**** sports

[Imran Siddiqui]

I like how Ben is so disingenuous that he'll defend his Catholic buddy Felch in a thread against sports when he argues so much in the Sports Forum, indicating that he actually is a sports fan.

[Al B. Sure!]

I like how Ben is so disingenuous that he'll defend his Catholic buddy Felch in a thread against sports when he argues so much in the Sports Forum, indicating that he actually is a sports fan.

I don't believe Ben has ever watched a single game of NFL football in his life. There's just no way he could have. His source of football knowledge has to come from half of the sports page of a Chinese-language newspaper translated into English by way of Portuguese.

[Ben Kenobi]

I like how Ben is so disingenuous that he'll defend his Catholic buddy Felch in a thread against sports when he argues so much in the Sports Forum, indicating that he actually is a sports fan

Yes, because we all associate, "NFL Football" with "hardcore computer gaming nerd", and not say, "Drunken Fratboy".

[Al B. Sure!]

Yes, because we all associate, "NFL Football" with "hardcore computer gaming nerd", and not say, "Drunken Fratboy".

[Ban Kenobi]

How does this not make it an expense?

I never said it wasn't.

Our role has expanded beyond national defense to provide defense for NATO-member nations, participate in UN peacekeeping missions, and to be the world's leading crisis and humanitarian response force. Those capacities explain some of that excess. A strong military also serves as a geopolitical and diplomatic tool.

So you agree that we're imposing our will on foreigners rather than meeting the requirements of national defense?

[Imran Siddiqui]

And try telling me that Bill Belichek doesn't dress like a guy who has been up for 24 hours playing Civ

[Ban Kenobi]

Are you channeling your name-d sake?

American football has a far greater emphasis on strategic maneuvering than any other popular sport.

The level of strategy exceeds anything in most if not all popular team sports. Football is ****ing complex in ways that say basketball just plain isn't.

Bald assertions that won't change my mind.

[Al B. Sure!]

Bald assertions that won't change my mind.

Learn the sport and your mind will be changed.

What do you honestly even know about football?

[Ban Kenobi]

The only way I can imagine they'd understand is if they played the latest Madden against challenging competition, learned everything on both sides of the ball from audibles to zone coverages, 5-2 defenses to shotgun trips right, etc. then realized that Madden is to real football as Civ5 is to real geopolitics; it's a simplified simulation that still leaves out a ton of stuff.

Football is ****ing complex.

Assuming this is true, you might as well claim that watching the Weather Channel is an intellectual exercise because Meteorology is a complex science.

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't believe Ben has ever watched a single game of NFL football in his life. There's just no way he could have. His source of football knowledge has to come from half of the sports page of a Chinese-language newspaper translated into English by way of Portuguese.

As in attended, or as in watched on tv? I have done a bar polymeet with joncha in Vancouver for the playoffs.

[Al B. Sure!]

Assuming this is true, you might as well claim that watching the Weather Channel is an intellectual exercise because Meteorology is a complex science.

Obviously the casual football viewer doesn't recognize the complexity or only has the vaguest idea of it. You really need to be a student of the game to have a true appreciation for the complexity and strategy of the sport.

[Al B. Sure!]

This article gives you a glimpse into the chess game that is football. I dare you to read it and not say that football has a level of complexity that you never appreciated. From an article on Peyton Manning:

Manning and Gase’s offseason agenda centered on finding ways to run Manning’s favorite plays from a broader set of formations and alignments. Although the Broncos use basically the same personnel groupings as Manning’s Colts — typically three wide receivers, one running back, and one tight end or two wide receivers, one running back, and two tight ends — Denver often deploys these groupings differently. One of the Broncos’ favorite formations this season has been “Trips Closed,” which features three wide receivers split to one side and a tight end lined up to the other.



Defensive coordinators hate this formation because it puts the offense’s passing strength to one side and its running strength to the other, thus forcing difficult decisions about where to place additional defenders. Against the Broncos in particular, the defense has to decide how to cover Eric Decker in the slot — should it move a cornerback over Decker, or stick to its base look and keep a corner backside? If the defense wants to play man-to-man with both Demaryius Thomas and Decker, both cornerbacks likely need to flip to that side, or else Decker will wind up on a linebacker or nickelback, a sure mismatch. Doing that, however, tells Manning that the defense is almost certainly in man-to-man coverage, and regardless, few teams like to put both corners on the same side. As a result, many teams — including San Diego in the above photo — automatically check to some sort of zone against this look, though the options there are limited as well, as few defenses enjoy playing Cover 2 against Trips. It’s all catnip to Manning, since each defensive decision gives him an opportunity to adjust and attack.

