Pop Quiz Part Deux Answers

So, how do you think you did on yesterday's quiz?  Look below for the answers:

1.       True or False:  A receiver must hold the ball with both hands for a catch to count.

FALSE:  The ball can be held in only one hand as long as the receiver clearly has control.

2.       What is the “plane,” and how do you break it?

The plane is the imaginary wall extending skywards from the front edge of the goal line; it is broken when any part of the football touches it.

3.       Which official on the field keeps the backup game clock?

The Line Judge

4.       True or False:  The ball has to travel at least 20 yards on a kickoff before it is legal for the kicking team to recover it and get possession.

FALSE:  The ball only has to travel 10 yards.

5.       A safety can be called against the offense when the quarterback commits an intentional grounding penalty in his own end zone.  What is another penalty that can result in a safety?

Holding, if it occurs in the end zone (usually by an offensive lineman).

6.       Who currently holds the following NFL records for a tight end:  most receptions in a single season, receiving yards, receptions, receiving touchdowns, consecutive starts and most seasons with more than 1,000 yards?

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

7.       True or False:  If the kick returner signals a fair catch but does not catch the ball, he may not block or contact an opposing player until the ball is touched by anyone.

TRUE; this is a 15-yard penalty.

8.       What is the name of the Redskins band leader who sold the rights to Hail to the Redskins to Texas oilman Clint Murchison?

Barnee Breeskin

9.       What former tight end, nicknamed “Wizard of Oz,” is currently the General Manager for the Baltimore Ravens?

Ozzie Newsome

10.   What are the three spots from which a penalty can be enforced?

The previous spot, the spot of the foul or the succeeding spot

BONUS:  What is it called when a drop of fudge holds a sphere shape when placed in a glass of water?

                The Softball Stage

Check your score against our grading scale:

0-2:  Fair Weather Fan  (You know we post more than recipes, right?)

3-5:  Equipment Manager  (I like my water with ice.)

6-8:  First Round Draft Pick  (You didn't look up the answers, did you?)

9-10:  Head Coach (Maybe you should write this thing!)

Jumping the Gun: Pre-Snap Fouls

If you have been watching football this season, you should have seen many instances by now where the offense and defense get in position at the line of scrimmage, the quarterback crouches down behind the center, begins his cadence and, just when the center snaps the ball, “TWEET!!!” yellow flags fly and the officials come running in, waving their arms to stop the play.

Not only do penalties at this point punish one of the teams, but they disrupt the flow of the game and can interfere with one team’s strategy.  For example, the offense may have been trying to get the next play off quickly before the defense can react to the last play or substitute fresh players.  Or, since a penalty stops the game clock, the offense could gain an advantage if it was out of time outs.

Today’s lesson is an introduction to the fouls that occur just before or at the snap, causing so much drama….   

1.  False Start:  We learned about this penalty when we discussed the offensive linemen.  All members of the offense, except for one player behind the line of scrimmage, are prohibited from making an abrupt movement once they are in a set position.  This abrupt movement must be one that can make the defense believe that the play has started.  The quarterback can actually commit a false start penalty if, as he calls the play signals, he makes any movement (like a strong head bob) that makes it look like the snap is about to happen.

2.  Too Many Players:  Each team is allowed only 11 players on the field at one time.   There are two fouls sprouting from this rule:  (1) having 12 players in the huddle; and (2) having too many players on the field when the ball is snapped.  You might be wondering why these are two different infractions.  After all, if there are too many players on the field at the snap, weren’t there too many in the huddle?  Not necessarily.  The teams might not huddle before a play.  Or, a player might have run onto the field at the last second before the snap, thinking that there weren’t enough players, or getting faulty instructions on the sideline.

