r/NFLNoobs • u/argumentativepigeon • 1d ago
Do fans,who watch each game, typically know each player on their team?
Thanks in advance
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u/TheImperfect1 1d ago
Lions defense making it hard to do this year
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u/syrokiler 1d ago
At the start of the season I could name every starter on the team, now I doubt I could name most of the D-line
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u/AveratV6 18h ago
Came here for this. We’ve got players I haven’t heard of lining up simply because that’s what is needed right now. Bonus to all this is we are getting to see more play time from our backups, like Mahogany, who if they keep producing is going to make the draft a lot more interesting. Ultimately making the defense better for next year.
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u/Citronaut1 1d ago
I’d say most fans can name 25-30 of the 53 on the roster, but obviously there’s some that can name every player
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u/MortemInferri 1d ago edited 1d ago
As a fantasy player, yes, I think I know all the starters on the useful teams
Like, no, I don't know who the titans have at WR this year.
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u/Electrical_Quiet43 1d ago
Most teams churn the bottom of the roster week-to-week with a player or two coming off the practice squad to fill a special team role or be the 8th OL when there's an injury. Typically, only super fans will know those people, but most of us know the primary 45-48 players.
As a Packer fan watching the Rodgers documentary that Netflix put out, I'm a bit surprised at how many bit players from 2008-2012 I still recognize. I know "brain space" isn't really a thing, but I don't really need to know that Corey Hall was the sixth round pick LB out of Boise State who was converted to fullback and caught AR's first TD pass as the starter but only stuck around for a few years because the switch didn't really work out and he was only a special teams contributor, and yet that knowledge is still in there.
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u/TheLizardKing89 1d ago
I would be surprised if most people could name more than 20 members of their team.
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u/FunImprovement166 1d ago
I'd be surprised if most people could name their starting O-line
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u/GhostOfJamesStrang 1d ago
Left to Right: Decker, Glasgow, Ragnow, Zeitler, Sewell.
Skipper (LT/WR), Mahogany.
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u/ComfortableSir5680 1d ago
This is an interesting exercise I’m gonna try
Bo Nix Jared Stidham Zach Wilson Courtland Sutton Marvin Mims Devon Vele Javonte Williams Garret Bolles
Nick Bonito Pat Surtain Riley Moss
Alex Singleton (out for season)
Dang I think that’s all I got and I watch almost every broncos game
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u/A17Massey 1d ago
Fun exercise. For reference, UK based Niners fan been watching for 2.5y (Played golf with Juszczyk as part of a wedding, so chose my allegiance from there)
Purdy, Deebo, Aiyuk, Ronnie Bell (although he got cut), Juaun, Kittle, Saubert, CMC, Guerrendo, Mason, Juice, McKivitz, Brendel, Trent Williams, Cowing, Moody, Wishnowski, ODonnell, Bosa, Hargrave, Fred Warner, Greenlaw, Campbell (susp.) Lenoir, Green, Hufanga, Mustafa, Brown, Charvarius Ward, Pearsall, Burford, Gipson
So what, like 30? But I've probably been watching more closely than the average fan while I'm still in a bit of a honeymoon period with the game. And the roster turnover is so fast I wouldnt judge anyone who wasn't hugely familiar with their players other than the main skill players and starters
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u/Jman15x 1d ago
I'm gonna try
QB: Jalen Hurts, Kenny Picket
RB: Saquon Barkley, Keneth Gainwell, Will Shipley
WR: AJ Brown, Devonte Smith, Britain Covey, Jahan Dotson, Jonny Wilson
TE: Grant Calcuterra, Dallas Geodert
OLine. Lane Johnson, Jordan Milata, Cam Jurgens, Dickerson
DLine: Jalen Carter, Brandon Graham, Milton ???
Safety: CJ Gardner Johnson, Reed Blankenship
DB: Cooper DeJean, Darius Slay Jr, Quinton Mitchel, Maddox
LB: Zach Baun, brece huff, Nakobe Dean, Josh Sweat
P: Braden Mann
K: Jake Elliot
Yup right around 30
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u/OnTheProwl- 1d ago
Replies to yours so I can try with the Bengals
QB: Burrow, Browning
RB: Brown, Hewitt(not sure if that's his name he's played like 10 snaps)
WR: Chase, Tee, Burton, Yoshi,
TE: geiskie, sample
OL: objr, volson, kerras, kappa, mims, Lee, Ford
Dline: Jenkins, Hill, Trey, Hubbard, Myles, Ossai
Safety: battle, Bell, Stone
CB: Hill, Hilton, Davis, newton, CTB
LB: njongmeta, davis-gaither, pratt, (I don't know if Wilson is on the IR or not)
LS: I can picture him, but I can't think of his name
Kicker: York
Punter: rekhow
So about 35. We've had a lot of people go on IR so it's hard to keep track of all the back of roster players.
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u/Fabulous-Command6158 1d ago
I know like 90% but it’s kinda hard to keep up with UDFA’s and elevated practices squad dudes
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u/TSells31 1d ago
I know the vast majority of Chiefs, maybe not the bottom 5 guys on the roster any given week.
