Can someone give me the basic rules/gameplay of Football?

[Dominus]

Good lord, I sound like a moron asking that.

I am a Canadian, I have never played football, and I have only watched it a few times on TV (i.e., Super Bowl). Our town, and our country for the most part, just plays hockey.

All the stigmas and stereotypes of the HS football player in the US apply to the HS hockey player in Canada. We have hockey jocks who can do no wrong, the captain of the hockey team goes out with the head cheerleader, and all the other clichés that you can think of. So therefore I have avoided hockey like the plague, like a good nerd should.

But this doesn't mean that I don't want to play team sports, or am too unfit to play hockey. It's just that until now, there's been no sports in our town that interested me. But today I heard that the hockey coaches were starting up a football program in the summer so the hockey players can keep fit in the off season. But anyone can join this program, so I think it would be good for me physically, and would be a great confidence builder. Plus I can get some real-life "Revenge of the Nerds" by kicking the jocks asses at football, which I think I can do quite soundly with my physical size and strength.

So, at long last I ask you, the members of the SysOpt forum, to give me a crash course in the rules of football (american football), the general modes of gameplay, and any tips/pointers you can give me.

Please don't flame me for my ignorance of one of your nation's favorite sports.

[luqa]

Try Rugby instead, it's a lot cheaper for equipment, and the social side is whatever you want it to be, so ask around for a club near you and you will be most welcome. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[medo]

Hello,
http://www.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rsfc/oth_sites/index.html

Medo

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Ziz]

I know this isn't quite the answer you're looking for but...

I'm reminded of George Carlin's bit, "Baseball and Football", where he compares and contrasts the two... :::grovely voice::: Football is based on downs.."What down is it?" :::cute voice::: Baseball is based on ups..."Who's up? Are you up? I'm not up."

:::cute voice::: Baseball has no time limit, we don't know when it's going to end. We might even have extra innings! :::grovely voice::: Football is rigidly timed and it will end even if we have to go to sudden death!
There's a lot more to the bit...hunt it down on one of his videos. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[daveleau]

Flame? On sysopt? Not likely! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
http://www.nfl.com/randf/rulesdigest.html

This link gives some rather specific rules of penalties and field dimensions.

In football, it is 11 on 11.
The team with the ball must move 10 yards in 4 tries. Typically, if it is 4th down, the team will kick the ball away since if they do not make the desired yardage the defensive team will take over on downs at that point. A kick puts the other team in worse field position.
If you make it to the endzone by pass or run, you get 6 pts.
A k9ick afterwards, throught the goalposts is 1pt.
Anytime you score, you must kick to the other team.
If you drop the ball on offense, it is a fumble and the team that recovers gets the ball.
If you pass the ball and the other team catches it, it is an interception or turnover.
A dropped pass is not a fumble. The ball mearly goes back to the beginnning point (line of scrimage) and the next down is played.
Kicking the ball through the goalposts during a designed play to do so results in 3 points (not including after a touchdown)
If the offense is tackled for a loss in their own endzone, it is called a safety and the defensive team gets 2 points and the ball.

Good luck
Dave

[Sharpy]

Try these links but real Football (ie Soccer) is a much better game http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif
http://www.englishconsulting.com/football/index.html
http://www.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rsfc/intro/answers.shtml
http://home.istar.ca/~titan/football.htm

[Dominus]

Ok, great!

Thats exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for.

Keep it coming!!

I'm gonna start learning this stuff, as well as start lifting weights again so I can be ready to lay down some serious smack as soon as summer rolls around.

[Wiz]

Since you ar buffing up, i suggest curling, lol

[Dominus]

Curling as in rocks & ice, or curling as in biceps?

I do bicep curls whenever I'm installing a program, defragging, D/Ling, etc. I got phat pipes.

As for curling (the sport), I thought that was something only old farts did on weekends? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

j/k

[welsh wizard]

When you say football do you mean
1. soccer
2. Rugby football ( ie union)
3. Grid Iron.
WW

[desmocat]

In addition to knowing all the rules,you must also know that it seems to be that to be a big-time NFL star,you must ***** and complain about how you are not making enough money, can wimp out at the slightest injury,smoke crack, get involved with hookers/strippers,and get drunk and wreck your car.At least accomplish half of these feats during the off season, and we'll sign ya up here in Dallas. "I wanna be a Cowboy". http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif OH yeah, Does anybody remember Thomas "hollywood" Henderson? He just hit the Texas lotto for 28 million bucks this week.

[This message has been edited by desmocat (edited 03-24-2000).]

[narayan]

It is gridiron, and it is best describesd as the game of LIFE. Football is life. When you watch a football game, it is like watching a small war. It is all about teamwork and winning.

[Paul V]

Also, after a touchdown (for 6 points), one can, instead of kicking for a field goal and one more point, can run a 2 point conversion -- they have to run to the endzone again, given one chance and 10??? yards.

{EDIT} 2 yards, not 10, thanks daveleau!

Also, the ball cannot be thrown upfield except by the QB, who must be behind the point the play started (the line of scrimmage) to throw. Other players may throw a lateral pass, which cannot move the ball towards the goal, only sideways or backwards. Passing plays by the QB are common, lateral passes are not common but happen. Also, if you fail to make 10 yards in 4 tries, there is a "turnover on downs" and the other team gets the ball. To prevent this, usually on the 4th down the team will try to kick a field goal or, if too far, will punt -- in any case the other team gets the ball, but further down the field.

Also, an incomplete pass is not a fumble, but the pass must be reasonably directed towards an elegible receiver (only certain players can receive, but I forget who cannot) if the QB just throws it really far away from anyone it will be a fumble.

A sack is when the QB is tackled with the ball behind the line of scrimmage (so the offense loses yards).

HTH


[This message has been edited by Paul V (edited 03-27-2000).]

[Gomer]

Dominus, There is a book about football in "For Idiots" or "For Dummies" series of books (it has an orange cover). I know a good bit about the game but I saw it and read through it. I think it would be very helpful for you as it covers all aspects of the game. From the basic basics, to play formations and strategy etc.

Paul V, there were a few minor errors in your description. First, all PAT's (point after touchdowns) are attempted from the 2 yard line. Both the kick and/or pass play are started at this point.

Any player can throw the ball upfield as long as it has not been advanced past the line of scrimmage and has not been thrown forward. For example, the ball is snapped to the QB who then pitches the ball back to the halfback. The halfback can then throw the ball upfield as the QB would have. Even if a big lineman who picks up a ball that has been fumbled behind the line of scrimmage can throw the ball upfield

The QB can throw the ball anywhere he wants forward if he has been flushed out of the pocket, even if there is no elgible receiver in the area. It will be considered an incomplete pass, not a fumble. If he is still in the pocket and throws it nowhere near an elgible receiver he will be penalized.

Just minor things, but since they are rules, I thought I'd clear em up a bit

[Underclocked]

Seems to me that a bunch of big, burly dudes form two opposing teams. They then proceed to do everything within their power to carry, throw or otherwise get a stupidly shaped ball? made of pig! to one end of the field or the other. They sustain a lot of injuries while doing this, but it's all worthwhile when they get that pig-ball into the end zone.
Can you tell I'm not a fan of gruntball? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[daveleau]

PaulV-
It's from the 2 yard line for a 2pt conversion.
Dave http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[ytay]

what the hell part of canada are you from.....ever heard of the CFL, football is not that foreign to Canada, the Grey Cup has been played for since 1909, and the first American champion was in 1933......and lets not get into an argument about which is better, they are different games and it is a preference