The first step to catching a football is to put your hands at your chest with your palms facing outward. You want your thumb and pointer finger to be touching. 

You do not want to have your hands flat. This ensures the ball will not just bounce out of our hands. You want to have your hands shaping the football you are about to catch. 

Let’s talk about what I like to call the rule of pinkies. Ideally, our quarterback will hit us in the chest with the ball everytime they throw it to us. But life is not always ideal so we have to be prepared to catch the ball wherever it is thrown. This is where the rule of pinkies comes into play. 

For a ball thrown to your chest or above your waist you want to have your pinkies up facing the sky. Whereas for a ball thrown below your waist you want to flip that and have your pinkies facing down. 

This adjustment gives you the best odds for catching the pass. 

For a visual example checkout my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/3pSO3sLJs30?si=6FLo6zLuaibdnEnk

NFC East: 

Dallas Cowboys 

• Considered “America’s Team,” the Cowboys have a rich history with five Super Bowl wins and multiple Hall of Famers. 

New York Giants 

• A team with deep-rooted legacy and four Super Bowl titles under their belt.  

Philadelphia Eagles 

• The most recent Super Bowl champions with a seemingly unstoppable offense and an extremely hard to beat defense. 

Washington Commanders 

• A newly emerging playoff team led by quarterback Jayden Daniels who is coming off of a phenomenal rookie season.  

NFC North: 

Chicago Bears 

• One of the NFL’s oldest teams has a rich history and is known for dominant defenses. 

Detroit Lions 

• A team with a very exciting offense led by one of the best head coaches in the NFl, Dan Campbell. 

Green Bay Packers 

• The only publicly owned NFL team with 13 league championships, the most in NFL history. A history of phenomenal star players. 

Minnesota Vikings 

• Known for their “Skol” chant and Norse-themed branding, the Vikings have the best receiver in the NFL on their roster and an exciting young quarterback who will be coming back off a rookie season injury. 

NFC South: 

Atlanta Falcons 

• Known for their exciting offensive players, the Falcons are a team that has had a successful history up until recently. 

Carolina Panthers 

• The Panthers are a young, hungry franchise looking to fight to the top. 

New Orleans Saints 

• Fanbase known as “Who Dat Nation,” the Saints have a history of strong performances and won Super Bowl XLIV. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

• Have legendary players including one of the most consistent receivers in NFL history, Mike Evans. 

NFC West: 
Arizona Cardinals: 

• One of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Cardinals, have not found much success recently but have an exciting young piece in receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Los Angeles Rams 

• Super Bowl LVI winners, the Rams have a good mix of veterans and young players that give them the edge over opponents.  

 
San Francisco 49ers 

• With five Super Bowls and many Hall of Famers the Nines have a history of excellence that Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Bosa look to continue. 

Seattle Seahawks 

• The Seahawks have an exciting young core with Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Kenneth Walker III. 

AFC East: 

Buffalo Bills 

• The Bills have a passionate fanbase called “Bills Mafia.” They have an exciting offense led by dynamic quarterback and 2024 MVP Josh Allen and are a perennial playoff team.  

Miami Dolphins 

• The Dolphins have a very vibrant culture in Miami, and they have one of the coolest coaches in the league in Mike McDaniel. They have an electric wide receiver duo in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. 

New England Patriots: 

• Historic organization that won six Super Bowls with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Patriots are known for disciplined, intelligent football. 

New York Jets: 

• The New York Jets have a crew of promising young players including Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, and Breece Hall. 

AFC North: 

Baltimore Ravens 

• Another perennial playoff team, this one led by dual-threat quarterback and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Lamar is accompanied by elite running back talent in Derrick Henry. 

Cincinnati Bengals 

• Quarterback, wide receiver duo Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have brought their elite playmaking and chemistry from college to the NFL and found success fast. They led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just their second season. 

Cleveland Browns 

• The Browns are currently on their rebuilding journey but have some good talent in Myles Garrett and Jerry Jeudy. 

Pittsburgh Steelers 

• The Steelers, like the Patriots, have a deep and successful history with six Super Bowl titles, tied for the most in NFL history.  

AFC South: 

Houston Texans 

• Led by young, talented, and likeable quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans have a ton of young talent looking to build a legacy. 

Indianapolis Colts 

• Known for having really good quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. The Colts are now led by Anthony Richardson who is heading into his second season.  

Jacksonville Jaguars 

• A recent playoff team who seems to be on the rise, led by young quarterback Trevor Lawrence who brings optimism to Jags fans. 

Tennessee Titans 

• Another team in their rebuilding process, the Titans have a lot of young talent in Will Levis, Tyjae Spears, and Treylon Burks. 

