Football quiz

Below is the transcript of an actual conversation, at lunch, that my husband had with our son Scotty (11): Scotty: Dad, can you please quiz me about the rules about sports? Dad: Ok, which sport? Scotty: How about football? Dad: Ok, how many plays do you get to try to make a first down? Scotty: I think 5 Dad: No, it is 4 actually. Ok, how many yards to you have to go to get a first down? Scotty: 20 yards. I think I heard that once. Dad: No, 10 yards. That's ok though. Scotty: Sorry, I don't know much about football. Dad: No big deal. Ok, how many points for a touchdown. Scotty: 6 plus you can get some additional points for doing something after that I think. Dad: Good job. 6 for a touchdown and 1 "extra point" for kicking it the ball through the goal posts afterwards. You could also get 2 points if you just ran a plan and scored. Scotty: Cool. Dad: Ok, so you can score with a touchdown and extra point and also with a field goal (here dad explains what that is). What is the only other way to score? Scotty: (hesitates thinking for a few seconds). You could throw it through that fork looking thing (goal posts). Dad: No, close though. The defense could score if they tackle the offensive player in their own end zone. That is called a safety and is worth 2 points Scotty: Why is it called a safety? Dad: No clue. Ok, what happens if the quarterback throws the ball and a receiver drops it? What is that called? Scotty: A fumble? Dad: No, an incomplete pass Scotty: (hits his head). I knew it started with and "i" (remember he said fumble) Dad: No problem. What are the three main things a quarterback can do with the ball? Scotty: Let's see. He could pass it. Dad: Good Scotty: He could drop back with it. Dad: You mean drop back so that he could then pass it Scotty: Oh yeah, I guess that is the same thing. He could charge with it. Dad: He could what?? Scotty: You know, charge with it, into the defense Dad: You mean run it. Scotty: I call it charging Dad: Ok, but we are learning about football. In football that is called running Scotty: Ok I guess. Let's see, he could give it to somebody Dad: You mean hand it to a running back. Scotty: Yeah, one of those guys. I didn't know their names Dad: Great job. Ok, what is the name of the position that the quarterback throws the ball to? Scotty: Hmmmmmm. Not sure. Dad: Hint, they "receive" the ball. Scotty: A receiver?? (stated more as a question than an answer) Dad: Cool. What are your options on 4th down? There are three main ones Scotty: Normal play (funny enough); that kick thing Dad: You mean a punt Scotty: Yeah. I don't know the other one Dad: You could kick a field goal Scotty: I thought that was a punt.... And this then goes on and on and on. My husband says he actually gained a new appreciation for Scotty while they were talking. Football is NOT important. It is also something all other kids know about except for Scotty. However, Scotty knows a ton of stuff they don't know. He is a neat kid. That being said: Scotty has an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules of basketball and soccer (the two sports he plays and enjoys the most). Perhaps if we can get him interested in medicine and government he can cure cancer and save the world. Also I don't want to forget: -tonight when I had a friend over scotty tells me he loves me right in front of her like it is no big deal. I love his uninhibited nature. I hope he never loses it. -I love when the kids hear Charlie babbling and swear that he has said something so complicated that there is absolutely no way that he could have said it. That happened today and it had something to do with someone referring to our dog and Jack swearing that Charlie said, "and I want a HOTDOG!"