American football

American Football, known in the United States as simply football is a competitive team sport related to, derived from, and somewhat similar to, other forms of football, but differing from most of them in significant ways. (The one other form of football that differs only slightly from American football is Canadian football.)

Popularity

Football is extremely popular in the US. In recent years it has surpassed even baseball as the nation's most popular spectator sport. The professional league, the National Football League (NFL), which consists of 32 teams, is very popular. It's championship game, the Super Bowl is annually watched by nearly half of US television households, and is also televised in other countries. College football is extremely popular, with many major colleges and universities playing NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I football, and consistently selling out huge stadiums. College games are widely televised and widely watched. Many colleges in lower NCAA divisions and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) have varsity football teams, as do most high schools. There are also amateur, club and youth teams (such as teams in the Pop Warner leagues).

Naming

The word football has a number of different meanings. In the United States football almost always means what, in the rest of the English-speaking world, is usually called American football (or in some cases Gridiron football). In most of the rest of the world, the word football means the game that is called soccer in the US, although it is occasionally called Association football or International football. Soccer, the most popular form of football world-wide, is also popular in the US, particlarly as a participation sport. It is played at all levels, youth, amateur, high school, college and professional. (see: football (soccer))

In this article, the word football refers to American football.

Professional, college, and other leagues

Football is played at a number of levels in the United States. These include the following.

Professional (NFL) football
Arena football - (professional) played indoors
College football - played by many US colleges (very popular)
High School football - played by most high schools
Amateur and youth league football
Flag and touch football - non-tackle; almost exclusively amateur

The descriptions on this page are based primarily on the current rules of the National Football League (NFL, 1920-present). Differences with college rules will be noted.

NFL, college, high school, and amateur rules are similar, as were the rules of professional leagues that no longer exist. The Arena Football League (AFL, 1987-present) plays an indoor adaptation of American football. Flag football and touch football are non-tackle versions of American football.

Professional leagues that no longer exist include the World Football League (WFL,1974-75), the United States Football League (USFL,1983-1985), the EXtreme Football League (XFL,2001), the All American Football Conference (1946-1949), the American Football League (AFL,1960-1969-merged with the NFL in 1970), and the World League of American Football (WLAF,1991-1993-now NFL Europe).

The Game

Play in American football consists of a series of individual plays of short duration, between which the ball is not in play. Substitutions are allowed between plays, and coaches can put in the players they think are best suited for any particular situation. The game is therefore very tactical and strategic, and the strategies are complex.

Object of the game

The object of the game is to advance the ball to the opponents' end of the field and score points. The team with the most points when time has expired wins.

Duration, kickoffs and free kicks

The game is 60 minutes long, divided into two halves separated by a halftime. Each half consists of two quarters, each 15 minutes long, between which teams change ends of the field. Teams also change ends of the field at halftime. If a game is tied at the end of regulation, overtime is played. Overtime periods are "sudden death", meaning that the teams that scores first, by any means, wins.

A kickoff is a special play used to start each half, and also used to restart the game following a field goal, or a conversion attempt following a touchdown. One team kicks the ball, usually from its own 30-yard line, although a kickoff may occur elsewhere due to a penalty on the preceeding play. (Note: the ball is usually kicked from the 35 yard line in college football). The ball must be kicked from the ground (not punted) and in bounds at least 10 yards away. Once the ball has traveled 10 yards upfield it can be fielded by either team. The ball is usually just kicked deep to the recieving team, but sometimes a team will attempt to recover it's own kick, in a play that is known as an onside kick.

A free kick is used to restart the game following a safety, which doesn't happen often. The team that was trapped in it's own end zone, and therefore conceded two points to the other team, kicks the ball from it's own 20-yard line. A free kick may be punted if the kicking team so chooses.

Methods of scoring

Points can be scored in the following ways.

A field goal, worth 3 points, is scored by placing the ball on the ground and kicking it between the uprights of the goal posts. (If a field goal is missed, the ball is returned to the original line of scrimmage, and possession is given to the other team.)
A touchdown, worth 6 points, is achieved when a player has legal possession of the ball within the opponents' end zone.
One or two extra points may be scored following a touchdown. The team which scored the touchdown is given a conversion attempt (occasionally called a "try"). The ball is spotted at the 3 yard line, and the team which scored the touchdown is allowed to run a single play in which they may score either one or two additional points. The defending team can never score during a conversion attempt by the other team.
- An extra point, worth 1 point, is scored in the same way as a field goal is scored during regular play.
- A two-point conversion is scored in the same way as a touchdown is scored during regular play.
A safety, worth 2 points, is scored when an opposition player attempts to run the ball out of his own end zone, and is either tackled or goes out of bounds before he has entered the field of play.

