CRIDIRONGRATS HEROES OF FOOTBALL JENNIFER RIVKIN CRABTREE Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
FOOTBALL STARDOM Football players are tough They get knocked down hard stand up dust themselves off get back in the game and then get pounded again In addition to physical strength the best of the best have a mental toughness that sets them apart They are able to push themselves past the pain and fatigue to leave it all on the field meaning they do their best and give every ounce of energy they have each time they play The legends in this book have given P their hearts and souls to the sport of football and they will be remembered forever by their fans If you're prepared you're never scared Russell Wilson Never Give Up To The road to pro football isn't easy for any player Quarterback Russell Wilson had to fight even harder for his chance Many teams thought that the 5 11 1 8 m athlete was too short to play in the NFL He knew he could prove them wrong In 2012 after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks as the 75th overall pick he tied Peyton Manning's 1998 record for most touchdown passes by a rookie 26 In his second season he led the team to a Super Bowl victory Russell Wilson has the second largest contract of any NFL quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers He signed a four year deal in 2015 that is worth about 21 9 million per year CFB
Teamwork Even the greatest football superstar could not win a game alone Working as a team is one of the most important elements of the game Offense For each play there are 22 players on the field The team with possession of 11 from each team If a team sends out too the ball plays offense Their many players it receives a penalty objective is to get the ball to the opponent s end zone to score points The five offensive linemen center offensive guards and offensive tackles are responsible for blocking the other team's players and protecting their own during running and passing plays The quarterback QB receives the ball from the center and calls plays The QB has different options running with the ball handing it off to one of the running backs who will carry it forward or throwing a pass to a receiver down the field Defense When not in possession of the ball a team's job is defense to prevent their opponents from moving the ball forward and scoring Defensive linemen tackles and ends start at the line of scrimmage and attempt to block the offensive line This gives their linebackers who are positioned behind them a chance to take down the QB running backs or potential receivers Defensive backs cornerbacks and safety start behind linebackers and try to prevent wide receivers from completing catches They are also the defensive team's last hope to stop runners who make it to their
