Though there are 22 combatants on the gridiron at a time, because of the nature of this revered sport football that is most indicative of the American psyche, the focus is usually on the Quarterback.
His maneuvers and decisions dictate the flow of a given sequence.
So it is these signal callers who are most in the spotlight. The ones most credited for victories, blamed for losses. The ones whose names first get called on Sportscenter, the ones who play the position whom coaches must first address at press conferences.
The best of the lot, they’re the ones who are by default the front runners for the awards.