| Quarterback |
Index for Quarterback |
Website Links For Quarterback |
Information AboutQuarterback |
|
The quarterback is a Position in the Offensive backfield of American and Canadian Football , directly behind players of the "line". He is generally the leader of the offensive team when it is on the field, responsible for initiating play by receiving the Snap of the ball from the Center . For that purpose he lines up behind the center. After receiving the snap, the quarterback typically attempts to pass the ball or hand it to another player, but on occasion will attempt to advance it by running with it himself. If the quarterback is Tackled behind the Line Of Scrimmage , it is known as a Sack . That description covers the so-called "T" quarterback, meaning the quarterback in the T and formations derived from it. This is far and away the most common usage; however, not all formations have a quarterback, and in those that do, the quarterback is not necessarily positioned to take snaps. The term ''quarterback'' has its origin in Scottish Rugby , wherein backfield players, according to their customary distance behind the forwards, were designated "quarter back" (i.e. 1/4 of the way back), "half back", and "full back". Eventually in rugby the English-Irish nomenclature prevailed, with halfback, three-quarters back, and fullback; in some places the term "five-eighths back" is used as well. Changing roles Quarterback Vince Young (center top of picture) charging ahead for a Touchdown . In College Football , quarterbacks often run the ball more than their professional counterparts.]] Traditionally the quarterback called the team's offensive plays while on the field, based on the flow of the game and a reading of the defense. The "plays" are pre-arranged and practiced plans the team will use to try to move the ball downfield. The play itself is given to the other offensive players in the huddle before the offensive team lines up for the "snap", which is the start of the offensive team's attempt to move the ball past the defense. From the high school level on up, quarterbacks often wear different colored jerseys than other players, to signify they are not to be hit by the defensive players during practice. These jerseys are often red, though other colors are used. In recent years, with the rising importance of offensive coordinators and their reliance on scripted game plans and the use of headsets, the quarterback now usually receives which play to call from the coach on the sidelines. During the 1996 Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboys owner Jimmy Jones fought to prevent QB/RB/WR/P Kordell Stewart from having such a headset, as he was not a traditional quarterback, unsuccesfully. Though quarterbacks occasionally change the play at the line of scrimmage, after viewing the Defensive Alignment , quarterbacks who routinely call their own plays have become rare, with Peyton Manning a notable exception (Manning's 2004 single-season Passer Rating of 121.1, a record, may have earned him that right). Prior to Peyton Manning, the last quarterback to call his own plays in this manner was the Buffalo Bills' Jim Kelly, who ran the "K-Gun", no-huddle offense during their Super Bowl heyday. If time is running out in a game and the team with the ball needs to score quickly, the quarterback will usually lead his team on a Hurry-up Offense , and will often call his own plays because there is no time for a huddle or to receive a play from a coach on the sidelines. The quarterback also often gets to choose the "count" of the Cadence for the Snap . The quarterback usually calls out the signal for the ball to be snapped and may optionally change the play at the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped by shouting out additional signals to the other players on his team. This is known as calling an ''audible''. A typical cadence might be something like, "Down, Set, Hut", where the ball is snapped on "Hut". If an audible were to be called, it would be shouted somewhere between "Down" and "Hut". A common way to call an audible is to call out a color and number. One color is designated by the offense to signal a true audible, known as the "live color", and the number tells which play will be run. An example is "Blue, 42". If blue were the designated color, play number 42 would be run. If blue were not the designated color, no audible would be made and the play called in the huddle would be run. For Strategy , the ball may be snapped on "Set" or after multiple shouts of "Hut" to catch the Defensive Team off guard. This is what is meant by the count of the cadence, or the "snap count". The quarterback may also use a hard count, where one word is yelled more loudly than the others. For example, it could be "down" "SET" "hut", "hut" being when the ball is actually snapped. The goal of this tactic is to try to draw the defensive linemen offsides. In the modern game, quarterbacks are typically evaluated on their passing statistics, including total yardage, completion ratio, touchdowns, and the ability to avoid interceptions. Up through the 1990s , most of the prominent NFL quarterbacks were "drop back passers", who typically took between five and seven steps behind the line of scrimmage immediately after snapping the ball to look for an open passing receiver down field. In recent years in the NFL, partially in response to more mobile defensive linemen and increased use of the "blitz" defense, there has been a resurgence in the importance of the "running quarterback", whose mobility, speed,and power allows him the opportunity to gain yardage by running around the outside of the defensive line, even after initially dropping back to pass. For example, in the 2004-2005 season Michael Vick rushed for 902 yards and 3 Touchdowns , while only passing for 2313 yards, 14 Touchdowns and 12 Interceptions . Although the emphasis of a quarterback's performance is still on his passing abilities, such running ability provides an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in the team's passing game. One of the first famous NFL quarterbacks ever to be known as a threat for both his passing and his running ability was Fran Tarkenton , who played in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s. Truths and Misconceptions One misguided view of quarterbacks is that they can "win" football games in a similar way Pitchers can dominate a game in Baseball . Tremendous emphasis is placed on a quarterback's win-loss record even though the quarterback position relies heavily on the play of teammates around them. This is true of Pitchers of Baseball as well, but not to the same degree. Baseball pitchers with the ability to strike out opponents with devastating fastballs or with specialty pitches (like the Knuckleball ) can control a baseball game in a unique way. Football quarterbacks, however, require five Offensive Linemen to protect them as they drop back, read the play of the defensive players, and deliver a pass to an area of the football field where they expect the receiver to be. This requires the line to block effectively, despite all manner of maneuvering on the part of the opposing defense, the receiver to run the route precisely, and the quarterback to deliver the ball perfectly in order for the play to result in positive yardage. If any one of those elements break down, the play could result in an incomplete pass or a Turnover , such as an Interception or Fumble . When football first became a professional sport in America, very few football teams passed the ball because of all the variables that needed to fall into place for the pass to work. Today, certain professional teams pass more than they run, such as the New England Patriots . Knowing this, it is incorrect to assume that a player like Trent Dilfer , who quarterbacked the 2001 Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory, is a better player than Dan Marino , who never played on a Super Bowl winning team in his career. There was once a period when people openly questioned whether or not a black quarterback could "win" a Super Bowl. Such ignorance was put to rest when Doug Williams quarterbacked the 1986 Washington Redskins in their Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos . Great Quarterbacks There have been several great quarterbacks that have played football in the college ranks as well as in the pro ranks. Some quarterbacks have dominant college careers, but are unable to replicate such success in professional football, such as quarterbacks Ryan Leaf , Andre Ware , David Klingler, Heath Shuler, Gino Torreta, Todd Marinovich and Chris Weinke . Great professional quarterbacks include Otto Graham , considered by many to be the greatest ever. While it is difficult to compare quarterbacking now with the play of quarterbacks in the early days of the NFL, that does not take away from the spectacular play of players like Graham, Sammy Baugh , and Y.A. Tittle . Johnny Unitas is another player many consider the greatest. He passed for over 40,000 yards in his career in a time when teams threw the ball less frequently than today. Other great quarterbacks include Bart Starr , Roger Staubach , Fran Tarkenton , Terry Bradshaw , Joe Montana , Steve Young , Dan Marino , John Elway , Warren Moon , Troy Aikman , and Brett Favre . In today's NFL, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are considered the best of their generation. Other great quarterbacks in today's NFL include Steve McNair , Donovan McNabb , and Matt Hasselback . Up-and-coming quarterbacks include Carson Palmer , Ben Roethlisberger , and Eli Manning . See for notable individuals. External links
|