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Because football is a high-contact sport requiring a balance between offense and defense, many rules exist that regulate equality, safety, contact, and actions of players on each team. It is very difficult to always avoid violating these rules without giving up too much of an advantage.
The rules of the sport strictly mandate the organization of the offense: there must be at least seven players on the line of scrimmage and no more than four players, known collectively as backs, behind it. The only players eligible to handle the ball during a normal play are the backs and the two players on the end of the line, known as the ends.
The offense is required to set up a formation before a play, subject to several rules: The formation must have at least 7 players on the line of scrimmage. [1] The 7 players are not required to be next to each other and may spread out across the width of the field, but this is rare; most offenses place at least 5 players together in a continuous line.
The Pistol can also feature the option play. With this offense, the quarterback has the ability to get a better look past the offensive line and at the defense. Pistol formations have gained some popularity in NCAA football, and in fact, variants of this offense were used by the 2007 and 2009 BCS National Champions, LSU and Alabama, respectively.
A football field as seen from behind one end zone. The tall, yellow goal posts mark where the ball must pass for a successful field goal or extra point. The large, rectangular area marked with the team name is the end zone. Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.
The "two platoons", offense and defense, are an integral part of the game today. Although professional football has uninterruptedly retained the two-platoon system since 1949, in 1953 the NCAA took the collegiate game back to the one-platoon system with new limited substitution rules, changes made ostensibly for financial and competitive reasons.
Typical offensive formation using the A-11. The A-11 offense is an offensive scheme that has been used in some levels of amateur American football.In this offense, a loophole in the rules governing kicking formations is used to disguise which offensive players would be eligible to receive a pass for any given play.
An option offense is an American football offensive system in which a key player (usually the quarterback) has several "options" of how each play will proceed based upon the actions of the defense. Traditionally, option-based offenses rely on running plays , though most mix in forward passes from an option formation as a change of pace.