Hello · The 2010 NFL preseason will kick off with the Dallas Cowboys facing the Cincinnati Bengals in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8, the league announced Wednesday.
· The trip to Canton, Ohio, means the Cowboys will play five preseason games this year, which will make it easier for them to fulfill their goal of splitting training camp between San Antonio and Oxnard, Calif.
· It also means camp likely will start around July 24.
· The Cowboys are contractually bound to train at the Alamodome through 2011, but owner Jerry Jones also wants the club to spend a portion of camp working out in Oxnard, Calif., where the team trained four times last decade.
Understanding football Lesson #2
The plays are directed by the quarterback, who is the on-field leader of the team. The quarterback usually runs the plays selected by the coaches, but if he sees something on the field that dictates a need for change, he can call an "audible" and change the play. The area around the quarterback is called the "pocket."
The ball is put into play by the center, which bends over and snaps the ball through his legs so the quarterback can catch it.
The center is at the center of the offensive line. There is a guard on either side of the center, and a tackle flanks each guard. Some plays will use a tight end on one end of the offensive line, and others will use two tight ends on opposite ends of the offensive line.
The offensive line's job is to block for and protect the quarterback so he can run the offense, and to open up holes for the running backs to run through. When a defender gets past the offensive line and tackles the quarterback, it is called a "sack."
The wide receivers flank the quarterback. Their job is to move down the field toward the end zone and make themselves open to receive a pass.
The running backs are positioned behind the quarterback. Some plays use one running back; others use two or three. Sometimes the quarterback will hand the ball off to a running back, or may pass it once the running back has moved downfield.
For each offensive team member, there is a corresponding defensive team member. In a man-coverage defense, defensive tackles and ends cover the offensive line, linebackers defend the pass and the run, cornerbacks cover the wide receivers, the strong safety covers the tight end and the free safety stops anyone who might get past him. In a zone-coverage defense, each defensive team member is assigned a zone and stops anyone who enters it.
The offensive team has four tries, or downs, to move the ball 10 yards for a first down. This process repeats until the offense scores or is forced to turn the ball over. Then the teams switch between offense and defense.
