Random Thoughts on the Representation of Modern Professional Life in Football #1

It seems ambitious to imply this will be a series, but a series that may one day be worth constructing into a coherent whole is what I intend.

No one player should be on the field for more than two phases of the game. In fact, if it were in my power to change the terminology, I would suggest that special teams not be worthy of the label "phase," because it will never require as much energy as that required by offense or defense. But conceding that special teams is, in fact, a phase, it is the only one to which an offensive or defensive player may lend his otherwise specialized skills. The economy of the game demands this; however, since backups in other positions generally manage the duties of special teams, it may be suggested that were scarcity of talent not a factor, the special teams would be made up of players without duties on the first three downs.

Of course, the purest representatives of the "special" teams, that is, punters and kickers, satisfy entirely this last ideal of specialization. Necessary for a number of plays many times less than those of their counterparts, kickers and punters demonstrate a skill set far removed from the athleticism embodied in the speed and brute strength of running backs, linebackers, tight ends, linemen, defensive backs and wide receivers. The kicker has nothing to do with football, and yet the game often depends on him.