In addition to frequently featuring formations that Manning rarely used in Indianapolis or in his first season with Denver, the 2013 Broncos move their skill players around within those looks. Some of that stems from an upgrade in talent, as Wes Welker joined the team in the offseason, Demaryius Thomas and Decker both improved, and Julius Thomas emerged as a star tight end. But much of it simply comes from Manning and Gase being increasingly creative within a still simple playbook. Julius Thomas, in particular, is versatile enough to line up as an outside receiver while Decker or Demaryius Thomas moves inside, forcing the defense to decide how it wants to match up.

For example, Manning’s record-breaking 51st touchdown pass this season came out of an unusual set: Denver lined up in an “Empty Quads” formation, with four receivers split to Manning’s left and a single receiver to his right. The outermost “receivers” on each side were running back Montee Ball and tight end Thomas. The play, four verticals, had Ball settling as a checkdown underneath. While that play is classic Manning, the formation and personnel alignment forced the Houston Texans into some hard choices, one of which was leaving linebacker Darryl Sharpton isolated on Julius Thomas; it didn’t take Manning long to identify or exploit that.



The alternative to trying to fool Manning, and therefore risking being caught out of position, is to simply line up and play base defense. But unless a defense has better players than Denver — unlikely against an offense featuring five players who scored 10 or more touchdowns — that’s not a great answer, either. There’s no such thing as a defense without weaknesses, and Manning knows them all.

“Usually when [Manning] sees what it is, he gets to the play he wants to get to,” Belichick said in November. “He sees the blitz, calls a [receiver] screen to Demaryius Thomas and he goes 75 yards for a touchdown. You can be in whatever you want to be in, but if they have a play to beat it, and it’s well executed — which it frequently is with Denver — you’re just playing right into their hands. They’ve been waiting all day to run the play against that situation. You tell them, ‘OK, here we are, we’re going to be in Cover 2 zone, go ahead and run your best play.’ Well, they will.”

Even though the actual plays in Manning’s current Denver playbook are largely the same ones he used in Indianapolis, the emphasis has shifted this season. With the Colts, a large percentage of Manning’s throws went to “vertical stem” routes, where receivers ran straight down the field before breaking inside, outside, to the post, to the corner, or curling up. Those throws are still heavily present in Denver — and no one has thrown a prettier fade pass this season than Manning; the above record-breaker to Julius Thomas is just one example — but a big chunk of Manning’s completions this season came on routes designed to be thrown short. The goal on such plays is to throw short and let Denver’s receivers run long, particularly with the “Drag” or shallow cross series.

The diagram below comes from one of the Manning-era Indianapolis Colts playbooks.



Denver ran this exact play on the very first offensive snap of the game against New England, resulting in a quick 6-yard reception for Julius Thomas. Manning’s “Drag” series has a set of rules for each receiver so that the play can be called from almost any formation. The play always begins by calling for a specific receiver to run the Drag — i.e., “Y Drag” or “Z Drag.” From there, the other receivers’ assignments fall into place.3 (3. Specifically, the outside receiver to the opposite side of the Drag runs a deep crossing route at a depth of 18 to 20 yards (unless there’s an additional “rub signal,” in which case he crosses at a depth of six yards to create a legal pick play for the Drag receiver); the running back runs an angle route or flat route depending on his side of the formation; and the other receivers run vertical go routes, although typically at least one of them is tagged with a specific route, such as Z Curl, Y Post, and so on.)



As the Drag series has taken on increased prominence in Denver’s offense, Manning and Gase have weaved in a number of variations, both by incorporating multiple crossers who run close together to create natural picks and by tagging individual routes to other base pass plays.



Denver’s increased reliance on the Drag this season has been partially strategic, since it works well against the kind of press-man coverage many teams employ in lieu of letting Manning expose their zone coverage. It has also stemmed from physical concerns, though. Manning’s arm strength, while still serviceable, is obviously not what it once was. But, much as Michael Jordan shifted from slashing and dunking to employing a crafty and basically unstoppable fadeaway jumper as he aged, Manning has adapted to his physical limitations by relying on his anticipation, his ability to process defenses, and his knack for delivering accurate passes to receivers on the run.

[Al B. Sure!]

If you read that and are ready for the graduate level, here's an article that gives more information on the QB's main job: understanding defensive coverages and attacking them.