3.  Neutral Zone Fouls:  The neutral zone is the space, measured as the length of the football, between the offensive and defensive lines before the snap.  No player on either team may be in the neutral zone before the ball is snapped.  There are three possible fouls that violate this rule (the first two are only called against the defense):

a.  Offside: This is when a defensive player crosses into the neutral zone before the ball is snapped and either does not get back to his side before the ball is snapped, or the movement prompts a member of the offense to commit a false start foul.  If the player is going to be able to reach the quarterback unabated (i.e., without being touched by an offensive player), the play is blown dead.  Otherwise, the officials will let the play continue and the offense can choose to accept or decline the penalty once the play is over.

b.  Encroachment: The foul is encroachment when the defensive player touches a player on the offense after crossing the line of scrimmage.

c.  Lining up in the neutral zone: Exactly what it sounds like—a player was in a set position inside the neutral zone.

4.  Delay of Game:  The offense must snap the ball before the 40-second play clock expires between plays.  If not, it commits a delay of game foul.  This is usually a 5-yard penalty, but if it occurs at the start of the game or the start of the third quarter, the penalty is 15 yards.  The defense can also be called for a delay of game if it appears that they are trying to prevent the offense from getting a play off in time (e.g., not letting a tackled player get off the ground).

5.  Illegal Procedure:  There are several fouls that fall under the category of “Illegal Procedure”:  illegal substitution; illegal motion; and failure to report change of eligibility.  Click here for a discussion of these infractions.

6.  Excessive crowd noise: If the officials determine that a crowd is causing so much noise that it interferes with the ability of the visiting offense to proceed with its play, the defense can be penalized with a loss of a time out or 5 yards if it has no more time outs.  As you can imagine, this violation is very rare. In fact, quarterbacks will probably refrain from complaining to officials about the noise, since this would only inflame the crowd more.

All of the above (except the delay of game foul, as noted) cost the violating team a 5-yard penalty.  Most of these fouls also stop the play either before or immediately after the snap.  However, the play will usually continue if the foul has been committed by the defense (except offside when the player is moving unabated to the QB), allowing the offense to have a “free play.”  When the play is over, the offense can then decide whether to accept the penalty against the defense; if the result of the play is more favorable than assessing the penalty against the defense, the offense will decline the penalty.

Pop Quiz, Hot Shot! (Part Deux)

So, think you’ve learned anything reading “Naptime Huddle”?  Here’s your chance to test yourself with our second ever pop quiz!  You’ll find the answers in the September posts:

1.       True or False:  A receiver must hold the ball with both hands for a catch to be "complete."

2.       What is the “plane,” and how do you break it?

3.       Which official on the field keeps the backup game clock?

4.       True or False:  Once the ball has traveled 20 yards on a kickoff, it is legal for the kicking team to recover it and get possession.

5.       A safety can be called against the offense when the quarterback commits an intentional grounding penalty in his own end zone.  What is another penalty that can result in a safety?

6.       Who currently holds the following NFL records for a tight end:  most receptions in a single season, receiving yards, receptions, receiving touchdowns, consecutive starts and most seasons with more than 1,000 yards?

7.       True or False:  If the kick returner signals a fair catch but does not catch the ball, he may not block or contact an opposing player until the ball is touched by anyone.

8.       What is the name of the Redskins band leader who sold Texas oilman Clint Murchison the rights to Hail to the Redskins?

9.       What former tight end, nicknamed the “Wizard of Oz,” is currently the General Manager for the Baltimore Ravens?

10.   What are the three spots from which a penalty can be enforced?

BONUS:  What is it called when a small amount of fudge holds a sphere shape when dropped in a glass of water?

Recipe Timeout: Cinnamon Snails

This week’s recipe is one I learned in sixth grade home ec class and I make it by memory and feel.  For that reason, you’ll notice that there are no measurements in the ingredients list; you’ll just have to plan based on how many you think you’ll make.  Sorry.  Despite that, these are incredibly yummy and easy (I thought I’d give you a break after last week’s recipe).  The kids can even help with the toothpicking and dipping!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread slices (each slice makes 3 snails)

Cream cheese

Melted butter (at least one stick worth), and a basting brush

Sugar and cinnamon, mixed (my guesstimate is about 1 teaspoon cinnamon per ¼ cup sugar)

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Spread desired amount of cream cheese onto one side of each bread slice.

