
Chapter 11: Defensive Tactics and Strategies.............................................................185
Part IV: Meet the Rest of the Team ............................203
Chapter 12: The Kicking Game.....................................................................................205
Chapter 13: Coaches, General Managers, and Other Important Folks....................227
Part V: Football for Everyone.....................................241
Chapter 14: Armchair Quarterbacks and Other Fabulous Fans...............................243
Chapter 15: Youth Leagues and High School Football...............................................255
Chapter 16: College Football.........................................................................................267
Chapter 17: The NFL and Other Professional Football..............................................287
Chapter 18: Fantasy Leagues........................................................................................305
Part VI: Staying in the Game.....................................313
Chapter 19: The Mental Game and Motivation...........................................................315
Chapter 20: Conditioning, Training, and Diet.............................................................327
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Part VII: The Part of Tens..........................................341
Chapter 21: The Ten Greatest Defensive Players of All Time...................................343
Chapter 22: The Ten Greatest Offensive Players of All Time....................................353
Chapter 23: The Ten Greatest Coaches of All Time...................................................365
Chapter 24: The Ten Best Teams of All Time..............................................................375
Chapter 25: The Ten Most Intense College Football Rivalries..................................385
Appendix: Football Speak..........................................389
Index.......................................................................401
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Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................1
About This Book...............................................................................................2
Conventions Used in This Book.....................................................................2
What You’re Not to Read.................................................................................3
Foolish Assumptions.......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................3
Part I: Football 101.................................................................................4
Part II: Go Offense...................................................................................4
Part III: The Big D....................................................................................4
Part IV: Meet the Rest of the Team.......................................................4
Part V: Football for Everyone...............................................................4
Part VI: Staying in the Game.................................................................5
Part VII: The Part of Tens......................................................................5
Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................5
Where to Go from Here....................................................................................6
Part I: Football 101 ......................................................7
Chapter 1: America’s Greatest Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Why Football Is the Best...............................................................................10
Why Anyone Would Play Football................................................................11
How Television Helped Increase Football’s Popularity.............................12
Why the Super Bowl Is Number One...........................................................12
Why Millions Cheer Each Year for College Football..................................13
How Football Began.......................................................................................14
The rules get defined...........................................................................14
Grange helps to spread the popularity of pro ball...........................15
How the Football Season Is Set Up Today...................................................17
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Gridiron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The Big Picture: Stadiums.............................................................................19
Getting Down to Business: The Field...........................................................20
Field dimensions...................................................................................20
The marks on the field: Yard lines, hash marks, and more.............21
Field surfaces........................................................................................24
The things that sit on the field...........................................................25
Looking at That Funny-Shaped Ball.............................................................27
Meeting the Cast of Characters....................................................................28
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Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition
What Football Uniforms Are All About........................................................28
The jersey..............................................................................................30
Helmets and face masks......................................................................30
Pads........................................................................................................31
Shoes and cleats...................................................................................31
NFL uniform codes...............................................................................32
Chapter 3: Rules and Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
The Clock Is Ticking.......................................................................................35
Getting a Game Started..................................................................................37
Downs, Yardage, and Stuff.............................................................................38
How You Score Points....................................................................................39
Touchdowns..........................................................................................40
Extra points and two-point conversions...........................................41
Field goals..............................................................................................41
Safeties...................................................................................................42
The Roles of the Officials..............................................................................42
The officials’ lineup..............................................................................43
The instant replay challenge system.................................................46
Penalties and other violations............................................................46
Part II: Go Offense ......................................................61
Chapter 4: The Quarterback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
The Quarterback’s Job..................................................................................63
The Qualities of a Quarterback....................................................................65
Arm strength.........................................................................................66
Competitiveness...................................................................................66
Intelligence............................................................................................66
Mobility..................................................................................................67
Release...................................................................................................67
Size.........................................................................................................68
Vision.....................................................................................................68
Quarterbacking Fundamentals.....................................................................70
Stance.....................................................................................................70
Dropping back.......................................................................................71
Handing off............................................................................................72
Grip.........................................................................................................73
Calling Plays and Audibilizing......................................................................73
Quarterback Math..........................................................................................74
Chapter 5: The Passing Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
The Passing Game..........................................................................................77
Receivers.........................................................................................................78
Achieving the proper stance...............................................................79
Catching.................................................................................................81
Beating man-to-man coverage............................................................82