An example of quarterback positioning in an offensive formation

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick looks to pass during a game with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Quarterback (QB, originally called blocking back)^[1] is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle.

Description[link]

At most levels, but especially at the college and professional level, the quarterback role is the most visible and important role on the team. The position is probably the most influential among all team sports in the success or failure of the team. The quarterback touches the ball on nearly every offensive play and has a great deal of responsibility both in calling plays and making decisions during the play.^[2]

While there is liberal substitution at most positions in football based on the play call and to minimize player fatigue, most quarterbacks are on the field for every offensive play leaving only for injury or when the game's outcome is no longer in doubt. Quarterbacks are frequently chosen early in the NFL Draft and often receive much more lucrative contracts than other positions. As of 2011, players in this position have won more Super Bowl MVP awards (24 of 45) than players at all other positions combined.

The presence or absence of a star quarterback usually greatly affects the team. For example, by ensuring that the team would be able to select Robert Griffin III of Baylor University in the 2012 draft, the Washington Redskins likely became more attractive for free agents who wished to play with the Heisman Trophy winner.^[3] By contrast, the Indianapolis Colts—among the most successful franchises in any sport during the 2000s with quarterback Peyton Manning—had a 2-14 record in 2011 because of injuries that prevented Manning from playing. A non-star quarterback on a winning team may be called a "game manager" if he avoids making mistakes that prevent his team's defense and rushing offenses from succeeding.^[2]

Role[link]

As the term "quarterback" gained acceptance in the 1930s, it originally referred to the player's position relative to other members of the offensive backfield. Before the emergence of the T-formation in the 1940s, all members of the offensive backfield were legitimate threats to run or pass the ball, and most teams used four offensive backs on every play: a quarterback, two halfbacks, and a fullback. The quarterback began each play a quarter of the way back, the halfbacks began each play side by side and halfway back, and the fullback began each play the farthest back. Now that most offensive formations have only one or two running backs, the original designations do not mean as much, as the fullback is now usually a lead blocker (technically a halfback), while the halfback or tailback (called such because he stands at the "tail" of the I) lines up behind the fullback.

Traditionally, quarterbacks have been responsible for calling the team's offensive plays based on the defense's formation, or game situation. To choose the proper play, quarterbacks often spend time rehearsing and studying prearranged plays during their team's practice sessions.

In recent years, the rise of offensive coordinators has led partiality toward a scripted game plan. The offensive coordinators and coaches usually give the quarterback information via a built-in headphone in the helmet as to what to do before the play. Quarterbacks are allowed to hear, but not talk to, their coaches until there are fifteen seconds left on the play clock.^[4] The quarterback then relays the information to teammates and executes the plays. When the players are set in a formation, the quarterback starts the play by calling out a code word, a number, or a combination of the two.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry was an early advocate of taking play calling out of the quarterback's hands. Although this remained a common practice in the NFL through the 1970s, fewer QBs were doing it by the 1980s and even Hall-of-Famers like Joe Montana did not call their own plays. Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly was one of the last to regularly call plays. Among current NFL QBs, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos has been known to call all, or nearly all, of his team's plays using a no-huddle offense.^{[citation needed]}

Special tactics[link]

If quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play. For example, if a quarterback receives the call to execute a running play, but he notices that the defense is ready to blitz—that is, to send additional defensive backs across the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle the quarterback or thwart his ability to pass—the quarterback may want to change the play. To do this, the quarterback yells a special code, like "Blue 42," or "Texas 29," which tells the offense to switch to a specific play or formation.

Also, quarterbacks can "spike" or throw the football at the ground to stop the official game clock. For example, if a team is down by a field goal with only seconds remaining, a quarterback may spike the ball to prevent the game clock from running out. This usually allows the field goal unit to come onto the field, or attempt a final "Hail Mary pass". However, if a team is winning, a quarterback can keep the clock running by kneeling after the snap. This is normally done when the opposing team has no timeouts and there is little time left in the game, as it allows a team to burn up the remaining time on the clock without risking a turnover or injury.

