Anyone who has ever watched a game of association football will know that there are 11 players on the pitch and more players on the substitutes’ bench. A quick look at American football, meanwhile, will appear to be entirely confusing to those that don’t know what they’re talking about.
This is because of the fact that American football teams are essentially broken up into attack and defence, or ‘offense’ and ‘defense’ in American parlance. This results in a huge number of changes each time there is a play, leaving some to wonder how many people there are on each team.
11 Players Per Team…Sort Of
Each time the National Football League regular season gets underway, each team has 53 players that make up their active roster, as well as an additional 16 players in the practice squad. There can be as many as 90 players in a training camp, but these must be whittled down by the time the season begins. The 53-person roster then gets broken up into three smaller sections, with the first being the offensive team, the second the defensive team and the third a specialist team. Each will serve a specific purpose during an NFL game, depending on the play that is being called.
The ’11 players’ thing, therefore, is that there can only be 11 players on the field for a team at any one time. Here is how the players tend to be broken up depending on what they’re asked to do:
The Offence
We will persist with the English spelling of offence and defence now, with the team that is in possession of the football being the offensive team. They can have 11 players on the field with the aim of advancing the ball towards the opposition’s end zone, scoring points where possible. The following players will typically make up an offensive team, presuming it is playing a standard formation:
- Quarterback
- Running Back
- Wide Receivers
- Tight End
- Offensive Tackle
- Offensive Tackle
- Offensive Guard
- Offensive Guard
- Centre
It is the number of Wide Receivers that make up the numbers, although teams can choose to put more players from other positions into the team if it is felt necessary for the play that they are attempting to pull off. Each player will have a specific role that they’re being asked to carry out.
The Defence
As you will no doubt have worked out, the team that doesn’t have the ball is the defensive side. Their job is to stop the opposition from advancing the ball, which should theoretically stop them from being able to score. If a defence can stop the opposition from getting a first down, then they can also force a change in possession, which is also the case if they force a fumble and recover it, intercept a pass that’s being made or force a turnover from a down.
Defences tend to be split into Defensive Lines, Linebackers and Defensive Backs. A standard defence will be broken down as follows:
- Defensive Ends
- Defensive Tackles
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties
The fact that there will usually be more than one player in each position is why it is that defensive teams will still see 11 players on the pitch.
Specialist Teams
During National Football League games, there will often be times when teams are needed to do the likes of taking kicks. This can be during a kickoff, when a punt is being played, a field goal is being attempted or a touchdown has been scored and an extra point is being tried for. Each unit will also feature players from the offensive or defensive lineup depending on what’s going on, but the following are what are considered to be specialist players:
- Kickers
- Punters
- Long Snappers
- Kick Returner / Punt Returner
Using the Squad
The 53 players on the active roster will be chosen from for each game, ensuring that the right people are available for whatever the play is that the manager or quarterback is calling. There are also 16 players in the practice squad, who tend to get paid less than the main roster but who gain a huge amount of important experience just by being part of the overall team. They can also be called up to the main roster in the event of injuries or other circumstances.
The squad is an important component of any NFL team, on account of the fact that it will be used when teams are practising for an upcoming match. Players can be asked to play as if they are a specific player in the opposition team, for example, which will allow plays to be practised and developed before the game itself gets underway. They can be called up to the active roster at any time, so they need to ensure that they are fit and ready. More than a few players have got their big break after having failed to make the active roster initially.