The Stockton Lightning were a professional arena football team based in Stockton, California . They were members of the Western Division of the National Conference of the arenafootball2 (af2). The Lightning joined af2 2006 as an expansion team . They played their home games at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California and were coached by Chad Carlson. The Stockton Lightning were owned by Michael Reinsdorf.
114-438: The Lightning were formed 2005 and joined af2 in 2006, led by president Dan Chapman and operator Michael Reinsdorf. The team name was announced at a November 2005 press conference at Valley Brew Restaurant, after a "Name The Team" contest and revealing of the team's black, red, gray and white colors. Richard Davis was also announced as the first head coach in franchise history. The first-year team featured players that were local to
228-471: A Super Bowl victory: Doug Williams in 1988 , Russell Wilson , who is multiracial , in 2014 , and Patrick Mahomes ( biracial ) in 2020 , 2023 , and 2024 . However, numerous quarterbacks with African ancestry did start the Super Bowl since the 2010s, including four in a row ( Super Bowl XLVII , Super Bowl XLVIII , Super Bowl XLIX , Super Bowl 50 ). Quarterbacks with known black ancestry have also won
342-408: A holder on placekicks or as a punter , and will often play a key role in practice, serving as the upcoming opponent's quarterback during the preceding week's practices. A backup quarterback may also be put in during " garbage time " (when the score is so lopsided and the time left in the game is so short that the outcome cannot realistically be changed), or start a meaningless late-season game (either
456-624: A uniform number between 1 and 19. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 49; in the NFHS, the quarterback can also wear a number between 80 and 89. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in
570-454: A backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks. A benefit of using quarterbacks as holders is that it would be easier to pull off a fake field goal attempt, but many coaches prefer to use punters as holders because a punter will have far more time in practice sessions to work with the kicker than any quarterback would. In the Wildcat formation , where a halfback lines up behind the center and
684-501: A catch-22. In a 1998 editorial co-authored by Marcia Angell , a former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine , argued that: It is time for the scientific community to stop giving alternative medicine a free ride. There cannot be two kinds of medicine—conventional and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not work. Once
798-453: A concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. If he flew them, he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to, he
912-490: A consequence of not signing a loyalty oath that Major Major was never given an opportunity to sign in the first place. Captain Black asks Milo, "You're not against Catch-22, are you?" In chapter 40, Catch-22 forces Colonels Korn and Cathcart to promote Yossarian to Major and ground him rather than simply sending him home. They fear that if they do not, others will refuse to fly, just as Yossarian did. Heller originally wanted to call
1026-434: A famous example of this being the signing of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss in 2007. The quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play. Depending on the play calling system , prior to each play the quarterback will usually gather the rest of their team together in a huddle to tell them which play the team will run. However, when there is not much time left, or when an offense simply wants to increase
1140-400: A game, and even a starter at most other positions rarely plays every snap, a team's starting quarterback often remains in the game for every play, which means that a team's primary backup may go an entire season without taking a meaningful offensive snap. While their primary role may be to be available in case of injury to the starter, the backup quarterback may also have additional roles such as
1254-604: A logical catch-22 which ensures that any complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) method which is proven to work "would no longer be CAM, it would simply be medicine." U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett referred to qualified immunity , which requires a violation of constitutional rights to have been previously established in order for a victim to claim damages, as a catch-22: "Section 1983 meets Catch-22. Important constitutional questions go unanswered precisely because those questions are yet unanswered. Courts then rely on that judicial silence to conclude there's no equivalent case on
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#17328586802271368-425: A loophole in promotions, which one private had been exploiting to reattain the attractive rank of private first class after any promotion. Through courts-martial for going AWOL , he would be busted in rank back to private, but Catch-22 limited the number of times he could do this before being sent to the stockade. At another point in the book, a prostitute explains to Yossarian that she cannot marry him because he
1482-429: A mental fitness evaluation are sane, and therefore must fly in combat. At the same time, if an evaluation is not requested by the pilot, he will never receive one and thus can never be found insane, meaning he must also fly in combat. Therefore, Catch-22 ensures that no pilot can ever be grounded for being insane even if he is. A logical formulation of this situation is: The philosopher Laurence Goldstein argues that
1596-654: A no-huddle scheme, as did Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers . Throughout football history, the racial makeup of quarterbacks did not reflect the racial makeup of the sport. Black quarterbacks especially faced barriers in breaking into the starting job at the highest levels. The first black starting quarterback in the Super Bowl era was Marlin Briscoe in 1968, who started for the American Football League 's Denver Broncos during part of one season; he
