Does an invitation to a football party, or worse, an actual game, send you into a tailspin? Cause you to dread three hours of boredom? Here are some very basic “rules of the game” that may help you get through these events, and maybe even give you an appreciation for the sport.
The object of the game is to score more points – touchdowns and field goals – than your opponent.
Touchdowns are six points – and then the team gets to kick an extra point, for a total of seven if they make it (they almost always do).
Field goals are three points. That’s when a player kicks the ball through the goal posts. Not as good as a touchdown. Better than nothing.
Games are 60 minutes long, divided into four 15 minute quarters that take a lot longer to play because of television time-outs for advertising (and a variety of other time-outs and stopages). So don’t believe your guy when he tells you there are only five minutes left in the game – that five minutes will take at least half an hour.
A football field is 100 yards long (the end zones, where the touchdowns happen, add an additional 10 yards each).
Each team has 11 men on the field at a time, and players specialize – they play offense or defense, not both. A team’s offense is on the field when they have the ball. Defense when the other team has the ball.
The team with the ball has four chances – called downs – to move the ball a minimum of 10 yards. If they do so, they start again with four more chances to move 10 more yards. They can do this by running or throwing the ball – passing. The quarterback of the offense calls the plays, and gives the ball to a running back or passes it to a receiver. To throw in a little confusion, a running back can be a receiver too.
The defense tries to stop the offense by tackling the guy with the ball, intercepting (catching) passes meant for the other team – or tackling the quarterback – called sacking.
When it’s fourth down and the offense hasn’t gotten their 10 yards, they have two choices. They can try again, but if they don’t make it the other team takes over immediately right where the ball is. So sometimes they’ll go for it if they’re close. But if they aren’t close, they may choose to kick – punt – the ball to the other team to force them to have to go further – get more yards – in order to score.
The other option on fourth down is to try to kick a field goal for three points. That only works if the offense is close enough to their opponent’s goal post for the field goal kicker to have a good chance at successfully kicking the ball through the opponent’s goal-post. A 30 yard field goal is pretty do-able. Further than 50 yards is long, and 60 yards is almost unheard of.
The referees, wearing black and white stripes, will throw yellow flags when one team does something that’s against the rules. There are lots of different kinds of penalties that cause a team to lose yards.
Here are the penalty basics:
- Taking too much time. – the quarterback has 24 seconds to start the play. If he takes too long, his team gets a delay of game penalty and loses five yards.
- Offside – a player on the defensive line moves across the line of scrimmage (the line where the ball is starting) before the play starts. Also five yards.
- False Start – a player on the offense (the team with the ball) moves before the play starts. Again, five yards.
- Interference – when a player is receiving a pass, the guy trying to stop him from catching it isn’t allowed to knock him down, hit him, etc. Play moves to the spot on the field where the interference took place.
- Unnecessary roughness – this can be an ugly one when one player tackles another player too hard or slams someone’s head into the ground. Also 15 yards.
Now you’re “ready for some foot-ball!”
Bonus facts to throw out during thegame (so you sound like you know what you’re talking about):
- The only team to ever go undefeated all season, through the post season, and then win the Super Bowl was the Miami Dolphins. They did it in 1972.
- Rush Limbaugh was going to be a part-owner of the St. Louis Rams. He got dropped in part because the players complained. (Bonus factoid: the St. Louis Rams used to be the Los Angeles Rams).
- Are you watching the Atlanta Falcons? Bob Whitfield used to play for them–he’s the ex-husband of “Real” Housewife of Atlanta Sheree (he’s the one she was trying to get her seven-figures from).
- 2009 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Football League (now part of the NFL). To commemorate the anniversary, all former AFL teams are wearing retro uniforms throughout the season.
- Tom Brady = Giselle’s hubby (and baby-daddy to Bridget Moynahan). Tony Romo = Jessica Simpson’s Ex. Brett Fav-re = There’s Something About Mary cast member.
Interested in learning more? Like the how much NFL players make or what a high school quarterback’s chances really are at making it to the big leagues? Check out the NFL Players Association’s NFL Hopeful FAQs.
Oh, and by the way, as much as you’re hoping that this is going to happen, it’s not going to:
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very helpful piece, covers the basics and the fun facts. Apparently, extra points and baby daddys are both very important in the NFL. (that rotten Tom Brady!) nicely done!
The NFL decides who becomes an owner not the other way around.
All this blowhard (Rush Hudson Limbaugh A.KA. Jeff Christie) has to offer is his money and his opinions, (which in my opinion are on the fringes of racism, one mans opinion). There are many more groups biding for the Rams, not just his group. Lets face it there are more men with money (Marshall Faulk) that will gladly fill the slot and the Rams will win or lose depending on how well they work as a team and not on whether or not Rush is an owner.
As for Vick, well he is a player (he has talent not like you, Rush or I, unless you are a NFL player?) and he served his time and the NFL decided we live in the land of second chances, so why not (I personally don’t like it but, oh well). Life has never been fair (NEWS FLASH!)
Now as to the “Free Speech” argument, I guess many of you like myself heard Rush on Thursday “Almost in tears”, priceless. But the last couple of days he now is in his normal ranting and will continue until someone surpasses him, “Free Speech” continues, so what is being stifled, it simply is not true, of course, you may not have a radio, so you might want to get one.
http://www.chasingevil.org/2009/10/rush-limbaugh-in-his-own-words.html
PS – I am sure someone is working to put the tapes together maybe all you subscribers can help, since you are all about getting to the truth?
PPS- Beauty Pageant Judge – Now I understand why he lost the weight, to find a new wife, creepy.