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| Thread: NFL Rules Article | |
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posted September 21, 2005 11:01 PM |
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NFL Rules Article
I am a huge NFL fan, and believe that American football is the greatest professional sport that exists. The sport is action-packed and (somewhat) violent, which of course appeals to the baser instincts of the male psyche, but more than that it is an exciting game to watch because there are many viable strategies to win a game. It is one of the few organized professional sports where coaching and strategy is just as important as what is transpiring on the field. Thus while to the casual and uninformed observer it might appear that the game consists of little more than 22 men simultaneously bashing each other bloody for 60 minutes, there’s an undercurrent of chess-like matching of wits that goes on in the background that makes for a lot of great tension and energy. Plus the teams bashing each other bloody is exciting, too.
Unfortunately, going along with all the strategic and tactical elements is necessarily a lot of rules, which puts off a lot of people who aren’t familiar with the game. One of my best friends hails from eastern Europe and he has told me that when he first came to the States, he found it difficult to get into the sport because he couldn’t easily figure out what was going on. And this is true – unlike other sports like soccer (i.e., regular football) or baseball, football is not easy to pick up on the fly just by watching it. However, having been here for several years now, my friend has been converted from a soccer freak to a full-blown football fanatic.
Anyway, I’m writing this because on the NFL Challenge thread in the Tavern of the Rising Sun board, Tigris mentioned that the NFL is now being broadcast in many other countries but that it was hard to follow what was going on, and asked if anyone would try to explain the game. There were a few tongue-in-cheek replies about the importance of tailgating (and food and pre-partying is an integral part of any NFL-viewing) but nobody really tried to answer that question. Therefore I have written a short-ish article explaining the main rules of the game, at least enough so that someone who is not familiar with it can sit down and understand what is going on. A warning, though – should you start to watch football, it may consume your life. I lose at least one day out of every week sitting on my butt doing nothing but eating and watching as many games as I can. It’s like video-heroin.
(Someone can feel free to link this to your “Education Articles” thread as it probably qualifies. Anyone else can feel free to add things, particularly about strategic mind-sets or offensive/defensive schemes if they so desire, which I probably won’t go into. Also note that I will be referring to the sport throughout as “football”, but I mean no offense to the rest of the world who considers football to be soccer – it’s just semantics. Finally note that I am discussing NFL rules – while College Football plays in generally the same way, some of the smaller details are different.)
The Objective
The objective of football is to get the ball into the region of space at the end of the opposing team’s side of the field (called the end zone). When this happens, it is called a touchdown, and this is worth six points. Each team essentially takes turns trying to do this. When your team has the ball, you are playing offense. At this point the other team is trying to prevent you from scoring a touch down, and is playing defense. When the offensive team fails or succeeds, the previously defensive team then gets a turn to play offense. The team with the most points when time runs out wins the game.
Dimensions
The football field (not including the end zones) is 100 yards (300 feet) long. Each end zone is an additional 10 yards long, so the entire field is 120 total yards. The field is additionally approximately 53 yards wide. The middle of the field is called the 50 Yard Line. Every 5 yards is marked off with a solid line that spans the width of the field and is marked according to how far away it is from the 50 yard line. For example, five yards away from the 50 yard line in either direction is a 45 yard line, then five yards later is a 40 yard line, etc., all the way to the “zero” yard line, which is known as the goal line, which marks the beginning of the end zone. Note that except for the 50 yard line, there are two of each “yard line” (i.e., there are two 40 yard lines). Each team is assigned one side of the field, so the yard lines are usually referred to as “Team X’s 40 Yard Line” to distinguish between the two yard lines. Usually every integral factor of 10 yards is marked off in large numbers on the field – that is, the 10 yard lines are marked with a big “10”, as are the 20 yard lines, 30 yard lines, etc. In addition, there are four sets of hash marks that mark off every single yard between the two goal-lines; two sets of hash marks are along the respective edges of the field and two sets of hash marks run down the field at approximately 25% and 75% of the width of field (these will come into play later). Finally, one last term is the side line which represents the limits of the field along the field’s length; this is where the players who are not playing usually stand. See the Figure below.
Behind each end-zone is a structure that resembles a large tuning fork called a goal post. The two “tines” of each goal post are often referred to as uprights. The horizontal bar is 10 feet off the ground, and the two uprights extend 30 more feet upwards. The uprights are additionally a little more than 18 feet apart. The goal posts play a role in scoring, to be discussed below.
