American Football Positions and Tactics Quiz

Answer: Center

In American football, the center is part of the five-man offensive line, which also includes the left tackle, left guard, right guard, and right tackle. The offensive line is composed of ineligible receivers who may only block and cannot receive a pass.

They may, however, recover a fumble. The center is responsible for snapping the ball back to the quarterback from the line of scrimmage to start an offensive play.

Answer: Dime Blitz

A dime blitz is a play under the standard dime formation, often used to guard against passing plays. A dime formation uses six defensive backs as opposed to the four employed in standard 4-3 or 3-4 formations. The dimeback or "sixth defensive back" is usually a substitute cornerback or safety. Sending a blitz implies that the dime will actually attempt to rush the quarterback instead of guarding against the pass; if the offensive line does not pick him up fast enough, the end result may be a quarterback sack.

The other three plays are pass (Play Action All-Go, Screen Max Protect) and run (halfback counter left) plays that can only be called by an Offensive Coordinator.

Answer: Safeties

Safeties are generally the last line of defense. In standard formations, the safeties generally each guard one half of the deep field. The "strong" safety is generally the bigger defensive back and typically lines up on the "strong side" of the offensive line, where the tight end and right tackle usually start the play.

He is more likely to be helpful in run support. The free safety, in comparison, is smaller and faster and can therefore provide extra pass support. In standard "Cover 1" defensive calls, the free safety is usually the defense man that covers the deep field by himself.

Answer: Mike

Linebackers are generally given code names to distinguish where they stand at the start of play. The Sam linebacker, like the strong safety, generally lines up against the offense's strong side, and will sometimes cover the tight end on pass plays. The Will linebacker generally offers additional pass rushing abilities on the so-called Will blitz play, since the left tackle is generally the offense's best pass blocker, and a Will Blitz will tend to overwhelm the weak side.

The "Mike" is the middle linebacker and he is usually referred to as the "quarterback of the defense", as he is the one that receives the play calls from the defensive coordinator and may call audibles and adjustments at his leisure.

Answer: Draw

The draw play very often catches the defense off guard if executed properly, as the risk of a deep pass will immediately force the safeties and linebackers back. However, if the defense had already called a blitz, the draw play may be risky, as the hand-off time is significantly delayed when compared to an ordinary running play, and extra defenders in the backfield can result in the runner being tackled for a loss.

Answer: Read Option

The Read Option is a play often used with dual-threat quarterbacks, or quarterbacks that have the athletic ability to run with the ball for yardage as opposed to remaining in the pocket and throwing passes. The offensive line will leave one defender unblocked; this rusher will either believe the quarterback is handing off the ball or keeping it for himself; the quarterback must make the split-second "read" off this defender and choose the correct "option", and when executed properly, the ball ends up with the man the defender chose not to attack.

Answer: Punt Situations

The long snapper is a very specific position on special teams that snaps the ball to the punter. Because the punter needs more time to kick the ball as accurately as possible in order to pin the oncoming offense as close to their end zone as he can, a punter generally stands 10 or 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

While most centers can snap to a punter accurately, some teams use a different play, a special "long snapper" who "long snaps" to the punter, or in some cases, the field goal holder, who stands seven yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Answer: Spike

There are three ways to stop the clock in American Football: an incomplete pass, a time out, or stepping out of bounds while in possession of the football before being downed. A spike is technically an incomplete pass where the quarterback receives the snap and immediately hits it forward towards the ground, marking an incomplete pass, losing a down, but immediately stopping the clock.

A very risky play has emerged out of the "Spike" tactic, called a "fake spike" where the quarterback pretends to spike the ball and then attempts an actual pass. If the quarterback is sacked or the receiver does not manage to get out of bounds, the clock will continue to run, wasting precious seconds the team would have had after a spike.

Answer: Wildcat

The wildcat formation, by definition, is one where the quarterback does not receive the snap. Usually, the running back would receive the snap instead; on teams where the running back has a good arm, the coach may execute a "Pass Option" play, where the new "quarterback" can choose to pass or run out of the pocket himself.

In other situations, the coach may run specific halfback option plays where the running back effectively executes a "Read Option" against an unblocked defender and hands the ball off to another running back, or keeps it himself.

Answer: Nose Tackle

The free tackle is not a position in American football, while the right and left tackles are offensive players and therefore cannot (sanely) sack a quarterback. The nose tackle is the formidable median of the defensive line and is usually the heaviest player on the defense. Nose tackles are more common in 3-4 formations and attempt to get "Under the center" or "Under the guard" to get to the quarterback. Defensive linemen generally get the most sacks on the team, and nose tackles are no exception.