The quarterback tells his team on offense what to do like a director of a movie. The quarterback also begins all the plays. Quarterbacks are an "offense backfield" member. Quarterbacks have guards to protect them on the football field like kings. In games he tries to trick the defense into thinking that he will do something else. Usually he plans something different for each play. The quarterback tells the team where and how far to go by using a number system to identify passing plays. A five-step drop system by the quarterback is called a 50 Series passing play. A 50 series play means that the quarterback takes 5 steps before throwing the ball. The receiver needs to watch to see how many steps the quarterback takes so he can be ready to catch the ball. Another system is called the 90 Series passing play. It is a 3 step drop system by the quarterback. In that situation the quarterback takes 3 steps before throwing the ball. The quarterback has 3 options at the beginning of the play. 1. He can hand the ball off to the running back. 2. He can run with it himself. 3. He can pass the ball to the receiver.

A good quarterback must be good at passing. A quarterback must know how to throw to the spot the receiver is running to, and this takes lots of practice. The quarterback must be smart, a good leader, and stay cool under pressure. Not only does he need a good throwing arm, he must also be able to run well with the ball.