The game of football is a very intricate game. In order to be successful in the game of football, something about you must stand out. It can be intelligence, pure skill, or simply raw athleticism. In order to have a Super Bowl winning team, your team has to be well rounded. Well rounded means having a good offense, a good defense, and great discipline. Talent isn’t everything. There have been many teams who have been loaded with talent but didn’t work together as well as a team. Every single position matters.

Starting off on the offensive side of things, the quarterback is arguably the most important position in football. Without an at least decent quarterback, it’s almost impossible to have a good offense. The offense runs through the quarterback, as he is the signal caller. He reads the defense and what formation they have lined up in, and chooses a play based on what he’s seen. A quarterback in today’s league must be both skilled and intelligent. Defenses often lineup in tricky formations to confuse younger quarterbacks into making silly mistakes. However, while very few young quarterbacks are able to avoid making such costly mistakes, most quarterbacks learn with experience. That’s why most Super Bowl winning teams have an experienced and elite quarterback under center. Moving on, running backs are crucial to having a good offense. Being a good running back really requires 2 things: strength and speed. However, some running backs who don’t have crazy athleticism rely on their patience and agility. Running backs are also being utilized in the pass game as well. However, not in the same ways as wide receivers, which we will get to later. Running backs usually run short routes, which could be simple flat/out routes to the outside or running wheel routes down the sideline. In my opinion, running back is the most dangerous position in football. There are no rules that protect running backs from being hit too hard, and get tackled basically every time they have the ball in their hands. Having a good run game also sets up the play action. Play action is when you fake the handoff to the running back and then pass it, which can sometimes open up big plays downfield. The next major position in football is the wide receivers. There are 2 types of wide receivers. They are called wideouts and slot receivers. Wideouts are generally bigger and faster than slot receivers. Wideouts run routes on the outsides of the field, hence the name wideout. Slot receivers utilize the middle of the field to create space and get open. Wideouts are used more for deep passes, and are either very tall or very small but extremely fast. Slot receivers are generally little guys, who rely on intelligence and agility to find open holes in the defense. Both types of receivers need good hands, as they need to get in position to haul in passes from the quarterback. Last but not least, having a good offensive line is very important. The lineman serve as protection for the quarterback and running backs. Without a good offensive line, your quarterback and running backs will get banged up and will perform much worse. The lineman on the outsides, called tackles, deal with pass protection. They must guard edge rushers who try to get pressure on the quarterback and sack him or simply make him panic into making a bad decision.

Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, edge rushers are really important. These edge rushers are called defensive ends. Their job is to get pressure on the quarterback, as mentioned before. Without a somewhat decent pass rush, your opponent will have all day to make something happen, which is the worst thing that can happen from a defensive perspective. On the inside, there are defensive tackles. Their jobs are to get pressure down the middle, and to stop the run. Since running the ball is very important, having good interior defensive lineman can limit your opponent’s ability to run the ball. Up next, is the secondary. The secondary consists of cornerbacks and safeties, who are referred to as defensive backs. Cornerbacks guard receivers, so they must be both fast and smart. They must be able to follow receivers where ever they go and prevent them from catching the ball. Occasionally, the can be aggressive and make a play on the ball and intercept it. An interception results in a loss of possession for the opposing team, and your team is rewarded with possession of the ball. There are 2 types of safeties: free safeties and strong safeties. Both must be able to defend the pass and the run, but they each specialise in different things. Free safeties are ballhawks, who play the ball and disrupt the pass. On the other hand, strong safeties are generally hard hitters who serve as run support. Having a good secondary helps as it limits what your opponent can do in regards to the aerial attack.

In the end, it takes a good offense and a good defense to be successful. Every position matters. As the greatest coach in the history of sports, Bill Belichick once said, “Do your job!” In saying this, Belichick was emphasizing that no one had to go out and be a hero. Instead, everyone should just do their part and they’ll be okay. Don’t believe it? Look at his 6 championships in a span of a decade.