| Every week at Pro Football Weekly, we receive a bunch
of e-mails from football fans around the country. Whether they’re trying to settle a
bet between friends or they’re just curious themselves, they look to us for
assistance. So, as a service to the loyal customer and fan, I’ve decided to collect
some of these questions and do my best to satisfy the hunger for knowledge. Q:
What does it mean when an announcer or analyst says a player "operates well in
space"?
When a player operates well in space, he does just that — he makes the most of the
open field with no one around him. A linebacker who is adept at backpedaling and dropping
off into coverage in a noncongested area or an offensive lineman who blocks well down the
field fit this category.
A player who just takes up space, on the other hand, is not necessarily a good thing.
Q: How many footballs are used in a game?
There are 24 balls authorized for use in an NFL game — 12 for each half. So why
does the league freak out and assess fines when one gets tossed into the stands?
Q: What is a stunt?
A stunt is a maneuver by two defensive linemen in which they alter their course toward
the opposing passer. They often will criss-cross each other’s path in the pass rush
in order to make it more difficult for offensive linemen to handle blocking
responsibilities.
A stunt is also something Chargers QB Ryan Leaf pulls on a monthly basis, making
teammates and front-office personnel cringe and have nightmares of saving draft picks and
drafting Randy Moss, Brian Griese, Fred Taylor, Charles Woodson or Sam Cowart instead.
Q: What are voidable years?
Voidable years represent the option a player and his agent can have at the end of a
contract. For instance, the final two years of someone’s six-year contract may be
"voidable," meaning the player has the right to essentially cancel the remainder
of his obligations to the team if he reaches various incentives. This is bad news for a
team because it must restructure a new deal with a new signing bonus or run the risk of
losing said player.
The term "voidable years" also represents the general sentiment of Bengals
fans, who feel their signed checks to secure season tickets should be voidable by October
on a yearly basis.
Q: Can you explain the "46" defense invented by Buddy Ryan and
currently used by the Titans at times?
The main priority of the "46" defense is to create mismatches by which the
defense has more pass rushers than the offense has blockers. This usually allows someone
to come free very early in the play to disrupt the offensive game plan.
The 46 defense is also the scheme used by the Rams, in which they pull out all the
stops in an attempt to hold their opponents under 46 points and give themselves a chance
to win.
Q: What are the gauze-looking pads on the the elbows of pro football players
playing on turf?
I’m guessing they’re some kind of protection from that nasty plastic grass
that has a tendency to make knees and elbows look like raw hamburger. Natural elbow pads
must be too constricting or going out of style, I guess.
Q: When you are waived or cut from a team, do you get to keep the jersey and
stuff?
It depends on how close you are with the equipment guy. The equipment is actual
property of the team, so the snaking of helmets or shoulder pads is probably not
appreciated. As far as jerseys to show the grandchildren, rank cleats or chewed-up
mouthpieces go, it’s doubtful teams will frown upon you packing your trunk with them.
Especially if you’re weeping uncontrollably. I would imagine that always helps your
cause.
Q: Why is the quarterback option not used in the NFL?
Quite simply, the option isn’t used because quarterbacks — those high-priced
highlight reels who garner attention with every touchdown or stubbed toe —
wouldn’t make it through a game. Sure, Donovan McNabb and Rich Gannon can elude
defenders and scamper with the best of them, but if the Eagles or Raiders had them running
the option, it wouldn’t be long before they’d be looking into a trainer’s
flashlight.
Q: What is a coverage sack?
A coverage sack occurs when the defense does a good job covering receivers, and as a
result, the quarterback has nowhere to throw the football and is eventually brought down.
Oftentimes, the pressure is not necessarily that good on a "coverage sack," but
the receivers’ inability to get open allows the pass rushers to fend off blockers and
converge on the quarterback.
A coverage sack also occurs when a smaller quarterback is engulfed in the arms of
several defensive linemen, gets completely covered up amid the opponent’s colors and
disappears like a bug under a size-14 shoe.
Q: What does it mean when an offense "max protects"?
Max protection is when an offense leaves its running backs(s) and tight end(s) in to
block on a passing play. Generally this means keeping everyone in to pass block except
two, sometimes three, receivers. Typically, this is done in an effort to protect either an
injured, inexperienced or immobile quarterback, but it does severely limit where he can go
with the ball.
"Max protection" is not when four offensive linemen take a play off in
hopes that the one named Max is able to stand in vs. the defense by himself and keep the
quarterback from taking a dirt nap. |
