Transatlantic Sports Comparrisons (formerly Explain American football to me)

[glass]

I was watching Smallville the other day, and I was remineded that I really don't understand American football. Being English, I used to take a certain perverse pride in this when I was younger. But being proud of not understanding is pretty stupid, and because it makes some US films and TV eps hard to follow. So I'm hoping you guys'll fill me in!

So, what's the appeal? How does it all work? What do the quarterback and the linebacker and (whatever the other positions are called) actually do? Do college players really get the perks they get on the telly? etc.

EDIT: Since the thread has drifted into other sports, I decided to change the title. I'll end up trying to explain cricket eventually, just wait!


glass.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I'm an American and I couldn't tell you. I've never been a sports-oriented person, and nearly all of my friends, both from my gaming group and outside, love football. We were gaming one night and one guy asked me to name 5 football players. When I said I couldn't, one of the other guys fished a five dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the first guy. They'd bet on me...lol

 

[Ulrik]

I'm not an american, but I do like that thing they call football! (And I think what the rest of the world calls football sucks )

Anyway, nfl.com has a handy guide

Basically, one team tries to move the ball, either by giving it to one player (the running back) who runs as far upfield as he can before he gets pulled down (ie getting tackled), or the quarterback tries to throw the ball to one of his recievers. The rest of the team tries to block the defenders (ie pushing them around, and keeping them away from the glory boys). The other team tries to stop them of course.

The most important difference between football and rugby is - not the helmets, as you might think - but the concept of downs. A team gets four tries (downs) to advance the ball ten yards. Once the ball carrier is down, play stops, and the teams line up on each side of the ball, which is placed where the ball carrier was when he was tackled. This takes some time getting used to if you normally watch things like football (rest of the world version).

You get 6 points for moving the ball into the opponents endzone, or 3 points for kicking it between the uprights (and over the bar, not under it as everybody else does).

I'm sure there are lots of americans who are willing to chime in once they wake up

 

[DerHauptman]

I was watching Smallville the other day, and I was remineded that I really don't understand American football. Being English, I used to take a certain perverse pride in this when I was younger. But being proud of not understanding is pretty stupid, and because it makes some US films and TV eps hard to follow. So I'm hoping you guys'll fill me in!

So, what's the appeal? How does it all work? What do the quarterback and the linebacker and (whatever the other positions are called) actually do? Do college players really get the perks they get on the telly? etc.


glass.

Its a fairly complicated game....(see diagram)

Now, the guys at the back of the offensive formation are called backs. So far, so good. Now, the guys in front of the backs (at the front of the formation) are not called fronts or front men. They are linemen. They do line up, although one of them (the center) is in front of the rest of them, which means they are not really in a line.

Back to the backs for a minute. The most important back is the quarterback. This would imply that he is one of four backs. But there only three, which should make him a 1/3rd back. He often hands the ball to the half back (2/4) who is actually the 2nd of three backs, and should be the 2/3rd back. Somehow in all this, logic reasserts itself and the third of three backs (3/3) is a "full" back. Ironically, he is not even 1/3 as important as the quarterback.

Now, there are six linemen (C, 2G, 2T, TE). The linemen block for the backs. So, they are called blockers, right? No, two of them are called tackles. The rules of the game do not permit the offensive tackles to tackle. If a tackle were to tackle his team would be penalized. Two are guards, although all five linemen guard the quarterback. The center has three players to the left of him and four to the right. This means he is not, in fact, the center but the "slightly left of center".

Having a center implies there are two ends, one on the left and one on the right. But there aren't. There is an end on one end and no end on the other, because there is a flanker there. One is split and one is tight. How he got tight is anyone's guess, since he is actually the last lineman on the right, which ought to make him the right tackle. That is if tackles could tackle, and he can't because he's offensive. Well, not personally, but in a general sense. Unless he's Terrell Owens, in which case he is both an end and often offensive. In specific terms.

When the offense cannot produce a first down they usually kick the ball to the other team. Logic would tell you that the person kicking the ball would be a.....Yes, a kicker! But, no, he isn't. The kicker is a punter. Now, in England a punter is a bettor, but in America you can't bet on football. Unless you're in Nevada, in which case you can.

Now, if close enough, a team can call for thier kicker to come in. This is not a punter but a place kicker. A place kicker does not kick a place, but kicks from a place. There is a holder for the place, which is not a place, so really they don't hold anything. Except briefly the ball, which is immediately kicked away from them.

Now we come to the defense. This make a little more sense. Up front there are two ends on the line, called ends. In the middle of the line are not centers. There are tackles. All eleven players tackle, but only two are tackles. Unless there is only one. Following the naming convention of the backfield, this should be a half tackle (1/2). Instead he is a nose tackle, because he lines up on the nose of the slightly left of center center.