1710-557: A number of forward-passing tailbacks became stars, including Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins . In 1939, University of Chicago head football coach Clark Shaughnessy made modifications to the T-formation, a formation that put the quarterback behind the center and had him receive the snap directly. Shaughnessy altered the formation by having the linemen be spaced further apart, and he began having players go in motion behind
1824-504: A pass-heavy league, in part due to further rule changes that prescribed harsher penalties for hitting the quarterback and for hitting defenseless receivers as they awaited passes. Passing in wide-open offenses has also been an emphasis at the high school and college levels, and professional coaches have devised schemes to fit the talents of new generations of quarterbacks. While quarterbacks and team captains usually called plays in football's early years, today coaches often decide which plays
1938-414: A passing play, the quarterback is almost always the player responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver. Additionally, the quarterback may run with the football himself, as part of a designed play like the option run or quarterback sneak , or the quarterback could make an impromptu run on their own (called a "scramble") to avoid being sacked by the defense. Depending on
2052-412: A prominent athlete and rugby player at Yale University , pushed through a change in rules at a meeting in 1880 that established a line of scrimmage and allowed for the football to be snapped to a quarterback. The change was meant to allow for teams to strategize their play more thoroughly and retain possession more easily than was possible in the chaos of a scrummage in rugby. In Camp's formulation,
2166-569: A rarity in the early 2000s, although he never led his team to a Super Bowl. In the 2010s, quarterbacks with dual-threat capabilities have become more popular. Current NFL quarterbacks considered to be dual-threats include Russell Wilson , Lamar Jackson , and Josh Allen . Some teams employ a strategy that 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 four circumstances in which
2280-495: A relative rarity among other teams; between 1920 and 1932, there were three times as many running plays as there were passing plays. Early NFL quarterbacks typically were responsible for calling the team's offensive plays with signals before the snap. The use of the huddle to call plays originated with Stagg in 1896, but only began to be used regularly in college games in 1921. In the NFL, players were typically assigned numbers, as were
2394-485: A running quarterback and a passing quarterback in an option or wishbone offense. In Canadian football, quarterback sneaks or other runs in short-yardage situations tend to be successful as a result of the distance between the offensive and defensive lines being one yard. Drew Tate , a quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders , was primarily used in short-yardage situations and led the CFL in rushing touchdowns during
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#17328586802272508-489: A season-ending injury that cost him the 1991 NFL season and was supplanted by Young. Young was injured midway through the season, but Bono held the starting job (despite Young's recovery) until Bono's own injury let Young reclaim it. Montana also missed most of the 1992 NFL season , making only one appearance, then was traded away at his request to take over as the starter for the Kansas City Chiefs ; upon retirement, he
2622-407: A short period of time) have been centered around a single starting quarterback; the one exception was the Washington Redskins under head coach Joe Gibbs who won three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks from 1982 to 1991. Many of these NFL dynasties ended with the departure of their starting quarterback. On a team's defense, the middle linebacker is regarded as "quarterback of
2736-454: A treatment has been tested rigorously, it no longer matters whether it was considered alternative at the outset. If it is found to be reasonably safe and effective, it will be accepted. But assertions, speculation, and testimonials do not substitute for evidence. Alternative treatments should be subjected to scientific testing no less rigorous than that required for conventional treatments. This definition has been described by Robert L. Park as
2850-499: A two-quarterback system may be used. The first is when 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. For instance, the Seattle Seahawks ' Pete Carroll used the preseason games in 2012 to select Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback over Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson . The second
2964-556: A variety of formations. Harvard's team put seven men on the line of scrimmage, with three halfbacks who alternated at quarterback and a lone fullback . Princeton put six men on the line and had one designated quarterback, while Yale used seven linemen, one quarterback and two halfbacks who lined up on either side of the fullback. This was the origin of the T-formation , an offensive set that remained in use for many decades afterward and gained popularity in professional football starting in
3078-403: Is Catch-22?" "Didn't they show it to you?" Yossarian demanded, stamping about in anger and distress. "Didn't you even make them read it?" "They don't have to show us Catch-22," the old woman answered. "The law says they don't have to." "What law says they don't have to?" "Catch-22." According to literature professor Ian Gregson, the old woman's narrative defines "Catch-22" more directly as
3192-580: Is a starter–reliever system, in which the starting quarterback splits the regular season playing time with the backup quarterback, although the former will start playoff games. 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 in 1982 and Super Bowl XVII the following year. The starter–reliever system
