The majority of the football gear the players wear serve one purpose - protection. Although most of the pads worn are required by the rules, some gear is made for specific player positions. The following describes the equipment for a basic football uniform. The equipment can be categorized by Head Protection, Body Protection, and Leg Protection.
HEAD PROTECTION
 The helmet is the most important part of the player's equipment. Essentially, the helmet provides protection to the various parts of the head.
 Mouth Piece - Protects mouth and teeth from crushing blows to the head, thus preventing a player from being knocked out from contact. The mouth piece is form fitted and is inserted into the mouth. The mouth piece is usually attached to the face mask, but some players prefer not have it attached.
 Face Mask - The face mask protects the player from accidental contact to the face. Face mask styles vary according to player positions.
 Jaw Pads - Many players mistake these as ear pads, but the purpose of these pads are to provide cushioning between the helmet and the jaw area. These pads are attached directly to the helmet.
 Chin Strap - The chin strap keeps the helmet strapped on.
BODY PROTECTION
There are numerous equipments that players wear to provide body protection. Many of the following items are designed specifically for certain areas of the body:
 Neck Roll - Protects the head from whiplash during contact.
 Shoulder Pads - Provides protection when the player makes contact with their shoulders. Some shoulder pads are designed with the neck roll and rib pads built together.
 Shock Pads - Provides additional cushion and is worn under the shoulder pads. They absorb some of the impact during contact with their shoulders.
 Rib Pads - Rib pads are wore to provide protection to the rib area. Some rib pads only provide rib protection while others also add lower back protection for blind side hits.
Arm Pads - Protection mainly for the forearms and wrist. Some arm pads have integrated webbing which will provide protection for the hands
Elbow Pads - Provides protection for the elbows.
Lineman Gloves - These are special gloves which protect the lineman's knuckles during contact, especially when they're hands become pinched between two helmets or between shoulder pads
Receiver Gloves - These are special gloves which improve catching ability. They are specially lined for better overall comfort and increasing the "feel" for catching the football. LEG PROTECTION
 Hip pads and Tailbone pad - The hip pads and tail bone pad is made of lightwieght foam and is designed to protect the hips and tailbone from contact. These pads are held in a girdle to keep them in the proper position on the body.
  Thigh Pads and Knee Pads protect the quadricep muscles and knees respectively. These pads, along with the girdle, are secured by the football pants The pants are tight to keep the pads and girdle in place.
Football Cleats - Cleats come with screw on tips and non-screw on tips. The screw on tips are good for quick changes according to field conditions. The major drawback to these type of cleats are that they wear quickly. The non-screw on tips are usually referred to as "turf" shoes. These shoes are meant for artificial turf, but some are designed for natural turf as well.
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