The Football Thread

[nuraman00]

I‘d tell you, but I’d have to kill you.

Can you be a spy for Halloween next year?

 

[MHSL82]

Is that the official name of the position? Or just his role?

Is there a spy on every single down?

No, I don’t know the position, it changes. The safety can drop down, but usually not because they’re deeper. The defensive end can, but they are often the one trying to sack the quarterback. And there are other positions that are technical that I don’t know very well. I have heard of all of them of course, I just can’t answer questions without looking it up and I don’t want to. But there is no position called the spy position.

Some quarterbacks are not very mobile, and so there would only be a spy when it is clear that they are so close to the end zone (or first down) that the quarterback may keep it.

For example, Peyton Manning almost never ran the ball. One of his famous plays is where he did run in for the touchdown, and he was running so slowly, but nobody was defending him because he never runs. You wouldn’t waste a spy on that. You would want an extra defender against the receivers or tight ends in that situation.

Again, the spy will still defend whoever is in his vicinity for a ball being thrown, or if the player with the ball is still running toward him. But they’re not gonna pay attention to somebody who they don’t believe is going to run and basically never for the whole game for those players. But for players like Colin Kaepernick used to, Mahomes on many plays, Lamar Jackson, and every play, etc., they would.

 

[nuraman00]

What does play action mean? What other categories of plays are there other than play action?

 

[MHSL82]

What does play action mean? What other categories of plays are there other than play action?

Play action is when the quarterback fakes a handoff to the running back but instead drops back to throw the ball. He technically could also run himself. One might ask, then isn’t every play play action? No because the quarterback doesn’t always take the hand off. Play maybe called play action in the huddle but when the quarterback decides to back up, he doesn’t fake it, and the defense mind is not play action because there was no fake. Even though the defense on every play have to guard for all possibilities. Heck, there are QBs who have punted the ball before, especially on third down and long.

Incidentally, I was having a conversation with somebody and I said he and the woman corrected “or she.” And I was thinking in the NFL, there are only hes. There hasn’t been any women or players who identify as anything else. I said, I believe that if you’re capable, you should be able to play regardless of gender, but until there is a woman in the NFL, saying he is ok. Of course, if we were talking about football in general, where people could play at recess, then one could use either.

 

[nuraman00]

Thanks.

Yes, if it's the NFL, it's he.

If it's a lower level, or recreational with friends, then any gender.

That is pretty cool that a QB has punted. What advantage did that give the team that was punting?

 

[MHSL82]

Thanks.

Yes, if it's the NFL, it's he.

If it's a lower level, or recreational with friends, then any gender.

That is pretty cool that a QB has punted. What advantage did that give the team that was punting?

Typically, the quarterback will only punt if the team does not feel that they will get a first down and they don’t want someone to return the punt. So it has to be a surprise. Now, if a quarterback has done it in the past, maybe the team knows as a possibility in certain situations, but it still doesn’t happen very often. I imagine there are times where the other team knows that, but they can’t dedicate a player to be so far away from the play in order to catch the punt because there’s always a chance or presumption that the quarterback will instead look for someone who is open. Sometimes this has happened on fourth down where the quarterback will take a risk if they think what will get them a first down is open, but if they don’t, they’ll just punt it.

The funny thing is when someone is 90 yards from the end zone and the quarterback throws a deeper pass on fourth down, it is better to not intercept the ball unless you know you can return it to the end zone or beyond the 10 yard line. I’ve seen plays where a defender will tackle his own teammate to stop the interception from occurring because if it’s on fourth down and the player doesn’t have a chance to return it, it is stupid to catch the ball because you’re down there and have further to go to the end zone.

 

[nuraman00]

Maybe. A part of me thinks if you have the lead, it's still better to intercept the ball, have possession, and control the clock.

So when the QB punts the ball, then does the team that punted the ball usually end up retrieving it?

Sort of like the same end result that the team that does an onside kick, hopes for? To end up retrieving the ball?

 

[MHSL82]

Maybe. A part of me thinks if you have the lead, it's still better to intercept the ball, have possession, and control the clock.

So when the QB punts the ball, then does the team that punted the ball usually end up retrieving it?

Sort of like the same end result that the team that does an onside kick, hopes for? To end up retrieving the ball?

Only on fourth down where is clear that the other team cannot complete the ball, because if you don’t catch the ball, you get the ball where the play started. So if team A has the ball, the 10 yard line has to go 90 yards to score a touchdown, if they throw an interception and you catch it at the 50 yard line, you have to go 50 yards to score. If they’re on the 10 yard line and they throw and you don’t interceptions the ball, you get the ball the 10 yard line. You could still score or run the clock out or whatever you want to do. And you would never take it from farther away just because you think you could then take more time off because you could always not convert a first down and get the ball back anyway.

Have you seen the times where a player is running towards the end zone and they go down on purpose because they want to keep the ball. If they score, doesn’t give them a better chance of winning, but it does make you have to kick the ball to the other team after scoring and that makes your team have to defend and that can cause injuries. If you can just go down and then run the clock out, that’s the safest thing for your team. There’s also times where scoring a touchdown could get you a lead, but then the other team has the ball where they could tie it. But holding onto the ball to the end and kicking a field goal or still scoring the touchdown, but with no clock left, the game is over. Sometimes you’ll get an announcer saying that the team who scored left too much clock for the opposing quarterback. Mahomes scored with 13 seconds.

