It's no secret the NFL is a league of copycats. If one team finds success with a new wrinkle, you can bet other teams will attempt to duplicate it.

The latest big fad spreading through the league involves the Wildcat offense. Perhaps more appropriately referred to as the Wildcat formation or Wildcat package since no NFL team runs it as their primary offense, the non-traditional attack has caught on with several teams and been very effective in some cases.

So what is the Wildcat offense and what are its advantages?

Let's face it. Whether the stereotype is fair or not, football players aren't highly regarded for their intelligence (not to say there aren't a lot of smart guys playing the game). And as a result, the large amount of time they spend in front of a microphone answering questions can lead to some very amusing moments.

In honor of these blunderers, About Football has put together a collection of the more comical quips to escape the lips of college and pro football players, as well as coaches and announcers alike over the years. Read more...

As parents, many of us struggle with the decision to let our kids play football. After all, it is a very physical sport, and none of us wants to see Junior get hurt.

Besides the potential for injury, though, there are other things to consider before committing your child to a season on the gridiron.

Jobe Lewis goes over all the points you should consider when deciding if football is right for your kid.

Week 13 was a bit of a historical weekend in the NFL. Here's a look at some of the biggest highlights:

• With the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints winning Sunday, the NFL has two teams sitting at 12-0 for the first time ever.
• With their win, the Colts also tied the New England Patriots' record of 21 consecutive regular-season wins.
• Quarterback Brett Favre surpassed Vikings legend Jim Marshall for the longest consecutive game streak in NFL history by a non-kicker/punter with his 283rd consecutive regular-season game.
• Peyton Manning became the first player all-time to pass for at least 3,500 yards in 12 consecutive seasons. He's also the first player in NFL history to throw at least 25 touchdown passes in 12 seasons in a row.
• San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson scored his 150th touchdown Sunday in what was his 137th career game, making him the fastest player in NFL history to reach 150 total touchdowns. He also joined Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith as the only players to score 150 career touchdowns.

As we prepare to enter the stretch run of the NFL season and the playoff races really start to heat up, NFL tiebreaking procedures are sure to come into question. This reference page provides the list of tiebreakers the NFL now uses for divisional races and Wild Card races as well as for ties between two, three, and more teams. For future reference, this page will be listed in the Football 101 section with other informative pieces such as:

How to Calculate a Quarterback Rating
Common NFL Defensive Formations
Uniform Numbering System
Officials, Referees, and Umpires... What's the Difference?
NFL Scheduling Procedures

Over the past ten years, About Football has pretty much been a one-man show (yours truly) as far as producing content, with a handful of volunteers pitching in from time to time to help out. Today we are proud to announce the addition of Jobe Lewis (pictured), a former safety and linebacker from New Mexico State, who returned for a semester as a student assistant coach before going on to coach at the high school level in Colorado.

Jobe has been charged with putting together a library of resources aimed at teaching the ins and outs of the game to prospective players and fans alike, along with offering instructions on coaching. His experience as both a player and coach, along with his writing skills, offer detailed insight to the game that you can't find on just any football website, so we are very happy to have him on board.

To get things rolling, Jobe put together a guide to playing free safety, a position he is very familiar with. So, whether you're a prospective player or coach, or just want to learn more about the position, he's got the lowdown on alignment, assignments, and reads. He'll also tell you what type of athlete makes the best free safety. Check it out...

Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

As the individual playoff races shape up and begin to shake out, many teams are finding their playoff hopes fading fast or perhaps already evaporated completely. And that means there are a few head coaches out there who should be getting a little nervous about their current employment situation.

Dick Jauron, of course, was already given his walking papers by the Buffalo Bills. Following are three guys who could soon be joining him on the unemployment line:

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans - Off to a 5-3 start, it appeared the playoffs were finally in sight for a franchise that has never seen the postseason. Three losses later and the Texans are facing a must-win situation the rest of the way out. Particularly disappointing are the two losses to division rival Indianapolis in which Houston initially held 13-0 and 14-0 leads.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears - After trading for quarterback Jay Cutler, expectations were raised tremendously in the Windy City, especially following a 3-1 start. Having won just one of their last seven contests and looking like a team with a lot of holes to fill, Smith is beginning to feel the pressure from fans and the media alike. Question is, are the Bears willing to eat the remainder of his contract?

Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins - As good as gone the moment he was stripped of play-calling duties, Zorn's firing after the season is probably inevitable, especially with so many proven coaches out there right now. Owner Daniel Snyder likely won't be able to resist making a play for one of the big-name coaches available for the signing.

Several other coaches could also be on the wrong end of the coaching carousel come February, and there could be a surprise move or two with the coaching talent available. For the most part, though, these three guys are feeling the most heat at this time.

Getting tired of the same old office pools that pop up each year with the opening of the football season? Why not try something different this year like a prognostication pool?

What is a prognostication pool?

It can be a one-time thing or a weekly contest featuring your favorite team, or perhaps pick the top match-up of the week. The idea is to successfully predict the outcome of a series of questions based on the anticipated results of a particular football contest. Questions can be as simple as who will win the game and as obscure as which quarterback will post the highest passer rating. Each question, generally anywhere from 10-20 total, gives the participant the opportunity to register one point each by correctly predicting a certain outcome. The player who makes the most correct predictions is that game's winner, or you can accumulate points over an entire season to determine a champion.

Here's an example of a prognostication pool...

The penalty flag was first used in the NFL in a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Boston Yanks on September 17, 1948. More football firsts...

NFL football is as big a tradition at Thanksgiving as the turkey and pumpkin pie. And if your Thanksgiving celebrations are like mine, most of the football fans head right for the television as soon as they hit the door.

If you have to battle rather large crowds to get a prime view of all the NFL action, you know that it sometimes takes a little bit of planning and strategy to maintain a solid viewing position throughout the day. Being the huge football fan that I am, though, I've developed a plan to make sure I always have a prime location so that I don't have to miss a moment of the action... or any of the delicious Thanksgiving fixin's! Read more...