Xs and Os: Defensive and Special Teams Positions

by Arnaldo

Obviously after covering offensive positions, defensive and special positions were to follow.  A lot of these positions vary depending on the defensive scheme but we'll get into that later.  For now we'll just assume a standard 4-3 defense.

Defensive Positions

Defenses have three levels, the defensive line, linebackers, and the secondary.  I realize the secondary is the third level of the defense, but the name comes from the term "the box" which combines the d-line and the linebackers making the secondary the second line of defense.  Keep in mind that the rules allow defensive players to move freely and line up anywhere on their side of the line of scrimmage, so where I say these players line up may change during an actual game but they will usually line up there.

Defensive Tackles and Ends.  The defensive line consists of these.  The term "tackle" refers to the offensive tackles, if not the act of tackling, so the defensive position is usually referred to as a defensive tackle.  The defensive line has one job: tackle whoever has the ball.  On pass plays they are trying to penetrate the pocket to tackle the quarterback (a sack).  On run plays they are still trying to penetrate the offensive line to reach the ball carrier.  How they do this does vary depending on the particular play.  Defensive tackles line up in a 3-point-stance on either side of (and facing) the center and usually try to penetrate the A-gap, the gap between the center and either guard.  In a 3-4 scheme, or any time a defensive tackle lines up directly in front of the center, he is referred to as the nose tackle.  Defensive tackles are usually the biggest players on the team weighing in between 300-370 pounds.

Defensive ends line up other outside the defensive tackles also in a 3-point-stance.  They push the tackles while also trying to get around them using their speed.  Defensive ends are usually smaller and quicker and there's a recent trend that is making them even smaller.  The days of 290 pound ends are approaching their end.  Now, most teams (especially in 4-3 schemes) use 250-275 pound ends that are quicker to get around the tackle to make a sack, and can still drop back into coverage on specialized plays (see Jarvis Moss, Derrick Harvey).

Linebackers.  The second level of defense are linebackers who line up, stay with me here, behind the d-line.  Their roles are typically more complex than that of the linemen.  In man coverage they are assigned an offensive skill player to cover, while in zone they have a tight zone to cover.  They're also the most common blitzers (whoever rushes the quarterback besides the d-line).   There are usually 3 linebackers on the field, two outside linebackers and a middle linebacker.  They also have nicknames to distinguish which linebacker they are.  The middle linebacker is referred to as Mike, the strong side linebacker is Sam, and the weak side linebacker is Will.  The strong side of the field is determined by which side of the offensive line the tight end line up , the opposite side is the weak side.  More times than not, the right side (from the offensive's perspective) is the strong side.  Furthermore, if the tight end goes in motion to the opposite side, the defensive assignments may shift over so that Sam doesn't have to move with him, unless that particular match-up is critical for the defense.  Linebackers are typically lean but very well built.  They are usually around 245-270 pounds.  The middle linebacker is typically largest of the three but doesn't necessarily need to be.

Cornerback.  The cornerbacks along with safeties make up the secondary.  Cornerbacks line up one on one against the X and Z receivers, in most schemes.  They must be among the fastest players on the team to keep up with the receivers.  Cornerbacks are not only responsible for not letting his assignment get into open space, if a pass comes his way he has to put himself between the ball and the receiver without interfering on the receivers ability to catch the ball (this would result in a pass interference call), and if he can, make an interception.  Cornerbacks are sometimes called on to blitz.  Because of their angle towards the quarterback, they often sneak up on him, so much so that former quarterback coach and head coach Jon Gruden calls them corner cats (see Ronde Barber, Darrelle Revis).