Here's the first couple paragraphs before it really gets into the weeds:

There are many qualities that a quarterback must possess. However, the most obvious is the QB’s ability to throw the football. Throwing the football requires a tremendous amount of coordination and teamwork for proper execution. The QB can make up for some deficiencies with proper reads. Whether it is the Pre-Snap Read, Reading on the Move, or Adjustments in routes, the QB’s recognition, anticipation and reaction are based upon his knowledge of the offense as it relates to what he sees.

Pre-snap read
The QB must make a “Pre-Snap Read” confirming the defensive secondary’s alignment. The PSR provides the QB with help in making the proper throwing decision; i.e., allows the QB to establish his thought process prior to the snap. There will be many times when the QB can determine what the coverage is before the snap. About eighty percent of the time the coverage will be given away by someone’s alignment in the secondary, typically the second defender inside. Even when the total coverage is not given away, through observation of particular alignments, you will be able to eliminate some coverages or narrow to a “Hard Focus” area. The QB must approach the LOS the same way every play and get his hands under the center. The PSR process includes a “Soft Gaze” left, middle and right. The purpose is to identify (1) the depth of the corners, (2) number of safeties, (3) weakside flat defender, and (4) the number of run defenders (“front”):

-Find the Free Safety (“FS”) and Strong Safety (“SS”) to determine the type of front – seven-man or eight-man. If the safeties adjust to motion, be aware of a possible blitz.

-Find the weakside linebacker (Whip (“W”)). This is a crucial read to recognize an outside blitz. It is the QB’s responsibility to adjust the protection to handle the outside blitz or allow the receivers to read “HOT.”

The PSR is only the first step in the throwing decision. The QB must identify the primary defender (the “Key”) to read (“Hard Focus”) and determine where to throw the ball. The Key is determined by the pattern and the related PSR. The ball is thrown based upon what the Key does within the QB’s line of sight. For example, on a strong side route the PSR must identify the SS. Upon the snap the strong safety can either man-up, cover the flat, cover deep third (1/3) or cover deep quarter (¼), and it is the SS’s action that allows the QB to decide where to throw the ball. Depending upon the route, the SS’s action might change the key (Reading on the Move [“ROM”]) to the Corner (“C”) or FS. The QB will make their throwing decision based upon what happens in his Hard Focus area and the related routes within the “line of sight”; i.e., does the Key rotate, invert or play man. When the QB keys defenders, not receivers, there are fewer throws into coverage.

Three Deep - Invert ("Sky")



The PSR is based on the alignment of SS and C on the strong side. Teams will typically define the TE as the strong side, however a scouting report will provide this information. If the SS is aligned with less depth than the C, the read is an invert by the SS; i.e., the SS is covering the flat, if a receiver is in the flat. Confirm 3D coverage by the alignment of the FS. If the FS is off the hash and favoring the middle, assume that it will be a 3D. Also the QB must be aware of the weak side, if the Weakside Linebacker (“W”) is in a stack (lined-up behind a defensive lineman or end) or walk (off the LOS outside the end) position, it denotes a soft corner, with W responsible for the weak flat. If the end (“E”) is up on the LOS or in a three (3) point stance, assume he will rush. If you are throwing to the strong side upon the snap you can determine whether E is coming or has curl or flat.

- Strengths
Safe – always three deep
strong side force against the run
SS can get under an out and may be able to get under a stop or flat depending upon the wide receiver splits
can cover eight zones with a three man rush
can still bring four with strong side contain and have seven in coverage

- Weaknesses
Versus eight in coverage the defense can only rush three with five or more to block them
four defenders underneath to cover the six zones – large curl and horizontal seams
no leverage on wide receivers; i.e., cannot bump or push inside
possibly late to cover stop and flat, both weak and strong
cannot cover a strong side flood route (three or four receivers in the pattern) without E, then it is a three man rush
weak flat
weakside force

- How to attack it:
Stretch vertically and horizontally
plenty of pass protection
throw in the alley created by sending three on two in the perimeter (“flood type” routes)
weakside curl & flat
sprint away from SS

The great thing about Madden the video game is that you get to actually do that stuff in virtual form. Madden is actually a great football learning tool and I'm surprised it's not actively marketed in that way.

[Ban Kenobi]

It seems like you conflate complexity with strategic depth. The rules of football are complicated and there are lots of possible player formations to sort through, therefore it must be a great strategy game.

[Ban Kenobi]

Also, showing that something involves strategy doesn't demonstrate that strategy actually plays a significant role in determining outcomes.

Football has no strategy! It's all luck!