The ball: the football, often referred to affectionately as “the pigskin” is something of an unusual shape, although it’s important for a number of reasons. First, it is the compliment of the shape of the foot and lower leg, making it conducive to kicking long distances. It is also the complimentary shape of the arm bent in such as way as one might hold a baby, making it easy to carry. Furthermore, the football is more aerodynamic than a sphere, meaning that it can be thrown for long distances if it is thrown in such a way that the ball spins while it is thrown (called a spiral) – in fact there is a book available in bookstores called the Physics of Football, of which more than a chapter is spent discussing the kinematics of the flight of the football for varying types of spiral motions. But more importantly, it’s shape also means that it will bound unpredictably since it is both pointed and curved – this can have a huge impact on where the ball might go when it hits the ground. The ball is approximately 1 foot in length and has a set of laces along one length that make it easy to grip.
Temporal dimensions: each game is divided into four quarters. Each quarter is 15 minutes long. There is a brief pause between each quarter and a longer break at halftime. It should be noted that the 60 total minutes is game time but that a game usually takes much longer than 60 minutes (typically around 3 hours) because the game clock does not run continuously as it does in other times sports. There are many occasions where the game clock will stop temporarily. After each quarter, teams switch the sides of the field they are defending, to balance out any environmental effects (e.g., so one team isn’t always playing into the wind). The end of the 1st and 3rd quarters usually only involves a brief pause and switching sides but does not interrupt the current position of the ball when the quarter ends. The end of the 1st half (2nd quarter) however marks a restart point, so the position of the ball in not conserved here; in this way a full football game plays like two smaller games. In the case that there is a tie at the end of the regulation 60 minutes, there is an overtime period consisting of an additional 15 minutes, in which the first team that scores automatically wins (sudden death). If there is still a tie at the end of overtime, the game ends in a tie (except in championship games late in the season, in which case multiple overtime periods are played). We’ll get more into time later on.
Coin Toss
The game starts with a coin-toss to determine who gets to play offense first. Generally the visiting-team gets the honors of calling the toss. The winner of the toss gets to decide if they want to play offense first or defense first. The loser of the toss gets to decide which side of the field to defend, usually influenced by environmental factors (it should be noted that each stadium can have radically different environmental concerns, depending on whether they are covered stadiums, open-top stadiums, etc.). Note that the team that played offense first in the first half will play defense first in the second half, so this can be a deciding factor.
Kickoff
The team playing defense first then initiates the game by kicking the ball to the receiving team, who will play offense first. This is done by placing the ball on the 35 yard line (I believe) and kicking it (usually) as far as possible. A member of the receiving team catches the ball and tries to run with it as far as they can. Progress is stopped either by the returning running out of bounds (off the limits of the field) or by being tackled by the defending team. We might as well define a tackle here: a tackle is when a defensive player forces the ball-carrier to the ground, a position which is usually referred to as being down. Being down or tackled is generally defined as having (at least) a single knee or elbow touching the ground as a result of contact by an opposing player, or by going out of bounds. When the kick returner is tackled or goes out of bounds, this is where the offensive will start. Note that on some occasions, a good kick returner can actually run all the way back and score a touchdown on the kickoff. This doesn’t happen very often, but it is possible.
The 4 Down System
This is the meat of the game. After the kick-return is over, a brief pause ensues so that the offensive and defensive squads can get on the field. Now the offense will try to get the ball into the opposing team’s end-zone, and the opposing team’s defense will try to stop them from doing so.
The game is broken down into units called plays. Each play is a single attempt to move the ball closer to the other team’s goal-line in the hopes that, eventually, you will get close enough that a play will result in the ball being moved into the end-zone. Each time the offense has the ball and makes a series of plays to try to accomplish this goal, it is called a drive. A drive may consist of just a few plays or many, depending on how successful the offense is at moving down the field or how successful the defense is at stopping them. The yard-line from which any given play proceeds is called the line of scrimmage.
While getting into the end-zone and scoring a touchdown is the ultimate goal of any drive, there are smaller goals along the way. Starting from where the kick-off ends and the offense takes over, the offense gets four attempts to move the ball 10 yards further down the field from the starting position. Each of these attempts is called a down. For example, the first play after the kick-off is called first down, then second down, third down and, finally, fourth down. If the offense is able to move the ball at least ten yards as a result of any or all of those four plays, then the team is given a new set of four downs to try to move an additional ten yards, and on and on.