The Field

The field is a rectangle 120 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide, defined by sidelines running the length of the field and endlines running the width. There is a goal line ten yards in from each end line and parallel to it. The two goal lines are thus 100 yards apart. The area of the field between the goal lines is called the field of play. At each end of the field, the end zone is the area between the goal line and the end line.

Within the field of play, additional markings include yard markers, as well as inbound lines (also called hash marks), every yard the length of the field. The inbound lines (hash marks), which are short lines perpendicular to the yard markers, are 70-3/4 feet from the sidelines in the NFL. (Note: the hash marks are closer to the sidelines in college football) Every 5 yards, the yard markers run the width of the field, and every 10 yards, they are marked by numbers indicating the distance, in yards, from the nearest goal line.

At the center of each end line is a set of goal posts, which have two upright posts extending above a crossbar. The distance between upright posts is 18-1/2 feet, and the top of the crossbar is 10 feet above the ground.

The field:

Play Of The Game

Each team places eleven players on the field.

The team in possession of the ball is given four attempts (known as "downs") to move the ball a total of 10 yards towards the opposition end of the field. Each new play begins at the yard line where the previous play ended; this is known as the line of scrimmage. Successfully reaching ten yards results in the awarding of four more downs to make another ten yards. A new set of four downs is known as a "first down". Failure into achieve a first down results in the possession of the ball being handed to the opposition at the current line of scrimmage. If a team has not achieved a first down by the third attempt, it may decide to kick the ball away on the fourth one (this is known as a punt), rather than running a normal play to advance the ball. The purpose of punting is to put the opponent in worse field position than they would be through turning the ball over at the line of scrimmage after a fourth down failure to achieve a new first down. Unlike a kickoff, a punt is done via a drop from the kicker's or "punter's" hands.

Teams normally only attempt to kick a field goal if it is fourth down, or if time is running out in the half or the game. Field goal attempts must be made with the ball touching the ground, so one player holds the ball on the ground steady while another player kicks it. Failed field goal attempts can be returned by the opponent, but this is rare. If the field goal attempt fails, the location of the following line of scrimmage will depend upon how deeply the previous offensive team had advanced into their opponent's territory. After a successful field goal, the scoring team then issues a kick off. A kick off also occurs at the start of the second half.

The team with possession is called the "offensive team", and that without the "defensive team". Typically two distinct corps of players are used for these two roles. All field players are allowed to be substituted for after any play; players may re-enter the game after any play.

Moving the Ball

There are two basic methods of moving the ball down the field:

A "forward pass" from behind the line of scrimmage, usually thrown by the quarterback to an 'Elligible' offensive player (Usually any player except an offensive lineman). If the ball is caught by a player on the offense (without bouncing) this is a "complete pass", and the next down takes place wherever he is tackled. After a forward pass all passes must be "lateral passes" or rearward passes. If the forward pass is caught by a member of the defense, this is an "interception", and play continues with possession relinquished by the offense. The defense may run the ball towards their own goal line unless tackled by the other team.
Running the ball. The ball is handed to a player on the offense who attempts to run with it down the field. The next down takes place from where he is tackled. If the ball is dropped (a "fumble") before the player is tackled, possession is given to whichever team recovers control of the loose ball.

Positions

Teams are usually divided into three specialist groups: offense, defense and special teams. The offense plays when the team has possession of the ball and attempts to score: the other team's defense attempts to stop them. Special teams are generally involved in kicking situations, either to score points or for field position. Summaries of positions are given below: more detail can be found on individual pages.

Offense

Quarterback: Usually the 'leader' on offense, the quarterback or QB is the first player to handle the ball after the beginning of a play. He generally either passes the ball to a receiver or hands it off to a running back.
Halfback: One of the running back positions. Halfbacks are usually the main runners on their team and often also act as short-yardage receivers. Note that, in different formations, the running backpositions may have specialized names -- there is not necessarily a Halfback or Fullback player on the field during every offensive play.
Fullback: The other running back position; the fullback usually does a bit of running, a bit of receiving and a bit of blocking, either to defend the quarterback or to open up holes for another running back.
Tight End: The tight end is a mixture of receiver and offensive lineman who may be called upon to block or to catch passes.
Wide Receiver: Speedy players whose job is to catch passes from the quarterback.
Offensive Tackle: The lineman at the end of the line. Generally his job is to protect the quarterback from defenders coming around tthe outside of the line or open up holes for running backs.
Guard: Offensive linemen who play inside the tackles. Again, they protect the quarterback and open up holes for running backs. Guards may sometimes also be expected to pull, or move to the opposite side of the line, in support of certain kinds of plays.
Center: This player's position is between the two guards. In addition to the usual duties of linemen, he snaps the ball to the quarterback or the punter to start a play.

