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Every summer I see it—football players in T-shirts and shorts.
I see two games going on at once with the 50yard line separating them. I see seven players on one side of the football and seven on the other.
I also see nothing but pass plays going on. This phenomenon is called 7-on-7.
The game features seven players on offense—a center, a quarterback and five receivers/ running backs— and seven players on defense. The defenders are a combination of linebackers and defensive backs usually.
Each offensive drive starts at the 45, and each team has three downs to move inside the 30. Once a team moves inside the 30, it has another three downs to move inside the 15.
Once inside the 15, a team has four downs to score a touchdown. If a touchdown is scored, the scoring team can either line up at the 3 to attempt a one-point conversion or at the 10 to go for two.
7-on-7 began in the 1990s, and some credit it for changing the game of football into what it is today with spread passing attacks. While it is a good way for players to stay in shape over the summer and stay competitive, there are a few differences from what I witness during the summer and what I witness on Friday nights.
PADS
In 7-on-7, players wear T-shirts and shorts. Once football season starts, they will don the pads.
TACKLING
In 7-on-7, a player is ruled down upon being touched. If the player with the football is touched on Friday nights, the play is still alive.
In order for a player to be down in football, he must be brought down or chased out of bounds. That’s where tackling comes into play.
11-ON-11
Football is 11-on-11. You have the quarterback, five skill players—running backs, receivers, tight ends—and five offensive linemen on offense, and a combination of 11 defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs on defense.
The five linemen are responsible for blocking any defender that’s in their paths in hopes of opening holes for running backs to run through or keeping defenders away from the quarterback long enough for him to pass to an open receiver. The defenders are responsible for finding the player with the ball and bringing him down.
NO 4-SECOND COUNT
In 7-on-7, a play is dead if the quarterback cannot get a pass off within four seconds. The only way a quarterback cannot get a pass off in football is if he is sacked.
There also is no pass rush in 7-on-7. That takes away from the fun of “10-Mississippi” from the backyard football days.
POUND THE ROCK
While there is no running in 7-on-7, there is in football. A quarterback can hand the ball off to a running back easier than he can fire a pass to an open receiver in most cases.
Also, if a quarterback cannot find a receiver downfield, he can take off running. He can also run if he feels a pass rush coming.
KICKING
There is no kicking or punting involved in 7-on-7. In football, there are kickoffs, punts and placekicks.
I always enjoyed covering 7-on-7 because it gave me something to do over the summer. But I always look forward to Friday nights as well.
As a player who operated out of the wing-T offense, I have more of an appreciation for will-based football as opposed to skill-based. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait too much longer for football to begin because soon summer will end.
Jason Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