3306-421: Is also colloquially known as the "signal caller" and "field general". In modern American football, the starting quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, and their successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of their team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified, scrutinized, and highest-paid positions in team sports; the majority of the highest-paid players in
3420-510: Is an organizational assumption, an unwritten law of informal power that exempts the organization from responsibility and accountability, and puts the individual in the absurd position of being excepted for the convenience or unknown purposes of the organization. Along with George Orwell's " doublethink ", "catch-22" has become one of the best-recognized ways to describe the predicament of being trapped by contradictory rules. A significant type of definition of alternative medicine has been termed
3534-487: Is crazy, and she will never marry a crazy man. She considers any man crazy who would marry a woman who is not a virgin. This closed logic loop clearly illustrated Catch-22 because by her logic, all men who refuse to marry her are sane and thus she would consider marriage; but as soon as a man agrees to marry her, he becomes crazy for wanting to marry a non-virgin, and is instantly rejected. At one point, Captain Black attempts to press Milo into depriving Major Major of food as
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3648-584: Is distinct from a one-off situation in which a starter is benched in favor of the backup because the switch is part of the game plan (usually if the starter is playing poorly for that game), and the expectation is that the two players will assume the same roles game after game. The third is if a coach decides that the team has two quarterbacks who are equally effective and proceeds to rotate the quarterbacks at predetermined intervals, such as after each quarter or after each series. Southern California high school football team Corona Centennial operated this model during
3762-647: Is the first player (and third person after the team owner and head coach) to be presented with the Lamar Hunt Trophy / George Halas Trophy (after winning the AFC/NFC Conference title) and the Vince Lombardi Trophy (after a Super Bowl victory). The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is often chosen for the " I'm going to Disney World! " campaign (which includes a trip to Walt Disney World for them and their families), whether they are
3876-702: Is to prove to the bank that you do not need a loan). One connotation of the term is that the creators of the "catch-22" situation have created arbitrary rules in order to justify and conceal their own abuse of power . Joseph Heller coined the term in his 1961 novel Catch-22 , which describes absurd bureaucratic constraints on soldiers in World War II . The term is introduced by the character Doc Daneeka, an army psychiatrist who invokes "Catch-22" to explain why any pilot requesting mental evaluation for insanity—hoping to be found not sane enough to fly and thereby escape dangerous missions—demonstrates his own sanity in creating
3990-494: Is told that Catch-22 requires him to do anything his commanding officer tells him to do, regardless of whether these orders contradict orders from the officer's superiors. In a final episode, Catch-22 is described to Yossarian by an old woman recounting an act of violence by soldiers: "Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing." "What the hell are you talking about?" Yossarian shouted at her in bewildered, furious protest. "How did you know it
4104-410: Is willing to fly such dangerous missions, as one would have to be mad to volunteer for possible death. However, to be evaluated, he must request the evaluation, an act that is considered sufficient proof for being declared sane. These conditions make it impossible to be declared "unfit". The "Catch-22" is that "anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy". Hence, pilots who request
4218-483: The 1998 season a "nightmare" because of poor play by Ryan Leaf and Craig Whelihan and, from the rookie Leaf, obnoxious behavior toward teammates. Although their 1999 season replacements Jim Harbaugh and Erik Kramer were not stars, linebacker Junior Seau said, "You can't imagine the security we feel as teammates knowing we have two quarterbacks who have performed in this league and know how to handle themselves as players and as leaders". Commentators have noted
4332-503: The 2014 season with 10 scores as the backup to Bo Levi Mitchell . This strategy had all but disappeared from professional American football, but returned to some extent with the advent of the "wildcat" offense. There is debate within football circles as to the effectiveness of the so-called "two-quarterback system". Many coaches and media personnel remain skeptical of the model. Teams such as USC (Southern California), OSU (Oklahoma State), Northwestern and smaller West Georgia have utilized
4446-505: The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award in recent years, including Cam Newton , Patrick Mahomes , and Lamar Jackson . Some black quarterbacks claim to have experienced bias towards or against them due to their race. Despite his ability to both pass and run effectively, current Cleveland Browns signal-caller Deshaun Watson despises being called a dual-threat quarterback because he believes
4560-502: The Burnside rules , a set of rules proposed by John Meldrum "Thrift" Burnside, the captain of the University of Toronto's football team . The change from a scrummage to a scrimmage made it easier for teams to decide what plays they would run before the snap. At first, the captains of college teams were put in charge of play calling, indicating with shouted codes which players would run with
