To help some of you that are new to the game I will be including a section each week on Football 101. This is a basic introduction to football taken from various sources on the internet.  I hope you find this information helpful.

THE OFFENSE
Whichever team has possession of the ball is the offense. While only the quarterback, the wide receivers and tight ends, and the running backs can legally handle the ball, it is the quarterback who is the leader of the offense.  He runs the huddle and tells the team which play to run. The plays are called by the coaches and are sent into the huddle from the sidelines with hand signals or from a player.

The offense uses many different formations to set their players to start a play.  The quarterback can handoff or pass the ball to a running back, wide receiver or tight end. The linemen, tackles, guards and a center, block for the quarterback and running backs. When a play is run all players work together to move the ball.

The formation the offense uses can sometimes tell you if they are going to pass or run the football. The formation can also tell you what side of the field the play might be run. Offenses use extra wide receivers when they need to pass the ball, or extra blockers and running backs when they need to run the ball.

Teams use different strategies to try and score. Some teams like to run the ball more than pass. Some teams prefer to pass. This all depends on the type of players a team has and the style of play the coach likes to use.

THE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
- The quarterback ("QB") passes or hands off the ball.
- The center snaps the ball to the QB and blocks the defense.
- 2 guards and 2 tackles keep the defense at bay.
- 2/4 wide receivers catch the ball thrown by the QB.
- 1,2 or 3 running backs take the ball and run with it.
- 1 or 2 tight ends block the defense and can also catch passes.

OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
Football calls for many different strategies in a game. The offense decides on a way to play and the defense does same. What plays are chosen and against what defensive formations are all part of the offensive and coaching strategy.

OFFENSIVE STRATEGIES:
1. Running game - This way a team can control the pace of the game. They can control the clock.  This is also referred to as a ball control offense.
2. Passing game - Teams with good quarterbacks and receivers like to pass. They move the ball down the field by throwing long or short passes.ses.
3. Two Minute Offense - This can be used when the game is in the last two minutes of either half. The offense wants to move the ball quickly down the field. Usually there is no huddle and the plays are called at the line of scrimmage. Most plays are run to the side line so the players can get out of bounds to stop the clock. If they do not get out of bounds they have to use a timeout. This stops the clock and they can get organized for the next play.
4. Play calling - Calling the right play at the right time can make all the difference. If the defense is expecting a run and the offense passes, a big play may result. A quarterback may call an audible if he sees that the defense is at a disadvantage in a certain situation.  The right play call can make a coach a genius while the wrong one can make him a goat.

COACHING STRATEGY
Teams have scouted their opponents and look for tendencies in the way they play defense and what they do in certain situations. For example if a team always blitzes on third and long, then the offensive coaches would call a screen pass or draw. Each offensive segment coach scouts their opponent to look for ways of running a specific play. The line coach watches for the way the defensive line rushes. He then plans out the blocking scheme. The backs watch the linebackers and secondary to see how they move and where they defend. He checks if they play man or zone defense. The receivers coach watches the backs and how they cover the receivers. All the coaches then meet as a staff and report their findings to the offensive coordinator. Then they come up with the game plan for the opponent.

To be continued next week...