Your Crush...The Quarterback

As promised yesterday, in order to understand the inner workings of a defensive line I have decided it would be best played out in a common Friday night scenario: attending the same party as your crush. We have all been there before, we go to a party, we see our crush and he is surrounded by 10 other girls all vying for his attention. It sucks right...but have no fear the same plan you set up with your girls in order to catch his eye, is the same type of play defensive men call in order to get to the opposition's Quarterback.

The Scenario:

It's Friday night, you have just had one of the longest weeks of your life and all you want to do is go out with your girls and unwind. You just got a Facebook message from your crush about an awesome house party happening only 10 minutes away and you immediately sharpie it into your planner. Sitting on Cloud 9, because your crush not only acknowledged you but he took the time to personally invite you to the house party, you call up your 10 best friends and you all prepare for your big night out.

With the help of your girl friends you look smoking for the big party. You have on your favorite party dress, your hair and make up is fierce, and you are wearing the new pumps you just got yesterday, nothing can shake your confidence tonight. Ready to get the night started and really wow your crush you and your girls all head out for the party. You arrive right as the party is heating up and you immediately spot your crush across the room....surrounded by 8 other girls and even more coming through the door. You stop in your tracks and turn to your girls who have already spotted the major issue and you all decide to regroup outside and figure out how best to tackle this problem.

While inside the house you were quick to survey the room and really take in your surroundings so as you step outside with your girls you are confident that you can figure out how to get to your crush and make all of those other girls obsolete. You take the reigns once outside and you and your girls come up with a fail-proof plan with each person having a key responsibility once you go back inside. You are acting just like a Middle Linebacker acts in football, you surveyed the house, figured out the best way to get to your crush, and then relayed that message to your girl friends. In football a Middle Linebacker is responsible for surveying the field and seeing how the opposition lines up and then telling his defensive counterparts what play to run in order to get to the Quarterback quickly and keep them from gaining yards. The Middle Linebacker is the "Quarterback of the Defense," and draws up the plays for the defensive line.

Once back inside, your girls immediately jump into action. Six of your girl friends were quick to notice that they knew 6 of the girls standing in front of your crush. In order to help you get to your crush they are best used as decoys. They go up to the girls that they know and immediately strike up a conversation distracting them completely from your crush. You see immediate success, 6 of the girls around your crush are now completely out of the picture as your friends talk their ear off. In this sense, your 6 girl friends are acting just like the Defensive Line in football, this includes tackles, guards, and Linemen. During the game the Defensive Line is responsible for distracting the offensive line and keeping them from protecting their Quarterback. Just like your girl friends distract the 6 girls by talking to them, the Defensive Line distracts the Offensive Line by hitting them and drawing them out of the play thus allowing you to get to the Quarterback.

However, while your 6 friends have been a tremendous help in clearing your path to your crush, there are still 2 other girls keeping you from your prize, not to mention all of the girls that keep coming through the door. Have no fear, you still have 4 of your closest friends right by your side to help catch your crush's eye. The 2 girls still by your crush are the typical party girls: the ones that always try to be the center of attention and have to cling to your crush like their life depended on it. It's going to be hard to get them separated from your crush but you are confident in your friend's capabilities. Never to back down to a challenge, your 2 most outgoing friends jump right into action. They move fast and think on their feet, so quick in fact that before you know it they have managed to get everyone on the dance floor including the 2 people who were clinging onto your crush. These 2 friends act just like Cornerbacks in football. Cornerbacks are quick on their feet and are the big play makers on defense. They are the ones that you see making the crazy acrobatic jumps in the air swatting the ball away from a Wide Receiver. Your friends primary responsibility is to think fast, act quickly, and draw the girls away from your crush, or in football terms, break up the play.

Finally, your crush is by himself, for the time being. In order to help you get to your crush before another girl swoops in, your 2 remaining friends block the path to your crush. They focus on not letting the girls who are walking through the door get to your crush. They are your last line of defense in helping ensure that you get to your crush. Your 2 remaining friends act like Safeties on the football field. Safeties are the last line of defense and their sole purpose is to keep the big play from happening. For your girl friends, the "big play" they are trying to prevent is having more girls approach your crush before you can get to them. In football, the big play Safeties work to prevent, is the big pass play that gains 20, 30, or even 40 yards. So, with all of your girls in place and doing their respective duties, you are free to make your move right towards your crush. You push through the crowd and you finally catch the eye of your crush. You guys start talking and hit it off. Little did you know but you have a lot in common, and your knowledge of college football blows him away!

Isn't it crazy how confusing sport's broadcasters work to make football seem to the innocent bystander; when it can easily be decoded using simple scenarios. I hope this scenario has helped you understand how a Defense works in football and how their major mission is to get to the Quarterback and keep the other team from scoring points. Defensive Lines spend just as much time figuring out how best to attack a Quarterback, as we do on figuring out how to catch our crush's eye...see I bet you never thought you would have something in common with those huge football players you see!!

Stick with me ladies as we move through the trenches that is football. Next on the agenda is decoding and simplifying football penalties. We'll tackle questions like: What is an Illegal Shift? Why do they have to throw a little yellow flag? Why do coaches review plays? and everything in between!