š A Rookie's Guide to American Football
Issue 27 - Sports
American Football is the most popular sport in the United States, totaling almost 17 million views per game as of 2022. However, there are a lot of people like me who donāt understand it quite well, so Iām making this article for people like me. It should have all the things that you need to know, to understand the game. Letās get started!
Setup
The game is played on a grass field that is 120 YDS L by 53.3 YDS W. Each end of the field has an endzone that is 10 yards wide, and this is where teams can get points. The rest of the field is marked by lines every five yards, and every yard in between has hash marks. In each endzone, there is a goalpost that is ten feet off of the ground and is eighteen feet and six inches wide. The game is split up into four quarters which are each fifteen minutes long, and in between the second and third quarters, there is a twelve-minute halftime.
A team can only have eleven players on the field at any given time. On an NFL team, there is a 53-person roster that has offensive players (25), defensive players (25), and special teams (3). Special teams consist of the kicker, punter, and other purposed roles.
Playing the Game
The first possession is determined by a coin flip (letās assume two teams A & B, and A wins the coin toss). The two teams will then go to their sides of the field which is separated by the 50-yard line. Team B will then perform the Kick off, which is just kicking the ball to the opposing team (A). Now, the offensive team (A) has four chances to bring the ball up the field to score points or to progress 10 yards from the starting position. If they gain at least 10 yards before getting tackled, team A gets a first down, and failure to do so will result in turning the ball over to the other team. Offensive teams can either run up the field or throw it to their teammates.
To score the offensive team has to bring the ball into the endzone which is valued at six points, also known as a touchdown. After scoring a touchdown, the offense can choose one of two options for additional points. They can either kick the ball through the goalpost for one point or take the ball into the endzone again for two points. With the second option, the play starts just ten yards before the endzone.
However, itās not that easy, because the job of the defense is to try to make the offensive team get all four downs and prohibit any touchdowns. If the offense fails, then it has two options. The first is a punt to change the possession to the other team, which is just kicking the ball to the other side of the field to change possession. The second option is to āgo for itā. This is where the offense just tries to make a touchdown with one shot. If unsuccessful, the other team gets to start with the ball where the previous fourth down was.
The defense can also force a possession change by completing a turnover through a fumble which is where the defense knocks the ball out of the offensive playerās hands, or through an interception which is when the defense catches the ball when the offense is trying to make a pass.
Roles on the Offensive Side
Here are the roles of players when their team is on offense. The Quarterback (QB) - A player that calls plays and snaps the ball, and once in play the QB has 3 options.
Hand off the ball to the teamās Running Back (RB) - A player that runs the ball toward the endzone.
Throw the ball to one of the Wide Receivers (WR) - A player that runs routes down the field to try and catch it.
The last option is where the QB runs the ball themselves.
Itās important that the QB wouldnāt be able to do all of this without the Offensive Linemen (OL) whose job is to block for the QB to give them time to make decisions.
By the way, if you are enjoying this article, please be sure to share and subscribe. I have a promotion going on which allows new and existing subscribers to get a 1-month free trial to Skillshare (the best place to learn any new skill)
Roles on the Defensive Side
The OL is blocking the Defensive Linemen whose job is to run to the QB to try to tackle them as fast as possible which is known as a Sack. Behind the defensive linemen are Line Backers (LB), who also rush to the QB, but also are key in tackling the running backs. Cornerbacks (CB) are players who are tasked with guarding the wide receivers, but they also sometimes rush the QB from the outside of the field. If they do rush, then Safeties (S) cover the linebackers, but they are usually the last line of defense. If all these players rush to the Quarterback all at once, this is called a Blitz.
Penalties
When infractions, also known as penalties, happen during the game to the defense or the offense, the ball is placed on the field from where the original line of scrimmage is, depending on the actions. Penalties can either highly benefit or hurt a team, and they can play a big part in the outcome. Referees will indicate penalties by throwing a yellow flag. There are lots of penalties, but here are the common ones:
Offsides and Encroachment - When the two teams line up before the ball is played, each team canāt cross the line of scrimmage. If an offensive player crosses the line there is a five-yard loss (offsides), however if a defensive player crosses the line (encroachment), then there is a five-yard gain. The down is replayed after this.
Holding - Grabbing onto the opposing player to prevent them from tackling or who isnāt carrying the ball. Holding the offense is a 10-yard loss as well as replaying the down. However, holding the defense is a five-yard advance with a first down.
Delay of Game - This is only for the offense because when the ball is set for the next play, a 40-second clock begins when the previous down is complete. The offense has to put the ball into play, and failure to do so will result in a five-yard loss with the down being replayed.
Pass Interference - This is a call that occurs when a player is trying to catch the ball. It states that the defense canāt make contact to restrict the player from catching the ball, and the offense canāt shove the defense to create space to catch the ball. If the defensive pass interference is called, then the ball is placed at the spot of the foul which is a first down. Offensive pass interference results in a ten-yard loss from the previous line of scrimmage, and the down is replayed.
False Start: This is an Offense only penalty and occurs when an offensive player moves abruptly before the ball is put into play. Five yards are lost and a replay of the down happens.
Double Down: This is what happens when both the offense and defense have penalties against them. As a result, there are no consequences, so itās kind of like a do-over. If two penalties happen to a team at the same time, the opposing team can choose which one of the two they want to use.
Thank you for reading this weekās article, and I hope this either refreshed your memory on some of the details, or you learned a whole lot of new things (I sure did writing this article). Thanks again, and Iāll talk to you next week!
āLuke Rapaka