Football - Advancing The Ball

The object of the game is to push the football towards your opponent's end zone and score, which can be done in 3 ways: rushing or running, passing and kicking. In this section, we will see closely the 3 means to advance the ball.Rushing or RunningRushing or running the ball is basically holding the ball and running it as far as possible without being tackled. At the beginning of the play, the center snaps the ball to the quarterback who has the option to either run the ball or hand it to any of his running backs. The ball handler will then try to rush the ball either to the side or right towards the middle of the field, depending on the type of play that is called. Running the ball is the more preferred type of play on most situations since it yields to high probability of completion. When the defense is scattered across the field, rushing the ball will effectively lead to better scoring chances or getting the first down.PassingPassing play, another option in advancing the ball, is when the quarterback passes or throws the ball to his teammate. Depending on the type of the play called, the quarterback (who is the specific player who does the passing) can throw the ball to anyone. Technically, anyone who has the ball can pass it as long as the player is beyond the line of scrimmage (the line of scrimmage is an imaginary line that marks the beginning of the play). When executed properly, passing can be a very exciting and can yield to gaining several yardages. The pass is considered "complete" when the receiver catches the ball successfully. The pass is "incomplete" if the receiving player fails to catch the ball. A passing play can be dangerous, though, as the defensive team can intercept the ball in mid-air. With this into consideration, the coaches and the quarterback must decide carefully on when to use this type of play in the game. KickingKicking the ball is often associated with field goal and punt. Field goal is an attempt to score right after a touchdown for an extra point or an attempt to score 3 points if the offensive player is near the end zone but could not score a touchdown. In punting, the ball is kicked by the punter 10 yards back where the ball is snapped. The receiving team will then catch the ball. The player who receives the ball has 3 options: field the punt, call of fair catch or let go of the ball.
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