Aussie guide to NFL and why ‘tired complaint’ must be dropped
Every gridiron position is as unique as a chess piece, with the head coach the one moving the pieces, setting the strategy for, usually, the offence or the defence, whilst the role the head coach does not take is handled by the offensive or defensive coordinator.
That is the first thing to understand before the Los Angeles Rams meet the San Francisco 49ers on Friday in Melbourne.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones works out during practice in Melbourne. AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Next to nothing that happens on that NFL field will be accidental.
The second is to drop the tired complaint about stop-start play.
Nobody says drag racing is slow because it is 100 per cent explosive power for a few seconds. If football is Formula 1, and NRL and AFL are NASCAR or V8 Supercars, then these NFL athletes are the biggest engines built for explosive power.
The pauses are not the absence of the sport. They are the tactical and physical reload.
For Aussie sports fans keen to understand the game at the MCG, here is how it all works.
The Offence
Behind the offensive line of blockers sit three ‘backs’. Think of the one nearest the line only being a quarter of the way back and, if you know American money, President (formerly General) George Washington is on the quarter. That is your quarterback, the field general.
The halfback, also called tailback or running back; think of him as the half-sized back who carries the ball. Contrary to the "half", he lines up all the way back.
Fullbacks are rarer now. He is the full-sized back and, contrary to the "full", sits between the quarterback and halfback for short-yardage runs, more often throwing the block that springs the halfback.
The wide receiver is exactly what it sounds like: as wide out as possible, and most likely to receive the ball by pass.
Then the offensive line, five men who decide more games than they get credit for.
The centre is the linchpin. He snaps the ball to start the play, much like a rugby league play-the-ball, with the quarterback as dummy half.
The guards, left and right, are guarding the quarterback from opponents smashing through the middle.
The tackles, left and right, stop the defence from tackling your quarterback. Left tackle is Jordan Mailata’s position at the Philadelphia Eagles, and it is the premium job: against a right-handed quarterback, it protects the blind side where a tackle could lead to a season ending injury.
The defence
It sounds counterintuitive that the defence attacks the quarterback, but they do it to defend their own end zone, the in-goal of rugby union and league, so the offence cannot score.
The defensive end lines up at the end of the line and tries to destroy the quarterback, or whoever has the ball if it is handed off.
The nose tackle has a similar job but goes right up the middle (where one’s nose is…). The defensive tackle, similar again, lines up opposite the offensive guards. Stopping the ball progressing is the goal.
Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers warms up. Getty Images
Just like the offence, the defence has backs behind its line. The middle, or inside, linebacker is exactly what he sounds like: behind the line in the middle, stopping catches there and, if a run gets away, forming the first line of defence. The outside linebacker does the same, lined up outside him.
The cornerback, and no, not a quarterback, plays in the corner opposite the wide receiver. Cover these speedsters, smack the ball down and, better yet, make the interception.
The last line of defence is a safety, so put them there to be safe. The free and strong safeties play deeper than the corners, cleaning up when a receiver beats his man or a runner breaks the linebackers.
Special teams
Kicking and punting are different jobs.
The kicker kicks for points, with the ball held on the ground by a holder and snapped back by a specialist long snapper. It must be kicked off the ground to count: a three-person job, long snapper to holder to be booted by the kicker. The exception is the drop kick, booted off the bounce with no holder. Effectively extinct; Doug Flutie in 2006 was the last. If you see this, you’ve been a part of history just by watching and knowing.
The punter takes the snap from the long snapper and punts (boots) it, like an NFL version of the AFL drop punt, as far downfield as possible without reaching the end zone, because the ball comes back out under NFL rules.
When you punt, you have agreed to give the ball away; the point is bad field position for them and, should they muff the punt (try to be mature… it means to touch the ball but not take and maintain control) then you can get the ball back. This is different from a fumble where you had control and lost it.
And no, you cannot be onside to field the ball off a punt. That is Canadian gridiron, rugby union and rugby league.
Punting is where most Australians go because of the nature of AFL football. Darren Bennett went from Melbourne to San Diego. Ben Graham captained Geelong before being the first Aussie to play in the Super Bowl. Many more have been trained at Prokick Australia under Nathan Chapman since most go to the NCAA where they can get a scholarship and education for their talents before having a crack at the NFL.
Next up, how to watch (and enjoy) the big game.