For example: let’s say that the offense starts on the twenty yard line as a result of the kickoff. They essentially have four chances to move the ball past the 30 yard line. On first down, let’s say they move the ball forward three yards (23 yard line). Now they have 3 more downs (play) to get to the 30 yard line, starting from the 23 yard line. On the second down they move the ball forward two yards (25 yard line), and then on the third down they move the ball forward 8 more yards (33 yard line). Since they were able to move the ball past the 30 yard line, they get a new set of downs to move the ball an additional 10 yards, and they start on the 33 yard line, meaning they have to get to the 43 yard line by the end of the fourth down. (Note: at the beginning of any play, the announcer of the game will usually tell the viewer what down it is and how many more yards the offense has to make it to first down – usually in truncated form, like “3rd and 6”, which would mean that it is third down and 6 yards to go until 1st down.)
As long as the offense continues to get first downs by progressing the ball 10 yards within four plays, they get to keep the ball. Ideally, eventually a successful drive results in them moving the ball into the end-zone, at which point they get 6 points for the touchdown.
Punting
Most drives don’t end in touchdowns, as the defense usually has something to say about them moving the ball forward. In principle, if, after four tries, the offense is unable to move the ball ten yards, the drive ends and the defense team gets to become offense and try to go towards the other team’s end-zone, starting where the first team left off.
For example, let’s say that TeamX gets the ball on the 20 yard line and in the first three plays only makes it to the 24 yard line, so that it is now 4th and 6. On the four down, they move it forward an additional 2 yards to the 26 yard line. Since TeamX could not get it to the 30 yard line, the other team, TeamQ now gets to play offense, starting at TeamX’s 26 yard line, only 26 yards from the end-zone in which they need to score.
I say this is what happens in principle, because the offensive team has the option of preemptively ending their drive by punting the ball. Essentially, punting means that you kick the ball as far as you can to the defending team so that instead of starting their offense where you end your drive, they have to start wherever they catch the ball. This ensures that the opposing team doesn’t have an easy ride into your end-zone just because you couldn’t move the ball down the field.
Taking our example above, instead of going for the first down on 4th and 6, which would be considered a major risk given the proximity to their own end-zone, they opt to punt the ball. A “good” punt is usually about 40-50 yards, so let’s say TeamX punts the ball forty net yards. I say net because when TeamX punts the ball, TeamQ gets to catch the ball and try to run with it as far as they can, much like a kickoff, so while the punter may punt the ball 54 yards, the returner of TeamQ may return the ball 14 yards in the opposite direction, resulting in a 40 yard punt. Still, this would mean that TeamQ’s offense starts on their own 34 yard line (meaning they have 66 yards to go to score a touchdown) rather than on TeamX’s 26 yard line. That’s a big difference.
Punting, like any other play, consumes one of your four precious downs, but is pretty much standard procedure on 4th down, so that while you have 4 tries in principle to make a 1st down, in practice you really only have 3, because except in rare circumstances when it makes sense to gamble, the fourth down is reserved for punting.
Field Goals
Scoring a touchdown is not the only way that a drive can result in a score. Let’s say TeamX starts their drive at the 20 yard line and moves all the way down to TeamQ’s 20 yard line (a net of 60 yards) but they get stopped on third down, bringing up fourth down. Obviously it doesn’t make sense to punt here, because you’re already deep into the enemy territory. Going for it and trying to make 1st down is also usually a low-percentage option. The third option is the field goal. Basically, the offensive team can attempt to kick the ball between the two uprights of the goalpost. If they are successful, they score a field goal, which is worth 3 points. This is only a viable option if they are close enough to the goal-post to ensure a reasonable chance of success – generally speaking, “Field Goal Range” is anything closer than the 35 yard line on the defender’s side of the field, although it varies slightly depending on your kicker.
Extra Points and Conversions
Early on in the history of football, it was decided that a touchdown should be worth slightly more points than two field goals, so the extra point (or point after touchdown – PAT) was added. Essentially it’s a short field goal that the touchdown scoring team automatically gets to try after any touchdown is scored. The ball is placed on the 2 yard line and a field goal is attempted. If they are successful, a single extra point is awarded to the scoring team, bringing the total number of points for the touchdown to 7 (this is why a lot of football scores are multiples of 7). If they fail, they get nothing. It is usually (but not always) an automatic point because field goals are pretty high percentage from such short distances. And while a single point may not seem like much in the context of 6 and 3 point touchdowns and fieldgoals, that extra point often makes a significant difference.