Cut each slice lengthwise into 3 strips.  Roll each strip, with cream cheese on the inside, and secure with a toothpick. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until hot and toasted.

Melt butter while baking the snails so the butter will be nice and hot when they are done baking.  Brush each snail with the butter, then roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Enjoy warm.

Make sure you save some for yourself… These snails will go fast!

NFL Week 4 Games to Watch

This week’s games to watch feature the two remaining “Unexpected Undefeateds,” a revenge game ten years in the making, and a QB hoping toprotect his pretty face.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) @Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET on CBS): The start to the Buffalo Bills season is so incredible that their games will be included in the must-see list each week until they face their first loss. In addition to the curiosity of seeing how long Buffalo’s fairy tale can last, this week’s matchup also has some personality-driven drama since Buffalo’s QB-of-the-moment Ryan Fitzpatrick played for the Bengals in 2007 and 2008.

Detroit Lions (3-0) @Dallas Cowboys (2-1) (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET on FOX): NH will also be profiling Detroit’s games as long as they can continue the perfect start to their season. However, this week’s game against the Cowboys merits a spot on this list anyway. The Lions are running on all cylinders right now and the Cowboys have managed to win their last two in spite of themselves. With leadership and gutsy play, Cowboys QB Tony Romo has (painfully) lifted his team above their mediocre play to victory, but can the rest of the offense do its part?

New England Patriots(2-1) @ Oakland Raiders (2-1) (Sunday, 4:15 PM ET on CBS): This is the first time these two teams havemet since the infamous “Tuck Rule” play in the 2001 Divisional Playoff (I’ll have to do a post on this at some time). Let’s just say that the Raiders are still smarting from the outcome of that game and would love to get some payback. If the Patriots weren’t the Patriots, I’d say that they are still reeling from their stunning loss to the Buffalo Bills last week and are vulnerable against a Raiders team that’s playing like they’re actually taking themselves seriously this year. However, this is the Patriots and no other team in the League shakes off defeat (or victory) faster. I mean, they start preparing for next week’s game during the postgame shower. Look for the Patriots to be cool and collected and for the Raiders to try and put some hurt on Patriots QB Tom Brady.

New York Jets (2-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (2-1) (Sunday, 8:20 PM ET on NBC): So, you’re an NFL quarterback and you break your nose in a losing effort against the Oakland Raiders, a pretty physical team. Who would you least like to face the following week? Most, if not all, QBs would run for the showers, yelling “Aaaaaah! The Baltimore Ravens!” over their shoulder.   Well, that’s what Jets QB Mark Sanchez has to look forward to this Sunday night. This should be a good one, although the Ravens have more going for them than the Jets right now.   Linebacker Ray Lewis and the rest of the Ravens brutal defense will not be taking it easy against Sanchez, especially since the Jets will be using a rookie center because the starter, Nick Mangold, is out with a sprained ankle. The Jets need to improve their run defense (ranked 31^st out of 32 teams) if they can hope to contain Ravens running back Ray Rice, who’s having a decent season running and catching the ball.

Well, those are Naptime Huddle's must-see games for the week. Enjoy Week 4 everyone!

Did You Catch That?

By now, you may have seen multiple plays, either live or in highlights, where the receiver seems to defy gravity and the laws of time and space to make an incredible catch.  Some of these plays may have even been challenged by opposing coaches, or by the receiver’s coach when the pass was ruled as not caught, or “incomplete.”  In case you weren’t paying close attention, or haven’t seen one of these circus performances in action, today’s lesson covers what a player must do to legally “catch” the ball.

Making a catch under NFL rules is not as easy as you might think.  Let’s start with the definition of “possession,” taken from the NFL Digest of Rules.  In the Digest, “possession” is defined as “[w]hen a player controls the ball throughout the act of clearly touching both feet, or any other part of his body other than his hand(s), to the ground inbounds.”

See what I mean?