AFC West: 
Denver Broncos 

• Fanbase “Broncos Country” go to home games at a stadium a mile high creating an atmosphere unique to Denver. 

Kansas City Chiefs 

• Recent dominance with multiple Super Bowl appearances and victories in recent years led by superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

Las Vegas Raiders 

• Formerly known as the Oakland Raiders, the Raiders black and silver brand is widely known. 

Los Angeles Chargers 

• Quarterback Justin Herbert leads the chargers exciting offensive unit. 

Coach Shell originally came on to be a PE coach and they asked her to coach girls’ basketball as well. After coaching basketball for several years, she transitioned to coaching soccer. After soccer, Shell coached cheer then took a break after having her second son.  

The break didn’t last long as Coach Shell found that life without coaching led to less bonds with students, so she came back to coach soccer. Two years ago, BCHS created their first girls’ flag football team, and they are coached by Coach Shell. This year, she also helped coach the cheer team. 

There is not a “typical day” for Coach Shell. If there is any kind of athletic event going on Coach Shell is running around all day trying to ensure that it goes smoothly. Whether it be a signing day, senior night, or a banquet, Coach Shell is the face behind the scenes making sure everything is right.  

On days that there is not a special event, Coach Shell has PE classes the first half of the day and does the girls’ sports weightlifting classes in the second half of the day. Then her afternoons and evenings are filled with either practice or games depending on the season. 

Coach Shell says that what inspired her to begin coaching high school sports is her background. She came from a rough background, but no one could tell from the way she carried herself. She wanted to work with high school students so that she could help those who, like her, were putting on a facade. Coach Shell wants her students to know that she sees them, and she’s been there and that she will help them in any way she can. She wants her students to feel cared for. 

Link to the rest of my interview with Coach Shell: 

What inspired you to start working in a creative field? 

• When I was in high school, I signed up for a digital media class. It was more broadcast stuff, so my background is in sports broadcasting. Then as the program grew, I branched out into more creative stuff. We have a video board at the football and softball field at my high school and the boards needed content so that’s how I got started. 

Have you run into any issues being a woman in sports? 

• While creative is a little bit more diverse than coaching there’s not as many as athletic training. I’ve had grown men ask me if I know how to work my camera as if I’m not the one who bought my camera and is getting paid to be there. 

What’s your favorite memory working with Troy Athletics? 

• I’ve had a lot of fun experiences and a lot of not so fun experiences. I think my favorite memory is winning the second Sun Belt Conference Championship in my sophomore year. I had built friendships with the guys on the team and got some nasty, sweaty defensive line hugs while celebrating. 

What does a typical game day look like for you? What about a non-game day? 

• I get started about 5 hours before the game. For football, I go to trojan walk then run back to the office to edit and post the trojan walk video. Then we have the game and after the game I go through and label all my clips. Then we post different celebrations and highlight videos. The schedule for other sports is also pretty similar to that. Then we post recaps on non-game days. I get to the office about 9am and work on it until I have to go to class. I have to have the recap out by the afternoon the day after the event. 

What sport do you find the most exciting to shoot. 

• I really enjoy shooting softball because it’s the sport I know the best and I can relate the best to. Most of my actual friends are on the softball team. I also love shooting football because I love football. I have learned to love shooting women’s basketball, it’s very fast paced. I love high stakes games, games where I am nervous about the outcome of the game. 

Have you had any key mentors since you began this journey? 

• I got a buddy from back home who hasn’t really taught me how to do anything, but he has always been someone I look up to that has done a lot of really cool things in the athletic field. I look at what others are doing and say how can I do that but better? 

What kind of equipment or technology do you rely on most in your career? 

• My laptop of course. But I use the Adobe suite, I am a certified Adobe professional. I use lightroom, premiere, photoshop, there’s a bajillion apps on Adobe Suite and they’re essentials. 

What project have you done that you’re most proud of? 

• I am most proud of the mini documentary I did on the women’s basketball team that I did for the WNIT Fab Four. It was the first time in program history we had even won a postseason game. To be able to document that season starting 0-6 to making the Fab Four. No one asked me to do it; it was more of a passion project that I wanted to do. 

What advice would you give to young women interested in pursuing a career in sports? 

• Just do it. If it’s something you really love, then you’ll make it work. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows because sports is a high stress environment and it’s hard. You have to have thick skin because people will say things they shouldn’t have said or that they didn’t mean. You have to know how to show up for yourself and when to not care. There are some things that go on in sports that you just have to let happen. If it’s something that you love then you’ll be able to work it out, I really do believe that. 

Below are 2 pictures of Ellison recording Troy Softball.