Receiving[link]

While quarterbacks are mainly not a factor in terms of receiving forward passes, some trick plays, like the flea flicker, require quarterbacks to catch a lateral by a wide receiver or running back before delivering a forward pass. In the wildcat formation, a quarterback lines up as a flank receiver who can be used to catch a forward pass. Typically the quarterback is not thrown to in this formation, but serves as a decoy, as even the least mobile quarterbacks are capable of catching a ball for positive yardage. Occasionally, some backup quarterbacks may be used to receive long snaps as a holder for field goal or extra point attempts, as quarterbacks generally have good ball handling skills, and may have to become the passer in the event of a bad snap, an aborted kick attempt or a designed trick play.

Under NFL rules, if a quarterback lines up under center, he is by definition ineligible and not allowed to receive a forward pass. However, in college and high school ball, quarterbacks are eligible receivers (by a special exemption in the high school rule books) regardless of whether they are under center or in a shotgun formation. The NFL allows a quarterback in a shotgun formation to receive a forward pass.

Dual-threat quarterbacks[link]

Michael Vick, a member of the NFC team at the NFL's 2006 Pro Bowl, uses his mobility to elude Dwight Freeney.

With the rise of several blitz heavy defensive schemes and increasingly faster defensive players, the importance of a mobile quarterback has been redefined. While arm power, accuracy, and pocket presence – the ability to successfully operate from within the "pocket" formed by his blockers – are still the most important quarterback virtues, the ability to elude or run past defenders creates an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in the team's passing and running game.

This is generally more successful at the college level. Typically, a quarterback with exceptional quickness is used in an option offense, which allows the quarterback to either hand the ball off, run it himself, or pitch it to the running back following him at a distance of three yards outside and one yard behind. This type of offense forces defenders to commit to either the running back up the middle, the quarterback around the end, or the running back trailing the quarterback. It is then that the quarterback has the "option" to identify which match up is most favorable to the offense as the play unfolds and exploit that defensive weakness. In the college game, many schools employ several plays that are designed for the quarterback to run with the ball. This is much less common in professional football, except for a quarterback sneak, but there is still an emphasis on being mobile enough to escape a heavy pass rush. Super Bowl XXIX MVP and Hall of Famer Steve Young was famously known for being a dual-threat quarterback. He was the first player ever to win the Super Bowl with the most touchdowns (6) and being the leading rusher of the game.

Two quarterback system[link]

Some teams employ a strategy which involves the use of more than one quarterback during the course of a game. This is more common at lower levels of football, such as high school or small college, but rare in major college or professional football.

There are three circumstances in which a two-quarterback system may be used.

The first is a circumstance in which a team is in the process of determining which quarterback will eventually be the starter, and may choose to use each quarterback for part of the game in order to compare the performances.

The second, still occasionally seen in major-college football, is the use of different quarterbacks in different game or down/distance situations. Generally this involves a running quarterback and a passing quarterback in an option or wishbone offense. This strategy had all but disappeared from professional football, but returned to some extent with the advent of the "wildcat" offense.

The third is a starter/reliever system, in which the starting quarterback may be replaced later in the game if ineffective. This is distinct from a situation in which a starter is benched in favor of the back-up because the switch is part of the game plan, and the expectation is that the two players will assume the same roles game-after-game. This strategy is rare, and was last seen in the NFL in the "WoodStrock" combination of Don Strock and David Woodley, which took the Miami Dolphins to the Epic in Miami and Super Bowl XVII the following year.

See also[link]

• American football quarterbacks
• Canadian Football League quarterbacks
• List of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sports Illustrated's 10 Best Journeymen
• ArmchairGM's 100 Greatest Quarterbacks of the Modern Era

Johnny Mack Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor^[1] originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.

Early life[link]

Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, Brown was a star of the high school football team, earning a football scholarship to the University of Alabama. Playing the halfback position on his university's Crimson Tide football team, he earned the nickname "The Dothan Antelope" and helped his team to become the 1926 NCAA Division I-A national football champions. In that year's Rose Bowl Game, he earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two of his team's three touchdowns in an upset win over the heavily favored Washington Huskies. While at The University of Alabama, Brown became an initiated member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Film career[link]

His good looks and powerful physique saw him portrayed on Wheaties cereal boxes and in 1927, brought an offer for motion picture screen tests that resulted in a long and successful career in Hollywood. He played silent film star Mary Pickford's love interest in her first talkie, Coquette (1929), for which Pickford won an Oscar.