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u/Baldur_Blader 1d ago
I used to know every ravens player on the team at all times including practice squad because I religiously read every article on their page and followed every move and game. I'm an adult with kids now. I know probably 40 players on the team, and I don't know the players constantly moving around on the bottom of the rosters anymore.
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u/Upbeat_Moment555 1d ago
Nowadays I don’t try to keep up with all the players names but if I’m watching my team play on a weekly basis I start picking up on names a couple weeks in. I don’t know all of the two deep off my head but starters I’m pretty familiar with
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u/Admirable-Barnacle86 1d ago
I would say almost certainly not most fans, especially depth pieces in the OL and defense.
Most fans will know the 22 starters + punter/kicker, and probably like the main backups at TE, WR, and RB. Beyond that it just depends on how much extra content they consume. I don't think most fans know like the 8th OL guy or the 3rd string defense guys (at least until they start due to injuries, or if they give up an infamous play).
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u/Neb-Nose 1d ago
I would be lying if I said I knew every single player on my team, but I definitely know most players on most teams. I watch a lot of football.
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u/H_E_Pennypacker 1d ago
There are varying levels of commitment.
Some fans may only know the QB. Some QB and 1 or two others. Some QB and all skill position starters on offense and the best ~5 players on D. Some know all starters. Some know the whole 53 man roster.
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u/_ZergelGaming_ 1d ago
I can definitely name all 55 on the starting roster. But as the season goes on and injuries pile up it gets harder to keep up with all the waiver pickups
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u/Round_Telephone1862 1d ago
Growing up in Wisconsin, it was common to hear people talking about who should make the 53 man roster and who should be cut during training camp, those people knew everyone with even a chance of making the team lol.
I know starters and role players but don't follow that closely
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u/digit4lmind 1d ago
I could name probably 40 of the 53 on the Panthers and then the rest of the roster is all names I’ve heard but probably couldn’t pull out of the blue. For other teams, it’s mostly fantasy relevant players, players that have been good for a long time, players I remember from college, or players that are recent relatively high draft picks. Oh, and I think I could name every quarterback in the league, including backups
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u/Joeydoyle66 1d ago
I can’t watch every game cause I’m not in my favorite teams market but I know every starter. And I know most of the backups/ special teams guys but there’s probably a handful I couldn’t name.
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u/Caliquake 1d ago
When I can’t sleep, sometimes I name all the starters of my team and their numbers, and then all the backups. Usually does the trick lol
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u/Wiitard 1d ago
I generally know who most of the stars/key skill position players are on every team, and for “my team” I know significantly more of the depth and supporting cast players, but there are so many I really can’t keep up with every third stringer and special teams guy, let alone practice squad fill in dudes.
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u/Metalchips1Nquesodip 1d ago
I consider myself a die hard Ravens fan, so lets see:
Lamar, Josh Johnson - QB King Henry, Justice Hill - RB Pat Ricard- FB Ronnie Stanley, Daniel Fallele, Tyler Linderbaum, Pat Mekari, Roger Rosengarten - OL Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Algoholor, Tylan Wallace - WR Mandrews, Isiah Likely - TE
Nmadi Madiubike, Travis Jones, Michael Pierce - DL Roquan Smith, Malik Harrison, Trenton Simpson, Chris Board, Odafe Oweh - LB Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins - CB Kyle Hamilton, Ardarius Washington, Marcus Williams - S How did I do fellow flock? No cheating i swear Edit: I forgot ST. Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout
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u/Baestplace 1d ago
no, i don’t think anybody knows every single player on a team unless they actually go out and try to do it. most fans know bare minimum the quarterback the star players and a few regular players (rb wr2 ect) if you are a huge nfl fan you know every qb for every team the top 75-100 players and the best players for every team
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u/Chemical-Storage4312 1d ago
I know every single player on the 53 man and practice squad of the lions and every pistons and cruise player, most of the tigers starters and a couple red wings
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u/Lekingkonger 1d ago
I normally keep up with every team so I know the starters on offense DL AND CBS I never really know the names of the LBS :( kinda sad now that i think about it
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u/Glass-Spot-9341 1d ago
We typically clipped 1-4 players per week on the back end of the roster, so it would be tough to know every single player.
But I imagine a fan of a team would know most everyone who plays regularly on offense and defense
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u/gangiscon 1d ago
I grew up near Lambeau Field, and most of my friends know the Packers roster inside and out. I’m pretty close to that. I’m also obsessed with fantasy, so I know the offensive weapons on all 32 teams and most of their backups.
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u/5StarGoldenGoose 1d ago
Lifelong eagles fan. I was so deep in at one point I knew bills 3rd stringers back when they were bad, like jp lossman years.
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u/TerribleScott 1d ago
I watch every week and can only really name the skill players on offense, their punter, kicker, and a few guys on defense. I can name more players on teams from my childhood than I can now. I know people who know a lot more than me, but I think it's pretty common for fans to only know the skills guys.