Interior Defensive Lineman: 

Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs 

• Chris Jones is a 3x Super bowl Champion and holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with a sack. 

Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants 

• Dexter Lawrence missed five games of the 2024 season and still ranked top 5 in sacks recorded that season and also has the 2^nd highest run defense grade. 

Quinnen Williams, New York Jets 

• Quinnen Williams is a 3x Pro Bowler and has one First Team All-Pro selection. 

Edge Rusher: 

Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns 

• Myles Garrett was the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and created the most quarterback pressures in the NFL in 2024. 

T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers 

• T.J. Watt has the best run defense grade, led the league in forced cumbles, and was the Defensive Player of the year in 2021. 

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys 

• Micah Parsons led the league in total pressures 2022-2023 and has the highest pressure rate among players with at least 300 pass rushes. 

Linebacker: 

Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers 

• Fred Warner is widely considered the best coverage linebacker in the NFL and caused the 2^nd most fumbles in the NFL last season. 

Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens 

• Roquon Smith is a 3x Pro Bowler, has 3 First-Team All-Pro selections, and is a 2 time recipient of the Butkus Award. 

Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks 

• Bobby Wagner had the highest pass rush grade and 3^rd highest overall grade of linebackers in 2024 and is a one time Super Bowl Champion. 

Safety: 

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers 

• Minkah Fitzpatrick is a 4x Pro Bowler with three First-Team All-Pro selections and also won the Jim Thorpe award in college. 

Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens 

• Kyle Hamilton is a 2x Pro Bowler who recorded over 100 tackles in the 2024 season. 

Derwin James, LA Chargers 

• Derwin james is versatile in both the run and pass game with the most run stops in the NFL among safeties and the second most total pressures. 

Cornerback: 

Sauce Gardner, New York Jets 

• Sauce Gardner has allowed the fewest yards per snap he’s in coverage since 2023 and was the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos 

• Patrick Surtain recorded ZERO missed tackles in the NFL, had the 3^rd highest coverage grade, and the 2^nd highest overall grade for his position. 

Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins 

• Jalen Ramsey is a 7x Pro Bowler with 3 First-Team All-Pro selections. 

Quarterback: 

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs 

• Patrick Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls and has three wins in the Super Bowl in his seven seasons as a starter. 

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills 

• Josh Allen was the NFL MVP last season and is considered by some to be the best quarterback in the NFL. 

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 

• Lamar Jackson is the youngest player to receive the NFL MVP award twice, winning it in 2019 and 2023. 

Running Back: 

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles 

• Saquon Barkley was only the 9^th player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in the 2024 season. He also set an NFL record with seven touchdown runs of 60+ yards. 

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers 

• Christian McCaffrey is a dual threat running back. In 2019, he became one of three players to record 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in one season. 

Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens 

• Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing yards in 2019 and 2020 and was the 8^th player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in the 2020 season. 

Wide Receiver: 

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings 

• Justin Jefferson is the fastest player to reach 4,000 receiving yards in a career. 

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnatti Bengals 

• Ja’Marr Chase led the NFL in receiving yards in the 2024 season with 1,708 yards 

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions 

• Amon-Ra St. Brown is a 3x Pro Bowler, 2x First-Team All-Pro, and the youngest Lions receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards. 

Tight Ends: 

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs 

• Travis Kelce is a 3x Super Bowl Champion, the fastest player to reach 12,000 receiving yards in NFL history, and has the most 1,000 receiving yard seasons among tight ends. 

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers 

• George Kittle holds the NFL record for single season receiving yard by a tight end and has the second most 1,000 receiving yard seasons among tight ends. 

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens 

• Mark Andrews is a 3x Pro Bowler and is the Ravens franchise leader in receiving touchdowns. 

Offensive Lineman: 

Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers 

• Trent Williams is a left tackle and has earned eleven Pro Bowl selections, the most among active offensive linemen. 

Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles 

• Lane Johnson is a right tackle and a 2x Super Bowl champion with two First-Team All-Pro selections and six Pro Bowl selections. 

Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys 

• Zack Martin is a right guard and has more Pro Bowl selections (seven) than he does holding penalties (five) in his career. 

Working in a male dominated field comes with its own challenges and in this post, I am going to provide you with some tips on how to break into a male dominated field and how to deal with criticism that comes with working in these fields. 

1. Know… 

• You must be knowledgeable about the field you’re entering. Anything that you do not know will give the nonaccepting men a reason to discredit you.  

2. And Know You Know 

• This second point goes along with the first. “Know and know you know” is a phrase Coach Gerad Parker introduced me to. It is important that you have knowledge, but it is just as important that you are confident in what you know. What’s the use in having knowledge if you aren’t going to use it? Be confident in yourself, in your knowledge, and in your ability to succeed. 

