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The Players
Football is played by two opposing teams, each fielding 11 players. Each
team tries to move the ball down the field to score in the end zone
defended by its opponents. During a football game the teams are
designated as the offensive team (the team in possession of the ball)
and the defensive team (the team defending a goal line against the
offensive team). Players involved in kicking situations are known as the
special teams. The 11 players of the offensive team are divided into two
groups: 7 linemen, who play on the line of scrimmage (an imaginary line
designating the position of the ball) and a backfield of 4 players,
called backs, who stand in various positions behind the linemen. The
lineman whose position is in the middle of the line is called the
center. On his left is the left guard and on his right is the right
guard. On the left of the left guard is the left tackle, and on the
right of the right guard is the right tackle; similarly, on the ends of
the line are the tight end and the split end. The back who usually
stands directly behind the center and directs the play of the offensive
team is known as the quarterback. In a balanced backfield formation, or
“T-formation,” the fullback stands behind the quarterback, and the left
and right halfbacks stand to either side of the fullback. Teams often
use wide receivers in the place of tight ends, split ends, halfbacks, or
fullbacks. Wide receivers line up on the line of scrimmage but wide of
the rest of the formation. The defensive team consists of a row of
linemen, who comprise the defensive line, a row of linebackers, and a
collection of defensive backs, known as the secondary. The defensive
line can use any number of players, though most teams use three or four
linemen. Defensive linemen principally are responsible for stopping the
opposition's rushing attack and, in passing situations, putting pressure
on the quarterback.
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