American football!!!

Brian, even with sports that aren't popular here.....I can understand the basic premise of the game. Even hurling, Jai Ali, racquet ball etc.

But NFL football?

There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason with that game. There's so many stops and starts with changes all the time. The flow of the game isn't the same as other team ball sports.

I really want to learn to like it though. I just love how they totally plough into each other and try to cause as much chaos and mayhem. Watching one poor player with the ball get absolutely smashed into the ground by 10 players over 100kg is kinda exciting.

So I've looked on YouTube for understanding the game.........don't understand a cotton pickin' thing.

The Cleveland Browns eh?

Weren't they in that movie with Kevin Costner?

I love the Arizona Cardinals uniforms.....they look awesome.
The explanation above is excellent. Thanks Mr IP. Explains a few questions I’ve had.
I used to play Rugby (Union) and yours is quite similar to Rugby League, but with that one forward pass allowed.
What happened to Rugby League? I literally haven't heard about it for decades.
 
Unfortunately you're at least 2 decades late for the greatness that was NFL football.
What went wrong?
Uncannilly similar timeframe to the death of the England football (soccer, ok!) team. Eg. Trounced by Belgium in the last World Cup. Twice! The only thing more pathetic than their performance was the faith and hope invested in them by their delusional fans
 
What went wrong?

Rule changes. Mostly for safety reasons. A lot of folks weren't too happy about some of them. It took away from the purity of the game (read violence).

I think the game should be banned. People get hurt critically. The game isnt safe. Hockey is a much better alternative. Its fast paced, they beat the crap outta each other, it only has 3 rules. I like it.

I spent an entire day about 20 years ago watching cricket. I wanted to understand it. Nope.
 
Rule changes. Mostly for safety reasons. A lot of folks weren't too happy about some of them. It took away from the purity of the game (read violence).

I think the game should be banned. People get hurt critically. The game isnt safe. Hockey is a much better alternative. Its fast paced, they beat the crap outta each other, it only has 3 rules. I like it.

I spent an entire day about 20 years ago watching cricket. I wanted to understand it. Nope.
The obvious "alternative" is soccer, surely?
And the reason it's the 'world sport' is that it can be reduced to its simplest element and still be enjoyed. By two kids with jumpers for goalposts for instance. If you only know that the ball has to be kicked between the goalposts, you can watch it and you can play it. There is a world of subtlety to discover, but you don't HAVE to discover it.
NFL is particle physics by comparison.
 
The basic premise is: you have 4 downs (tries) to move the ball forward 10 yards. If you are able to, you get another 4 downs. If you are not able to, you lose possession of the ball. You can continue to do so as long as you can keep getting 1st downs (10 yards in 4 or less tries) and get into your opponent's end zone. Your end zone is always at your back.

The placement of the ball is called the line of scrimmage. Once the ball is snapped (put into play), you can either run or throw the ball. A forward pass can only happen from behind the line of scrimmage, and can only happen once per play. A lateral toss can happen anywhere and as many times as needed. A lateral toss can not go forward. You can also hand the ball off to an eligible player behind the line of scrimmage as many times as you want, again, as long as it doesnt go forward.

If you are able to move the ball all the way down the field into the end zone, you score a touchdown. A TD (touchdown) is worth 6 points. After you score a TD, you can either kick an extra point (1point) or try a 2 point conversion. For a 2 point conversion, the ball is placed on the 2 yard line* and any regular play can be run. For an extra point, the ball used to be placed on the 2 yard line, but now is the 15 unless it has changed again. The ball is snapped 7 (or 8, dont remember) yards, caught by the placeholder who holds it upright, and the kicker tries to kick it through the upright.

Field Goal: At any point when you have possession of the ball, you can attempt a field goal. A field goal is when you attempt to kick the ball through the uprights to gain 3 points. It is done exactly as the extra point Regardless of the outcome of the kick, you turn the ball over after the field goal. If you miss, the other team takes possession from where the ball was at the start of the field goal attempt. If you make it, you kickoff.

Kickoff: this starts the game, the second half, and any start of play after a TD or successful field goal.

Punt: the option to kick the ball away and give possession to the other team if you cant make 10 yards in 4 downs. The punt takes place on 4th down almost always.

Safety: when the defense tackles the ball handler in their own end zone. It is worth 2 points for the defensive team.

This is the basic concept for the gameplay of American Football. There are tons of other rules, but this will get you started as an observer.

*The field in NFL American Football is 120 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide. The center is the 50 yard line, descending to the end zones, or 0 yard line. The end zones are 10 yards deep.

