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Jaguars Beginner's Guide to Football

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Beginner's Guide to Football

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league made up of 32 teams. Divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), teams compete each season for division titles, playoff spots, and the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.

Playing our inaugural season in 1995 as part of the AFC, the Jaguars are proud to represent Jacksonville, Florida. Since then, the Jags have built their identity through resilience, a loyal fan base, and memorable moments on and off the field.

Learn About The NFL Draft
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Offense

Offense

  • Team with possession and trying to score
  • 11 players on the field at a time
  • Positions include quarterback, running/full back, wide receiver, tight end, and offensive lineman
Defense

Defense

  • Team that tries to prevent offenses from scoring
  • 11 players on the field at a time
  • Positions include defensive lineman, linebacker, cornerback and safety
Special Teams

Special Teams

  • Kicking and punting units
  • 11 players on the field at a time
  • Positions include kicker, punter, long snapper, holders, and return specialists

Offensive Positions

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills QB Trevor Lawrence (16)

Quarterback

Leads the offense, calls plays, throws passes or hands off the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts RB Bhayshul Tuten (33)

Running Back

Runs the ball, catches passes and blocks for the quarterback.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Jets TE Brenton Strange (85)

Tight End

Lines up on the end of the offensive line and acts as a blocker or as a receiver.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills WR Parker Washington (11)

Wide Receiver

Runs routes to catch passes from the quarterback.

Center

Center

Snaps the ball to the quarterback and blocks defenders.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans OL Anton Harrison (77)

Offensive Tackle

Lines up on the ends of the offensive line and protects the quarterback from edge rushers and blocks for runs.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills QB Trevor Lawrence (16)

Offensive Guard

Lines up on either side of the center. Blocks for both running and passing plays.

Defensive Positions

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills LB Foyesade Oluokun (23)

Linebacker

Reads plays, stops runs, covers short passes; the "quarterback" of the defense.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Los Angeles Chargers DT Arik Armstead (91)

Defensive Tackle

Lines up in the middle of the line to stop inside runs and affect the quarterback.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills DE Josh Hines-Allen (41)

Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

Lines up on the edge of the line to affect the quarterback and contain outside runs.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts CB Montaric Brown (30)

Cornerback

Covers wide receivers and defends against passes.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Los Angeles Chargers S Antonio Johnson (26)

Safety

Helps stop passes and acts as the last line of defense with free safeties being farther from the line and strong safeties lining up closer to the line of scrimmage.

Special Teams Positions

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Las Vegas Raiders K Cam Little (39) and P Logan Cooke (9)

Kicker

Kicks the ball to start the game and/or following a score, attempts field goals and attempts extra points.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots P Logan Cooke (9)

Punter

Kicks the ball to the other team on fourth down, signifies change of possession.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts LS Ross Matiscik (46)

Long Snapper

Snaps the ball accurately and quickly on punts and kicks.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Las Vegas Raiders K Cam Little (39)

Holder

Positions and holds the ball steady for the kicker.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots WR Parker Washington (11)

Punt/Kick Returner

Fields kickoffs or punts and tries to gain yards.

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