Safeties.  Safeties come in two varieties and there are usually only two on the field: strong safeties and free safties.  Strong safeties are usually stronger but the name derives from strong side, where the strong safety lines up behind the Sam linebacker (see Ahmad Black, John Lynch).  Free safeties line up loosely behind the strong safety but on the weak side of the field.  They typically are a bit quicker than strong safeties.  Safeties in general sit back and wait to see the play unfold before engaging.   If the play develops into a run, the safeties will engage to assist on the tackle from the "north" (the direction the offense is facing) so that in case the ball carrier escapes a few tackles, the safety is prepared to make the last possible tackle.  Safeties are taught to never find themselves behind the offense, but different coverage schemes might have them on unusual parts of the field and certain blitz schemes might utilize safeties as pass rushers.

Special Teams Positions

A football team usually has 5 special teams.  It could have fewer depending on how the personnel carry over, but there are 5 different needs for a special team: kick-offs, kick returns, punts, punt returns, and onside kicking/receiving (hands teams).  Field goals typically use the same team that handles punts but with a kicker instead of a punter, and a holder.  The majority of each special team is made up of starters and back-ups of various positions with the addition of a few specialized roles and a few specialized positions.

Let me begin by differentiating a role and a position.  A position is the type of  player who handles certain responsibilities.  A role is a job that could be filled by a certain position or various positions.  A quarterback is a position, the starting quarterback is a role. 

photo: photo-gator (Flickr)

Kicker.  The kicker handles the kick-off and field goal kicking.  A kicker's experience probably includes punting, but the two positions are specialized, so there is a designated kicker and punter.  Keep in mind punting involves receiving the snapped ball, dropping it and kicking, while kicking refers to kicking the ball from a tee or by a live place holder.

Punter.  Already kind of defined above, a punter is called upon on 4th down situations to strategically giving up a down to move the ball as far back as possible for the other offense to use.  In the event of a safety, a punt by the nonscoring team is required to return the ball back to the scoring team's offense from the 20 yard line, though a tee-less kick or a drop kick is also allowed.  College rules now allow a team to kick off the ball with a tee from the 20 instead.  Punters and kickers have no size significance.  Their skills lie solely on their abilities to kick, so usually they may vary in height but are usually very skinny.

photo: photo-gator (Flickr)

Long snapper.  The long snapper is a specialized position.  On punts and field goal tries, he will line up at center, and snap the ball back to the punter or holder.  This requires him to be a much more precise snapper than the starting center.  The long snapper also needs to see his snap for precision while a center snaps while facing forward.

Holder. The holder is a role.  It's usually filled by a punter or occasionally a backup quarterback.  On field goal attempts they catch the football from long snapper and quickly set it up to be kicked.

Punt/kick returner.  These are also roles filled usually by the fastest shiftiest player, typically a wide receiver, running back, or defensive back.  There is usually a separate punt returner than kick returner.  Some kickoff formations have two possible returners on both sides of the field.  Returners need to be fast, but the ability to read blocks down field, escape tackles, and make quick cuts and jukes are probably just, if not more, important than pure speed.

Xs and Os: Recognizing Penalties: Episode 1

by Dub

The stadium is roaring. The other team is on offense on its own 20 and just ran a deep pass play on 3^rd and 10. Forty yards down the field lies a yellow penalty flag. Your team’s number one corner back is walking back to the defensive huddle shaking his head and trying to speak to the referee. He throws his hands up in frustration and the referee queues his mic to let us all know, “Pass interference, Defense, Number 31, Automatic first down”. The crowd erupts, as a fan next to you is screaming and trying to get a “BULLSH*T” chant started among the others. You feel lost, not knowing what just transpired on the field, and you want to know how to avoid it for next time.

We here at Bruce and Albert know that watching football with your friends can be a little intimidating. No one wants to stand up and scream at the television, cheering and high-fiving his friends, or to rally the marching band to play the penalty song, only to find out the penalty is against your own team. This is our first installment of Xs and Os: Recognizing penalties. 

The first set of penalties we will discuss is one that hits rather close to home for us Gators & Buccaneers fans: interference calls on receivers and defensive players. There are a number of calls that can be made down field that could either negatively or positively influence your team's success. For all of our rules discussions, we will be using the 2011 Official Playing Rules and Casebook of the National Football League which can be found here.