Recently, another scoring convention was added, called the two-point conversion. This was a convention that was added from College Football rules. Instead of kicking an extra point from the 2 yard line, you can attempt to get the ball in the end-zone (like a touchdown) using a conventional play from the 2 yard line. If this is successful, you get to add two points to your 6-point touchdown score rather than the 1 awarded for a PAT. It is standard practice to kick the PAT and not go for the 2-pt. conversion unless you specifically need 8 points (or multiples of 8) to catch up to your opponent, but needless to say, the possibility of getting 2-pts. instead of 1 after a touchdown has in the past affected the outcomes of games.
After a Score
After a punt, the defending team starts on offense wherever the punt-returner was stopped, but after a score of a touchdown or a field goal, there is another kickoff (like at the beginning of the game) with the scoring team kicking to the defending team. At this point it begins again, and this is how the game goes. It sounds very complicated, but it’s actually pretty each to follow the basic game once you get the hang of it.
Timeouts and the Playclock
In general, the game-clock runs continuously – even in between plays - except after a penalty (see below), after an incomplete pass (see below), or after a change of possession (a punt, a score, a turnover – see below – etc.). However, teams cannot take an infinite amount of time in between plays; there is a play-clock of 40 seconds which is the amount of time after one play is over that the offensive team has to start the next play. If they do not start a play within 40 seconds, they incur a penalty. In addition, each team gets three timeouts per half in which they can forcibly stop the clock. This can be done for a variety of reasons, either because there was confusion and they didn’t think they would get the play off in time, or because they wanted to rethink strategy, or, as is the most common usage, they want to stop the clock to conserve time near the end of a game. Timeouts are extremely valuable and are not to be used frivolously – many a football game has been lost because a team wasted their timeouts early.
Offense:
General Considerations – Aside from some bizarre examples, most plays can be divided into two main categories. Either you give the ball to someone immediately and have them run with it as far as they can (a rushing play) or you throw the ball to someone, and, assuming they catch it, they then run with it as far as they can (a passing play). Running plays are fairly simple – the running runs until he is tackled, and the position where he is tackled is where the next play starts. In a passing play, if the pass is caught by a receiver, then the receiver can run with it until he is tackled, and the position where he is tackled is where the next play starts. If the pass hits the ground, it is an incomplete pass and the play is over – the next play starts at the same point that the last play started, but one down was wasted. It’s also possible for a defender to catch the ball, which is an interception – see below.
Positions – In principle, anybody on a football team can play any position, but being a highly tactical and strategic game, teams benefit from a lot of organization. Furthermore, different players are more suited for different jobs depending on their skills and body type. Below is a description of the most common offensive positions, although note that during any given play, the makeup of the team may change depending on what kind of play is being run. You don’t always have to have wide-receivers or running backs in your offensive team for a given play, though some positions are generally always on the field.
Quarterback – The team’s general and leader. This is the guy who explains to the team what the called play is, and who will be doing what. He is also responsible for initiating the play. He always gets the ball first and is responsible for giving the ball to the runner in a running play or who will throw the ball in a passing play. Generally, the quarterback (QB) is known most for passing and so this is one of the most important skills, but a QB must also be fast enough to avoid being tackled, strong enough to withstand a lot of punishing tackles, and smart enough to adapt the play depending on what the defenders are doing.
The Offensive Line – These guys protect the quarterback while he gets the play going, and generally are involved in blocking. There are usually five members of the offensive line: one center (C), two offensive tackles (OT) and two offensive guards (OG). They are generally enormous fellows and their most important duty is to either give the QB enough time to throw the ball (pass blocking) or to push defenders out of the way so that the runner has enough room to advance the ball (run blocking). In addition, the center has the job of hiking or snapping the ball, which basically means, when the QB tells him to, he starts the play by handing the ball (through his legs) to the QB so the play can start.
