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Overview
New stadiums have been built, new stars have been born, and records have been broken since the last edition of Football For Dummies. This new edition is the fan's ultimate, up-to-date guide to all things pigskin. Perfect for new and veteran fans of the sport alike, it covers everything you need to be the most knowledgeable spectator in the stadium.
With deep explanations of every position, analysis of offense and defense, and detailed strategies for play, football legend Howie Long and established analyst John Czarnecki present the nuts and bolts of football for fans of all ages and experiences.
- Tackle football basics and enjoy America’s favorite sport
- Grasp the rules and regulations, positions, plays, and penalties
- Appreciate the different aspects of the game at the professional and college levels
- Learn about the latest NFL stadium technologies
Football For Dummies has something to offer fans of all ages, from peewees to the pros and everything between.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781119553007 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 06/12/2019 |
| Series: | For Dummies Books |
| Edition description: | 6th ed. |
| Pages: | 400 |
| Sales rank: | 197,776 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction 1About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Football 5
Chapter 1: America’s Greatest Game 7
Why Football Is the Best 8
Who’s Playing Football 9
How Football Began 10
Camp defines the rules 10
Grange helps spread the popularity of pro ball 11
How the Football Season Is Set Up Today 13
How Television Helped Increase Football’s Popularity 14
Why Millions Cheer Each Year for College Football 15
What Makes the Super Bowl Number One 16
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Gridiron 17
The Big Picture: Stadiums 17
Getting Down to Business: The Field 18
Field dimensions 18
The marks on the field 19
The playing surface 21
Goalposts and other on-the-field equipment 23
Looking at That Funny-Shaped Ball 24
Meeting the Cast of Characters 25
What Football Uniforms Are All About 26
The jersey 26
Helmets and face masks 28
Pads 29
Shoes and cleats 30
Chapter 3: Them’s the Rules (And Regulations) 33
The Ins and Outs of the Game Clock 33
The Coin Toss and Kickoff 36
Downs Plus Yardage Equals Excitement 37
Scoring Points 38
Touchdowns 39
Extra points and two-point conversions 39
Field goals 40
Safeties 41
The Role of the Officials 42
Referee 42
Umpire 43
Head linesman 43
Line judge 44
Back judge 44
Field judge 45
Side judge 45
Familiarizing Yourself with Referee Signals 45
Penalties and Other Violations 50
Looking at 5-yard penalties 51
Surveying 10-yard penalties 54
Recognizing 15-yard penalties 55
Identifying specific pass-play penalties 58
Disputing a Call: The Instant Replay Challenge System 59
Part 2: Go, Offense! 61
Chapter 4: The Quarterback, Football’s MVP 63
Taking a Look at the Quarterback’s Job 64
Determining What a Quarterback Needs to Succeed 66
Arm strength 66
Accuracy 66
Competitiveness 67
Intelligence 67
Mobility 68
Release 69
Size 69
Vision 69
Quarterbacking Fundamentals 70
Settling into the stance 71
Dropping back 71
Handing off 72
Getting a grip 72
Reading a Defense 73
Cover one 73
Cover two 74
Cover three 74
Cover four 75
Calling Plays and Audibilizing 76
Acing Quarterback Math 77
Chapter 5: The Passing Game 79
Getting to Know the Passing Game 79
Recognizing the Role of Receivers 81
Achieving the proper stance 82
Lining up correctly 83
Catching the ball 83
Beating man-to-man coverage 84
Defining Important Passing Terms 85
Looking at Passing Patterns 88
Getting into the Shotgun Formation 91
Chapter 6: Hitting the Ground Running 93
An Overview of the Ground Game 94
Meeting the Men Who Play the Ground Game 95
The halfback, a team’s principal ball carrier 95
The fullback, protector of the halfback 96
Exploring Running Back Fundamentals 98
The basic skills 98
