Offense attempts to move the ball across the field to the end-zone via several means:
1. Running or rushing play. This is a ground action. Someone is always holding the ball.
2. Pass play. The quarter back throws the ball to a receiver.
3. If they are within a good distance of the field goal and they determine it's to their advantage, they may attempt a kick through the uprights.
The rules of this is:
You have four attempts, called downs, to move the ball 10 yrds at a time. The start of 1st down requires you move the ball 10 yrds to get to the next first down. Short of 10 yrds advances the down. So, say you start at 1st and 10, you move the ball 3 yrs on a rushing play, it will be 2nd and 7 (second down with seven yards to go to the next 1st down).
Defense attempts to prevent offense's movement via several actions:
1. Tackling the ball holder. Basically, this is simply bringing them down.
2. Sacking the quarterback. Defensive linemen breakthrough offense's line to tackle the quarterback (see #1). Done right, this will result in a yard loss because the quarterback almost always drops back from the line of scrimmage (the front line of action).
3. Preventing a passing play from completing or intercepting a passing play. Basically, the guy guarding a receiver manages to knock the ball away or catches it all together. If the defense catches the ball, they own it and defense then becomes the offense and O becomes the D.
Points are scored:
1. Six points for a touch down.
2. After a touchdown the offense gets a field goal attempt (they get to kick the ball through the uprights), for an additional 1 pt. Success means the whole play netted them 7 pts.
3. A non-posttouchdown punt through the uprights is wortht 3 pts (I believe).
4. There used to be a drop-kick (don't know if this is observed anymore) worth 3 pts.
Downs are determined by:
1. A successful tackle.
2. An incomplete plass.
3. A ball carrier going out of bounds.
4. A foul on the play. A foul is any number of reasons (false start of scrimmage, grabbing face mask, etc). The side whom the foul favors may decline the officials from upholding the foul if it is in their advantage. It's rare, but sometimes to uphold a foul will give the fouling team 1st down or some other advantage, so the non-fouling side has the right to refuse the foul.
Non-quarterback carriers are allowed to pass the ball, but only laterally or backward. They can not pass it forward. Only the quarterback may do that and only at the start of scrimmage (I believe).
There is much more to it, but these are the basics.
2. After a touchdown the offense gets a field goal attempt (they get to kick the ball through the uprights), for an additional 1 pt. Success means the whole play netted them 7 pts.
Not sure why they bother with this, granted I've only recently watched the game with any interest but I've yet to see anybody miss the extra point conversion.
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1. Six points for a touch down.
2. After a touchdown the offense gets a field goal attempt (they get to kick the ball through the uprights), for an additional 1 pt. Success means the whole play netted them 7 pts.
3. A non-posttouchdown punt through the uprights is wortht 3 pts (I believe).
4. There used to be a drop-kick (don't know if this is observed anymore) worth 3 pts.
Addendum to #3 -- That's a field goal, and the kick is set up by team members. It's not punted (punt = the kicker holds the ball and kicks it).
Also, the offense may score 2 points by running/passing the ball into the end zone after a touchdown instead of kicking the extra point.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Not sure why they bother with this, granted I've only recently watched the game with any interest but I've yet to see anybody miss the extra point conversion.
It happens occasionally. The KC Chiefs got rid of their kicker a few years back because he was 42 -- even though he had one of the best averages in the league. The replacement kid they got missed TWO extra points in his first game. I was not impressed.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Not sure why they bother with this, granted I've only recently watched the game with any interest but I've yet to see anybody miss the extra point conversion.
Oh, sweetie ... conversions have been missed ... and they can mean the difference between a win and a loss.
Be thankful you don't have to throw the rouge in to screw things up.
Canadian rules:
110-yard field
Bigger ball
Three downs
Another guy on the field
And the rouge
Not sure why they bother with this, granted I've only recently watched the game with any interest but I've yet to see anybody miss the extra point conversion.
i have seen teams miss. its usually when the defense tips the ball. but sometimes you'll get a bad snap or the holder wont get the ball up in time for the kicker. its not frequent but it happens and almost always at the worst possible time.
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i have seen teams miss. its usually when the defense tips the ball. but sometimes you'll get a bad snap or the holder wont get the ball up in time for the kicker. its not frequent but it happens and almost always at the worst possible time.
If he had held the ball laces out like he's supposed to, Ray would never have missed that kick.
If he had held the ball laces out like he's supposed to, Ray would never have missed that kick.
Well said, Ace
__________________
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Walk on
With hope in your heart
And You'll Never Walk Alone
*****************************
There's no free lunch, especially when it's served with special sauce (lostdog)
***************************** My Log - PC Plod
You can also do a dropkick for a PAT (point after attempt). Doug Flutie did that a few years back. I'm not sure if you can still dropkick it for 3 points in place of a FG.
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Another common concept in American football: the fumble.
If a ball carrier drops the ball, it's called a fumble and defense may snatch it up to take control of the ball.
This is different than an incomplete pass in that a carrier must have a solid hold on the ball in order to fumble. In an incomplete pass, the receiver may actually touch the ball, but if he does not have hold of it and drops it, it's called incomplete, rather than a fumble.
kicks - conversion attempts, punts, FG attempts - can also be blocked by the defense
Change of possession:
you must advance the ball ate least 10 yds on your 4 attempts (downs). If you succeed - you are awarded a 1st down - that is the count starts over for you - 4 more downs for the next 10 yds.
If you do not advance 10 yards in 4 downs - you must turn the ball over to the other side at the place where you stopped advancing. If upon completing 3 downs it is apparent that you will not make the remaining distance in one more play - the team generally chooses to punt the ball - kick it away to the other team rather than fail in the attempt and turn it over in place. If you are close enough to the goal, you might choose instead to attempt the field goal - that is, as your 4th down play attempt to kick the ball through the goal posts for the 3 pt. score.
Safety.
There is another way to score, but it is not common. If an offensive player is in possession of the ball and is tackled in his own endzone (the one his back is to), the defensive team has scored a safety - worth 2 pts. There are a couple of other situations that result in a safety, but that is the most common of the uncommon ways to score.
Prime Rule: Even though the alloted time for all of this to happen is essentially four 15 minute periods, called quarters, you must make the process last from 3 to 4 hours to get in plenty of commercials.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Prime Rule: Even though the alloted time for all of this to happen is essentially four 15 minute periods, called quarters, you must make the process last from 3 to 4 hours to get in plenty of commercials.
I wanted to bring this up, but it makes America look bad that we can't stick to a schedule.
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Explain American football rules!!!
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