This bookish feature is an original by me! I had the epiphany for this the other day when I was writing out my 15 bookish confessions. (See #7) A lot of times I like to go “beyond the book” and do something that will connect me with the book and characters a little more. It will pop up on Mondays! Be on the look out for which books caught my eye and made me go beyond just reading it!
“In Texas, two things are cherished above all else- football and gossip.”
Cora Carmack basically had me cheering from my seat for a team from a book. That’s how much I was immersed in this story. It had me hooked and after reading it I couldn’t think about anything other than Dallas and Carson’s relationship… With each other and football. I’ve been waiting to write this post since I first read this and now the time is finally here!
With the 2014 season officially kicking off on Thursday September 4 with a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers, I know a many of the ladies are dreading losing their man to a game that they keep shouting at like they’re at the stadium. I know that’ especially true if you ladies have no idea what’s going on in said game. So, I’m going to do my best and try to help you out with a quick, fast, Football 101!
Now I’m not going to pretend to be an expert, but I do know a lot about football. Being from Texas, it’s sort of like religion. Sundays, Thursdays, and Mondays are all spent watching the game, hanging out, and just enjoying both the company and the game. So, I may not know every single thing and teach you ever detail in this post, but I WILL give you enough to fake it lol
FOOTBALL 101
- Let’s start with all the nicknames your beau may call the football. You may hear “the PILL“, “the ROCK“, or “the PIGSKIN.” I know they sound weird and maybe like something you may not want to take or have, but they just mean the ball lol
- The team that has the ball is the OFFENSE. The one that doesn’t is the DEFENSE. When the team has the ball, they have four downs until the ball goes to the other team. However, if they can reach the line of scrimmage during their downs and make a FIRST down again, their downs will start over. Lost me yet? Here’s a pic to help explain:
That yellow line is the line of scrimmage. In that shot they are measuring to see if they made enough yards to make that first down I mentioned earlier.
- The part of the field where they score is called an ENDZONE and when they score it’s called a TOUCHDOWN. There is another way for them to score after scoring the touchdown which is called the FIELD GOAL. The touchdown is worth 6 points and the field goals are worth 1. Players can also score a field goal if they are close enough to kick it and make it between the goal posts. If they make it this way, the field goal is then worth THREE points. (There are other ways to score like a safety, but we won’t go there… This is only the basics remember?!)
- There are many different positions that players hold on a football team, but here are some of the most memorable: Quarterback, Running Back, Receiver, and Lineman. The Quarterback is the one who will mainly throw the ball. The running back is mainly used to take hand offs from the Quarterback for a rushing play and to block. A receiver is mainly used to catch short and long passes from the Quarterback. A lineman (they can be both offensive and defensive) is used mainly to block. Here are some people that play those positions. You may not have known what they do, but you know the name:
Tom Brady= the QB, Arian Foster= the RB, and Desean Jackson the receiver.
- PENALTIES occur when someone does something against regulation. Most times it’s for Holding, Facemask, or incomplete pass. The referee will blow their whistle, throw their penalty flag (the little yellow pocket square looking thing), and then communicate to the crowd why they called the penalty. They show the crowd what the penalty is by using hand signs like these:
- Lastly, when everyone falls on top of each other, and it just looks like a huge mass of bodies everywhere, that’s called a TACKLE.
Well there you have it, the basics of football!
For those of you that would just rather READ about football, here’s some other YA/NA books that deal with football:
All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
WildCards by Simone Elkeles
OUT NOW!
All Broke Down by Cora Carmack
Available 10/28/14
And for those of you that just like to look at the cute football players, you need to check out Cora Carmack’s Instagram on Fridays! She has a thing called #FootballFriday…. Trsut me when I say you won’t be disappointed lol
Do you love football?
Will you use these basics and surprise your beau/husband?
Will you just read about football instead?
Have you ever had such a connection with a book that you had to go beyond just reading it?
Join me on Mondays with Beyond the Book!