Football Player Classifications

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In football, the shape and size of a player determines what position they will play. Football players come with a wide variety of strength and speed. Many believe only the tall, strong ones are suited for the game; however, this is simply not true. Each player has their own characteristics that give them certain advantages. It’s the job of the coach to recognize their player’s talents, and create a strategy that utilizes them. By examining their physical attributes, strengths, and weakness, players are organized into three classifications: skill players, linemen, and special teams. First, skill players tend to be quick and fast, but have a physically smaller stature. On offense, they are responsible for handling the ball and scoring points. The quarterback throws passes to these players as well as handing the ball off to the running back. Meanwhile, on defense they guard the opposing receivers and make tackles when needed to. Then, these classifications can be divided down into more specific positions. The skill positions on offense include …show more content…

Linemen are the ginormous men out on the field that do all the heavy work. Most of them seem overweight and look like they weigh a ton. Although, that fatty outer layer can be deceiving. Linemen look out of shape, but are deceptively sturdy and strong. It may not seem like much, but linemen do way more than just protect the quarterback. Of course they’ll protect the quarterback on pass plays. However, on run plays and defense they have an entirely different job. On run plays, the linemen have to open up gaps in the line or “holes” for the running back. This gives the ball carrier a place to run through in order to get down the field. The linemen are able to create these holes by using plays that tell them exactly where to go, and who to block. They go over these plays a great amount of times during practice so that they remember what they’re responsibilities

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