`bright cyan`Football
        American Rules football is a game, played on a 120 yard field, with
        11 players on each team.  Of the 120 Yards there are two "end zones"
        which are each 10 yards deep.  There is one end zone at each end 
        of the playing field.  The overall object of the game is to outscore
        your opponent by scoring touchdowns (6 points) and field goals (3
        points).  A touchdown is scored when either team runs or passes the
        football to another player in the end zone, while a field goal is
        scored when a place kicker (Ki) is able to kick the ball through the
        upright goal, located on the back line of each end zone.  In
        addition, after a touchdown is scored, the scoring team attempts an
        "extra point", whereby the Kicker (Ki) comes in and basically
        attempts a field goal from the two yardline.  An extra point it worth
        one extra point.  Therefore, most times a team will score 7 points
        on a touchdown (6 for the touchdown (TD) and one for the extra point).

        For a team to get up and down the field and eventually score, they
        must run plays.  Unlike sports like hockey, basketball, rugby and
        soccer, the offensive team in football will run a play, bring it to
        it's conclusion, call another play, then run that one.  The game is
        not non-stop action like the previously mentioned sports, but rather
        a series of plays designed to advance the football and gain yardage.

        The playing field itself is 100 yards long (not including the end
        zones) and is broken into two 50 yard halves.  Therefore yardlines
        run from 1 to 50 and then from 50 back to 1, with there only being
        one 50 yardline, or mid-field.

        When a team takes possession of the football, they have 4 attempts to
        make 10 yards, otherwise known as downs.  If the team succeeds in  
        advancing the ball 10 yards or more in these 4 tries, they are given
        another 4 tries to do the same.  This continues until #1 they score
        a touchdown or field goal, #2 they don't make the 10 yards, #3 they
        turn the ball over to the defense through an interception or fumble, 
        or #4 elect to "punt" the ball over to the other team.  Often times
        if a team does not pick up the 10 yards in 3 downs they will use the
        4th down to punt the ball.  When punting, a team brings it's punter
        (Pu) into the game, this player takes the ball and drop-kicks it to
        the opposing team.  At that time the opposition may return the kick
        (or run it back).  Then the teams switch, and the defensive team
        becomes the offense and vise versa.

        In order to advance the ball (to pick up the 10 yards for a first
        down) a team has two basic choices, run and pass.  A pass is
        considered any forward projection of the football... so if the
        Quarterback (the position that typically passes the football) is
        standing on his 20 yardline, and throws the ball to a player at
        his 25 yardline, that would be a pass, however, if the quarterback 
        (for whatever reason) throws the football behind his current location
        it would be considered a lateral and NOT be a pass (the quarterback
        (QB) is on his 20 yardline and throws to a player on the 19 yardline,
        this is NOT a pass, but rather a lateral).

        Running the football is somewhat simpler.  During a run the Quarter-
        back takes the "snap" from the center (this is how nearly all plays
        begin, and therefore the quarterback is often considered to be the
        leader of the offense), when taking a "snap", the quarterback is
        given the ball by the center, who is typically standing in a crouched
        position.  After the QB takes the snap, he then "hands off" usually
        to a running back.  A hand off is just a passing of the football from
        one player to another.  The running back is then free to run up-field
        until he is tackled (brought to the ground by an opposing player).

        The difference in offensive plays is this, by running the football,
        teams use a lot more time on the game clock, and are thus said to
        "control" the football.  However, since you usually don't pick up as
        much yardage by running, a pass can be a valuable weapon in long
        yardage situations.  In addition, historically, running teams score
        less points, and also allow less because they always have the
        football.

        That's a fairly brief description of the game, next we'll get into
        how the positions are broken up in Franchise Football.

`bright cyan`The Positions
        There are several offensive and defensive positions in football.
        For simplicity, we have rolled many of these positions into generic
        titles, for example, teams have a halfback and a fullback.  Both are
        running backs, but have slightly different roles and descriptions.
        In Franchise Football, all running backs are just that, running backs
        we try to distinguish as little as possible between a fullback and
        a halfback.  While this approach takes away some of the detail of
        the game, it also reduces much of the complexity, and allows people
        without significant football experience to compete.

        Now, for a brief description of each of the FFBL positions.

        `bright cyan`Offense
        `bright red`Quarterback - QB
                The quarterback is the leader of the offense.  A good QB
                should possess excellent skills in Offense, Throwing,
                Dexterity, and even Running.  QB's are often called upon to
                pass, run, and evade the defensive rush.  Therefore it is a
                good idea to have skills that support this.
        `bright red`Wide Receiver - WR
                Wide Receivers are the primary pass catchers in a passing
                offense.  A WR should have high scores in Offense, Dexterity,
                and Running.
        `bright red`Running Back - RB
                Running Backs are involved with the passing and running
                game, as well as blocking.  For that reason, they should be
                high in Offense, Running, Dexterity, and even Blocking.
        `bright red`Offensive Lineman - OL
                Offensive Lineman is a catch all title as well.  Rather than
                specifically enumerating each line position, we have grouped
                all linemen together under one heading, OL.  Offensive Line
                players should be good at blocking, and offense.
        `bright red`Tight End - TE
                Tight ends are often a supplement to an excellent passing
                attack, but also aid in run blocking.  TE's should have high
                scores in Offense, Blocking, Dexterity, and Running.
        `bright red`Place Kicker - Ki
                You'll notice that there are 12 starters on each team, but
                only 11 men can be on the field... well, the 12th starter is
                the place kicker, who is only on the field during kickoffs,
                field goals and extra points.  Place Kickers should have high
                scores in Offense and in Kicking.

        `bright red`Typical Offensive Setup (with player positions)

        `green`               Defense
        `bright green`WR           OL  OL  OL  OL  OL            WR
        `bright green`                     QB          TE

        `bright green`                 RB      RB 

        `bright cyan`Defense
        `bright red`Cornerback - CB
                Each defensive squad has two cornerbacks.  The CB's are
                assigned the task of covering the Wide Receivers.  CB's
                should have a high defense, dexterity, and tackling skills.
        `bright red`Safety - Sa
                The safety is a player that is not assigned to any particular
                player, but may pick up extra receivers, blitz, or double
                cover a receiver.  A safety should have high dexterity,
                defense, and tackling.
        `bright red`Linebacker - LB
                There are three starting linebackers on each defensive squad.
                The linebackers are a corps that can drop back for extra pass
                protection, may step up to shut down the running game, or
                could do a combination.  Linebackers should have a good 
                defensive skill and tackling.
        `bright red`Defensive Lineman - DL
                Defensive Linemen are basically the same as offensive linemen
                except they attempt to put pressure on the quarterback, and/
                or stop the run at an early stage.  Good Lines are a vital
                part of any football team.  Defensive Linemen should be good
                at tackling and defense.
        `bright red`Punter - Pu
                For simplicity, special teams( those players that are on the
                field during a punt or place kick ) are the same as the 
                offensive and defensive teams ( place kick or kickoff - 
                offense and punt - defense ).  The punter is the player that
                punts to the other team on fourth down.  Punters should be
                high in the Kick skill (Ki).

        `bright red`Typical Defensive Setup (with player positions)
        
        `green`                    Offense
        `bright green`CB             DL  DL  DL  DL  DL             CB

        `bright green`                 LB    LB    LB
                
        `bright green`                       Sa

`bright red`Franchise Football`white` (C) 1996 `bright red`SnellaSoft.