I could just tell you what the penalties are, and have you look them up, but we'll explain here with some photos to better detail the rules. The most often called penalty down field is Defensive pass interference, often referred to among football geeks as "PI". As a precursor to all of this verbiage, though, we want to make very clear that none of these penalties will ever be called, NCAA or NFL, if the defensive or offensive player is watching the ball and making a play without looking back at the other player. This will be explained later.

As defined by the National Football League in Rule 8 Section 5 Article 1, "It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible receiver’s opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line". In short terms, Defensive PI occurs when the quarterback (or whoever is acting as the passer) throws the football to a receiver, and the defensive player makes contact to prevent the receiver from making a catch, before the ball arrives (see figure to the left). Offensive PI is the same, but the roles are switched; it occurs when a receiver is going down field and realizes he cannot make a play on the ball, so he keeps a defensive player from catching the ball through contact, which is defined as any touching between two players after the ball has left the hand of the quarterback, but before arriving at a catchable point for either player. These are usually tactics used by players when playing very aggressive coverage, or if there is possibility of the receiver or defensive player making a game changing play on the ball, like a touchdown or interception as the case may be. As a side note, contact down field between a defensive player and receiver to prevent making a catch is called Illegal Contact, if the ball has not left the hand of the quarterback. The distinction between the two is easy to remember, if the ball is thrown its interference, and if it’s not, it’s illegal contact.

While penalties are usually a sign of an undisciplined football team, pass interference is not always a bad thing. Now we’re going to talk about situational pass interference using some names you might know. Florida is playing against Tennessee, and Florida is on offense. John Brantley receives a snap and looks down field for Andre Debose. He throws the ball down field where Andre and a corner back are sprinting toward the end zone (for all intents and purposes this corner back will be referred to as CB). The ball is in the air, arching down toward the two players racing to make a game changing play. Debose jumps into the air to make a catch, but jumps too early, realizing he may have misjudged the ball. He realizes that, not only is he not going to catch the ball, but CB who ran slightly slower than Debose is closer to the ball and  looks to make a clean interception, and possible return. Mid-air, Debose grabs the defensive player and wraps his arms around him, dragging him to the ground, preventing CB from making the play. You know, though, that this will not result in a turnover, and instead just be a penalty. As a football team, you ALWAYS want to prevent a score, at whatever cost.

The other kind of down field “interference” penalty is Defensive Holding. Defensive Holding is defined in the NFL rulebook Rule 8 Section 4 Article 6“… defensive holding if a player grasps an eligible offensive player (or his  jersey) with his hands, or extends an arm or arms to cut off or encircle him”. This occurs when a receiver is running down field and a part of his body or uniform is held by a defensive player, who is trying to prevent him from making a play. This call is also very easy to understand, when you have the right signs. A player might be running slower than normal, or look hindered; this is a situation when you check the defensive player’s hands during the play and see if he is grasping any material or part of the other player. This is a call that, like pass interference, can be made to prevent a big scoring play. However, sometimes both of these plays are made by a defensive player who realizes he is beaten and is just making a last ditch effort to disrupt the play.

As we stated in our precursor, none of these plays will be called penalties if a player is “playing the ball” not “playing the man”. Here is a very quick explanation. Imagine two players standing on the goal line. We’ll use Andre Debose and CB again as our examples. Debose and CB are looking back downfield toward where John Brantley is standing and has thrown the ball. As the ball approaches the two players on its downward arc, Debose and CB bend at their knees and prepare to jump. Debose is in front (closer to John Brantley than the end zone), and uses hand to stabilize himself on the other player as he is in the process of jumping. They both jump and Debose makes the catch, immediately being tackled by CB. This is what is known as Incidental Contact, and will be a “no call” every time. The reason it is not called is because Debose is making a play on the ball without vastly changing the outcome of the play. While it may give him a slight edge, as long as he is looking at the ball and not making an obvious effort to give himself an advantage, he won’t get flagged.

