I think even in Marty's days we didn't play SLB/WLB, but have always played the LB on a side of the field regardless of formation or motions. How often was DT on the left? Only a very rare stunting blitz play would DT be rushing around Neil Smith.

Hey, I'm 42. Does that mean I've found the answer?

http://www.answers.com/topic/america...ensive-schemes

I was going to try to start a discussion on basic pass coverages....man, zone, press, cover 2, but this site explains it pretty well.

"Basic pass coverage
Even in obvious running situations, the defense must be able to account for the eligible receivers on offense. There are two general schemes for defending against the pass:

Man-to-man, where each eligible receiver is covered by a defensive back or a linebacker.
Zone, where each linebacker and defensive back is assigned an area on the field which they are to cover.
In most cases, man-to-man coverage is more effective against short passes, while zone coverage is effective against long passes.


Advanced pass coverage
To create a shorthand, most defensive schemes use the term "cover" (for pass coverage) and a number to describe a combination of schemes. As in American Football there are only five eligible pass receivers on a given play (technically the quarterback is also an eligible receiver, but passes to the quarterback, though known, are rare) while there are at least seven pass defenders in 3-4 alignment in man-to-man defence, some of the pass coverage personnel may either blitz (cross the line of scrimmage with the down linemen in an attempt to sack the quarterback), provide double coverage on a receiver, or help other defensive players with the pass coverage. In zone coverage, all defensive linebackers and backs have a pass coverage assignment.

Cover Zero - Strict man-to-man coverage with no help from free safeties (usually a blitz play with at least five men crossing the line of scrimmage)
Cover One - Man-to-man coverage with at least one safety not assigned a player to cover who can help out on deep pass routes.
Cover Two - Zone coverage with the safeties playing deep and covering half the field each.
Cover Three - Zone coverage as above, only with extra help from a cornerback, so that each player covers one-third of a deep zone.
Cover Four - As above, with the corners and safeties dropping into deep coverage, with each taking one-fourth of the width of the field.
Generally speaking, the effectiveness of a defense against short passes and the run drops as it goes from Cover Zero to Cover Four, but their effectiveness against deep passes increases."

Salary Cap 101
By Ron Del Duca

HOW TO COMPUTE A SALARY CAP NUMBER

The football fan is constantly bombarded with the phrases such as 'salary cap' and 'cap number.' Unlike most people, you, the reader of these columns, know that these phrases have nothing to do with hats. Incident to my ongoing objective to help you better understand the business side of the NFL, the following is a summary of the nuances of how a player's Salary cap number is computed.

SIGNING BONUSES

Signing bonuses and any amounts treated as signing bonuses are prorated equally over the length of the player's contract for purposes of calculating the player's salary cap number. For example, if a $5 million signing bonus is paid on a five-year contract, the signing bonus will count $1 million annually against the team salary for each of the five years even though the player receives the full $5 million in the first year. The amount of the signing bonus is simply divided by the number of contract years. Note, however, if a player is released or retires before the end of the contract period, the general rule is that the remaining portion of the salary cap is accelerated so that the entire remaining portion of the bonus amount is recognized against the team's salary in the year the player's employment terminates.

RENEGOTIATION / SIGNING BONUSES

If a signing bonus is given in conjunction with a renegotiation and/or extension of a previously existing contract, the new signing bonus is
prorated over the length of the new contract years, including the year that the renegotiation takes place. For example, if a player was signed to a two-year contract for 1998 and 1999 and then receives a new signing bonus in 1999 in exchange for adding two additional years (2000-2001) to the contract, then the new signing bonus is prorated (one-third in each year) equally over 1999, 2000 and 2001, not just in 2000 and 2001.

PARAGRAPH SALARY

A player's paragraph 5 salary ('base salary') is always counted against team salary in full in the year that it is earned. If a player is scheduled to make a base salary of $500,000 in 2000, then all of the $500,000 counts against his team's salary cap that year.

