Football. . . . . . .?

Chris Manradgh: Football. . . . . . .?
Sometimes I feel stupid in front of my friends cuz I do not really know the rules of football/NFL. . . I would really like to get into football but sometimes it is so overwhelming with all the players & teams. Can somebody first explain the rules of football? And what is a good way to remember the teams and important players?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Joe Socom
buy a football videogame. i used to know nothing about basketball but when i bought a game for my psp i knew all of the teams and positions .

Answer by
Pick a team, any team. Preferrably your home team or a team that you can follow easily. DONT become a saints fan just cuz they won the superbowl, people will say your a bandwagon fan.

Then just watch football.
Watch as many games as you can, and watch your team play. Become a fan.

There is no quick fix.

Watch for one season, and i guarantee youll know a lot about football by the time the season is over.
Just watch and learn.

Dont need any explanations or nothing, just watching will get you all the info you need.

Answer by chris b
simply put (believe me though, it isn’t remotely simple) is a team on offense feilds eleven players with a set 5 Offensive Linemen and QB, the rest can be any 6 players of a combination of WR, RB and TE (sometimes no tight ends or running backs, or sometimes one wide receiver.) The defense feilds 11 players with at least 3 Linemen and one Linebacker. The rest are a combination of Safeties, Cornerbacks and Linemen. The offense has 4 downs (plays) to make another 1st down (go ten yards). the defense tries to stop them. if the offense gets to the endzone they score 6 points and it is a “touchdown” then the kicker adds the extra point by a special field goal try, OR the team can opt to run 1 play and try to score for a 2 point conversion.. if the team cannot make a touchdawn but is deep in the opponents territory (near their endzone) they can try for a field goal for 3 points. There are many rules regarding what players can do in their specific postions (i.e. holding) and what can happen between plays (i.e. false starts, delay of game (play clock runs down)) but the 4 downs to go ten yards is the basic rule.

You can learn quite alot by watching pregame, halftime, and postgame shows especially on Fox, CBS or NBC where they have a group of commentators explaining plays and rules away from the game where they have time to get in depth with them.. the commentary during the game can vary due to time and what happens on the field they might not finish a thought or a point just might not come up to be made.

The other thing to do is to get a friend who is knowledgable and watch a game with them, or even better rent or buy a football game (preferrably NFL 2k5, though the rosters will be out of date or Madden) These games have some in depth tutorials and pretty much are exactly how the NFL games work. rules, postions, and plays.. the commentary, tutorials and your friend can give you valuable insight in learning one of the most complicated, but also most fun sports to watch/play.

Answer by Football Crazy Robot
Not enough room here to explain everything. Here is NFL Football in a nutshell.

One 11-man team has possession of the football. It is called the offense and it tries to advance the ball down the field-by running with the ball or throwing it – and score points by crossing the goal line and getting into an area called the end zone.

The other team (also with 11 players) is called the defense. It tries to stop the offensive team and make it give up possession of the ball.
If the team with the ball does score or is forced to give up possession, the offensive and defensive teams switch roles (the offensive team goes on defense and the defensive team goes on offense). And so on, back and forth, until all four quarters of the game have been played.

THE FIELD
The field measures 100 yards (360 feet) long and 53 yards (160 feet) wide.
Obviously the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

RULES
There are rules (OFFICIAL NFL RULES) and procedures to follow like in any sport. Breaking a rule is called a penalty. The team that gets called for a penalty usually looses yardage.

In the game the “Officials” can call a penalty by “throwing a flag”, a yellow flag is carried in the back pocket of each man. When the flag is thrown the play is normally run and the penalty assessed after the play. Various penalties, normally 5, 10 or 15yards.

TIMING

Games are divided into four 15-minute quarters, separated by a 12-minute break at halftime. There are also 2-minute breaks at the end of the first and third quarters as teams change ends of the field after every 15 minutes of play.

At the end of the first and third quarters, the team with the ball retains possession heading into the following quarter.That is not the case before halftime. The second half starts with a kickoff in the same way as the game began in the first quarter.However, whichever team kicked off in the beginning of the game will NOW receive The Kickoff in the second half.

Each offensive team has 40 seconds from the end of a given play until they must snap the ball for the start of the next play,
otherwise they will be penalized.
See Summary of Penalties – Automatic First Down

The clock stops at the end of incomplete passing plays, when a player goes out of bounds, or when a penalty is called. The clock starts again when the ball is re-spotted by an official..

THE PLAYERS

Each team has 3 separate units:
the offense those players who are on the field when the team has possession of the ball;the defense stop the other team. Special Teams, Kickoffs, etc
Only 11 players are on the field from one team at any one time.

KICKING

Teams also must kick the ball. They use another set of players call special teams. To start the game there is a kickoff.

FIRST DOWN

All progress in a football game is measured in yards. The offensive team tries to get as much “yardage” as it can to try and move closer to the opponent’s end zone. Each time the offense gets the ball, it has four downs, or chances, in which to gain 10 yards. If the offensive team successfully moves the ball 10 or more yards, it earns a first down, and another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards, it loses possession of the ball. The defense tries to prevent the offense not only from scoring, but also from gaining the 10 yards needed for a first down. If the offense reaches fourth down, it usually punts the ball (kicks it away). This forces the other team to begin its drive further down the field

THE RUN AND THE PASS

A play begins with the snap. At the line of scrimmage (the position on the field where the play begins), the quarterback loudly calls out a play in code and the player in front of him, the center, passes, or snaps the ball under his legs to the quarterback.

THE RUN

There are two main ways for the offense to advance the ball. The first is called a run. This occurs when the quarterback hands the ball off to a running back, who then tries to gain as many yards as possible by eluding defensive players.The quarterback is also allowed to run with the ball.

THE PASS

The other alternative to running the ball is to throw it.
Or as they say in football, pass it! Usually, the quarterback does the passing.

TOUCHDOWN = 6 POINTS

EXTRA POINT
AND THE TWO-POINT CONVERSION = 1 OR 2 POINTS

Immediately following a touchdown, the ball is placed at the opponent’s two-yard line, where the offense has two options. Usually the offense will kick an extra point, also called the point after touchdown, conversion, or PAT.

FIELD GOAL = 3 POINTS

If the offense cannot score a touchdown, it may try to kick a field goal. Field goals are worth three points

SAFETY = 2 POINTS

The safety is worth two points.