Hopefully, now you will be able to watch a football game and know not only the penalties being called, but how to quickly recognize them, and whether or not they were situationally advantageous for your team. If you have any questions, please comment on this post and we’ll respond as soon as possible!

3 Reason Why We Can't Live Without the BCS

by Arnaldo

1. There's No Going Back.


The BCS was specifically designed to pit the No.1 and No.2 teams together in a national championship game so there would be no uncertainty about which teams is truly the nation's best.  You may think this is obvious but it really didn't start happening until the BCS was formed in 1998.  Its predecessor, the Bowl Alliance, and its predecessor, the Bowl Coalition, set out to do just that but couldn't get the Pac 10 or the Big 10 involved, which left the Rose Bowl to screw things up for everyone.  The result was the opposite of the goal.

...AM I RIGHT?!

The game of the century...

Loyal Gator fans may remember that in 1996, No.3 Florida played in the Sugar Bowl against No.1 Florida State because No.2 Arizona State was locked into the Rose Bowl with No.4 Ohio State.  Because of the Rose Bowl's refusal to lose one of its big money-making tie-ins, the national champion would have to be somehow sifted out of that mess.  Luckily, Arizona State fell to the Buckeyes while the Gators exacted revenge over Florida State for its embarassing loss just a month before, leaving no ambiguity as to whom should be crowned national champions.

College football wasn't always so lucky however.  Just the following year, No.1 Michigan was locked into the Rose Bowl against No.8 Washington State while the Bowl Alliance dubbed their "national championship match" No.2 Nebraska versus No.3 Tennessee.  No matter how decisively Michigan beat Washington State, they would still have to share the national championship with Nebraska.  Six years after setting out to match up No.1 and No.2, these systems only accomplished such match-ups three times.  Naturally, this left way for the BCS to form, kick the Rose Bowl in the ass and tell them to cut it out, and introduce computer formulas as part of their ranking system.

I bet Power T misses those days.

2. Coaches Can't Be Trusted, but Computers Can.


If you don't know the following names, you probably should: Jeff Sagarin, Jeff Anderson and Chris Heston, Richard Billingsley, Wes Colley, Kenneth Massey, and Peter Wolfe.  They're the seven most important men in college football, I don't care what ESPN says.  If the BCS were a medieval secret society, these men would be the council of elders.

Like this, but nerdier... ok, less nerdy.

They are the creators of the six computer formulas that make up a third of the BCS rankings and when compared to the other thirds, the Harris Interactive Poll, which is made up of a randomized 115 voters, or the USA Today Coaches' Poll, which is comprised up of only 59 of the 120 FBS head coaches, they clearly hold the most power.  Of course, however, they don't actually pick which teams they think are best.  Instead, these men create the six (two are a duo; adorbs, I know) formulas and algorithms that determine which teams are.  Needless to say, they are incredibly smart; two of them hold Ph.D.s (one in astrophysical sciences from Princeton).

But don't worry, they're not actually hell-bent on dominating college football with lairs of super computers and lab equipment (a disappointment, I'll admit).  Most of them haven't even met each other.  The egos alone would be too much to handle, claims Billingsley, and all of their formulas have fundamental disagreements, such as home field advantages, particular effects from strength of schedule, and how exactly to calculate early season versus late season game significance.  The point is that these formulas level one another out.  Also, keep in mind that the highest and lowest score for each team is thrown out.  What they do best is keep those cynical coaches in line.

Why are they cynical you ask?  Go to Les Miles' office and candidly ask him who he thinks is the best team in the nation.  No doubt he'll say his own team, and he clearly has the right to do so.  Now go ask Nick Saban.  He'll probably also say his own team, and he, too, has all the right to do so.  Now go ask Houston Nutt.  Hopefully he wouldn't say his 2-8 Rebels but to be honest, if I were in his position, I'd sure as hell would.  It's only natural to be a bit biased, and the same goes to all those former players and coaches voting in the Harris Poll.

