Quarterback (QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time Center ( C) is a position in American football and Canadian football ( spelled centre in Canadian English) Lineman in American football. (See also American and Canadian football position names. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle. They initiate almost all plays by receiving the ball from the center, although occasionally teams will use a "direct snap" to another offensive player. Once the quarterback receives the snap, he can run with the ball, hand the ball to another player or attempt a forward pass.

At most levels, but especially at the college and professional level, the quarterback role is one of the most visible and important roles on the team. The quarterback touches the ball on nearly every offensive play and has a great deal of responsibility both in calling plays and making decisions during the play. While there is liberal substitution at most positions in football based on the play call and to minimize player fatigue, most quarterbacks are on the field for every offensive play leaving only for injury or when the game's outcome is no longer in doubt. Quarterbacks are frequently chosen early in the NFL Draft and often receive much more lucrative contracts than other positions. The NFL Draft is an annual Sports draft in which NFL teams select newly-eligible players for their rosters As of 2008, players in this position have won more Super Bowl MVP awards (22 of 42) than players at any other position combined. The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player or Super Bowl MVP, is an award given at the conclusion of the Super Bowl, the National Football League 's championship

Contents 1 Special tactics 2 Changing roles 2.1 Calling the plays 2.2 Dual threat quarterbacks 3 Jersey numbers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Special tactics

If quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible to change their play. For example, if a quarterback receives the call to execute a running play, but notices the defense is ready to blitz, the quarterback may want to change the play. In American football or Canadian football, a blitz or red dog is a team defensive maneuver in which one or more Linebackers or Defensive In order to do this, the quarterback will yell a special code, like “Blue 42” or “Texas 29”, which informs the offense to switch to a specific play or formation.

Also, quarterbacks can "spike," or throw the football at the ground, in order to stop the official game clock. For example, if a team is down by a field goal with only seconds remaining, a quarterback may spike the ball in order to prevent the game clock from running out. This usually allows the field goal unit to come onto the field, or attempt a final "Hail Mary pass". A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary play in American football is a Forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success However, if a team is winning, a quarterback can keep the clock running by kneeling after the snap. This is normally done when the opposing team has no timeouts and there is little time left in the game, as it allows a team to burn up the remaining time on the clock without risking a turnover or injury.

Changing roles

Calling the plays

Traditionally, quarterbacks have been responsible for calling the team’s offensive plays based on the defense’s formation, or game situation. In many team Sports defense or defence (see spelling differences) is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts calls all, or nearly all, of his team's plays using his no-huddle offense. Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24 1976 is an American football Quarterback who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. The hurry-up offense is an American football offensive style which has two related forms the "two-minute drill" and the "no-huddle offense" In order to choose the proper play, quarterbacks will often spend time rehearsing and studying pre-arranged plays during their team’s practice sessions. The actual play starts with a “snap”, an action where the offense’s center lineman gives the ball to the quarterback. A quarterback who receives the ball has the option either to throw it to a receiver, to hand it to a running back or to keep the ball in an attempt to run or “scramble” past the defense. A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield.

In recent years, the rise of offensive coordinators has promoted a partiality towards a scripted game plan. An offensive coordinator typically refers to the coach on a American football team who is in charge of the offense. The offensive coordinators and coaches will usually give the quarterback information via a built-in headphone in the helmet as to what to do before the play. Quarterbacks are allowed to hear, but not talk to, their coaches until there are fifteen seconds left on the play clock. ^[1] The quarterback will then relay the information to teammates and execute the plays. When the players are set in a formation, the quarterback will start the play by calling out a code word, a number or a combination thereof.

Dual threat quarterbacks

With the rise of several blitz heavy defensive schemes and increasingly quicker and faster defensive players, the importance of a mobile quarterback has been redefined. Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26 1980 in Newport News Virginia) is a suspended National Football League (NFL Quarterback under contract The 2006 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 12, 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. While arm power, accuracy, and pocket presence are still the most important quarterback virtues, the ability to elude or run past defenders creates an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in the team's passing and running game. Typically, a quarterback with exceptional quickness will be used in an option offense, which allows the quarterback to either hand the ball off, run it himself, or pitch it to the running back following him at a distance of three yards outside and one yard behind. This type of offense forces defenders to commit to either the running back up the middle, the quarterback around the end, or the running back trailing the quarterback. It is then that the quarterback has the "option" to identify which matchup is most favorable to the offense as the play unfolds and exploit that defensive weakness. In the college game, many schools employ several plays that are designed for the quarterback to run with the ball. This is much less common in professional football, except for a quarterback sneak, but there is still an emphasis on being mobile enough to escape a heavy pass rush. A quarterback sneak is a play in American football in which the Quarterback, upon taking the center snap dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward In American football, rushing has two different meanings Offense Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY Award -->

Jersey numbers

Although college and high school quarterbacks may choose any number for their jersey number, numbers 1-19 are by far the most common. In the NFL, quarterbacks are limited to numbers 1 through 19.

See also

• American football quarterbacks
• Canadian Football League quarterbacks
• List of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins

References

External links

• Sports Illustrated's 10 Best Journeymen
• Quarterback Drills - Football plays & drills resource for coaches & players.
• Quantum Quarterback - Quarterback info for all teams
• ArmchairGM's 100 Greatest Quarterbacks of the Modern Era

In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) In sports offense or offence (see American and British English spelling differences; pronounced with first-syllable stress also known as attack, is the In many team Sports defense or defence (see spelling differences) is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time Lineman in American football. (See also American and Canadian football position names. In American and Canadian football, a guard ( G) is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line In American and Canadian football, offensive tackles ( OT, T) are a part of the Offensive line. Center ( C) is a position in American football and Canadian football ( spelled centre in Canadian English) Lineman in American football. (See also American and Canadian football position names. Defensive tackle ( DT) is a position on the defensive line in American and Canadian football. Defensive end ( DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football. Definition The nose tackle is a defensive alignment position for a Defensive lineman in American and Canadian football Placekicker, or simply kicker ( PK or K) is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the A punter ( P) in American or Canadian football is a Special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and Kickoff specialist ( KOS) is a position in American and Canadian football. This article relates to Sports. For the Vietnam War bombing raids see Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II. In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center (though he could also be a tackle guard In American football the holder is the player who receives the Snap during field goal and Extra point attempts A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield. A halfback or tailback is an offensive position in American, and College football who lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible In American football, a fullback ( FB) is a position in the offensive backfield An H-Back (not to be confused with a Half-Back) is an offensive position in American football, and is also known as F-Back. In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage they A cornerback ( CB) (also referred to as a corner) is a positional role played by a member of the defensive team in American and Canadian Safety ( S) is an American and Canadian football position played by a member of the defense. Punt returner ( PR) is a position on Special teams in American football. In American and Canadian football, a kick returner ( KR) is the player on Special teams who is primarily responsible to catch Kickoffs A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) In American football, a nickelback is a Cornerback who serves as the fifth (in addition to the typical four defensive backs on the defense In American football, a dimeback is a Cornerback who serves as the sixth defensive back (fourth cornerback on defense In American football, a gunner (also often referred to as a "shooter" is a player on kickoffs and punts who specializes in running down the sideline very A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. Part of the confusion with American Football position names is that they are based on the role the player normally has in the offense rather than necessarily his position at the start

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