Football FOR DUMmIES ‰ 3RD EDITION by Howie Long with John Czarnecki 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page i 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iv Football FOR DUMmIES ‰ 3RD EDITION by Howie Long with John Czarnecki 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page i Football For Dummies ® , 3rd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. 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 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as per- mitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007926375 ISBN: 978-0-470-12536-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page ii About the Authors Howie Long is 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 Live as 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 Arrow with 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 Czarnecki has reported on the last 19 Super Bowls and has consulted for NFL Today and currently for FOX NFL Sunday. A former newspaperman with such dailies as the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and the Dallas Morning News, Czarnecki is a frequent pro football contributor to Sport and Inside Sports magazines. 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iii 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page iv 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! 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page v 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: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Stephen R. Clark (Previous Editions: Pam Mourouzis, Mary Goodwin) Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Lefevere Copy Editor: Jessica Smith Technical Editor: David Morton Update Author: Peter Weverka Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan Mooney, Joe Niesen, and David Lutton Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Layout and Graphics: Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Laura Pence, Alicia B. South Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Proofreaders: Aptara, John Greenough, Brian H. Walls Indexer: Aptara Special Help: David Lutton 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 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page vi 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 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page vii 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 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page viii [...]... Know about Football, from the Day Football Began to Today, I assume that you want to know what you need to know and not much more But, I do keep it interesting for those readers who may have slightly more advanced knowledge by throwing in tips and inside stories How This Book Is Organized Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition, is organized into seven parts Each part focuses on a major aspect of football. .. tips that can help make you a better player 5 03_125366 intro.qxp 6 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 6 Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition Look for this icon if you want information about becoming a more informed viewer, whether watching on TV or in person This icons points out tips and techniques that are particularly helpful for coaches If you’re a parent or coach of a younger player, these tips can help you either... your team after the draft 309 Figuring your point total and winning .310 Where to Find Information about Players .311 When Joining a National League 311 Tips for Fantasy Football Success .312 xv 02_125366 ftoc.qxp xvi 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xvi Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition Part VI: Staying in the Game .313 Chapter 19: The Mental Game and Motivation ... 381 Washington Redskins (1982–91) .382 xvii 02_125366 ftoc.qxp xviii 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xviii Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition Chapter 25: The Ten Most Intense College Football Rivalries 385 Alabama versus Auburn 385 Army versus Navy 386 California versus Stanford 386 Florida versus Georgia .386 Harvard versus Yale 386 Lafayette versus... Ball .27 Meeting the Cast of Characters 28 02_125366 ftoc.qxp x 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page x 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... into seven parts Each part focuses on a major aspect of football 3 03_125366 intro.qxp 4 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 4 Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition Part I: Football 101 If you’re a total newcomer to the game of football, this part of the book is a good place to start In this part, I talk about why football is the best game there is I also explain what all those marks on the field mean; tell you, in general,... 238 Trainers and Team Doctors 238 xiii 02_125366 ftoc.qxp xiv 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xiv Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition Part V: Football for Everyone 241 Chapter 14: Armchair Quarterbacks and Other Fabulous Fans 243 Following a Game on Television .243 Knowing what to watch for .244 Deciphering the announcers’ slang 245 Watching a Live Game 246 Picking... players, the fans, the coaches, and the television experts So don’t feel alone out there 03_125366 intro.qxp 2 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page 2 Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition About This Book I wrote this book to help you find out what you want to know about football Therefore, I don’t expect you to read every single page in order Sure, you can read the book from front to back if you want, but if you’d rather... 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... college football in detail; Chapter 25 describes ten of the fiercest college football rivalries How Football Began Just as many fans get caught up in the hype and hoopla of today’s NFL, many others love the game for its sense of tradition The game itself has endured for more than 130 years Games involving kicking a ball into a goal on a lined field have existed for more than 2,000 years American football . Page iv Football FOR DUMmIES ‰ 3RD EDITION by Howie Long with John Czarnecki 01_125366 ffirs.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page i Football For Dummies ® , 3rd Edition Published. surrounding the BCS 278 Football For Dummies, 3rd Edition xiv 02_125366 ftoc.qxp 5/15/07 7:03 PM Page xiv Recent Trends in College Football 278 Underclassmen