Univesity of Oklahoma = OU?

To throw some proof into my argument (some people still use "proof"), go back to the 2008 college football season.  The No.2 Gators were pitted against No.1 Oklahoma Sooners, the team that despite being in a 3-way tie with Texas and Texas Tech for the Big 12 South, had one of college football's most successful offenses scoring a whopping 52.9 points per game.  Florida held them to only two touchdowns winning 24-14, beating two top ranked teams back-to-back.  No one questioned that the Florida Gators were the best team in the nation... except for one prick.

You mean this powerhouse?

Kyle Whittingham, Utah head coach, finished his season undefeated with a Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama and annoucned publicly he would vote his team No.1 and to hell with the consequences.  The catch is that the American Football Coaches' Association requires all coaches to vote the winner of the BCS National Championship Game No.1 in the final Coaches' Poll.  I'm not sure if he was fined, but I assume there was a reprimand of some sort (no one cared enough to write anything about it).

The point is that the computers serve as a check and balance for the human voters, much like the American Constitution does for our government, and you support America don't you?



3. To Play-off or Not to Play-off . . . The Answer's "Not". 


The simplest way to settle any multiplayer competition is with a tournament, there's no disagreement there.  The problem is that college football isn't at all simple, and the road to simplicity is paved with millions and millions of dollars that aren't yours and aren't going anywhere.

Like this, but green and not as happy.

In theory, with 120 FBS teams, you could have a seven game play-off with a few first round byes and then EVERYONE has a shot for the naitonal championship (I'd like to see President Obama's bracket then).  But doing so means teams would have to travel across the country every other week, fans would have to follow them, and rivalries would diminish.  After all, you can't sustain a rivalry if you don't play that team often.  Of course, some rivalries have been established for over a century, so diminishing said rivalries could result in a hot steaming mess of hostility.

Obviuosly this is an extreme case and a likely play-off system wouldn't exceed eight teams.  This would call for 3 extra games between the conference championship games and the national championship.  the problem here is that there is already an extensive system in place that also isn't going anywhere: bowl games.  One possible solution is the use bowl games as play-offs.  This couldn't be more disastrous in my mind.  I already mentioned how reluctant (and stupid) the Rose Bowl has been to loosen its conference tie-ins for the good of college football.  This idea would require almost all bowl games to lose their tie-ins and diminish in value altogether.  Bowl games make money from television deals and butts in seats at stadiums.  These butts sit down because it's there team's last game.  Say you're an LSU alumnus right now, but in this proposed play-off system, and say you had a good living with a moderate income.  Your team has to play in Atlanta, and then three other places before it can get to New Orleans for the national championship.  How many of these expensive trips would you be willing to make?  Maybe one if it's close, but the realistic answer is that you're gonna hold up for the big 'Ship.  Who wouldn't?  The good people who run these tgames and the not-so-good people who televise them know this.  The coaches and teams don't want to play more games, and the institutions will never let this radical new idea cut into their regular season revenue.

You mad, bro?

Also consider this, what happens to the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and all the other classic bowl games we've been watching for over a century?  They become stepping stones for the national championship.  The winner of the national championship would also be the winner of the Sugar Bowl, and the Rose Bowl, or whatever game was used as a play-off.  Where do you think that Sugar Bowl trophy goes in the trophy room?  Probably somewhere behind the Coaches' Trophy they won a week later.  And the prize money?  Are we gonna let one team clean house on all the $17 million payouts these games award?

You mean the Franklin American
Mortgage Company Music City Bowl
will keep its prestige? Thank God!