The term red zone refers to being inside the 20 yard line while having possession of the ball, it's both the offensive and defensive red zone at the same time.

"...and goal" means inside the 10 yard line offensively. 1st and goal means 1st down and less than 10 yards to score.

Brian, thanks so much for the detailed information.

I couldn't respond as I was at work.

I see........I'll probably print out your reply onto a page and use it as a reference.

So it could be a toss up between the LA Chargers and the Cleveland Browns in terms of who I follow, or "root" for as you Americans say it.

Unfortunately, "root" means something totally different to Aussies.
 
Rule changes. Mostly for safety reasons. A lot of folks weren't too happy about some of them. It took away from the purity of the game (read violence).

I think the game should be banned. People get hurt critically. The game isnt safe. Hockey is a much better alternative. Its fast paced, they beat the crap outta each other, it only has 3 rules. I like it.

I spent an entire day about 20 years ago watching cricket. I wanted to understand it. Nope.

I'll try to give you a description of the basics of cricket when I can.

But I've gotta get some sleep, just got home from a nightshift......no COVID-19 patients luckily.
 
So it could be a toss up between the LA Chargers and the Cleveland Browns in terms of who I follow, or "root" for as you Americans say it.

Pick your team for a reason you can get behind. If you like the Cardinals uniforms, by all means root for them.


The obvious "alternative" is soccer, surely?

I like soccer, played it for 8 years as a child, but I find it a bit drab to watch. Hockey is a similar sport, is played all over the world that has ice, but is faster in action and therefore more exciting. Just my opinion. Not trying to get into a sports debate.
 
It's easy. You put a seal here, and a seal here, and run it right in the alley.
 
League is the professional game which is massive at a club level in Sydney and Queensland. Union tends to be played in International matches, including the Rugby World Cup, so you’re more likely to hear about it on the TV news.
And then there's Aussie rules ...
Complicated thing, sport. ?
 
And then there's Aussie rules ...
Complicated thing, sport. ?

Good ol' Aussie Rules (AFL).

If you don't like Aussie Rules, you're kinda screwed as it absolutely saturates every channel on TV and every friggin page of every damn newspaper.

I actually don't really like the game personally.

My fave team though is Saint Kilda.

They have only won one premiership....I think it was 1966.

The boys usually do well at the start of the season but just lose steam later on.

They've made a few Grand Final appearances in recent history but no wins.

They are always the underdogs......bless em.

They have had some amazing players though......Tony Lockett, Stuart Lowe, Nicky Winmar, Nathan Bourke, Nick Riewoldt.

It's got an insane following here.

The game has a massive field of play.

These players have to run fast over quite long distances and kick 55 to 65 meters on the run.

The players these days are getting faster, bigger, more ripped and it has its own level of danger but not like NFL.
 
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I've got a soft spot for American Football, I first started following it in the early/mid 80s when Channel 4 started to give it coverage, albeit limited, and I've got a memory of a weekly newspaper on high quality paper that used to come out.
Fast forward many years and my son got into it, now I've got great memories of winter Sunday nights all sat on the settee watching the Red Zone coverage on Sky Sports. For those not aware, the Red Zone programme is a fast paced well edited few hours cutting to the action in every ground, the time difference also makes it late evening viewing so it sits perfectly with a pizza and a drink as the weekend comes to a close. It may not be for the purist but we enjoy it.
 
I think the spirit of gridiron football in N. America has been so sullied these past 30 years from the cartel that is the NFL that it may never regain what it ever was. Too much emphasis on the profit making party atmosphere, the media obsession of certain controversial team members and more.

Akin to what happened with the loss of independent radio stations and record labels to conglomerates and what's being served to the mainstream as music now.
 
I think you forgot to mention that in American Football , if a player is on the ground and appears to be hurt, he probably is. Not like the phonies that roll around, Naemar(sp), like they are dying, when someone get near their ankles. Other that that, I played and like the game.
 
I think you forgot to mention that in American Football , if a player is on the ground and appears to be hurt, he probably is. Not like the phonies that roll around, Naemar(sp), like they are dying, when someone get near their ankles. Other that that, I played and like the game.

So what position did you play?

Quarterdecker?

Did you get smashed by other players at times?
 
I was a safety years and years ago ( high school).
Lots of basement dwellers to root for :
Bengals
Jets
Dolphins
Browns
Cards
Chargers
Patriots- heheh
Fantasy football ball is probably as big as the nfl in North America. I’m in four leagues myself.
 
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