Football Is in the Air
With this hot weather it is hard to even get that football in the air feeling, but it is here. Jasper County High School and Piedmont Academy start their football season tomorrow, August 19.
As a spectator, learning about football can be confusing especially at a live game where all you are hearing is the person calling the game over the loud speaker. Before, during and after a televised game you get all kinds of information.
Watching a live game, it is difficult to hear the quarterback calling the play. What is he saying anyway? Of course, he is not telling his players, “Ok, 84 run over to the 30 yard line and wait for me to throw you the ball.” This would be considered a suicide play.
While perusing a football dictionary, I found quite a few words and terms that just seemed crazy, but apparently in the world of football they serve a purpose. The old “hook and ladder” trick play where the receiver runs down field and then hooks back to catch the ball before passing it off to a teammate who receives the ball in a play known as a “flea flicker.” Hopefully, these players are good at faking and will escape the wrath of the opposing team.
“Jump Offside” is a common phrase you hear again and again. We just know what it means, that some player didn’t wait until after the end of the call when the ball is snapped to the quarterback. Is there a school that teaches the guilty party to give that Who Me look used in most sports. Neither the offside or snap terminology makes any sense in describing what is going on.
What are quarterbacks yelling? Why do they lift one leg? Peyton Manning was famous for yelling, “Omaha, Omaha.” Why? He says because it is 3 syllables, O-ma-ha. Ok. Aaron Rodgers often uses “Green-19.” Is that to alert a certain player? Green is for the Green Bay Packers and the 19 is homage to the year they were founded, 1919. Tom Brady uses a variety of words and phrases such as, “Alpha, Jaguar, Cougar, Cougar, Linda.”
And the reason given by football experts for lifting the leg at the end of the call originated when stadium crowds got so loud, the players couldn’t hear the play but they could see the quarterback lifting his leg.
Good luck to our local teams, Piedmont Academy Cougars and Jasper County Hurricanes.