Running Back – Also called a half-back, tail back, or full-back, depending on where they are standing in the backfield (the region of space behind the offensive line and the line of scrimmage) and what they will exactly do, this is the guy that receives the ball on a running play and tries to run as far as they can. There are different types of running backs with different strengths – some are big and powerful and just try to pound their way forward and others are nimble and quick and work by trying to outrun and dodge defenders. Often teams will collect both types and have both types in the backfield at once, to keep defenders guessing. RBs are also responsible for blocking on passing plays.
Wide Receivers - These guys usually line up towards the edges of the field. WRs run preplanned “routes” down the field, hoping to get open enough for the QB to pass the ball to them. Like the running backs, WRs come in many shapes and sizes, from the mighty quick to the slow but powerful.
Tight End – Sort of a combination between a lineman and a receiver, these guys line up with the offensive line and can either aid in blocking or they can go down the field and catch a pass. This position is experiencing a resurgence of sorts right now as more coaches are incorporating them into gameplans because of their versatility.
There are virtually hundreds of different offensive schemes, and to go into them here would take too much time and is beyond the scope of a introductory article. A lot of thought goes into offensive strategy and the choice of plays is just as important as their execution. A team’s offensive approach to any given game will depend highly on the style of defense the opposing team is known for, and a good coach will study film for hours and hours trying to develop just the right combination of runs and passes to exploit weaknesses that the other team may have.
Defense:
General Considerations - In today’s NFL, defense is only defensive in the sense that they are trying to prevent the other team from scoring, but make no mistake, today’s defenses are often aggressively offensive, and as much planning goes into defensive strategy as goes into offensive strategies. Generally speaking, there are two “types” of defensive schemes when it comes to passes: zone or man-to-man. In the former, each defensive player has a region of the field that is “theirs” to defend against a passing play. If an offensive potential receiver enters their region, then they must guard against the pass. Obviously when someone catches the ball (or if it’s a running play), zones usually disappear and everyone goes after the ball-carrier. In man-to-man, each defender takes an individual receiver and goes wherever they go. Additionally, defensive schemes are usually divided into how the defenders are lined up along the line of scrimmage: while the offensive line usually consists of 5 guys all lined up next to each other, the defensive line usually consists of a few right on the line of scrimmage and a few hanging back a little bit. If there are 3 up front and 4 hanging back, this is called a 3-4 defense; if there are 4 up front and 3 hanging back, this is called a 4-3 defense. There are others, termed nickel and dime, which have slightly different configurations. Each defense has specific strengths and weaknesses depending on what the offensive play is – a lot of football comes down to guessing what you think the other team is going to do.
Finally, as I mentioned earlier, defenses today are often very aggressive – one manner in which a defense can be aggressive is by blitzing, which basically means there are more defensive players on the line of scrimmage than there are offensive players to block them all. The goal of blitzing is, of course, to get to the QB before he has a chance to get the play going or throw the ball. (Incidentally, if the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, this is called a sack and results usually in a loss of yardage for the offense on the play.) Blitzing can really disrupt an offense, but you have to be careful – if you are putting additional men to go after the QB, you are taking men away from the backfield, meaning you have less guys to defend against the pass. Blitzing is a risk – you can easily give up big passing plays if you do it to often. Because of this, good defensive coaches will often fake blitz, where they bring a bunch of guys up close to the line of scrimmage before the play starts, but they’ll back off at the last moment. It’s all about confusing the opponent.
Positions –
Defensive Line (DL) – These are the defensive analogues to the offensive linemen (OL), and they line up right on the line of scrimmage. Like the OL, they are big guys, but need to be quick to, so as to get to the QB or RB before they can make a play. They have one basic goal: sack the linebacker (on a passing play) or tackle the runningback (on a running play), and their obstacle is, of course, the offensive line. The great thing about football is that there are so many mini-battles going on the field at one time. Nobody is just sitting around waiting for their turn to do something.
Linebacker – The LBs are the defenders that stay slightly behind the DL. There are usually 4 or 3 of them depending on the defensive scheme. They also have various names like Middle Linebacker (MLB) and Outside Linebacker (OLB) depending on where exactly they are standing, but they play vital roles in both stopping the run, blitzing, and defending short and mid-range passes. Generally smaller and quicker than linemen so as to chase down running backs and receivers, they still however need considerable strength and bulk if they are to get by the linemen during blitzing.