3. Find Community 

• They aren’t called male dominated fields for no reason, but they’re not male exclusive. While it may be rare for a woman to work in these fields it’s not impossible. Find other women who do the same job or a similar job to you and connect with them. 

4. Never Let Them See You Break 

• You are going to run into people in your workplace, on social media, or in your everyday life that do not like the fact a woman is in the position you are in. Is it fair to you? No, but it’s life. These people will exclude you, talk bad about you, and do everything they can to tear you down. It’s going to hurt, but you can’t let them see you break. Feel your emotions at home and in private but never risk letting them see it. From then on you will be seen as nothing but “an emotional woman.” 

5. Be Prepared 

• Whenever and wherever your opportunity arises to enter your field of interest, be prepared. Have letters of recommendation from people in your field of interest and have a resume detailing all of your experiences that relate to the job you want to gain. 

6. Build Connections 

• Some men will not be accepting of you but a lot of them will. Build connections with everyone you meet from your coworkers to bosses to people at rival organizations. You never know what opportunities will open just based on who you know. 

I wish each of you luck in every endeavor you venture into, and I hope this list has helped you. 

Any time you see someone kicking a ball on the field you see a phase of special teams.  You cannot have a successful football team without having a good special teams unit. 

Let’s identify the phases of special teams: 

• Kickoff: a kick off of a tee that follows the beginning of the game, halftime, or a touchdown or field goal. 

• Kickoff Return: the unit that is receiving a kickoff. Consists of blockers and 2 returners in the back of the formation. 

• Punt: punter drop kicks the ball away from field position close to the opponent’s endzone. You punt in order to put the opposing team’s offense farther away from their endzone. 

• Punt Return: the unit that is receiving the punt. One man is back ready to return the kick; the other 10 players block for the potential return.  

• Field Goal: 9 blockers at the line of scrimmage, a holder that holds the ball in position to be kicked, and a kicker. The field goal unit’s goal is to get the ball through the goal posts. 

Here are some common terms you will here when the special teams are on the field: 

Touchback: when a kickoff goes out of the back of the endzone it results in a touchback and the ball is placed on the 25-yard line. 

Onside Kick: a kickoff that is intentionally kicked short in order to try and regain possession of the ball. This is done when there is a close game, and the offense wants to regain possession in order to attempt to score again and win the game. 

Roughing the kicker: when a defensive player runs into the plant foot of a kicker results in a 15-yard penalty. 

Fair Catch: when the returner waves in the air to signify they intend to catch the ball and take the field position it lands at rather than trying to advance the ball. 

Muffed Punt: a punt that is not caught by the return team after they touch it and the possession is regained by the kicking team. 

Gunner: the widest people in a punt formation their goal is to get to the returner as fast as possible and force a fair catch or tackle them. 

The offense has four opportunities to go 10 yards on the field, repeating this process until they ideally reach the endzone. The defense ideally takes the ball away within the first three plays of the drive. Taking the ball away can happen through an interception or fumble or by forcing the offense to punt.  

I’m sure you’re wondering, who plays defense? So, let’s go over the defensive positions. 

• Defensive Line: The disrupters of the defense. The opposition to the offensive line, the defensive line not only stops the offense’s run game but also pass rushes and attacks the quarterback. 

• Edge Rusher: The shifty edge of the defense. Your edge rusher can be a defensive end or an outside linebacker. The edge rusher ensures no run play gets outside of them and that the quarterback gets put on the ground on pass plays. 

• Linebacker: The five senses of the defense. As a linebacker you have to see what is coming before it happens and hear and relay communications across the defense. On each play, linebackers have a responsibility for run and pass. On some plays linebackers will blitz. 

• Safety: The adjusters of the defense. The safeties are the last line of defense on defense and must stop the big plays from happening. They often work hand in hand with the cornerbacks to defend the receivers. 

• Cornerback: The mirrored masters of the defense. Often considered the hardest position in football, the cornerback does everything a receiver does only backwards.  

Here are some common terms you will here when the defense is on the field: 

Blitz: When a player who is not a part of the defensive line rushes the quarterback. 

Pass Break Up (PBU): When a defensive player causes a pass to be incomplete. 

Safety: When an offensive player in possession of the ball is tackled or forced out of bounds in their own endzone, resulting in two points for the defense. 

Tackle: When an offensive player that is in possession of the ball is brought to the ground by a defensive player. 

Tackle for Loss: When an offensive player that is in possession of the ball is tackled behind the line of scrimmage. 

Sack: When a defensive player tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage on a pass play.