There are three linebackers. One in the middle, two on the outside. A beautifully simple naming scheme. Which, of course, is now seldom observed because many teams now have four linebackers. Still, two inside and two outside linebackers remains workable.

Now we have defensive backs. Who are back of the linebackers. So, really they are defensive backer backers. They are divided into two sets of backs. Two cornerbacks (on the corners of the defense) and two.....Darn, you guessed middle backs didn't you? No, they are safeties. A safety is always nearby when something blows up, so the name is about like calling an ordinance disposal expert a safety specialist.

We have two types of safety. Free safety and strong safety. The free safety is not really free and the strong safety may or may not be strong. The strong safety plays opposite the side of the line where the tight end plays. This does not make him, however, the tight safety. The free safety is opposite the split end, but is not a split safety. What is good for the goose, or the end, is not good for the gander or the safety.


I sent this to my wife once who asked for an expalnation...someone else wrote it but I thought it was funny...

If you want a fairly short, accurate, non-humorous version go here...American Football Wiki

DH -

 

[Templetroll]

This is the real reason for US football. There is some support for watching cheerleaders but tailgating is the primary reason football is as popular as it is.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

The nature of American football is more tactical in nature than most sports. Stopping and resetting play after every down makes the game less fluid than soccer or basketball for example. Instead it becomes more about how the opposing teams anticipate the others plans for the current situation (eg, if it's 3rd down and the offense only has to gain a couple yards, the defense may expect a power run up the middle, so the offense calls a long pass anticipating the defense to be bunched up on the line).

While some of the rules are a little oddball, the base concept is pretty easy. With the offense, most of the guys have to line up more or less parallel with the ball, and once they are in position they can't move till the ball is 'hiked' from the center to the quarterback. If they move early, it's a penalty (and a pretty common one called 'false start'). The defense is pretty much free to move about as they wish, but they must be on their own side of the ball when its hiked or they get a penalty ('offsides').

Once the ball is in the hands of the quarterback, for a running play they will give the ball to the running back, either by handing it to him directly or via a short underhand toss. If the ball is mishandled and hits the ground, its called a fumble, and if the defense gets it first, they gain 'possession' and go on offense.

For a passing play, the quarterback will look for the reciever who is most likely to be able to catch the ball without the defense interrupting and throw it overhand to him. If the ball hits the ground first, it's an incomplete pass. If a defender catches it in the air, it's an interception, and like with a fumble the defense becomes the offense.

The offense gets four trys (called 'downs') to move the ball ten yards or score. If they succeed, they get four more tries to move it another ten. If they don't, the defense goes on offense at that position on the field.

At any time the offense can kick the ball (called a 'punt') - the ball is hiked to the punter who drops the ball from his hands towards the ground and kicks it in the air. The defense will try to catch the ball and then goes on offense wherever they end up. Usually, the offense will punt when they are on fourth down, although they are not required too, and often when they are close to the oponent's goal line or otherwise desperate to score, they will use their fourth down to run a real play.

There are lots of other rules (the offensive players can't grab or tackle defensive players, only interpose themselves to keep the defense from moving where they want for example) but you'll pick those up as you watch. The referees are usually pretty good about explaining why a penalty was called, and the sportscasters will often show you during a replay, so if you watch enough games you'll learn all the silly stuff as you go along.

 

[grimwell]

The biggest draw of American football over other team sports is the tactical element (as noted above). It's a bit like chess with athletes instead of tokens. The combination of raw athletic talent and the tactical goals of the play caller (a coach, designated assistant coach, or very talented quarterback) working in unison to score by reaching the opposing end zone is a huge core for football.

Since the play is very structured with downs, positions, and many specific rules, the game is more about not just overpowering the other team with better athletes (though that counts for quite a bit), but also out thinking the other team with your play calls. It's a sport that everyone can feel that they could be involved in, even if they are fat and out of shape. You can be a coach of a football team and be in poor shape -- and yet do very well because you really understand the tactical and strategic elements of the game.

Many other games have tactical elements, but the play of the game is very fluid and fast so the tactics have to be more general, and in the hands of the players. With football, the play stops for each and every down, and there is (usually) time for tactical and strategic evaluations before each play (where do we have the ball? Who does the other team have on the field? What do they tend to do in this situation from prior games? etc.)

 

[WmRAllen67]

"Violent ground acquisition games such as football is in fact a crypto-fascist metaphor for nuclear war"

Always did like that line...

 

[glass]

Well, whadya know?

Thanks guys. It seems like it is more closely related to Rugby than I realised. Of course, I don't know much about Rugby either...

Anyway, a couple of Wiki links later and it turns out that not only do Coventry (where I live) have an American football team, but they are really quite good!

I'll just have to hope that the association football team can learn from their fine example.


glass.

 

[dragonhead]

Its rugby without the blood drawn form the clets over the back.