Defensive Backs – the defensive backs, in most cases four of them, are those who defend against the pass. Generally they are divided into two categories – cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). The cornerbacks usually line up near the sidelines along the line of scrimmage and guard against wide-receivers. Often they play man-to man, following one receiver around and trying to deflect passes, tackle the receiver if they make a catch, and of course make interceptions (see below). Safeties usually “float”. They line up way in the backfield and watch the progression of the play to see where the QB might throw it, and then run in that direction to break up the pass. These guys are often the hardest hitting members of the defense, because they usually have the advantage of sitting back and waiting and then getting a running start before they tackle a ball-carrier.
Turnovers
Earlier I discussed four methods that can potentially end an offensive drive: a touchdown, a field goal, a punt, and a turnover on downs (which essentially means after four downs you couldn’t advance the ball 10 yards, and you didn’t score or punt, so the other team automatically gets the ball). A turnover on downs is a specific example of a broader category of drive-ending events called turnovers, which, in addition to the turnover on downs, include fumbles and interceptions. Turnovers play a huge role in a football game, both physical and emotional. Nothing can turn the tide of a game more quickly than a turnover. Both types of turnover result in an immediate switch of offensive and defensive positions, at the point where the ball is turned over.
Fumbles – if a ball carrier drops the ball (or has it forcibly knocked away by a good defender) before he is tackled, this is called a fumble. Because the ball is shaped strangely, often it will bounce unpredictably, making fumbles very exciting. Once the ball is dropped, it is a live ball, meaning anyone can pick it up and run with it towards their respective end-zone, and whichever side picks it up gets to be the new offensive team, starting from where it is picked up. (Note that if the offensive team recovers their own fumble, it counts a simple running play – i.e., they don’t get to start from 1st down.) While you are technically allowed to pick it up and run, most coaches preach for players to just fall on the ball and simply claim position, because picking up a rolling football is harder than it looks. Defenders are usually coached in how to strip the football, which basically means they force a fumble by knocking it loose or physically grab it away from a running back. Running backs, conversely, are coached extensively on how best to hold onto a ball while running so that stripping the ball is more difficult. A fumbled ball that rolls out of bounds is retained by the offense.
Interceptions - When a ball is thrown to a receiver, it is a live ball until it is either caught or until it hits the ground. If the receiver catches the ball, it’s a completed pass, but the receiver isn’t the only one who can catch it. If a defender catches the ball, it’s called an interception, and the defender will immediately run towards their scoring end-zone, and the offense will try to tackle him. Wherever he is tackled is where his defense will take over on offense. Note that sometimes interceptions are the result of deflections – i.e., it’s possible that a pass will bounce off of a receivers hands and land in a defenders hands. This is a legal interception.
Note that it is possible for the defense to score a touchdown immediately as a result of a fumble or interception. This does count as their team’s “offensive turn”, however - that is, they will be kicking off to the team that just fumbled or got intercepted after the touchdown.
Challenges
Challenges are a relatively recent addition to NFL rules, and is a sort of “middle of the road” solution to the instant-replay vs. no instant-replay extremes that alternately were the norm in the NFL for many years. Essentially, if a coach feels that a call on the field was incorrect, he may challenge the call. For example, say that a runner appears to have fumbled the ball and the other team recovers, but the coach thinks that the fumbler was actually “down” before the ball popped out (i.e., that his knee was down). Before, whatever the call on the field was upheld, but to ensure that the correct call is made, this coach may now ask the referee to review the play on instant-replay. But there’s a catch: you are only allowed to challenge twice in a game and a failed challenge results in a time-out being charged to your team. If you challenge correctly both times, then you are afforded one additional challenge. Also, there are no challenges in the final 2 minutes of either half – reviews during this period are initiated by the referees only.
Penalties
The final topic in this article will be on penalties. If there were no penalties, football would be complete anarchy. Penalties are a big part of the game and nothing will frustrate a coach – or a fan – more than sloppy penalties. Penalties are applied when a team violates one of a long list of rules. An official signals a penalty by throwing a yellow flag into the air and announcers will tell the viewer that there is a penalty by announcing that there is a flag on the play. A penalty results in a loss of yardage to either the defense or the offense, depending on who committed the penalty. Below is a list of some of the more common penalties that are encountered. This is by no means exhaustive – I’ve been watching the NFL many years an occasionally there are still penalties called that I did not known existed! Also note that a penalty cannot result in the ball being moved into an endzone – in such case that it would, the ball is moved half the distance to the goal-line. If there is more than one penalty on a play to a single team, the most severe penalty is applied. If there is more than one penalty on a play to more than one team, the penalties off-set and the result if often a replay of the down. Finally, some penalties also can result in players being ejected from the game or being fined by the NFL.