Here is what it means to “catch” the ball, broken down into three simple parts:

1.       The player must have the ball in one or both hands;

2.       Once the ball is clearly controlled by the player, he must then have both feet* in bounds; and

3.       As he falls to the ground, or goes out of bounds, he must continue to firmly control the ball in his hands.

Point 1 seems obvious, but there are a couple more details.  First, needs to catch the ball before it hits the ground (i.e., no catching of a bounce).  Second, he needs to have the ball firmly in his control; it can’t be bouncing around in his hands or spinning against his shoulder, etc.

Point 2 is where you can see examples of tremendous athleticism.  When a pass is caught and the receiver clearly has control of the ball, the officials will then look to the receiver’s feet to make sure they are in bounds.  If the play is at or near the sideline and the receiver’s momentum is carrying him out of bounds, he will channel his inner ballet dancer and point his toes so that they tap down or drag the turf for the completion.  Here is one example of a great grab by Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson at the back of the end zone:

Point 3 emerges from the language “throughout the act …” from the definition of possession.  Basically, once the player has caught the ball, he needs to continue to possess it as he lands on the ground and his momentum stops.  Remember the post on fumbles?  You may recall the axiom that the “ground can’t cause a fumble.”  In this case, the ground can most certainly cause an incomplete pass.  This is a fairly recent development in the evolution of the catch rule, and can lead to some seemingly harsh calls.  A case in point is the following play when it appeared that Detroit Lions wide receiver caught the winning touchdown:

Who knew that something that seemed so simple could cause so much heartbreak?  Welcome to football!

*College and high school rules only require one foot to be in-bounds.

Hail! To the Fight Song!

Over this past weekend, my husband, son and I traveled toAnn Arbor, Michigan to visit our house of football worship: Michigan Stadium, a.k.a. “The Big House.” Boasting the nation’s greatest seatingcapacity, you are part of the largest crowd watching a football game in America each and every time you see a game there. The attendance at our game, against San Diego State, was 110,707. After hearing the strains of the greatest fight song in the country, The Victors,* multiple times as Michigan beat San Diego State 28 to 7, I started wondering about the fight songs of NFL teams.

Most of us only think of fight songs as belonging to the collegiate world, where students and alumni yell/sing a common anthem to pump up their team, or as a not-so-secret handshake when crossing paths in the real world. But many NFL teams have fight songs, too. Some are very short and simple (see, e.g., New York Jets Keep Sailing Along), some are a bit longer (see, the 49ers' Football Polka), some reflect the local identity (see, Go Dallas Cowboys) and some use a familiar tune with shoehorned lyrics (see, the Buffalo Bills' Shout!). . .

. . . and some songs are older than dirt and have a history all their own. The Green Bay Packers own the oldest fight song, Go! You, Packers, Go!, first performed in 1931. It is just older than Hail to the Redskins, first performed for the Washington Redskins in 1938.** More than just a means to cheer on Washington’steam, though, Dallas Cowboys fans will be horrified to know Hail can be credited for the very existence of their beloved team.

In the late 1950’s, Texas oilman Clint Murchison was desperate to bring an NFL franchise to his state. His initial plan was to buy the Redskins from owner George Preston Marshall (the Dallas Redskins?!?), but Marshall changed the terms of the deal at the last minute and it didn’t happen. In revenge, Murchison bought the rights to Hail from Washington’s band leader, Barnee Breeskin, who wrote the music and had had a falling-out with Marshall. When Murchison later approached the League about expanding to Dallas, the only holdout owner was Marshall, who had been enjoying a large fan base as the only NFL team in the South. It turns out that the purchase of Hail was good for more than just needling the Redskins owner.  Murchison threatened to no longer allow the fight song to be played. Marshall loved the song so much (his wife had written the lyrics), that for the return of the song, he gave his approval for a team in Dallas.

So there you have it. That’s how a song that has carried the Redskins to literally hundreds of victories made it possible for the Dallas Cowboys to exist. Who knew?!? More details on this story and the sophomoric feud between Murchison and Marshall can be read by clicking here.

*You can feel free to argue that your college fight song of choice is better. It doesn't matter because you would be wrong. Period.

**Incidentally, Washington and the Baltimore Ravens have the only two existing marching bands in the NFL.