~ how to ~
Cool air. Pumpkins. Kids in costumes. Yes, folks, we love fall (in case you haven't been able to tell from all the autumn-themed posts on EI).
By the way, snow is in the Utah forecast for this week, but I'm not giving up on fall until after Halloween.
Anyway. It wouldn't be fall without the background noise of college and professional football. If you're like me and relatively fresh to the sport, you enjoy football and have the basics down (touchdowns, first downs, end zone, field goals). However, there are a few things you're a little unclear on. No worries -- EI has a resident football expert who's here to introduce a few terms. He happens to be my boyfriend, but no worries, he's totally qualified. ;)
Safety. The term "safety" can be confusing because it's also a defensive position. In this case, a safety refers to when an offensive team gets tackled in its own end zone. The defensive team is awarded two points and the offensive team has to kick the ball off to the defensive team.
Touchback. A touchback is when a kickoff that goes into the end zone is either knealt down by the receiving player or goes out the back of the end zone. On a punt, the ball just has to cross the goal line to be a touchback if it isn't caught by a player on the receiving team.
Blitz. A blitz is when the defense sends more than the normal amount of players toward the offensive side of the ball to try to sack the quarterback or stuff a running play. {Ash's note: "Stuff" means to allow the team little or no gain.} A blitz can lead to a big offensive play if it fails.
Instant replay. In the NFL, instant replay can be used for almost any questionable play. Each team has two challenges per game. The coach can throw out a red challenge flag if he wants the official to take a look a the instant replay. A coach will do this if he thinks the play could be reversed in his team's favor. If the coach loses the challenge, a timeout is taken away from his team. If two challenges are won by a team in a game, that team is awarded an extra challenge. During the last two minutes of each half, all replays are controlled by a replay official in the press box.