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Football Positions

Here are the football positions.  This is my first year to play fantasy football.  I am looking forward to having a good season.  I will be doing a lot of research.  So far, I have found out to pick a good running back.  The running back will, hopefully, get the most fantasy points.  He catches passes and receive hand offs from the quarterback.  Not sure who I am going to pick yet...

First Professional Football Team

In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was created.  It changed its name to National Football League in 1922.

The first professional to be paid for playing in a football game was William "Pudge" Heffelfinger.  This was kept a secret during the game and for many years later.

September 3, 1895 the first professional game was played.  The quarterback was paid $10.  John Brailler played for the Latrobe Athletic Association. In 1897 all the players on the Latrobe team were paid.  This makes them the first fully professional football team.

Father of Football

Early football was a mixture of rugby and soccer.

During late 1800s the game was played mostly in the Northeast and on college campuses.  Princeton, Rutgers, Cornell, Yale, and Colombia played each other on a regular basis.  The game consisted of 25 men running, tackling and chasing a leather ball.  

It wasn't until 1880, when Walter Camp help change the rules of football.  It started in 1878 when he suggested that the roster be cut down from 15 men to 11 men.  At first this suggestion was rejected but two years later it passed.  Two other suggestions from Walter also were made that year.  The line of scrimmage and the snap from the center to the quarterback was also approved in 1880.   

Walter Camp, Yale Captain 1878

In time other rules were changed because football teams were taking advantage of the football.  The team would be able to hold on to the ball the entire game.  This was not exciting.  The change required that a football team move the ball five yards within three possessions. The move from the rugby / soccer type game had now transformed into American Football.

He changed the field to 120 by 53 1/2 yards.  In 1883 he outlined the points system.  Four points for touchdowns.  A touchdown is when a team has possession of the football in the end zone of the opposing side.   He stated that the there would two points for kicks after touchdowns and two points for a safety.  A safety can be awarded when a player gets tackled in his own end zone or a foul is committed in the offense in the end zone.  A field goal is when a player kicks the ball into the end zone.  Five points are awarded for a field goal.

Walter Camp made other changes and suggestions in his years on the rules committee. He is considered to be the "Father of American Football."

First Paid Football Player

William (Pudge) Heffelfinger was the first paid football player. He was paid $500.00 by the Alleghny Athletic Association.  Pudge's team beat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club on November 12, 1892. Players may have been prior to this date but there is no written proof.  On profootballhof.com they have the Alleghny Athletic Association's expense accounting sheet.  It is clear that Pudge was paid for his performance.  The Pittsburgh Athletic Club thought something was amiss during their game but they could not prove it. The expense sheet didn't come to light until 80 years later when it was given to the Football Hall of Fame.  

Training Camp

WOO HOOO, training camp is here.  Some teams started the rookies as early as July 17.  Most of the teams' veterans started yesterday or today.  The Dallas Cowboys started their vets on July 20.   There are still a handful that will start their vets on Friday or Saturday.

Training Camp:
Training Camp is a place where the coaches work the players through different drills.  During this time each player is evaluated and considered to be a part of the team.  NFL teams consist of 53 active members.  On game day, they can only have 45 active.

Camp is set up into different components.  They have scrimmages, meetings, weight training, practices and pre-season games.  All of these aspects of training camp help the coaches decide the final roster.

There are over 2,000 NFL players and coaches on twitter.  I am going to ask them how they feel about Training Camp and see what they have to say.  Cross your fingers that I get a few responses.

This is a past training camp for the Arizona Cardinals  in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Now they have training camp in Glendale, Arizona.

St. Luis Ram's training camp in Earth City, Missouri.

New England Patriots training camp Foxboro, Massachusetts.

 Philadelphia Eagles training camp Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 

New York Giants training camp East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Dallas Cowboys training camp Oxnard, California.

Seattle Seahawlks training camp Renton, Washington.

 

Green Bay Packers training camp Green Bay, Wisconsin.  I am also a Green Bay Packer fan.  I married a Packer fan and have been one for a while.  One of the things I love about them is the Bike Brigade.  The Bike Brigade started about 50 years ago when, supposedly, Coach Vince Lombardi saw some of his players riding fans' bikes to practice.  He thought it would be a good idea for the team to do the same.  The ride is about 2 1/2 minutes long.  It is a cool way for the Packers and their young fans to connect.  

Football Girl 101

Hello All,
I am starting a blog for new football fans.  My other hope for this blog is for people that have loved ones who enjoy football but they, themselves, don't necessarily understand and like the game.   I would like this blog to be a place where they can learn the basics so that they can "talk" football with their family members and / or  friends that are fans of the game.   

I have been a fan of football for as long as I can remember.  I am from Massachusetts and so, by default, I am a New England Patriots fan.   I can remember watching games as child. When I moved to Arizona to attend Northern Arizona University I was lucky enough to get a job at the NAU Skydome.  

It was an amazing place to work.  I worked on the administration side of the building.  I worked most Friday Night High School football games and Saturday College Football games.  During the summers I worked for the Arizona Cardinals.  

I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the NAU college students that worked training camp.  It was just an amazing time.  

After college, I started teaching, I got married and had a beautiful daughter.  Now, I am getting back into the swing of being a football fan.   I never stopped watching but now I am more into the intricacies of the game.  It is more than just a bunch of guys trying to get the football.  It is a chess match between two teams, run by coaches that have one goal in mind. That goal: Win the Super Bowl.