Matthew Bailey

Ms. Ingram
UWRT 1101-074
9/21/14
My literacy in Football
Since I played for so long, a total of nine years, I have been able to gain an understanding
of football more than the average person. Many people know how football works and about the
penalty calls, but I know how plays are to be called and how each position and movement sets
way to the next.
If I told someone to run the play 27 X not many people would know what I am talking
about unless they too played football or if they have a much vaster knowledge of the sport. What
27 X means is that the two back will run through the seven hole on two after the X wide receiver
goes in motion. The two back is normally the running back depending on which way the back
field lines up the play before. The seven hole is the furthest most hole to the left. An odd play
such as 27 means that the ball will be run to the left, and even plays like 26 mean that the play
will be run to the right. There are four odd plays and four even. 1, 3, 7, and 9 are the odd and 2,
4, 6, 8 are the even. Each means something different including where to go and the snap count.
Each play also has a different set meaning for what each player is to do on the field. Down to the
quarterback and linemen. If everyone does what they are meant to do then the play will come
out as a well-organized sequence of events.
Sports are much more complicated than they seem on the surface. Many people think that
sports are simple and that anyone can play them who are physically fit, but it actually takes much
more than just that. It takes being smart to be able to understand how everything falls together
and to be able to understand how it works all at once.

Understanding penalties is an entirely different part of the game but is still a necessary
one. Penalties have an effect on the game that could cause a team to either win or lose. In order
to have a successful team that team would need to know how each penalty works and how much
of a loss of yards the team would have if they were to get a penalty. A penalty can range from 5,
10, or 15 yards of a loss or gain but they can also lead to an ejection of a player if the penalty is
too severe. Penalties like holding, late hits, and off sides are only a few that are more commonly
called in a game.
There are many moments that are very memorable to me through the many years that I
played football but there is one moment that possibly stands out the most to me. It happened
during my senior year of high school but still stands out to me the most from the nine years of
ball that I have played and it wasnt even a game. Because of the circumstances of this practice
it has made it one of the most memorable moments of my football career.
Practice started off like normal with our regular warmups, things like doing agilities and
stretches but about half way through practice it started to rain and when I say rain I mean it
rained a lot. There was one thing about our coach and that was that he hated canceling practice
and although it was raining hard and we could only see about five feet in front of us we stayed
out there. We still ran our regular inside and outside running plays like 27, which was an inside
run to the left, and 28, which was an outside run to the right.
That day it was particularly hard to block because the ground was so slick with mud it
was nearly impossible to get down in a stance and not slide around. When it came to blocking
when you would try and drive your feet to move the defensive line you would only slide around
and fall in the mud. It was even hard to hear our quarterback call out the plays and cadence
which was okay, okay, set go. It was hard to block but it was still so much fun even with

myself being tired and cold from the rain I still wanted to stay out on the field and practice. I
remember slipping and sliding around getting the dirt in my mouth piece and under my shoulder
pads but I did not care at that point. When the rain finally quit around a half hour later all of us
were covered in mud and we were all soaked through. I even ruined a pair of cleats that day.
They had become so water logged that they started to bust at the seams a few weeks later. The
practice pants that we had were normally an off shade of white but that day they were completely
brown with mud. When the sun came out it immediately became hot and humid and my clothes
were already soaking wet so the heat only made it worse. The air was thick and at that point I
was simply ready to get off of the practice field. Even though it was muddy and miserable that
was still one of the best practices of my life.
The conditioning that we did that day was particularly hard and fun too. Our coach had
decided to do what we called the Oklahoma drill. This was when we would line up bags in lines
and try and drive each other out of the hole in a one on one match while the running back would
also try and get through the hole. My team always enjoyed doing these because it gave us all an
excuse to beat on each other, in a friendly and competitive way of course, but that day with the
ground the way it was made it even more fun with all of the slipping and sliding. I can
remember the coaches and players yelling at me you better not let that guy beat me or Bailey
are you gonna let him show you up that way. When we got done we were all nearly completely
brown with mud and our coach then decided to make us run. There never was much running but
when you are tired after a three hour practice doing any type of running is hard. We had to do
what coach called down and backs, which was where we ran the field length wise down and back
twice. Its easy to tell where he got the name but they were still brutal and tiring.

This particular practice was before we had played our first game for the season. It was
also one of the first practices that we were actually aloud to dress out in our full gear so with this
being such an early practice it actually helped my team with the first game that we had. This is
because one the first game the conditions were a lot like that practice. It began to rain heavily in
the first quarter and did not stop until late in the fourth. Since my team had already practiced in
that type of condition it allowed for us as a team to handle the conditions of the field better than
the opposing team and this actually helped us with winning the game. Winning this game also
allowed for us to gain confidence with led to the best season our school had in over four years
and although it was only a four and six season that was still a worlds difference compared to the
zero and ten seasons that we had been having in the past seasons.
Football has touched my life in many ways and becoming literate in the sport is one of
the most important ways that it has affected my life.. Even if I do not use it again for the rest of
my life I am still blessed to be able to understand how the sport works. The practice is a great
way to show how our coach pushed us to be better people and players through working hard at
something and that is a value that is hard to come by these days.