Defense

Defensive End: One of the two defensive line positions. Defensive ends play on the outside of the defensive line and are supposed to stop outside rushing plays and to put pressure on the quarterback on passing plays.
Defensive Tackle: The interior defensive line position. Defensive tackles have similar duties to defensive ends but with the emphasis on stopping inside rushing plays.
Linebacker: Linebackers play behind the defensive line and may perform various duties, including tackling running backs who make it past the defensive line, tackling receivers after short passes and pressuring the quarterback.
Cornerback: The cornerback's main duty is to stop receivers, either by preventing them from catching passes or else tackling them after a catch.
Safety: Traditionally the last line of defense, although safeties are often brought up close to the line of scrimmage against teams with strong running backs. The Safeties usually play deep down the field, hoping to stop long passing plays by cutting off the Wide Receivers.

Special Teams

Place Kicker: A player who specializes in kicking field goals and who may also be responsible for kickoffs.
Punter: A player who specialises in kicking the ball in such a way as to get the best possible field position for his team if the team runs out of downs before getting into scoring range for the place kicker. May also be responsible for kickoffs.
Punt Returner: A player who specializes in catching and returning a punted ball as far as possible. Most punt returners also play another role on the team.
Kick Returner: Much like a punt returner, except that he specialises in returning kick-offs rather than punts.
Long Snapper: A specialized Center who is particularly good at long snaps.
Holder: A player who receives the long snap and quickly places the ball on the ground for the place kicker on field goal tries. A substitute quarterback will often be the Holder.

You may read and write about individual teams on their respective pages.

Penalties

Some of the more common penalties are listed below. In most cases the offending team will be assessed a penalty of 5, 10 or 15 yards, depending on the infraction. There may also be a loss of down for a penalty against the offense. A penalty against the defense may result in an automatic first down. In some cases, the offense will be given the option of decling the penalty and taking the yardage gained on the play. For some infractions by the defense, the penalty is applied in addition to the yardage gained on the play. A personal foul, which involves danger to another player, usually results in a 15 yard penalty.

Note: The neutral zone is the space defined by lines drawn through the ends of the ball parallel to the yard lines when the ball is spotted and ready for play. No player may legally have any part of his body in the neutral when the ball is snapped, with the exception of the center.

Penalties against the offense

False start (5 yards) - a lineman moving before the snap in a way that similuates the start of the play
Illegal motion (5 yards) - having more than one back in motion at the snap
Illegal shift (5 yards)
Illegal formation (5 yards) - having less than 7 players on the line of scrimmage
Delay of game (5 yards) - allowing too much time to elapse before the snap
Inelligible reciever downfield (5 yards) - a lineman beyond the neutral zone prior to a forward pass
Illegal forward pass (5 yards and loss of down) - thrown from beyond the neutral zone, or a second forward pass on the same play.
Holding (10 yards) - illegal use of the hands or arms while blocking
Offensive pass interference (10 yards) - interfering with a defender attempting to catch a pass
Intentional grounding (10 yards and loss of down) - throwing the ball into the ground to avoid being tackled
Clipping (15 yards) - an illegal block from behind below the waist
Illegal block (15 yards) - usually a "crackback block".
Face mask penalty - (5 or 15 yards) - if intentional, 15 yards; if unintentional, 5 yards. Just touching an opponent's face mask, without grabbing it, is not illegal.

Penalties against the defense

Encroachment (5 yards) - making contact with an offensive lineman before the ball is snapped.
Offside (5 yards) - being in the neutral zone when the ball is snapped. The offense can decline the penalty and take the yardage gained on the play.
Running into the kicker (5 yards) - during a kick from scrimmage
Face mask penalty (5 or 15 yards) - if intentional, 15 yards; if unintentional, 5 yards. Just touching an opponent's face mask, without grabbing it, is not illegal.
Roughing the kicker (15 yards) -
Roughing the passer (15 yards) - also called unnecessary roughness

Penalties against either team

Too many players on the field (5 yards)

External Links

NFL History and the basics
NFL Digest of Rules - (a basic guide)
NCAA Playing Rules (complete college football rules are available as a pdf file)