The Offense (blue shown above)
Whichever team has possession of the ball is the offense. While only the quarterback, the wide receivers and tight ends, and the running backs can legally handle the ball, it is the quarterback who is the leader of the team and the playmaker. In fact, he's a man of many talents - he not only throws the ball, he outlines each play to his team.
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The Defense (pink shown above)
The job of the defense is to stop the offense. The 11 men on the defensive team all work together to keep the offense from advancing toward the defense's end zone.
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Special Teams
Special teams are units that are on the field during kickoffs, free kicks, punts, field goal and extra point attempts. Most special teams players are second- and third-string players from other positions. Special teams are unique in that they can serve as offensive or defensive units and that they are only seen sporadically throughout a game.
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