I once devised a system that in my opinion is the closes thing to a feasible play-off.  It's a play-off plus bowl game.  The top eight teams go into a home/away seeded play-off (more money for the schools instead of the BCS), where the losers of each level get selected to a major bowl game to be played the same week as the following play-off, with a bye before the national championship game.  All other bowl games are selected as usual.  This makes a win-win situation (at least financially) for everyone.  There are more games to be televised, the universities make more money hosting games, and the major bowl games are only slightly diminished.  They would, after all, be a loser's bracket in this scenario.



The reason I don't agree with (even my own) play-off system is mostly because of the potential for a loss of pageantry.  Any team should be excited to be in a major bowl game.  It should be hard to get there.  The idea of making them a loser's game changes the entire perception for hungry teams.  If you don't believe me see 2008 Alabama.  They lost to Florida in the SEC Championship and entered the usually prestigious Sugar Bowl with nothing to play for and lost to a non-automatic qualifier, Utah (as I mentioned before).  Sure Florida went into the same scenario the next year and won by quite a margin, but not all teams are coached the same, and not all teams play just for the sake of playing the game.  Also, there's the clinch problem.  Now, because there isn't a guaranteed clinch in this system, this shouldn't be a big or frequent problem, but it could still happen.  This year's LSU team could sit their starters, lose to Georgia, and they wouldn't drop below No.8.  Experts are saying they have such a bump over everyone else, they could lose and still go to the national championship at No.2.  Not only is the pageantry of college football being diminished, the conference championship would become completely insignificant in this scenario.

The moral of the story, kids, is that the BCS isn't evil; it's not even a bad idea.  Quite frankly, it's still the best idea we've had in the entire history of college football for crowning a national champion.  Any changes would just bring us closer to the No Fun League (good closing joke, huh?).

Twitter Update: Florida Gators

by Arnaldo

What are players tweeting about? Wide receiver Stephen Alli tells full back (athlete) Trey Burton he's craving a banana at 1:30 in the morning.  Strong safety Matt Elam replies, "huh?"

In other news, I'm starting to rethink this entire twitter update idea.

Xs and Os: Offensive Positions

by Arnaldo

This blog plans to have an "Xs and Os" series ofposts giving you an elementary approach to a certain topic, and graduallybecome more and more in depth.  They'llbe tagged "Xs and Os" so if you plan on studying up just type thatinto the search bar.

Thanks to our first request, this lesson plans to break downall offensive positions, their typical player size, and their function.

Let's begin with breaking down the sections of theoffense.  There are essentially two: theoffensive line, and the skill positions. I never liked the term skill positions because I truthfully believegames are won in the trenches and the offensive line is often more valuable.

The offensive line breaks down into 5 players of 3 positions.  They are tackles, guards, and a center.  The center lines up where the ball isplaced.  He is surrounded on either sideby a guard, who is then followed by a tackle. The five linemen have essentially the same function after the ball issnapped (by the center).  This may soundsimple but it requires a lot of focus and quick reflexes.  On run plays, they run block by pushingforward (or in a predetermined direction/fashion) and leading the ball carrier,and on pass plays they back up and form a "pocket" around the quarterback"pass blocking" the defender sent in to rush the Quarterback.

The center has the added responsibility of calling theoffensive line block schemes.  This meanshe's telling the rest of the line who to block and in which way, depending onwhere the defense lines up (unlike the offensive line, the defense can line uphowever they like).

Quarterback.  Thequarterback's chief job is to pass the ball to any of the other skillpositions.  Note that the offensive linemenare considered ineligible receivers, unless they line up in a differentposition and there are 5 other linemen as usual.  Also note that football allows one forwardpass per play, which is why those rare double pass plays requires the first oneto be backwards.  The quarterback alsolines up in one of three positions: under center, shotgun, or pistol.  Under center is pretty self-explanatory,where he is right behind the center reaching under his legs close to theball.  The shotgun is the other mostcommon position where the quarterback stands a few yards behind thecenter.  This has its benefits and risks(high or fumbled snaps).  The pistol(rare nowadays) is about halfway between the center and the shotgunposition.  The quarterback also calls thesnap count, hands the ball off on running plays, occasionally becomes a ballcarrier on option plays (we'll get to these later), and calls audibles (on thespot change of play) if he sees the defense is lined up in an unfavorable way.  Quarterbacks vary in size depending on theirrole but they are usually not welcomed in the NFL if they are not at least 6feet tall (see Chris Leak).  Strictpocket passers may look like they don't play football at all by just looking atthem (see Eli Manning, Tony Romo). Scramblers are usually more athletic whether it be built for speed (seeMichael Vick), strength (see Ben Rothlisberger), or both (see Tim Tebow, AaronRodgers).

