Terminology of spatial position

[mattgslater]

I would go with cover-backs

Ooh... a back set to protect the ball with a TZ!

[mattgslater]

Ooh... from inside to out, the forwards are called:

Center (OC), column 0
Guarder (OG), col 1
Prop/Tackle (OP), col 2
Tight End/Tackle End* (TE), col 3
Wing Prop/Wing Tackle (only if there is also a Wing End) (WP), col 4-6
Wing End (WE), col 4-7

*There is no eligibility in BB (well, it's called AG3).

[mattgslater]

Got it, for stacked DL terminology.

The outermost player on either side is always the End. If there are are an odd number of players on the LOS, the one in the middle is the Nose; otherwise, the two in the middle are Wallers. If there are 5 or more players, the ones just inside the ends are Strikers, or in the case of exactly 5, "waller" and "striker" are a matter of opinion. If there are 7 players, then the nose is in the middle, followed by the waller, striker and end. Wide players on the halfway line are called Line-Flankers, Line-Wingers, or idiotic mistakes, as appropriate.

So "Who's Your Daddy" reads:
-- LW LF -- En St Wa No Wa St En -- LF LW --

"Orklahoma!" could read:
En St -- No -- ST En
or
En Wa -- No -- Wa En,
whatever.

2112 reads:
-- En Wa -- Wa En --

[Mad Banker]

In my league, the "who's your daddy" is called "the wall" but that might just be Pink Floyd fans...

[mattgslater]

I would say I like that better, but I kind of want room to name one technique or another "walling." Still, though: "The Wall" works, especially with this in mind.

Edit:I realized I had two "Wing Forwards". So I changed the offensive term to Wing Striker and the defensive term to Strong Winger. Now "Wing Forward" can be a catch-all for Wing Striker and Wing End

From Zero out to 3, then inner Wide and outer Wide, assuming symmetry in the case of defense. The one in the WZ with an asterisk may be omitted if there is only one WZ player.

On Offense
Center
Guardian
Striker
Tight End/Offensive End
-----
Wing Striker*
Wing End

On Defense
Noseguard (odd # only)
1-Waller/Waller (inside) or Line-End/Defensive End (outside)
2-Waller (inside) or Line-End/Defensive End (outside)
Line-End/Defensive End
-----
Line-Flanker*
Line-Winger*

Code: Select all

Wishbone vs. Arrowhead
-- -- -- --|E- N- D- -Z -O -N -E|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|FB -- -- -- -- -- FB|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- HB -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- HB -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|TE St Gu OC Gu St TE|-- -- -- --
--------------------------------------------
-- -- -- --|-- -- LE NG RE -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- Fk --|MF -- -- CF -- -- MF|-- Fk -- --
-- Wi-- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- Wi --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- FS -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|E- N- D- -Z -O -N -E|-- -- -- --
Offensive Forwards: 2 Tight Ends, 2 Strikers, 2 Guardians, 1 Center.
Offensive Backs: 2 Halfbacks, 2 Fullbacks (none deep unless team is low-MA).
Defensive Line: 2 Ends, Noseguard.
Defensive Backfield: 22 Flankers, 3 Midfielders including one Centerfielder, 2 Wingers, 1 Free Safety.

A little more complex:

Code: Select all

Single-Wing Vs. Half-Zig
-- -- -- --|E- N- D- -Z -O -N -E|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- FB -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- FB -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- WE|-- St Gu OC Gu St TE|WS WE -- --
--------------------------------------------
-- -- -- --|-- -- LE NG RE -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- SW -- --|FM -- -- -- -- SM --|-- Fk -- --
-- -- FF --|-- SS -- -- -- -- FS|-- -- Wi --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|E- N- D- -Z -O -N -E|-- -- -- --
In this formation, it's more or less clear which Forwards will block, which will pull and which will go power.
Offensive Line: Wing End (blocking or pulling Forward, depending on how kickoff and opening block go), Striker (power FW, pulling or blocking), Guardian (power FW, pulling or blocking), Center (blocking), Guardian (blocking), Striker (blocking), Tight End (power), Wing Striker (power), Wing End (power or pulling).
Offensive backfield: Fullback, deep Fullback.
Defensive Line: Left End, Noseguard, Right End.
Right (Zig) Side: Strong Midfielder, Flanker, Free Safety, Winger.
Left (Pincer) Side: Strong Winger, Free Midfielder, Free Flanker, Strong Safety.

Note that in AmFB, "Strong" typically refers to one side of the field; here it refers to the odds of the player being the defender in a blitz action.

[ombwiri]

Assuming a team of players with the same stats as each other (ie. 6338) and G skill access how would you develop each position?

How would you develop that team if they could have up to 5 players with GS, up to 5 players with GA and up to two players with GP?

Finally (and possibly pointlessly) how would you develop that team if they all had access to all skills (no mutations)

I know this is entirely hypothetical as there isn't such a vanilla team but I think it provides a test to see how well the positionals you've named do have different roles.

[Pug]

All very interesting, what with positional names etc, but don't most BB matches end up a general massive ruck across some part of the field most of the time and the positional name of the player doesn't really matter so long as they're punching, stabbing or kicking the opposition or trying to hold onto the ball without getting turned into burger meat!! All with two turns of a kick off till someone scores?!?

[mattgslater]

At some point. But a lot of drives never get that far. And besides, you build your terminology around the stuff you can define: the stuff you can't will either come later or defy development forever.

[Marlow]

Just found this topic and I like the ideas. I have read a few of your posts talking about Noseguard and Ends so it is making more sense to me now.

I prefer Winger to Flanker since Flanking seems to be more of an action - "I will Flank your cage with my Safety". While some of the terms are confusing the more coaches that use them the more accepted they will become. Like most ideas it will either catch on or die out. I know I shall start to use some of them.

My Troll just got Guard so he will be the Nose. For the Black Orc Ends should they have 'Block, Stand Firm' or 'Block, Guard'?

As a sentence that is a lot easier to write than putting "the Troll goes in the center of the LOS and is flanked by" .... etc.

[mattgslater]

It's also a lot more precise.

With winger vs. flanker, I'm trying to identify two different positions. Typically in the wide zone, one player mans the outside or forward spot, and has to be able to absorb a blitz, and the other either protects him from inside and in front (or just next to him), or is protected by him, as in an "inverted" defense or a "tower" defense. The first player (the one I have as a winger) has to be tough and mobile; the second one (the flanker) just has to be mobile. The flanker can make use of Guard; the winger is usually the guy taking the hit, so Guard is less helpful on him.