4674-466: The Green Bay Packers , along with several other NFL figures of his era, was a consistent proponent of the forward pass. The Packers found success in the 1920s and 1930s using variations on the single-wing that emphasized the passing game. Packers quarterback Red Dunn and New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers quarterback Benny Friedman were the leading passers of their era, but passing remained
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4788-517: The Super Bowl MVP or not; examples include Joe Montana ( XXIII ), Trent Dilfer ( XXXV ), Peyton Manning ( 50 ) and Tom Brady ( LIII ). Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis' murder trial the previous year. Being able to rely on a quarterback is vital to team morale. San Diego Chargers safety Rodney Harrison called
4902-458: The offensive line . In modern American football , the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle . The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes . When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage , it is called a sack . The position
5016-411: The "airman's dilemma" is logically not even a condition that is true under no circumstances; it is a " vacuous biconditional " that is ultimately meaningless. Goldstein writes: The catch is this: what looks like a statement of the conditions under which an airman can be excused flying dangerous missions reduces not to the statement (which could be a mean way of disguising an unpleasant truth), but to
5130-403: The "brutal operation of power", stripping away the "bogus sophistication" of the earlier scenarios. Besides referring to an unsolvable logical dilemma , Catch-22 is invoked to explain or justify the military bureaucracy. For example, in the first chapter, it requires Yossarian to sign his name to letters he censors while he is confined to a hospital bed. One clause mentioned in chapter 10 closes
5244-440: The "disproportionate importance" of the quarterback, describing it as the "most glorified—and scrutinized—position" in team sports. It is believed that "there is no other position in sports that 'dictates the terms' of a game the way quarterback does", whether that impact is positive or negative, as "Everybody feeds off of what the quarterback can and cannot do...Defensively, offensively, everybody reacts to what threats or non-threats
5358-422: The "quarter-back" was the person who received a ball snapped back with another player's foot. Originally he was not allowed to run forward of the line of scrimmage: A scrimmage takes place when the holder of the ball puts it on the ground before him and puts it in play while on-side either by kicking the ball or by snapping it back with his foot. The man who first receives the ball from the snap-back shall be called
5472-461: The 1930s. In 1906, the forward pass was legalized in American football; Canadian football did not adopt the forward pass until 1929. Despite the legalization of the forward pass, the most popular formations of the early 20th century focused mostly on the rushing game. The single-wing formation , a run-oriented offensive set, was invented by football coach Glenn "Pop" Warner around the year 1908. In
5586-490: The 1960s, running plays occurred more frequently than passes. NFL quarterback Milt Plum later stated that during his career (1957–1969) passes typically only occurred on third downs and sometimes on first downs. Quarterbacks only increased in importance as rules changed to favor passing and higher scoring and as football gained popularity on television after the 1958 NFL Championship Game , often referred to as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Early modern offenses evolved around
5700-505: The 1980s and 1990s. A quarterback controversy results when a team has two capable quarterbacks competing for the starting position. Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry alternated Roger Staubach and Craig Morton on each play, sending in the quarterbacks with the play call from the sideline; Morton started in Super Bowl V , which his team lost, while Staubach started in Super Bowl VI
5814-551: The 2010 season. The Lightning will continue to research playing opportunities after the folding of the arenafootball2 league (af2) at the conclusion of the 2009 playing season. The largest indoor football league in the country, the Arena Football League (AFL), ceased operations at the conclusion of the 2008 season and recently the AFL and af2 have formed a new league for the 2010 season, Arena Football One. Dan Chapman, president of
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#17328586802275928-535: The 2014 football season, rotating quarterbacks after every series. In a game against the Chicago Bears in week 7 of the 1971 season, Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry alternated Roger Staubach and Craig Morton on each play, sending in the quarterbacks with the playcall from the sideline. The fourth, still occasionally seen in major-college football, is the use of different quarterbacks in different game or down-and-distance situations. Generally this involves
6042-525: The Browns win four AAFC championships in the late 1940s in head coach Paul Brown 's T-formation offense, which emphasized precision timing passes. Cleveland, along with several other AAFC teams, was absorbed by the NFL in 1950 after the dissolution of the AAFC that same year. By the end of the 1940s, all NFL teams aside from the Pittsburgh Steelers used the T-formation as their primary offensive formation. As late as
6156-646: The Comeback Player of the Year he was not re-signed due to an injury and joined the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. Brees and Rivers both retired in 2021, each having been a starter for the Saints and Chargers, respectively, for over a decade. Aaron Rodgers was drafted by the Green Bay Packers as the eventual successor to Brett Favre , though Rodgers served in a backup role for a few years to develop sufficiently for