Running backs.  The termrunning back covers several roles but mainly describes the half back/tail backor rare h-back.  Sometimes the fullbackwill be lumped in there if he's utilized as a ball carrier.  Running backs line up in several differentpositions in the backfield and don't always run the ball.  On passing plays they either help theoffensive line protect the quarterback (this is referred to as max protect) orthey may run a short route and be what's called a check-down or dump-offoption.  If the quarterback can't find anopen receiver, he'll throw to the check-down. They vary in size from the smallest players on the field if they're fast(see Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps) to fairly large and strong (see TrentRichardson or LeGarrette Blount).

Fullbacks.  Thefullback is a dying breed, more so in college football.  Some teams literally don't have one, and usea tight end or an undersized back-up tackle when they need a fullback.  He's physically something between a tight endand a lineman and are only really used in the I formation and variations of theI.  Lined up in front of the half back,he serves as his lead blocker.  Thismeans instead of having a predetermined defensive player to block, he will runthe half backs route ahead of him and block whomever gets in his way.  He is rarely handed the ball but athleticfull backs may become surprise receivers and ball carriers.  Loyal Tampa Bay fans will remember the successwe had running Mike Alstott in short yardage situations (and in regular yardagesituations line up at tail back) and Gator fans should recall the most recentFSU game where Hunter Joyer had some huge plays.

Wide receivers.  Thewide receivers line up on various positions on either side of the offensiveline.  They run a predetermined route andbecome a throwing option.  I feel thatpart is pretty self-explanatory.  Whatyou need to wide receivers are their positions on the field.  There are several.  Typically, the most skilled receiver lines upin the X position on the far left side of the field.  The second will go to the Z position on theopposite end.  These outside receiversare typically tall.  Most formations haveroom for at least 3 receivers.  The thirdlines up between either the X or the Z and the offensive line.  He used to be referred to as the split endbut is now commonly known as the Y receiver or slot receiver, they could be thesame size as X and Ys but small shifty receivers find success here too (see WesWelker).  There are formations that willhave up to 5 wide receivers, especially in a spread scheme.

Tight Ends. Tight ends line up tight against the end of theoffensive line, see how that works? They are used as mobile blockers on runplays like fullbacks, but are also used as receivers.  Tight ends vary in size.  They  canapproach the size of a fullback, or as thin as a wide receiver.  Typically their routes are short and aredesigned as a match-up problem for defenses. They should be strong enough to earn several yards after catch (YAC), orquick enough to outrun linebackers.  Anambiguously sized tight end can be a match-up nightmare for defenses (see AaronHernandez).

'11 Florida Gators: Who's to Blame?

by Arnaldo

 .500: in baseball if you're a .500 team you're having a good season, not a great one, but a good  one.  In the NFL breaking .500 means you're not a failure, no one is getting fired, but you still have a lot to work on for next year.  Only in top tier college programs is a .500 record considered failure; miserable, miserable failure.  It didn't stand for the '10 Gators, and they broke .500 by 3 games.  Fans were relieved when Urban Meyer retired, blaming him for somehow "losing his touch".  Funny enough, those same fans weren't too pleased to hear he'd be "losing his touch" at Ohio State in 2012. But 6-6 to end the regular season is no laughing matter.  Here's a list of who you can point your foam fingers at in violent anger.