He appeared in minor roles until 1930 when he was cast as the star in a Western entitled Billy the Kid and directed by King Vidor. An early widescreen film (along with Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail with John Wayne, produced the same year), the movie also features Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett. Brown was billed over Beery, who would become the studio's highest paid actor within the next three years. Also in 1930, Brown played Joan Crawford's love interest in Montana Moon. Brown went on to make several more top-flight movies under the name John Mack Brown, including The Secret Six (1931) with Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, and Clark Gable, as well as the legendary Lost Generation celebration of alcohol, The Last Flight (1931), and was being groomed by MGM as a leading man until being abruptly replaced on Laughing Sinners in 1931, with all his scenes reshot, substituting rising star Clark Gable in his place.

Rechristened "Johnny Mack Brown" in the wake of this extremely serious career downturn, he made exclusively low budget westerns and eventually became one of the screen's top B-movie cowboy stars, making 127 western films during his career, including Ride 'Em Cowboy with Abbott and Costello. A fan of Mexican music, he showcased the talents of guitarist Francisco Mayorga and The Guadalajara Trio in films like Boss of Bullion City and The Masked Rider. Brown also starred in four serials for Universal Studios (Rustlers of Red Dog, Wild West Days, Flaming Frontiers and The Oregon Trail) and was a hero to millions of young children at movie theaters and on their television screens.

When the B-Western genre dropped sharply in box office popularity, Johnny Mack Brown went into retirement in 1953. He returned more than ten years later to appear in secondary roles in a few Western films. Altogether, Brown appeared in over 160 movies between 1927 and 1966, as well as a smattering of television shows, in a career spanning almost forty years.

Personal life[link]

Brown was married to Cornelia "Connie" Foster from 1926 to his death in 1974, and they had four children.

Awards[link]

In recognition of his contribution to the motion picture industry, Brown was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. In 1969, Brown was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Death[link]

Brown died in Woodland Hills, California of heart failure at the age of 70. Brown's cremated remains are interred in an outdoor Columbarium, in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Selected filmography[link]

• Slide, Kelly, Slide, 1927
• The Fair Co-Ed, 1927
• Our Dancing Daughters, 1928
• A Woman of Affairs, 1928
• The Divine Woman, 1928
• A Lady of Chance, 1928
• The Valiant, 1929
• The Single Standard, 1929
• Coquette, 1929
• Billy the Kid, 1930
• Great Day, 1930 (incomplete & unreleased)
• Montana Moon, 1930
• The Last Flight, 1931
• The Secret Six, 1931
• The Great Meadow, 1931
• Fighting with Kit Carson, 1933 (12-chapter serial)
• Female, 1933
• Belle of the Nineties, 1934
• Branded a Coward, 1935
• The Courageous Avenger, 1935
• Rustlers of Red Dog, 1935 (12-chapter serial)
• Rogue of the Range, 1936
• Desert Phantom, 1936
• The Crooked Trail, 1936
• Wild West Days, 1937 (13-chapter serial)
• Born to the West, 1937
• Lawless Land, 1937
• Bar-Z Bad Men, 1937
• A Lawman Is Born, 1937
• Flaming Frontiers, 1938 (15-chapter serial)
• The Oregon Trail, 1939 (15-chapter serial)
• Boss of Bullion City, 1940
• Law and Order, 1940
• Law of the Range, 1941
• Deep in the Heart of Texas, 1942
• Ride 'Em Cowboy, 1942
• The silver Bullet 1942
• Law Men 1944
• Gun Smoke 1945
• Stampede, 1949

References[link]

1. ^ Obituary Variety, November 20, 1974.

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Johnny Mack Brown at the Internet Movie Database
• Johnny Mack Brown at AllRovi
• Johnny Mack Brown at Find a Grave
• College Football Hall of Fame Official Biography
• Johnny Mack Brown at B-Westerns
• Photographs and literature

Alex Tanney (born 1987) is an American football quarterback from Lexington, Illinois.He was the starting quarterback for the Monmouth College Fighting Scots. Tanney missed the entire 2010-11 season after tearing his A-C joint in his right shoulder in the Midwest Conference season opener, home debut against Grinnell College, and 1,000th game in school history.^[1] Tanney is known for making a montage video showing trick football throws that went viral.^[2] On October 29, 2011, in a game against Carroll University, Tanney set the NCAA record for all-time career touchdown passes.