6270-493: The NCAA, NFHS and CFL; in the NFL, quarterbacks are eligible receivers if they are not lined up directly under center. Often compared to captains of other team sports, before the implementation of NFL team captains in 2007, the starting quarterback was usually the de facto team leader and a well-respected player on and off the field. Since 2007, when the NFL allowed teams to designate several captains to serve as on-field leaders,
6384-412: The NFL are quarterbacks, and teams often use their top draft picks to select a quarterback. Bleacher Report describes the signing of a starting quarterback as a catch-22 , where " NFL teams cannot maintain success without excellent quarterback play. But excellent quarterback play is usually so expensive that it prevents NFL teams from maintaining success"; a star quarterback's high salary may prevent
6498-470: The NFL are very different from those in the spread system, while quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often and accurately. In general, quarterbacks need to have physical skills such as arm strength, mobility and a quick throwing motion, in addition to intangibles such as competitiveness, leadership, intelligence and downfield vision. In the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear
6612-474: The Stockton Lightning, released the following statement: "It is with a great deal of disappointment that the Stockton Lightning have decided to suspend operations for the upcoming 2010 football season. With the transition of the AFL and af2 developing into the new "Arena Football One" league, the proposed "lower tier" that was initially outlined did not become a reality. Furthermore, we have determined that
6726-531: The T-formation, passing tailbacks, such as Sammy Baugh, would line up as quarterbacks instead. Over the course of the decade, passing yards began to exceed rushing yards for the first time in the history of football. The Cleveland Browns of the late 1940s in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), a professional league created to challenge the NFL, were one of the teams of that era that relied most on passing. Quarterback Otto Graham helped
6840-698: The area, they included; James Newson, Josh Wallwork, Kenyatte Morgan, and Lyndell Hawkins. Morgan was the player who recorded the first touchdown in franchise history, a seven-yard pass from Quarterback Josh Blankenship, in a 41-40 loss to the eventual ArenaCup winners, the Spokane Shock . However, two weeks later, the Lightning recorded the first win in franchise history, when they beat the Quad City Steamwheelers 60-46. The Lightning finished 5-11 in their first season, falling just short of playoffs. After
6954-488: The ball and how the men on the line were supposed to block . Yale later used visual signals, including adjustments of the captain's knit hat, to call plays. Centers could also signal plays based on the alignment of the ball before the snap. In 1888, however, Princeton University began to have its quarterback call plays using number signals. That system caught on and quarterbacks began to act as directors and organizers of offensive play. Early on, quarterbacks were used in
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#17328586802277068-506: The ball themselves. This was the primary strategy of the single wing offense which was popular during the early decades of the 20th century. After the growth of the forward pass, the role of the quarterback changed again. The quarterback would later be returned to his role as the primary receiver of the snap after the advent of the T-formation offense, especially under the success of former single wing tailback, and later T-formation quarterback, Sammy Baugh . The requirement to stay behind
7182-463: The books. No precedent = no clearly established law = no liability. An Escherian Stairwell. Heads government wins, tails plaintiff loses." The archetypal catch-22 , as formulated by Joseph Heller , involves the case of John Yossarian , a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier , who wishes to be grounded from combat flight. This will only happen if he is evaluated by the squadron's flight surgeon and found "unfit to fly". "Unfit" would be any pilot who
7296-418: The business model for the "upper tier", which caters to larger markets, is not financially sustainable for our organization at this time. For these reasons, we feel as though we have no other viable options to play arena football this season" Quarterback The quarterback ( QB ) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind
7410-404: The college level. Typically, a quarterback with exceptional quickness is used in an option offense, which allows the quarterback to hand the ball off, run it themself or pitch it to a running back shadowing them to the outside. This type of offense forces defenders to commit to the running back up the middle, the quarterback around the end or the running back trailing the quarterback. It is then that
7524-402: The defense is ready to blitz —that is, to send additional defenders across the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle the quarterback or short their 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. Quarterbacks can also " spike " (throw
7638-416: The defense" and is often the defensive leader, since they must be as smart as they are athletic. The middle linebacker (MLB), sometimes known as the "Mike", is the only inside linebacker in the 4–3 scheme. Compared to other positions in gridiron football, the backup quarterback gets considerably less playing time than the starting quarterback. While players at many other positions may rotate in and out during
7752-440: The early days of the professional National Football League (NFL), which was founded in 1920, games were largely low-scoring affairs. Two-thirds of all games in the 1920s were shutouts, and quarterbacks/tailbacks usually passed only out of desperation. In addition to a reluctance to risk turnovers by passing, various rules existed that limited the effectiveness of the forward pass: passers were required to drop back five yards behind
