Being typically British I'm not really into NFL, (football to me is a game where you actually use your feet to make contact with the ball, hence the name.) but I can't deny that Madden NFL's a highly enjoyable game.

Anyway, as I don't watch any NFL I'm unsure as to what each position does, which is a disadvantage in Franchise mode.

Kicker's pretty self explanatory (The only player in an NFL team who can genuinely claim to be a footballer (See above argument)), and I know what a QB, TE, WR, HB and FB are, but would someone be good enough to explain the rest, please?

Erm well you could wikipedia it for detailed info but I'm also from the UK and was in this position a couple of years ago so here goes:

GQ, WR, TE, HB, FB you know so the rest of the offense would be:

LT LG C RG RT (the tackles, guards and centre)

These are the offensive line (OL) and all have pretty similar roles, to protect the QB on passing plays so he doesn't get sacked, and also to block defenders on running plays to create a gap for the HB to run into. The centre snaps the ball too.

The defense can be set out a number of ways, notable differences being 3-4 or 4-3 (ie. this is the ratio of Defensive linemen to Linebackers)

Defensive Line:

DT: Defensive tackle or nose tackle.
DE: Defensive End (RDE and LDE).

These players will try to sack the QB or bring down the running back.

Linebackers:

MLB: Middle Linebacker (ILB = inside linebacker, same thing)
OLD: Outside linebacker.

These players are versatile and are used to stop runs up the middle, rush the QB, or cover receivers/receiving tight ends. Some LBs have specialities within these areas eg. a coverage LB.

Safeties:

SS: Strong Safety
FS: Free Safety

Although there is little to differenciate these two positions in real life nowadays (my opinion) these are two positions on Madden so I'll define both.

The SS is usually a bit bigger and tougher than the FS and handles the strong side, where the TE lines up. His job will usually be to operate closer to the line of scrimmage and help with stopping the run, or covering a receiving back, or even a TE.

The FS is more like a corner in stature and his job will be to see how the play pans out and assist in pass coverage. A safety blitz can also be a useful weapon, as it is often an unexpected addition to the pass rush and can get good results.

CB: Cornerback

These guys cover WRs, basically, but there are all sorts of coverages that the defense may use, and a corner needs to be able to handle zone coverage or man coverage. Good article on wiki on cornerbacks that explains the ins and outs of coverage schemes, in a basic fashion.

Hope this helps

Thanks Rory, very helpful. I appreciate it. It is, after all, rather different to 11 players whose positions are basically made obvious in the names, eh?

One more thing, if I may: I noticed only after I opened this thread that every team has a Kicker AND a Punter. Is there any difference?

Thanks again, and I'll make sure I check that Cornerback article on Wiki that you mentioned.

Wheeey!!!

Another brit

im propa into american football i sorta found my way into wen i started going to college and now have a knowledge of the game that would rival most americans

and yh theres a difference between a kicker and a punter there not defence or offense but speical teams

a kicker

helps out the offense

he kicks field goals which will more or likely occur when the team goes 3 downs without getting a first down (sorry if this is complex)

a punters job is basically kicking into touch pinning the oppnent back much like in rugby

i hope this helps i knwo its not the easiest to understand or the most detalied but i tried my best

Quick Question for the British people,

How big a deal is european (american) football

quote GoBraves95

Quick Question for the British people,

How big a deal is european (american) football

i would say on a rise in UK due to the recent atlantic crossing by the giants and dolphins but ive been following since 97 and was on a very limited fanbase

by 2020 i could see the nfl braching out into other countries mexico(loads of people like american football-its an untapped market and LA is the largest us city without a team it really needs 1) and maybe taking ownership of the cfl and maybe even a return to the uk seeing as the fanbase is growing

in germany its bigger seeing as 5 of the 6 teams left in the now defunct Nfl Europa where german

im not sure elsewhere

quote GoBraves95

Quick Question for the British people,

How big a deal is european (american) football

Honestly, I know 1 person who's into Gridiron. everyone else I know basically think it's a rubbish version of rugby. A sort of "rugby for people who're too scared to get clouted without wearing a suit of armour".

I don't know if it's on sky at all, but as far as I know it's only on terrestrial TV one night a week. Monday night/Tuesday morning they tend to show a couple of games on Five, and that's it.

quote D3ADLY DOUGHTY

and yh theres a difference between a kicker and a punter there not defence or offense but speical teams

a kicker

helps out the offense

he kicks field goals which will more or likely occur when the team goes 3 downs without getting a first down (sorry if this is complex)

a punters job is basically kicking into touch pinning the oppnent back much like in rugby

Well, couldn't a kicker just do the lot, thus saving each team the cost of the punters wage?