Football career[link]

High School[link]

He was a three-sport high school standout athlete at Lexington High School in Lexington, Illinois. He was a two time first team Illinois All-State quarterback and lead his team to the IHSA state semi-finals his senior year. He holds nearly every football passing record at Lexington. He was also a star basketball player becoming the all-time points leader in LHS history. Tanney also placed at the IHSA State Track and Field Finals his junior and senior years.

College (2008-present)[link]

Tanney was named Pre-Season All-American for the 2009 season. He was named the 2008 Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the year headlining the First-Team offensive squad. After only two years at Monmouth Tanney has shattered nearly every Monmouth College passing record. He leads in five different categories. These include yardage (3,624) and touchdowns (50) in the 2008 season. In just two years, he set the new career marks for completions with (560) and games with over 300 yards (14). With two years remaining, he is just nine touchdowns shy of the career mark of 83 touchdown passes.

Tanney was awarded the 2009 Melberger trophy which is given annually to the best player in Division III. He repeated again as the Midwest Conference Player of the Year while leading the Scots to the playoffs throwing for the most passing yards in the country with 3,856 yards and tossing 44 touchdowns while rushing for one. He was also named second team All-American by D3football.com and First Team All-West Region.

In 2011 a quarterback trick shot video highlighting Tanneys talent went viral. Subsequently in July 2011, History Channel’s “Stan Lee’s Superhumans” filmed an episode featuring Tanney. The episode featured Tanney's "super-human" throwing accuracy.^[3]

On October 29, 2011, in a game against Carroll University, Tanney set the NCAA record for all-time career touchdown passes with 150, surpassing Jimmy Terwilliger who had 148. Tanney finished his collegiate career with 157 touchdown passes.

In February 2012, Tanney was selected to take part in the 2012 NFL Prospects All-Star game; featuring many top Division I players.

Professional Career[link]

Buffalo Bills[link]

Tanney declared for the 2012 NFL Draft and was projected as low as a sixth round pick. However, he was not chosen by any team. He was invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie mini-camps as an undrafted free agent.^[4]

On May 1, 2012, Tanney announced via Twitter he would not travel to train with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and would instead take a rookie mini-camp spot for the Buffalo Bills.^[5] On May 15, 2012 it was announced that the Bills had not extended a contract with Tanney making him a free agent.^[6]

Awards and Accomplishments[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.grinnell.edu/athletics/Football/includes/MWC_FB_AC_08.pdf
• http://www.monm.edu/sportsinfo/releases/2009/1.football-four_all-american_05-01-09.htm
• http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/article_e30e8dee-aa46-529a-8c9a-da576ebe900c.html
• http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2011_QB
• http://cdsdraft.com/profile.php?id=3579

Riley Nelson (born November 8, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Colorado Eagles in the Central Hockey League (CHL).

Awards and honours[link]

• 2010–11 All-CHL Team^[1]

Career statistics[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Riley Nelson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

This biographical article relating to a Canadian ice hockey centre is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

David G. Sills (March 21, 1938 – August 23, 2011) was an American jurist. Sills served as the presiding justice for the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District, Division Three. He is a former mayor of Irvine, California.^[1] He was married to Maureen Reagan, the daughter of US President Ronald Reagan, between 1964 and 1968.^[2]

Member of the Republican State Central Committee of California 1966-1968 and Chairman of the Republican Associates of Orange County 1968-1969.^[3]

According to his biographical page on the State of California's court information website, he was appointed as a judge to California's Superior Court in 1985 by former Governor George Deukmejian and served there until being appointed to the Court of Appeal by the same governor in 1990. He received a B.S. from Bradley University in 1959 and his legal degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1961.^[4] Prior to being named to the bench he served in the U.S. Marine Corps between 1960 and 1965, reaching the rank of captain. He had a private law practice in Orange County, California between 1965 and 1985 and was an elected member of the Irvine City Council between 1976 and 1985, serving as mayor for four years during that period.^[5]

References[link]

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