Football

The Basic Elements of Football: What Makes a Great Team

Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Professional players usually start their career early and are part of school clubs, actively playing football. The NFL draft is the league’s official player recruitment, where college students get the chance to be recruited and debut as pro players.

Their foundation as football players is important to help them set foot in the league. If you’re a coach, you probably understand the weight of this responsibility in carrying out your students’ wishes. So, if you want to find ways to improve and figure out how to help your students, you must always go back to the fundamentals and review the roles and responsibilities of each player to enhance the formation better.

You must understand that what makes every football team great is because the players are aware of their roles and others go above and beyond for the sake of the group. They also motivate each other and lift the entire team if necessary. Here are key components of what makes a great football team.

The Players

To be a football player, one must be mentally and physically fit. Football is a contact heavy sport that requires its players to be strong and agile.

Offense

These positions are responsible for a team’s offense and protect the quarterback and receivers:

  • They usually play in the middle of the offensive line, where their primary responsibility is to block defensive players. With such a crucial role, they must possess the skill to assess defensive alignments and make crucial decisions under pressure.
  • Offensive Guard. These players protect the quarterback from the opposing team’s incoming defensive line and linebackers during pass plays. As guards, they must have the combination of tenacity, intelligence, and quickness to react to critical situations.
  • Running Back. They are the ones that receive the hand-off from the quarterback to line up as a receiver and are responsible for executing the rush play. Running back players must be able to visualize the team gaps and take necessary steps to block or receive passes and pick up as many yards as possible.
  • Offensive Tackle. Their primary responsibility is to block the opposing team’s running and passing and keep the defenders away from the player who has the football to score a touchdown. Offensive tackles must have the toughness and physical ability to block other teams while running.
  • The Quarterback is the most critical position on the offensive side. They are considered the leaders of the offense, and he’s the one that initiates action. He makes vital decisions like running the ball by himself, passing it to their running back, or throwing it with great power and accuracy. An effective quarterback must have decision-making skills, accuracy, and mental toughness.
  • Wide Receiver. These players are responsible for pass-catching. So they must be fast and run pass routes to receive passes. They must have the attribute to predict the gameplay and stamina to run from one area to another with great eye-hand coordination.
  • Tight End. They often play beside the offensive line or next to the tackle. They are often called to block passes and are allowed to catch the balls. Since they’ll stop and catch passes, it would be better to have tall players with excellent strength to catch the ball.

Defense

These positions are responsible for preventing the other team from scoring.

  • Defensive Tackle. They’ll rush to the passer and block any opposing players heading toward the center of the line of scrimmage. They must possess quickness to move in all directions and demonstrate extraordinary flexibility to maintain the proper leverage when defeating blockers.
  • Defensive End. Players are usually at the ends of the defensive line. Their primary role is to stop the attackers from running to the outer edges of the line of scrimmage.
  • These players position behind the defensive line to rush to the passer, protect their receivers, and defend against the run. They are usually placed in front of the tackles. Linebackers must possess versatile skill sets such as tackling, vision, and the ability to lead the defense.
  • These players will attempt to prevent passes from the opposing team by blocking the pass and catching the ball by themselves. One of the primary skills they should possess is the ability to make rapid sharp turns with proficiency in anticipating the quarterback and executing single and zone coverage.

Formation

As mentioned, to make an effective football player, they must have a great sense of responsibility with awareness of their roles. They must be able to execute their formation to work efficiently and maximize their chance of success.

Moreover, the fans and bettors usually judge the team by their players and the spread they have to cover. In professional sports, NFL spreads is the line they have to cover, which also determines the favorite and underdog of the game. The classification is influenced by various factors, but a few of which would be the formation and the past performances.

Preparing the formation relates to the team’s strategies and performs a grand scheme. One way you can put together a fantastic formation is by first determining the strengths and weaknesses of every player.

Final Thoughts

Playing football requires commitment and a great sense of responsibility. Since football is not a one-man-player team, every member should at least be able to communicate with their members. Although skills can be taught and improved as they train, they can be hard to acquire. Ultimately, their willingness to continue and win matters the most.