Inside the Game: Strategies and Tactics of NFL Teams
Football is all about using your feet and legs to control and pass the football to other players to eventually reach the goalpost. Sometimes players use their heads for receiving long passes. Although players often showcase their skills by dribbling past opponents, it's really a team game that depends on passing between teammates. Each position requires different skills and abilities. In NFL the team makes strategies and uses tactics to kneel down the opposite team. NFLbite is for streaming the games of this NFL season online.
Goalkeepers need to be agile and tall to block opponents' shots at goal. Central defenders are responsible for challenging opponents' attacks and must be strong and good at tackling and heading. Fullbacks are smaller but fast enough to keep up with speedy wing-forwards.
Midfielders, play in the middle of the football field and play the most important part. They can have a range of skills. Powerful ball-winners are great at tackling and running, while creative playmakers can hold the ball and make accurate passes. Wingers are fast and can make crossing passes to provide goal-scoring opportunities for forwards.
Forwards can be of two types. The players who are good with the ball in the air and those who are quick with their footwork. But no matter what they are good at, they should be able to score goals from any point and angle.
Tactics of NFL Teams
Tactics play a crucial role in planning NFL matches. They involve creating a playing style that interlinks a team's formation to a particular approach. Such as fast or slow-paced tempo, attacking or defending, short or long passing, and team play or individual player play. Team formations exclude the goalkeeper and specify the positions of all players.
Defenders lead from the first, followed by midfielders and attackers. Early teams favoured attack-oriented formations that emphasized individual dribbling skills. In the late 19th century, the Scots introduced passing. Preston North developed the more cautious 2-3-5 system. As playing skills and tactical knowledge improved, effective playing systems emphasized teamwork and deliberate passing. The rough kick-and-rush style of English footballers is now discouraged in today's advanced NFL games. The NFL craze is going high this season. Watch live streaming of NFL games on NFL streams.
Strategies of NFL Teams
Every football team has a unique playing style and approach towards the game. The skills of individual players may influence the approach, or the players may be selected to meet the strategy. Mostly these strategies are used by teams in NFL.
Tune in to NFLbite to see how different teams are using different strategies.
- Offensive Football Strategy
- Defensive Football Strategy
- Special Team Strategy
Offensive Football Strategy
Some football offensive teams emphasize the running game. The offensive line will be selected based on how well they can block runs. Receivers and tight ends are frequently adept blockers as well. The backs will also be selected based on their ability to rush and block runs. The ball-control offense is another name for a run-oriented offense.
Running takes time away from the clock and allows their defense team to take a break. Running teams can keep the score of the game down by turning the ball over less frequently.
Other football offensive teams emphasize the pass. The offensive line must be able to pass block in this situation. The players in this offense who are best at catching passes are the tight ends, running backs, and receivers. A strong passing quarterback is typically the centre of a football team that is pass-oriented. While using up less time, passing teams excel at scoring swiftly.
Most teams try to master the both rushing and passing strategy. A good balance between these two makes a team offensive and they can switch these strategies when needed according to the game situation.These are different types of offensive strategies used in the NFL:
- Option Offense
- Run and Shoot Offense
- West Coast Offense
- Air Coryell
- Smashmouth Offense
- Spread Offense
- Pistol Offense
- Pro-Style Offense
- Marty Ball
- Air Raid Offense
Offensive Players
Linemen
They are also called interior linemen and include:
Center: The centre player kicks the ball to the quarterback and is responsible for both pass and blocking.
Guard: Guards line up on both sides of the centre and are usually better run blockers than pass blockers.
Tackle: Tackles are the ends of the offensive line. They must have great hand and foot coordination to protect against passes. Right, tackles have the same responsibilities as left-handed quarterbacks.
Backs
They line up behind the quarterback hence named backs. Backs are the most important players on the offensive field. They are involved in running, blocking, and sometimes catching passes.
Quarterback: The quarterback is responsible for leading the offense and needs to have the ability to read defenses quickly and accurately and throw the ball to the next player.
Fullback: Fullback is usually bigger and more physically strong than other running backs, and is more involved in blocking than in running or receiving.
Halfback: The halfback is in charge of receiving passes, running the ball, and occasionally throwing the ball on trick plays.
Receivers
Receivers are the ends and backs of an offense, ranging from zero to five. They can be tight receivers or tight ends. They are the fastest and most agile players on the team. Their main job is to catch passes and run after the catch. They are also effective blockers and can act as running backs on trick plays.
Defensive Football Strategy
During a game, the team playing defensive can run the most different plays. As a result, they have a variety of techniques and formations to choose from depending on how the other team side starts playing. The defensive blitz is a typical defensive strategy in which five or more defenders attack the quarterback.
Another prominent approach is the prevent defense, which employs the defense with an extra defensive back, forcing the offense to make short passes rather than long ones. Because an offensive team can change positions on the fly, the defense must be familiar with their best configuration to counter the opposing team. In NFL, each team memorizes dozens of plays.
Stream to NFLbite to see different defensive strategies played by teams in this NFL season.
- Defensive Blitz
- Man-to-man
- Tampa 2
- Zone Defence
- 5-5-1 Two-level Defence
- 46 Defence
- 5-5-1 Two-level Defence
Defensive Players
Defensive Line
It is made up of defensive nose guard, defensive tackle and defensive end.
The defensive line is in charge of preventing the offensive line from opening up running lanes or sacking the quarterback. Defensive linemen line up in front of the offensive line, with the defensive nose guard aligned across from the center, the defensive tackle aligned against the guard or center, and the defensive end aligned just outside the offensive tackle.
DTs are the biggest and most powerful players on defense, while DEs are the fast player. They are better at rushing the quarterback than stopping the run.
Linebackers
Linebackers stand behind the defensive linemen or set themselves up on the line of scrimmage, with responsibilities such as stopping the run, rushing the quarterback, or dropping back in pass protection.
Defensive backs
Defensive backs include cornerback or safety. They are responsible for covering the pass but can also be involved in stopping the run or quarterback rushing. They are designated as strong safeties or free safeties, with strong safety playing closer to the line, matching up against tight ends, and being more involved in the run.
Special Team Strategy
Special teams squads play only one play at a time, and their strategy revolves around kicking and returning the ball. The players playing special team strategy can show kick-offs, free kicks, field goal attempts, and punts.
Special team's strategies are simple. The kicking team seeks to pin the ball as deep as possible in their opponent's territory or to score a field goal. On a scoring attempt, the other team attempts to run the ball back as far as possible into the opposing end zone, preferably scoring a touchdown.
Special teams on the other hand, play for odd situations, such as a fire call allowing to attempt a pass in the circumstance of a poor snap. The kicking play teams may be relied upon to gain a first down.
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