FOOTBALL 101- SPECIAL EDITION

Football 101 is usually reserved for the thursday spot but I heard something last night that sparked the need for a week 5 Special Edition. Last night my mom's friend informed me that while my mom was watching the Eagles game she inquired about the purpose of a field goal. At first I laughed and wondered how she lived with my dad for 25 years without knowing what a field goal was, but then i realized this may be a common question amongst women across America.

This reminds me of the day when i found out what the blue line was in professional hockey... changed my whole perspective.

THE FIELD GOAL: So the basic premise of defensive football is to stop the opposition from collecting first downs. Their goal is to prevent the opposition from gaining 10 yards and to force them to punt, getting the ball back for the offense. If the defense cannot stop a team from moving the football down the field, then their next task is to keep the opposition out of the end zone. A field goal is worth only 3 points, where as a touchdown is worth 6 points (plus one extra pt- totaling 7). If the offense is gettin close to scoring but cannot seem to get the touchdown on the first 3 downs (attempts), the next best option on 4th down, instead of punting the ball away, is to go for a 3 point field goal to at least put some points on the board.

Field goals become even more important during overtime. The first team to score in overtime wins. So all a team needs to do is get far enough down the field to put the kicker in a good position to snag those 3 game-winning points.

Stay tuned on thursday for Football 101- The Screen Pass.