Football Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies
Howie Long
with John Czarnecki
Football Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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ISBN 978-1-118-37648-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-37649-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-37647-8 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction
M illions of people across the United States and, increasingly, throughout the world are intrigued by football all types and levels of it. They may have even made the football season a ritual, complete with weekly traditions that may or may not involve secret chili recipes and favorite tailgating traditions. To fully appreciate that experience, you need to have a working knowledge of the game.
Football Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies gives you that knowledge so you can share well-timed high-fives with even the most ardent fan. For many people, football seems to be a complicated game. Twenty-two players are on the field at one time, plus a number of officials. From the intricacies of first down, second down, and third down, to the role of the quarterback and the difference between a safety and a snapper, even the most eager new fan can easily become intimidated. This book will help. After you break through that initial fear of being overwhelmed by football and what you dont understand, everything else about the game falls into place.
What You Can Do In A Day
The goal of Football Rules & Positions In A Day For Dummies is to help you understand the basics of football rules and the player positions. I outline the basics of the game; explain the rules; break down the offense, defense, and special teams positions; and describe the roles of coaches and other staff members.
You can read the chapters straight through and get an overview of the rules and who does what during a game; or you can focus on one aspect of the game say, the defensive line and then move on to the next topic after you understand that pretty well. How you use this book is up to you.
I use diagrams you know, those X and O things to show you what Im talking about when I describe lineups. Heres a key to what the symbols mean in the diagrams used in this book:
Foolish Assumptions
Heres what Im assuming about you: Youre interested in American-style football and want to get familiar with the sport so you can watch games, follow all the action, and enjoy football to the hilt.
Icons Used in This Book
To help you navigate your way through this book, I place icons in the margins. These little pictures point you to a particular type of information. Heres a list of the icons and what they mean:
When you see this icon, you know youre reading a piece of information thats especially important to remember. If you take away nothing else from this book but the paragraphs flagged with this icon, youll have a basic understanding of football.
Look for this icon if you want to know all the helpful tidbits of info that can make you a more informed fan.
Take a break from the text for a quick exercise designed to help you get a better grasp of football this icon shows you what to do.
When you see this icon, head to this books companion website at www.dummies.com/inaday/footballrules andpositions
. Online, youll find more-detailed information about topics that I cover in the book.
Chapter 1
Americas Greatest Game