False Start – Someone on the offensive line moves prior to the ball being hiked (snapped). This results in a 5 yard loss to the offense.
Off Sides – Sort of a similar penalty as false start, but to the defense. Result is a 5 yard loss to the defense.
Holding – Players may not physically hold a player of the opposite team to prevent their motion: this applies to both the offensive line (offensive holding) trying to prevent a sack or to the defensive players (defensive holding) restricting the motion of a receiver. It goes without saying that you can’t tackle a guy that doesn’t have the ball. Offensive holding results in a 10 yard loss to the offensive, and defensive holding usually results in a 5 yard loss to the defense and an automatic first down for the offense.
Delay of Game – The offense must run a play before the play clock expires. Failure results in a 5 yard penalty.
Minor Face Mask – You may not touch the face mask (the part of the helmet that protects the face), ever. If it’s an incidental infraction, it results in a 5 yard penalty. A more serious infraction (intentionally grabbing on to the face mask and pulling) is a personal foul, penalized 15 yards.
Pass Interference – One of the most severe penalties in terms of yardage, neither an offensive player or defensive player may physically restrict an opposing player from attempting to catch a pass unless it has been deflected. Basically this means that you can’t push a guy out of the way before the ball gets to the receiver, except for the first five yards after the line of scrimmage. Note that this goes for the offensive player, too – they cannot push a defender who is trying to make an interception out of the way. Offensive pass interference is a 10 yard penalty applies to the offense, and defensive pass interference results in the ball being placed at the spot of the foul.
Personal Foul – These severe penalties exist generally to protect the players from harm or to prevent unsportsmanlike contact. Personal fouls may be applied for tacking a player after a play is over (a late hit), clobbering a quarterback after he has thrown the ball (roughing the quarterback), for smashing into a punter or kicker after a ball has been kicked (roughing the kicker), or for illegal tackles in dangerous places, such as below the knees, or direct helmet-to-helmet collisions. Additionally, players are not allowed to remove their helmets during play, kick the ball at any time other than during a legal kick, harass the referees, or fight amongst themselves. All personal fouls result in a 15 yard penalty and may in severe cases result in player ejections and fines by the NFL.
Conclusion
I hope this article has served to clarify some of the main rules in NFL football. Obviously I didn’t really go into specific plays or strategies, as this would take forever. I welcome any other NFL fans to add additional comments or corrections to this article. If you’ve never watched the NFL, and it’s available to you, I encourage you to try it – it’s a very exciting game that has many levels of strategy.
Oh, and go ‘Skins!
Corribus
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tigris
Supreme Hero
Supreme Noobolator
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posted September 21, 2005 11:13 PM |
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i can say this much:
If any of you mods can read this in one try, then DON"T GIVE THIS GUY A QP, but if u can't(like i couldn't), do reward the effort put in this post read about half of this and it seems really straight to the point and explicit.
nice to see the dedication for the sport 
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted September 22, 2005 12:01 AM |
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The length that was necessary to describe the basics of NFL football is pretty indicative of how complicated the rules are, but you shouldn't let that put you off too much: if you watch it a little bit, you'll get the hang of it before too long. Understanding all the nuances and strategies will come later.
Really, all you have to know to watch it at the most basic level is (very succinct version!):
1. Goal is to get football in the endzone (touchdown - 7 pts) or to kick it through the goalpost (fieldgoal - 3 pts) or to stop the other team from doing so.
2. From where you start, you get 4 chances (downs) to move the ball 10 yards. If you succeed, you get 4 more chances to move it another 10 yards - repeat until you get it in the end-zone. If you don't succeed by the 3rd try of any set of downs, you use your fourth try to kick the ball away to the other team, which gets a turn OR, if you are close enough, you use your 4th try to kick the field-goal for 3 points.
3. You can move the ball on a down by running it or passing it. The guy who gives the ball to the runner or throws the ball to the receiver is the quarterback When the guy with the ball is tackled to the ground by the defense, that down is over and you do a new down wherever the ball was when the guy is tackled.