7866-468: The final drive of the game. Teams like these use this situation because of the advantages it gives them against defenses of the other team, so that the defense is unable to adjust to their gameplan. The quarterback position dates to the late 1800s, when American Ivy League schools playing a form of rugby union imported from the United Kingdom began to put their own spin on the game. Walter Camp ,
7980-637: The following year and won. Although Morton played most of the 1972 season due to an injury to Staubach, Staubach took back the starting job when he rallied the Cowboys in a come-from-behind win in the playoffs and Morton was subsequently traded; Staubach and Morton faced each other in Super Bowl XII . Another notable quarterback controversy involved the San Francisco 49ers , who had three capable starters: Joe Montana , Steve Young and Steve Bono . Montana suffered
8094-408: 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
8208-488: The four downs used in American football), a larger field of play and an extra eligible receiver. Different skillsets are required of the quarterback depending upon the offensive system. Quarterbacks that perform well in a pass-heavy spread offense system, a popular offensive scheme in the NCAA and NFHS, rarely perform well in the National Football League (NFL), as the fundamentals of the pro-style offense used in
8322-528: The gaps between offensive linemen. One player, usually the quarterback, would call signals indicating which player was to run the ball and which gap he would run toward. Playcalling (or any other kind of coaching from the sidelines) was not permitted during this period, leaving the quarterback to devise the offensive strategy (often, the quarterback doubled as head coach during this era). Substitutions were limited and quarterbacks often played on both offense and defense. Between 1933 and 1945, numerous changes for
8436-475: The ground to the quarterback between his legs. The following year, a rule change officially made snapping the ball using the hands between the legs legal. Several years later, Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago invented the lift-up snap: the center passed the ball off the ground and between his legs to a standing quarterback. A similar set of changes were later adopted in Canadian football as part of
8550-450: 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 a team's passing and running game. Dual-threat quarterbacks have historically been more prolific at
8664-517: The last four games, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. The Lightning didn't improve in 2008 as they had hoped and finished 5-11. Once again, missing the playoffs. In the 2009 season, the Lightning did not improve much and finished 6-10, but with this record the team finish in 3rd on NC West and made the playoffs for the first time in team history. On the playoffs, the team lost on NC Round 1 for ( Spokane ). On January 22, 2010 The Stockton Lightning suspended day-to-day operations for
8778-443: The last team to field a black starting QB during an NFL season when Geno Smith filled in for Eli Manning in 2017. During the 2013 NFL season, 67 percent of NFL players were African American yet only 17 percent of quarterbacks were; 82 percent of quarterbacks were white, with just one percent of quarterbacks from other races. Since the inception of the game, only three quarterbacks with known black ancestry have led their team to
8892-526: The league to adopt variations on the T-formation, including the Philadelphia Eagles , Cleveland Rams and Detroit Lions . Baugh and the Redskins converted to the T-formation and continued to succeed. Thanks in part to the emergence of the T-formation and changes in the rulebooks to liberalize the passing game, passing from the quarterback position became more common in the 1940s and as teams switched to
9006-504: The line of scrimmage before the snap to confuse defenses. These changes were picked up by Chicago Bears coach George Halas , a close friend of Shaughnessy, and they quickly caught on in the professional ranks. Utilizing the T-formation and led by quarterback Sid Luckman , the Bears reached the NFL championship game in 1940 and beat the Redskins by a score of 73–0. The blowout led other teams across
9120-460: The line of scrimmage before they could attempt a pass, and incomplete passes in the end zone resulted in a change of possession and a touchback . Additionally, the rules required the ball to be snapped from the location on the field where it was ruled dead; if a play ended with a player going out of bounds, the center had to snap the ball from the sideline, an awkward place to start a play. Despite these constraints, player-coach Curly Lambeau of
9234-405: The line of scrimmage was soon rescinded, but it was later reimposed in six-man football . The exchange between the person snapping the ball, typically the center , and the quarterback was initially an awkward one because it involved a kick. At first, centers gave the ball a small boot, and then picked it up and handed it to the quarterback. By 1889, Yale center Bert Hanson was bouncing the ball on
9348-413: The offense will run. Some teams use an offensive coordinator , an assistant coach whose duties include offensive game-planning and often play-calling. In the NFL, coaches are allowed to communicate with quarterbacks and call plays using audio equipment built into the player's helmet. Quarterbacks are allowed to hear, but not talk to, their coaches until there are fifteen seconds left on the play clock. Once
9462-400: The offensive line to gain a small amount of yardage, but there is still an emphasis on being mobile enough to escape a heavy pass rush . Historically, high-profile dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL were uncommon—among the notable exceptions were Steve Young and John Elway , who led their teams to one and five Super Bowl appearances respectively; and Michael Vick , whose rushing ability was