1.  Yourself.  I know this whole thing sounds like a trick but follow me here.  First year coaching staff, transitions in both offensive and defensive schemes, and one of the most difficult schedules in all of college football.  After losing four in a row, when asked what was wrong with the Gators, Lee Corso replied, "nothing, they lost to four teams who have a combined four losses."  Do you know how many other teams had to face the top two teams in the nation back-to-back? One: Tennessee, and they're next to dead last in the SEC.  If you honestly had high hopes for this season, shame on you.  Then again, I will admit I didn't see a .500 regular season coming either.

photo: photo-gator (flickr)

2.  Lady Luck.  Yeah she can be quite a b... she's not nice.  It's no secret John Brantley hasn't been the shining star we'd all hope he could be but he's not all to blame.  Sure he threw three interceptions in one quarter of play against FSU but those are honestly uncharacteristic of him.  Up until then, he had only thrown 3 all year.  When he's been healthy and focused, he has the ability to be a little Tom Brady out there, picking at secondaries with ease. Refer to his short time in the Bama game where he had a very successful 11/16 before being sacked twice in a row in Hail Mary situations sending him straight to the locker room and out of the game.  Enter Jeff Driskel the top QB recruit in the country and like an unlucky charm, everything that can go wrong with him on the field, goes wrong.  I watched the poor 18 year old drop a snap onto his shoe, which bounced through the line of scrimmage and into the hands of a Bama defender.  There's no skill to be measured here, it's plain bad luck.  Injuries didn't stop there, several key Florida starters were injured in subsequent games leading to 9 Gators sustaining injuries during the FSU game.  No one can expect to win under these circumstances.

3. Not the coaching staff.  Curse your various deities please, but leave Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis out of your finger pointing.  Weis admitted he had to "teach himself" how to effectively run from the shotgun again, but game in and game out, I've watched Weis do something I've never seen an offensive coordinator do.  He adapts, then he adapts again if the circumstances demand him to.  First he's brought into a team that was built for a system he doesn't coach, not a problem.  He refits the players he's dealt into his system, and then reforms the system around whatever limitations he finds.  Florida has no big back type playmakers that are usually a very key ingredient in Weis' offense.  No worries, Weis impliments strong Is, weak Is, and full house sets to get the two tiny yet explosive speedsters into the outside as fast as possible.  This works like a charm up until Alabama whose linebackers are too quick and clog up the sides before Demps or Rainey can manage and the pass game seems defeated without a healthy Brantley.  Weis starts implementing the old spread option techniques because Trey Burton has had experience running them.  And for a time, they work great.  When Brantley returns but doesn't have the mobility to step back into coverage, he introduces the pistol formation to keep Brantley from moving too much in the pocket, while getting some charge out of our runningbacks and the merger has some success again until Brantley recovers going into FSU.  Count them up, Weis' pro, innovative shotgun and I variant running, spread option, pistol, wildcat (left that out).  Charlie Weis has had to work harder this year than he probably ever did with any other team just so we can win 6 games.  He's by far the most valuable individual on our team and without him, we'd be looking a lot like Ole Miss right now.

When can we expect results?  Give these geniuses 2 years.  It may sound like a long time, but I honestly don't think we'll be having this conversation on our way to Atlanta in 2013.

Welcome!

Welcome to Bruce and Albert, Xs and Os! As the description states, this blog is about football, mostly the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Florida Gators, but a wide variety of topics are open for discussion.  Our chief mission is to educate; to make a blog for those who may not understand all the complexities, rules, plays, and strategies behind America's TRUE pastime. Coaches and broadcasters constantly water down and simplify the game when talking to the public, or use their actual playbook terminology for few to understand. I find it kind of insulting, and have to explain a lot of things to the people around during a football game.  There is just no easy way to become a guru, and that's where we'd like to help.

Bruce and Albert, Xs and Os is made up of Brandon "Dub" Schreihofer and Arnaldo Lopez, two very loyal and ambitious fans, just like you.