LIKELY TO BE EARNED (LTBE)

Other amounts players earn count against the salary cap only if they are likely to be earned ('LTBE'). These other amounts include, but are not limited to, performance and honors incentives, roster bonuses, reporting bonuses and off-season workout bonuses.

As noted in my previous column of July 14, 1999, to determine whether a performance or honor incentive is LTBE for veteran players, you need to examine the player's and/or team's prior year on-field performance. If a running back will earn a $100,000 incentive if he has 1,000 rushing yards in 2000, his 1999 performance must be analyzed to determine if the incentive is LTBE for 2000 and counts against his team's 2000 salary cap. If the player rushed for 1,000 or more yards in 1999 then the incentive is LTBE in 2000 (counts against the 2000 salary cap). If the player rushed for less than 1,000 yards in 1999 then the incentive is not likely to be earned (NLTBE) and does not count against the salary cap in 2000. The same rule applies for any team incentives that are negotiated. Note there are some exceptions to these basic rules.

Per the CBA, there are different sets of incentives for rookies in the NFL (see my previous article dated July 21, 1999). For example, an incentive for a third round wide receiver that entitles the player to $10,000 if he has 6 Receiving Touchdowns would count $6,666 against the team's Entering Player Pool and overall team salary cap via the rookie incentive chart contained in the CBA.

ROSTER BONUSES

Roster bonuses are treated in a manner very similar to performance bonuses. For veterans, the player's prior year is examined to determine to what extent a roster bonus is LTBE for the current league year. For example, if a player was a member of the 53 man roster for 14 games in 1999 and has a roster bonus for $50,000 if he is a member of the 53 man roster for the same or fewer amount of games in 2000, then the full $50,000 is LTBE in 2000 and counts against the salary cap. If the bonus is written for being on the roster for a greater number of games then the bonus is NLTBE in 2000. However, unlike performance incentives, NLTBE roster bonuses will count against a team's salary cap immediately once it is actually earned by the player.

For rookies, the chart noted in the CBA is utilized; generally a regular season roster bonus that a drafted player receives if he makes the team will count 100% against the team salary cap in the contract year in which it is earned while undrafted players' roster bonuses count only 30% (of the total bonus amount) against the salary cap.

Regardless if the player is a veteran or rookie, any roster bonus that is guaranteed is treated as a signing bonus and thus prorated equally over the length of the contract for salary cap purposes.

REPORTING BONUSES

All non-guaranteed reporting bonuses are LTBE and count in full against team salary in the year they are earned. This is true for both veterans and rookies. If a reporting bonus is guaranteed, then it is treated as a signing bonus and prorated equally over the length of the contract for salary cap purposes.

WORKOUT BONUSES

Workout bonuses are automatically LTBE and count in full against team salary in the year they are earned. If the workout bonus is guaranteed, then it is treated as a signing bonus and prorated equally over the length of the contract for salary cap purposes.

EXAMPLES

Compute the salary cap number for the following three players.

Example 1:

Rookie Player A

2000 Base: $400,000
Signing Bonus: $2,000,000 (5 year deal)
2000 Reporting Bonus: $500,000
2000 Workout Bonus: $50,000
Answer: Cap Number = $1,350,000
($400k base + $400k sign bonus proration (2 million - 5 yrs) + $500k rpt bonus + $50k w/o bonus = $1.35m)


Example 2:

Veteran Player B
2000 Base: $600,000
Signing bonus: $1,800,000 (3-year deal signed in 1999)
2000 Roster bonus: $200,000 (Note: was on team's roster for all of 1999)
2000 LTBE's: $150,000
Answer: Cap Number = $1,550,000

($600k base + $600k signing bonus proration (1.8 million — 3 yrs) + $200k roster bonus + $150k LTBE's = $1.55M)

Note: If the roster or reporting bonuses were guaranteed they would be treated as signing bonus and the results would be different (i.e., they would be prorated over the term of the contracts).