9576-512: The offensive scheme used by their team, the quarterback's role can vary. In systems like the triple option , the quarterback will only pass the ball a few times per game, if at all, while the pass-heavy spread offense , as run by schools like Texas Tech , requires quarterbacks to throw the ball on most plays. The passing game is emphasized heavily in the Canadian Football League (CFL), where there are only three downs (as opposed to
9690-478: The phrase (and hence, the book) by other numbers, but he and his publishers eventually settled on 22. The number has no particular significance; it was chosen more or less for euphony . The title was originally Catch-18 , but Heller changed it after the popular Mila 18 was published a short time beforehand. The term "catch-22" has filtered into common usage in the English language. In a 1975 interview, Heller said
9804-418: The quarter-back and shall not rush forward with the ball under penalty of foul. In the primary formation of Camp's time, there were four "back" positions, with the tailback playing furthest back, followed by the fullback, the halfback, and the quarterback closest to the line. As the quarterback was not allowed to run past the line of scrimmage, and the forward pass had not yet been invented, their primary role
9918-415: The quarterback as a passing threat, boosted by rules changes in 1978 and 1979 that made it a penalty for defensive backs to interfere with receivers downfield and allowed offensive linemen to pass-block using their arms and open hands; the rules had limited them to blocking with their hands held to their chests. Average passing yards per game rose from 283.3 in 1977 to 408.7 in 1979. The NFL continues to be
10032-407: The quarterback has the "option" to identify which matchup 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 , a play that involves the quarterback diving forward behind
10146-413: The quarterback has. Everything else is secondary". "An argument can be made that quarterback is the most influential position in team sports, considering he touches the ball on virtually every offensive play of a far shorter season than baseball, basketball or hockey—a season in which every game is vitally important". Most consistently successful NFL teams (for instance, multiple Super Bowl appearances within
10260-494: The quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball themself, a play known as a quick kick . Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham , an All-America punter in college,
10374-484: The quarterback position were applied. The rule requiring a quarterback/tailback to be five yards behind the line of scrimmage to pass was abolished, and hash marks were added to the field that established a limited zone between which the ball was placed before snaps, making offensive formations more flexible. Additionally, incomplete passes in the end zone were no longer counted as turnovers and touchbacks. The single-wing continued to be in wide use throughout this, and
10488-426: The quarterback receives the call, he may relay it to other players via signals or in a huddle . 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
10602-420: The request and thus cannot be declared insane. This phrase also means a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions. "You mean there's a catch?" "Sure there's a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy." There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that
10716-458: The season, they hired new head coach Doug Murray , who was introduced to the media at a September 2006 press conference by his friend and rival head coach Fred Biletnikoff, Jr. who wore a Lightning hat. The 2007 season started the way 2006 had, with a loss on the road in Spokane. But, things turned around mid-season as they began to win games, a total of six. However, the season ended with losses in
10830-544: The signing of other expensive star players as the team has to stay under the hard salary cap . One of the major contributing factors behind the success and longevity of the New England Patriots ' Brady–Belichick era was the willingness of starting quarterback Tom Brady to consistently take pay cuts despite his elite performance, which allowed the Patriots to spend that money elsewhere on additional skill players, with
10944-421: The single-wing, an unbalanced power formation where four linemen lined up to one side of the center and two lined up to the other. The tailback was the focus of the offense, and was often a triple-threat man who would either pass, run or kick the ball. Offensive play calling continued to focus on rushing up through the 1920s, when professional leagues began to challenge the popularity of college football. In
11058-454: The single-wing, the quarterback was positioned behind the line of scrimmage and was flanked by a tailback , fullback and wingback . He served largely as a blocking back; the tailback typically took the snap, either running forward with the ball or making a lateral pass to one of the other players in the backfield. The quarterback's job was usually to make blocks upfield to help the tailback or fullback gain yards. Passing plays were rare in
11172-410: 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. A dual-threat quarterback possesses the skills and physique to run with the ball if necessary. With the rise of several blitz-heavy defensive schemes and increasingly faster defensive players,
11286-407: The starting quarterback has usually been one of the team captains as the leader of the team's offense. In the NFL, while the starting quarterback has no other responsibility or authority, they may, depending on the league or individual team, have various informal duties, such as participation in pre-game ceremonies, the coin toss or other events outside the game. For instance, the starting quarterback