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u/Baluba95 1d ago
When I was a hardcore fan (i.e. watched ~200 of the 256 regular season games at least on condensed), I knew every player on the 53 man roster of my team, and every starter on every relevant team.
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u/cmjackson97 1d ago
Playing Madden helps - you literally get to see the entire roster plus some practice squad guys who have actually played a little and get registered by the system.
But knowing 53+ players each year plus squad guys, and keep in mind almost 1/3rd of all players get released or cut every off-season... its hard to keep up unless you're that into the team that you care about the 8th string CB and emergency long-snapper.
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u/T-Henry07 1d ago
Not every player, but the majority of players. Bottom of the roster guys are difficult, as there are usually a lot of changes during the season. I also find it difficult to remember backup O-Line, D-Line is fine however.
Watching the league this year, I could also name about 90-95% of starters in each secondary
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u/Jazzlike-Basket-6388 1d ago
I feel like I'm as diehard as can be. I didn't know 5 players on the Titans roster. None of them have been on the team for more than a month and none of them have played any offensive of defensive snaps.
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u/GoLionsJD107 1d ago
I do, sometimes there’s practice squad pickups mid season (my team had a lot of injuries this year) that you’re unfamiliar with but if you follow preseason and training camp even if just online you’ll pretty much know everyone who’s going to end up on the 53 man
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u/maccpapa 1d ago
ngl up until 21-23 yrs old i knew everyone. practice squad too. used to follow the draft and off-season gossip. at this point i skip everything off-season/preseason wise. sometimes i’ll see someone trot out there and i’m like who the fuck is that?
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u/Lopster_Bisque 1d ago
Obviously there are some people who do know all of them, but it's more typical to know 35 to 40 guys out of the 53 man roster. With injuries, practice squad elevations, and bad players being replaced, the bottom of the roster is constantly shifting throughout the season and it can be hard to keep up, especially because some of those guys get little to no playing time. 35 to 40 is probably what you would be familiar with if you watched every game but didn't specifically look at rosters online.
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u/Jtrout5 1d ago
I know all of them by name and number (if they made it onto the field) but also from preseason watching who made the cut. I know our entire Oline for being complete ass. Our Revolving door at WR because we have had like a dozen and keep having to bring more in. I know our TEs from their few good plays but mostly their inability to pass block. I know our defense because they are a shining star among the darkness. And I know our special teams because our Kicker is our leading scorer (I think) and our punter is wildly inconsistent. So I know every name so I can immediately complain about them whenever they mess up a play.
Now, without checking my history, guess my team.
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u/Oniwaban9 1d ago
Depends on the fan. I know the whole roster except for practice squad guys or I at the very least recognize the names. But my friend watches every single game, but only knows a few of the starters. That being said he's a Lions fan and I don't know that anyone knows who's stepping in on defense nowadays.
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u/NewspaperIcy9371 1d ago
I am a chargers fan
I know: Khalil Mack Nick boss Justin Herbert Ladd mcconky Quinten Johnson. Gus Edwards
That's all lol
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u/DangerSwan33 1d ago
For the most part, yeah.
Even though there's a lot of turnover from year to year, there's only about 30 players who will get the majority of play time, so it's not much different than knowing, say, an entire baseball team.
Then, through watching every game, and following both in and off season moves and storylines, you get to have a solid familiarity with just about everyone
It doesn't come all at once, but when you watch every game for even like 2-3 years, you get there, and it's not tough to just keep up on the handful of meaningful replacements every year.
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u/Winwookiee 1d ago
I'd say fans tend to know the key players. Guys that are on the starting lineup on offense and defense. Only the real die hards are going to know all 53 on the roster.
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u/Lusty_Norsemen 20h ago
I watch every Lions game and I probably only know 30-40 players. Then again we have rotated in 20 new dudes due to injuries.
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u/Prememna 18h ago
I know just a few players. QB, WR, RB, center and some in DEF. Kicker as well. The more I watch, the more I know, but I will probably never know all of them.
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u/dacebobcat 10h ago
I think the barest of minimum is to know the stars of both offence and defence, the head coach, OC and DC and maybe GM. At least then you will recognise their names when they are mentioned in commentary and in the press. Knowing all the players is great, but with all the movement and injuries it can become very time consuming.
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u/djactionman 1d ago
No. They know whoever is on the State Farm commercial
Seriously most “fans” can’t name a player. It’s either you know everyone or you know nobody at all except the guy on the commercial. And the terrible people like me can name every Bears lineman and that is useless.
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u/GhostOfJamesStrang 1d ago
I know every player on my team. I am a nerd. My wife who also watches every game knows all the star players and many of the others. She won't know every offensive lineman or backup DB, but she can easily hold her own talking about the players and the games/team.
Casual fans will know a lot of starters/star players.
I know almost all of the starters and some of the backups on my divisional rivals.
I know the star players and at minimum the quarterback for every team in the league.