Quarterback Sack

One day in eighth grade English class, Mr. Constable asked if any of us know the rules to football? I was surprised at the question – why would the subject of football come up in English class? How would Mr. Constable know anything about football when obviously he is a man who would prefer to read – not watch television on Sunday afternoons like at my house? And how did he know that wondering about the rules to football was one of my own personal deep-rooted life's questions?

You see, my Dad loved football. And when I was little, Sundays during football season were comprised of Dad watching the games on TV. These were the NFL and AFL games – college football did not interest him at all – probably because there was not a local college team to root for. Sometimes the radio would be turned on too – later I realized that the radio was playing when the Buffalo Bills were at home and therefore not on television – but other games were on TV – so Dad would be following a couple of games at the same time.

And Dad did not like his games disturbed. We could not walk between his eyes and the television – well we could if we had to get to the bathroom – but we could not cause him to miss something going on in the game! And I found these days to be so painfully boring!

So I tried to figure out the rules to football so that I could attempt to understand Dad's seeming obsession with it – and maybe I could watch the games with him and enjoy football too.

But all I could gather from watching and listening was that the commentator said quite often, “And he's back to pass, and he throws, and.......it's......incomplete.”

Boring!

I hated football.

Thus when Mr. Constable asked one day if anyone in the class knew the rules to football, it felt personal – if everyone raised their hand then it would mean I was even more alone in the world than I had already felt, and if no one raised a hand it would mean that there were others out there like me too.

A few people raised their hands. Mr. Constable asked a couple of questions that had to do with football plays and the kids were able to answer. Then he said, “what happens if the quarterback gets knocked down behind the line of scrimmage while holding the football?”

“Oh that's bad!” said Mary Ellen, “Loss of yards!”

My head swerved! A girl knew what all that meant? I was impressed.

Of course I did not understand the question at the time – it was within the next year that I learned the rules myself after Dad began coaching a little league team in town and my brothers joined the team and Mom and I watched the games. But I remember Mary Ellen's reaction and answer – so I had been able to reconstruct Mr. Constable's question – and I don't know why, but that day in class has stayed with me forever.

160 20150609 Sacking the Quarterback