Tim Brown: Watch Boeing Soar

Each football team has a playbook filled with tons of plays for the offense, defense and special teams to learn. On defense, the idea is to be prepared for whatever the offense throws at you and to shut them down. On offense, it's to catch the defense off-guard or to outmuscle them. It's a huge chess match with live human beings trying to wear each other down.

On offense, I enjoyed the passing plays the most -- the ones where I could catch the ball with some room to run. I caught my fair share of passes, but sometimes the game dictated some smash-mouth football. You had to put your head down and run right at the defense. Barrel them over. Push them back.

Often one of the least exciting plays for fans, but one of the toughest and grueling plays is to have your running back charge right up the gut through the middle of the offensive line. ...