 

[nuraman00]

Yes I remember the 13 second drive. The Bengals did nothing wrong.

You should be able to prevent a touchdown in 13 seconds.

 

[nuraman00]

Are Lamar Jackson and Nikola Jokic and Shoehei Ohtani the same player, for their sports?

Best player at their sport for the past several years.

 

[MHSL82]

Are Lamar Jackson and Nikola Jokic and Shoehei Ohtani the same player, for their sports?

Best player at their sport for the past several years.

I don’t view Lamar Jackson as the best player at their sport for the past several years. But I don’t have someone else either. I am impressed on his TD to INT ratio, though. As always, his running is great, but I don’t want to stereotype him. I will sat that some QBs have high totals because they keep the ball when close to the end zone and run it in. Lamar Jackson isn’t that. He can score starting from anywhere. He doesn’t have too many runs either (as some QBs bail on passes to run or are too prone to running). I think his coaches has had the right balance (compare that to Jalen Hurts from Philadelphia or Justin Fields where their coaches have reportedly limited their running too much). Ironically, Jalen hurts is one of those quarterbacks who have high touchdowns because when they get within a yard or two of the end zone, he keeps it.

 

[nuraman00]

Yeah I liked his low INTs.

 

[nuraman00]

I am trying to figure out if commentator Tom Brady gives credit to defenses, or if every good defensive play is a "miscommunication" by the offense.

 

[nuraman00]

Why are the Chiefs going:

Left to right in the 1st.

Right to left in the 2nd.

Right to left in the 3rd?


Shouldn't sides only be switched at the half?

Did the camera angle flip to the opposite sideline between the 1st and 2nd?

 

[nuraman00]

22 -21, late 3rd.

 

[MHSL82]

Why are the Chiefs going:

Left to right in the 1st.

Right to left in the 2nd.

Right to left in the 3rd?


Shouldn't sides only be switched at the half?

Did the camera angle flip to the opposite sideline between the 1st and 2nd?

They switch directions every quarter and the reason is because there are conditions like the sun shining or wind blowing that you want both teams to have the same factors basically hour to hour. On the coin flip, the team who wins gets to choose whether they choose now or choose later.

The team who loses the coin flip gets to choose which direction to start. Important, you either get to have the choice now or defer your choice to the second half. But you don’t just choose to kick or receive the ball. You choose whether it’s your turn to choose or whether you want the second half to be your time to choose. And then depending on that choice, you decide to get the ball first or kick first. every once in a while, a team will choose to kick the ball and that’s usually when the team does not respect the other teams offense. They think the other team will get the ball first and not get very far and so therefore they’ll get the ball pretty soon anyway. whereas if you get the ball first and you don’t succeed, then you give the other team a good position when you punt the ball.

You choose whether to decide now or decide the second half. Usually the team who wins the opening coin toss chooses to defer their choice to the second half and that means they get to keep the ball first in the second half.

One time a player accidentally decided to kick the ball and that meant he did not defer the choice - he chose to give the ball to the other team first AND give the other team the choice in the second half. So he kicked the ball to the other team and then the other team got the choice in the second half and the obviously chose to get the ball. So basically both times the loser of the coin toss got the ball first.

every once in a while, the camera angle will be different and so it’s confusing. As long as you know which direction they were supposed to go in, you just keep track of that. I’ve seen some games in basketball where the teams forgot or one team forgot, and the other team tricked the other side into guarding the wrong side and they got an easy layup.

 

[nuraman00]

every once in a while, a team will choose to kick the ball and that’s usually when the team does not respect the other teams offense.

To me, it seems like most of the time, the team that wins the coin flip, defers.

Seems like teams rarely choose to receive first.

 

[nuraman00]

They switch directions every quarter and the reason is because there are conditions like the sun shining or wind blowing that you want both teams to have the same factors basically hour to hour. On the coin flip, the team who wins gets to choose whether they choose now or choose later.

So the Chiefs won the coin flip and deferred.

So that means:

1st quarter: Bills choose to receive first, and chose direction right to left.
2nd quarter: Sides are switched, so Bills now left to right, Chiefs right to left.

3rd quarter: Chiefs chose to receive, and chose direction right to left.
4th quarter: Sides are switched, so Chiefs now left to right?

So it's possible for the 2nd and 3rd quarter sides to go in the same direction, like this?

Also, when a drive is continuing between the first and 2nd quarter, but the sides are switched, do they just start the 2nd at the opposite corresponding side, at the same spot it would have been?

 

[nuraman00]

When does the receiving team do a touchback and start at the 30, and when do they start at the 20?

 

[nuraman00]

One time a player accidentally decided to kick the ball and that meant he did not defer the choice - he chose to give the ball to the other team first AND give the other team the choice in the second half. So he kicked the ball to the other team and then the other team got the choice in the second half and the obviously chose to get the ball. So basically both times the loser of the coin toss got the ball first

Sounds like a Shaqtin A Fool JR Smith type moment.

Or something John Lucas III would have done.