Example 3

Assume player B renegotiates his contract prior to the start of the 2000 season and
(a) receives a new $1,000,000 sign bonus,
(b) extends the original contract for two additional years, and
(c) lowers his 2000 base salary to $200,000.

What is his new 2000 cap number?
Answer: $1,400,000
($200k new base + $600k old sign bonus proration + $250k new sign bonus proration ($1,000,000 — 4 yrs. (2000-2004)) + $200k rost + $150k LTBE's = $1.4m)


Note: In a renegotiation the old signing bonus proration does not change.

As the reader now realizes, the astute Contract Advisor, in order to better represent his clients, has to be able to not only understand the salary cap rules but also be able to perform the actual calculations to determine the salary cap ramifications of any contract terms he proposes.

If you had found the answer, you wouldn't be asking. Now would you? :hmmm:

Unless we're talking about the Chiefs, where a safety may line up at any number of defensive positions and back up roles.

And the only thing I don't "get" is QB rating. I've had it explained to me but WHY they use the system they do to get QB rating mystifies me...

Not that anyone cares, but I feel the English metric system is stupid.

12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
5,218 feet = 1 mile

Huh?

But even more athanine is a perfect score of 152.3 (or some equally idiotic figure close by).

WTF?

That makes no sense. :shake: Inches, feet, stc. are a product of the American measuring system, not the superior metric system. Also, athanine isn't close to being a word. You're probably looking for "asinine."

g0 back to elementary sk00l, am I rite, lolomg!?!1 :)

Since we're grading Cory's SAT's now, I thought I'd Point out that 1 Mile= 5280'.

Now.......Who can get this back on track with some information about Offense issues? what are some of the questions people have about Offense? Routes? Blocking schemes? Check down and what that means?

Kinda the point.
Keep reading re: "athanine", you'll figure it out.

Well damn, that just clears it all up, thanks Iowa! :)

I gotta little time crunch with my next batch of meth, can somebody help me out? What's that conversion thing again, how many ounces in a liter?

You're welcome little buddy. I'm always happy to help, even though I failed math a time or two in mah schule kareer.

B.S. Mathematics - Wichita State - '97
and forgotten just damn near all of it since!

I don't quite want to let this go yet....

Quarterbacks.
I thought it might be beneficial to some, to explain some of the basics and terminology.

3 step drop..5 step drop...7 step drop
check down
audible

An Audible...is when at the line, the Quarterback analyses the defensive set, and makes a change or adjustment to the Offensive called play, based on what he's seeing. EX. He has a run over the left guard called, and sees the SS and OLB coming up to blitz...He may Audible for a quick formation shift, which could change the direction of the play, or Run a quick Slant pattern to that side behind the blitz.

(I'm no QB but will do my best as I understand it)

The 3,5,7 step drops refer to how many steps back the quarterback takes from the center once he gets the ball. The Number of steps is associated with the timing of the play. For example, a 3 step drop is likely to be a slant pattern under the LB or CB or possibly a quick screen.....where as a 7 step drop, allows more time for the deeper routes to develop, and gives the QB a wider Cone View of the field.

That is basically correct. There's also the shotgun formation, where the Quarterback lines up a distance of usually 5 yards or more behind the Center away from the line of scrimmage. Thus when the ball is snapped, it must be thrown through the air between the Center's legs to the Quarterback in order for the Quarterback to receive the ball for play to begin. The advantage of this position is that it is safer for the Quarterback, because he is less likely to be sacked and is usually used for passing plays, such as a Hail Mary. It generally has two or more Wide Receivers at the far ends of the line of scrimmage. The disadvantage of this position is that there is a greater chance due to the ball being snapped from the Center to the Quarterback, that the ball might be fumbled or a high snap over the Quarterback's head.

The shotgun formation got its name after it was used by a professional football club, the San Francisco 49ers, in 1960. It was said to be like a "shotgun" in spraying receivers around the field like a scatter-shot gun.