The job description 100
The stances 101
The number one priority 103
Lining Up: The Formations 104
Split-back formation 104
I formation 105
Offset I formation 106
Walking through the Basic Running Plays 107
Blast or dive 107
Counter 107
Draw 108
Off-tackle 108
Pitch 108
Reverse 109
Slant 110
Sweep 110
Fly sweep 111
Stretch 112
Trap 112
Veer 112
Run-pass option 113
Chapter 7: The Offensive Line at Work in the Trenches 115
Looking Down the Line 116
Centers 118
Guards 118
Tackles 119
The Lineman Physique: Fat Guys Doing the Job 120
Understanding the Keys to Successful Offensive Line Play 122
The proper stance 122
A solid base 123
Leverage 124
Toughness 124
Repetition 125
Uncovering a Lineman’s Worst Offense: Penalties 126
Getting Acquainted with Blocking Terms 127
Chapter 8: Offensive Plays and Strategies 129
Offense Begins with Players 130
Specialized Pass Offenses 131
West Coast offense 131
Shotgun offense 132
Some Newfangled Offenses 134
The wildcat 134
The spread 135
The pistol 135
Beating a Defense 136
Battling a 3-4 front 136
Running against a 4-3 front 136
Defeating the four-across defense 138
Beating press coverage 139
Passing against a zone coverage 140
Attacking a zone blitz 141
Throwing the post versus blitzing teams 142
Wearing out a defense with the no-huddle offense 143
Gaining Better Field Position 143
Throwing a field position pass 143
Opting for possession passes 144
Moving downfield with play-action passes 145
Offensive Strategies for Sticky Situations 145
Deciding whether to gamble on fourth-and-1 145
Running the two-minute drill 147
Scoring Offenses 149
Making the best run play on the goal line 149
Scoring inside the opponent’s 10-yard line 149
Going for two-point conversions 150
Disguising a Successful Play 152
Part 3: The Big D 155
Chapter 9: These Guys Are Huge: The Defensive Line 157
Those Big Guys Called Linemen 158
A close look at the D line 159
The types of defensive linemen 159
What makes a good defensive lineman 161
D-line lingo 162
The keys to a defensive lineman 164
Linebackers: The Leaders of the Defense 165
What linebackers do 166
How linebackers operate 166
The types linebackers 167
Defensive Alignments 169
Sacks, Tackles, and Other Defensive Gems 170
Chapter 10: The Secondary: Last Line of Defense 173
Presenting the Performers 174
Cornerbacks 174
Safeties 177
Nickel and dime backs 179
Studying Secondary Tricks and Techniques 180
Doing a bump and run 180
Staying with a receiver 181
Stemming around 181
Making a Mark: A Good Day in the Life of a Defensive Back 182
The Problem of Pass Interference and Illegal Contact 183
Examining the Two Types of Coverage (And Their Variations) 184
Man-to-man coverage 184
Zone coverage 186
Eight men in the box 186
The Nickel 40 defense 187
Chapter 11: Defensive Tactics and Strategies 191
Choosing a Base Defense 191
Examining the Different Defenses 193
4-3 front 193
3-4 front 195
3-4 eagle 197
Dallas 4-3 198
Flex 199
Zone blitz 200
46 202
Over/under 4-3 204
Cover two (and Tampa two) 205
Tackling Tricky Situations 207
Stopping a superstar 207
Stopping the two-point conversion 207
Stuffing short yardage 208
Part 4: Meet the Rest of the Team 209
Chapter 12: Special Teams, Masters of the Kicking Game 211
Who’s Who on Special Teams 212
What’s So Special about Special Teams 213
Placekicking 214
Kicking off 214
Returning the kickoff 218
Kicking field goals and PATs 221
Blocking field goals and PATs 224
Punting 226
Setting up and kicking the ball 227
Meeting the key performers on the punt team 228
Reviewing punt rules 229
Punting out of trouble 230
Examining the dangerous art of punt returning 231
Chapter 13: Coaches, General Managers, and Other Important Folks 233
A Team’s Fearless Leaders: The Coaches 234
Who does what on the coaching staff 235
The different coaching styles and philosophies 237
What coaches do when they’re not yelling on the sidelines 240
The Team’s Public Face: The Owners 242
An Owner’s Eyes and Ears: General Managers 243