11400-459: The team has been eliminated from the postseason , or the playoff seeding cannot be affected), in order to ensure the starting quarterback does not needlessly risk an injury. Backup quarterbacks typically have the career of a journeyman quarterback and have short stints with multiple teams, a notable exception being Frank Reich , who backed up Jim Kelly for nine years with the Buffalo Bills in
11514-463: The team to give him the starting job; Rodgers would himself encounter a similar situation in 2020 when the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love . Similarly, Patrick Mahomes was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs to eventually supplant Alex Smith , with the latter willingly serving as a mentor. In addition to their main role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize
11628-435: The team's punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University . White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option . 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 they notice that
11742-404: The tempo of their plays, teams will forgo the huddle and the quarterback may call plays while the other offensive players get into position or at the line of scrimmage. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback (a process called the snap ). Usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a halfback or fullback . On
11856-430: The term is often used to stereotype black quarterbacks. Super Bowl LVII was the first Super Bowl in history where each starting quarterback ( Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes ) was black. Achievements : Diversity : Strategy and related positions : Catch-22 (logic) A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. The term
11970-529: The term would not translate well into other languages. James E. Combs and Dan D. Nimmo suggest that the idea of a "catch-22" has gained popular currency because so many people in modern society are exposed to frustrating bureaucratic logic. They write of the rules of high school and colleges that: This bogus democracy that can be overruled by arbitrary fiat is perhaps a citizen's first encounter with organizations that may profess 'open' and libertarian values, but in fact are closed and hierarchical systems. Catch-22
12084-441: The two-quarterback system; West Georgia, for example, uses the system due to the skillsets of its quarterbacks. As recently as 2020, Oregon, who had two quarterbacks capable of starting (Boston College transfer Anthony Brown and sophomore Tyler Shough ), utilized a similar tactic in the 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game , giving Shough the start but inserting the dual-threat Brown on short-yardage plays, red zone situations and
12198-405: Was Catch-22? Who the hell told you it was Catch-22?" "The soldiers with the hard white hats and clubs. The girls were crying. 'Did we do anything wrong?' they said. The men said no and pushed them away out the door with the ends of their clubs. 'Then why are you chasing us out?' the girls said. 'Catch-22,' the men said. All they kept saying was 'Catch-22, Catch-22.' What does it mean, Catch-22? What
12312-430: Was also known to punt the ball occasionally, and was assigned as the team's default punter for certain situations, such as when the team was backed up inside their own five-yard line. As Roger Staubach 's backup, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the team's punter , opening strategic possibilities for coach Tom Landry. Ascending to the starting role upon Staubach's retirement, White held his position as
12426-401: Was coined by Joseph Heller , who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22 . Catch-22s often result from rules, regulations, or procedures that an individual is subject to, but has no control over, because to fight the rule is to accept it. Another example is a situation in which someone is in need of something that can only be had by not being in need of it (e.g. the only way to qualify for a loan
12540-528: Was later converted to wide receiver. James Harris started several games for the Buffalo Bills after the AFL-NFL merger, and later started games for the Los Angeles Rams . Other early NFL black starting quarterbacks include Joe Gilliam of the Pittsburgh Steelers , who was the first black quarterback to start a season for any NFL team; though he was benched after the first six games. The New York Giants became
12654-488: Was one of the last to regularly call plays. Peyton Manning , formerly of the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, was the best modern example of a quarterback who called his own plays, primary using an uptempo, no-huddle-based attack. Manning had almost complete control over the offense. Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco retained a high degree of control over the offense as well, particularly when running
12768-436: Was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. Different formulations of "Catch-22" appear throughout the novel. The term is applied to various loopholes and quirks of the military system, always with the implication that rules are inaccessible to and slanted against those lower in the hierarchy. In chapter 6, Yossarian (the protagonist)
12882-583: Was succeeded by Bono as the Chiefs' starting quarterback. Teams will often bring in a capable backup quarterback via the draft or a trade, as competition or potential replacement which would certainly threaten the starting quarterback's place in the team (see Two-quarterback system below). For instance, Drew Brees began his career with the San Diego Chargers but the team also drafted Philip Rivers ; despite Brees initially retaining his starting job and being
12996-402: Was to receive the snap from the center, and immediately hand or toss the ball backwards to the fullback or halfback to run. By the early 1900s, their role had been further reduced, as teams began to employ longer, direct snaps to one of the other backs (who by rule were allowed to run) and the quarterback became the primary "blocking back", leading the way through the defense but rarely carrying
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