The wind whistles
past you as you make your way across the turf;
30-20-10- touchdown! Football is one of the most exciting and rewarding
sports you can play. Although you might not know this, football is a team sport
where everyone has a role to play in success. Some may get more attention or
have better stats, but everyone matters. That star quarterback couldn't play
well without his lineman protecting him and the receivers catching his passes.
One of the most important and underrated positions is that of lineman, both
defensive and offensive.
The offensive
linemen are the backbone of a great offense. They are the people in the
background doing the dirty work of holding the line. Holding the line in
football refers to pushing the defensive lineman away and protecting the
quarterback. Offensive lineman also have to open up holes for the running back.
This is when the offensive line pushes away the defenders and makes a hole for
the running back to go through, allowing the running back to get more yardage.
Defensive linemen
are also not given enough credit for how much they do. The defensive linemen push the offensive line
and collapse the pocket. Collapsing the pocket pushes the offensive linemen
back and potentially even sacking the quarterback. Another big job for the
defensive line is to put the running back in the dirt. Defensive linemen are
the first line of defense against a run; their job is to stop the other team
from getting the first down. A great defensive lineman like Reggie White can change
the course of a game.
Now for arguably the most underrated side of football, special teams. Special teams consist of punters, kickers, and kick and punt returners. Special teams have a role unlike any other on a football team. A football fan will have no problem remembering legendary kickers such as Adam Vinatieri, the highest scoring player in NFL history also known for winning four Super Bowls. Kickers’ jobs are to kick off the ball and to kick extra points and field goals. Punters are responsible for punting, which if done right can give your team an advantage by putting the opposing offense a greater distance from the endzone. Returners have the chance to score a touchdown or put the team in a good field position, making them more likely to score.
Legendary coach Bill Belichick once said, “On a football team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.” Football is a team sport where no one can be truly successful without every person doing their job, however unnoticed they may be.
-Cal
I liked the way you opened the writing piece. The first part is very important to get right otherwise no one would read it. I think you did well on this first part and it made me want to read more.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. without the offensive line the quarterback would go down immediately without someone blocking. This made me more invested to read this.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that much about football but this piece taught me about the value of teamwork. I loved how some football plays and positions were described so clearly that even if you know nothing about football you can still understand. An example of this would be, "Collapsing the pocket pushes the offensive linemen back and potentially even sacking the quarterback." I never knew what collapsing a pocket was but now I know because of the excellent details in this writing piece.
ReplyDeleteTeamwork does take you a long way in football. When you said "That star quarterback couldn't play well without his lineman protecting him and the receivers catching his passes." That really shows how teamwork is important in the game. I also really like how it was written in detail; especially in your introduction. Like how you said, "The wind whistles past you as you make your way across the turf; 30-20-10- touchdown!"
ReplyDeleteYou had a very good transition between thoughts, because they were all similar, as in underrated players, but different positions. You did this very well here, A great defensive lineman like Reggie White can change the course of a game."Now for arguably the most underrated side of football, special teams." I also liked the quote at the end, it really summarized this story up.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with what you stated about the offensive lineman. As an offensive lineman, I couldn't agree more with you stating that the offensive linemen are among the most important positions on the football field. I also liked how you said,"The offensive linemen are the backbone of a great offense," instead of saying something like,"The offensive linemen are important for a good offense." You added that pop and flare that I look for while reading a story. You had very mature vocabulary all around.
ReplyDeleteI think the central idea is that in sports, a well coordinated team can be one of the best teams. "Football is a team sport where no one can be truly successful without every person doing their job..." This quote explains how a proper team will be victorius if they work together, and do what they should be doing. I love how you engage me at the start when you put us right into the action. It made me want to keep reading and reading! I also love how you explained the role of the lineman without dragging it out. I don't know much about football, but I understand what a lineman is, and I now know how important the role of a lineman can be.
ReplyDeleteI liked how relatable this was. As someone that loves football I have always thought that the lineman is one of the most important if not the most important role. I also liked how you explained the position of the sport with a lot of detail so someone who would not know the sport could know what you were talking about. I liked how you said that "Some may get more attention or have better stats, but everyone matters. That star quarterback couldn't play well without his lineman protecting him and the receivers catching his passes." This shows to me that football is really a team sport and there can't just be one player playing it.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way you hooked the reader and even though i has only been a while since i began to know about the football through this piece of of writing i understood a lot and i liked it how you are backing up for the lineman.“On a football team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.” Through this what i understood is that team work will lead us to victory and happiness at all times
ReplyDeletei like the way you opened with me feeling im in the game and the way you said that one might have more atention that does not matter we are all a team.
ReplyDeleteI love how you hook the reader by saying "30-20-10- touchdown!" at the start. I want to read more. i liked how you said that special teams is the one of the most underrated part of the team. I agree with you. I also agree you about how linemen are not given enough credit. The central idea is that it is a team game. Great job!
ReplyDeleteYour hook was very good the countdown got me hooked instantly. Your central idea is pretty good to you have to work as a team and you are nothing without one. i got this from this part "That star quarterback couldn't play well without his lineman protecting him and the receivers catching his passes." this is a very good article
ReplyDeleteI love your intro. The countdown part in your entrance really engaged me in your story. The descriptive language about the positions was superb. Another great part of your piece was when you began to talk about a part of football no one speaks about. Overall it's a great piece.
ReplyDeleteI think the central idea of this story is, success is a team effort. I liked how at the ending you really connected to this central idea by saying "Football is a team sport where no one can be truly successful without every person doing their job, however unnoticed they may be." You did a really good job explaining about what the linemen do for the team and how important they are.
ReplyDeleteTeamwork is very important for success. I liked your hook in the beginning. "The wind whistles past you as you make your way across the turf; 30-20-10- touchdown!"
ReplyDeleteI think the main idea of your story was teamwork. When you said "football is a team sport where everyone has a role to play in success. Some may get more attention or have better stats, but everyone matters." It made me understand how much teamwork is really involved in football from someone who only watches and doesn't play. You also had a great hook to your story in the intro.
ReplyDeleteWonderful writing piece. I really liked your introduction, "The wind whistles past you as you make your way across the turf; 30-20-10- touchdown!" Although I don't play football, I could feel myself running down the field just as you described. Placing the apex or an exciting event at the beginning of a writing piece is an excellent way to hook readers on. I valuable lesson of perseverance and teamwork is to be learned from this writing piece. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI didnt know how these positions worked but since you explained them so well i now know how they work. I think the main idea of this story is that the littlest things can play big roles.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you explained how to play football because most people don't know the positions and how to play. With this people will understand the story and how to play the game better. I think the main idea is everyone counce.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing paragraph; the first one
ReplyDelete