The People Responsible for Finding Talent: Scouts 244
Keeping Players Strong and Healthy: Trainers and Team Doctors 245
Part 5: Football for Everyone 247
Chapter 14: Armchair Quarterbacks and Other Fabulous Fans 249
Deciphering the Announcers’ Slang 249
Following a Game on Television or Radio 250
Watching a game on television 251
Listening to a game on the radio 253
Attending a Game 253
Picking the best seats 253
Knowing what to focus on 254
Enjoying the halftime show 255
Keeping Up with Your Favorite Teams 255
The NFL Network and the NFL Redzone Channel 255
Internet sports sites 256
Fantasy football sites 256
Twitter 257
Mobile apps 257
Visiting the Football Halls of Fame 257
Chapter 15: Youth Leagues and High School Football 259
Determining When to Start Playing 260
Signing Up Your Kids for Youth Football 260
Pop Warner and similar programs 261
Punt, Pass & Kick 261
What Sets High School Football Apart 262
Rule differences 263
Style of play 264
Player lineups 264
Making the Most of the High School Game 265
Players 265
Coaches 266
Parents 266
Thinking Ahead to a College Football Career 268
Chapter 16: College Football — Where It All Started 269
Why People Love College Football 269
Big, Medium, and Small 271
Big-time schools 272
Small college powers 274
Examining College Conferences 275
The College Football Playoff 277
The selection process 277
The semifinals 278
The national championship game 278
The Heisman and Other Trophies 279
All-American and Other All-Star Teams 280
Chapter 17: Taking a Look at the NFL (And Other Professional Leagues) 283
The Birth of Pro Football 284
The NFL Conferences 285
The Pro Football Schedule 286
The regular-season games 286
The playoffs 287
The Super Bowl 287
Building a Team: It’s More than Drawing Straws 288
Drafting players out of school 289
Trading to get who you want 290
Going the free agent route 290
Status Is Everything: Determining Player Designations 291
The Business of Professional Football 293
Show me the money: Player salaries 293
The salary cap levels the playing field 294
Salaries are on the rise 295
Collective bargaining agreements 295
Big business and the television connection 295
Making the Players’ Health a Priority 297
Chapter 18: Playing Fantasy Football 299
How Fantasy Football Leagues Work 300
The Basics of How to Play 300
Starting a league 301
Choosing a fantasy football site 301
Drafting a team 302
Filling out your roster 303
Managing your team after the draft 303
Figuring your point total and winning 304
Tips for fantasy football success 305
Finding Information to Help Your Team 305
Part 6: The Part of Tens 307
Chapter 19: The Ten (Or So) Greatest Defensive Players of All Time 309
Doug Atkins 309
Dick Butkus 310
Kenny Easley 310
Joe Greene 311
Jack Ham and Ted Hendricks 312
Mike Haynes 312
Ken Houston 313
Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke 314
Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen 314
Jack Lambert 315
Dick “Night Train” Lane 315
Bob Lilly 316
Gino Marchetti 317
Ed Reed 317
Deion Sanders 318
Lawrence Taylor 319
JJ Watt 321
Reggie White 322
Chapter 20: More Than Ten Top Non-Quarterback Offensive Players 323
Larry Allen 324
Jim Brown 324
Earl Campbell 325
Tony Gonzalez 326
John Hannah 326
Don Hutson 327
Jonathan Ogden 328
Jim Parker 328
Walter Payton 329
Jerry Rice 329
Barry Sanders 330
Gale Sayers 331
Art Shell 332
Gene Upshaw 332
Chapter 21: More Than Ten Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time 335
Terry Bradshaw 335
Tom Brady 336
Drew Brees 337
John Elway 338
Otto Graham 338
Peyton Manning 339
Dan Marino 340
Joe Montana 340
Fran Tarkenton 341
Johnny Unitas 341
Steve Young 342
Chapter 22: More Than Ten Greatest Coaches in the History of the Game 343
Bill Belichick 344
Paul Brown 345
Joe Gibbs 346
George Halas 346
Jimmy Johnson 347
Vince Lombardi 348
John Madden 349
Bill Parcells 350
Knute Rockne 351
Don Shula 352
Bill Walsh 352
Appendix: Football Speak 355
Index 365
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