4. You play for 60 minutes of playing time, but clock doesn't run continuously. Play is divided into two halves, each half divided into two quarters.
5. If guy carrying the ball drops it and defense picks it up, or if pass is caught by defense, your are no longer on offense - other team gets to play offense starting from where the turnover occurred.
6. Team with most points after 60 minutes wins.
Heh - I should have just written that the first time! 
C.
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2XtremeToTake
Promising
Supreme Hero
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posted September 22, 2005 12:28 AM |
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A touchdown is worth 6 points, not 7.
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I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted September 22, 2005 12:30 AM |
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Not with PAT applied. Please see extended version.
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lkru33
Promising
Famous Hero
3x NFL Pick'em Champ
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posted September 22, 2005 01:47 PM |
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Great post with so much detail Corribus. It is very difficult to explain such a complex game, but your post seems to have covered all of the basics.
Why don't you join the NFL challenge? 
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted September 22, 2005 03:38 PM |
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I will, for next week's games. I play a weekly pool (for money) here at work that is basically the same thing, and I lose dreadfully every week... so I have no high hopes of winning - but it is always fun to see how wrong your predictions can be.
The great thing about the NFL is that there are rules in place to keep things perpetually interesting. Because of the lack of a real player's union and the salary cap, etc., teams are consistently pretty well matched, so you never know who is going to win.
C.
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angelito
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
proud father of a princess
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posted September 22, 2005 04:19 PM |
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I watched american football a lot when it was on german tv. (We still have the NFL Europe though...) I like it very much, and i don´t find it that complicated (to watch...not to play...lol). I also watched some games of rugby, or australian football.
The show of the "All Blacks" from New Zealand before the game starts is amazing. I´m really fascinated of that kind of "dance"!
I like the gameplay of american football better than the rugby one, and i noticed one (i know there are much more though..) big difference though. Football normaly has only one pass and then a run in one move, while rugby has many passes during the same move.
Why is it like that?
And what i was thinking about many times, why has the "ball" an oval form instead a round one like all other balls? Is it because u can throw it much further then? Or can u throw more exactly that way?
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Better judged by 12 than carried by 6.
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lkru33
Promising
Famous Hero
3x NFL Pick'em Champ
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posted September 22, 2005 04:41 PM |
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Edited By: lkru33 on 22 Sep 2005
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Angel I didn't realize you liked the game of American football
Why does a football not have a round shape? My guess is becasue it makes it easier for someone to throw one further, with more velocity, more accurately. When a player is running with one, it is easier to secure. It is easier to make those difficult receptions with one.
In American Football, you are only allowed to make 1 forward pass per play. Once the person receives the ball, there is no rule that the receiver cannot lateral the ball to another teammate (whether it be underhand or overhand like a pass) as long as the teammate is behind the player who makes the lateral. A player cannot throw a forward pass once the ball crosses the line of scrimmage (point where you started the play). If a player throws a ball to another player who is behind the person passing the ball, that other player may still make a forward pass down field as long as he has not crossed the line of scrimmage. Warning though... if the player doesn't catch the ball, it is treated as a fumble and the other team may recover and gain posession. If a player drops a pass thrown to him downfield and it hits the ground, it is just an incomplete pass and you move on to your next play.
What do I mean by behind? For example: If a receiver catches a ball on his own 45 yard line, he can lateral the ball to a teammate as long as that player is < 45 yard line. I suppose you don't see it that often because with American Football, posession is very important. Why chance turning the football over to the other team when simply catching the ball will give you a 1st down and a whole new set of plays to work with. It is very risky. There are situations (desperation) in a game when something like this may occur... your team is down by 7 points and there is 5 seconds left in the game and you need 50 yards for a touchdown.
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted September 22, 2005 04:52 PM |
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Quote:
Football normaly has only one pass and then a run in one move, while rugby has many passes during the same move.
Why is it like that?
Right, you can only have one forward pass per play, AND it has to be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage (throwing the ball forward after the line of scrimmage is a penalty of 5 yards). You can toss the ball sideways or backwards as many times as you want (usually called a lateral or a pitch depending on a few factors) but except between the QB and RB, it is rarely done because of the chance of the ball being dropped.
Quote:
And what i was thinking about many times, why has the "ball" an oval form instead a round one like all other balls? Is it because u can throw it much further then? Or can u throw more exactly that way?
I talked about this in my article!
Corribus
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