An understanding that, although none of this matters in the grand scheme of world affairs, this is all very important to the people who play and follow the game.

A few entertaining Monday nights and Sunday afternoons.

defense: the (part of the) team in charge of preventing the offense from scoring; also known as the defensive team

down: one of the 4 opportunities the offense has to gain 10 or more yards, once in possession of the ball. If the yardage is attained, the offense gets a "first down" and 4 more tries for another.

end zone: the scoring area located at either end of the football field, 10 yards deep and the width of the playing area. A team can score by having a player, in possession of the ball, place it in the other team's end zone.

goal posts: Y-shaped structures at the far end of each end zone. The active area begins just over the 10 foot high horizontal bar and between the two vertical ones which span eighteen feet and six inches.

offense: the (part of the) team in charge of driving the ball down the field to score; also, also known as the offensive team

passing play: the alternative to the above. An attempt to advance the ball by throwing it down the field

quarterback: (also known as: Big Man on Campus) the key offensive player in charge of initiating the play that's been called by the coaching staff.

running play: simply, an attempt to get a first down by having a member of the offense run with the ball rather than throw it.

snap: the quick movement at the beginning of an offensive play that results in the quarterback getting possession of the ball

As a newcomer to the sport, you'll have many questions pop up during the course of the game. But unless you are watching with a VERY patient bunch of friends, wait for a time out or TV commercial before asking them. They'll appreciate your consideration and you're more likely to get a better answer.

2torial #0544: Learn2 Understand American Football 1st and 10, do it AGAIN! Everywhere in this world but in the United States, when people talk about "football", they're talking about "soccer." When you're in the US. though, "football" means the NFL, which means the National Football League. Football in the United States is a fairly straightforward game. As in any sport, though, there's an extraordinary number of standards and rules designed to apply to any conceivable situation. Keeping track of all these rules, as well as knowing the intricacies of offensive and defensive schemes, are beyond the scope of this tutorial. Your local library or bookstore has a wealth of information for anyone who wants to coach their neighborhood team...But if you'd like to be able to simply enjoy the game and understand what's happening on the field, read on! Try to develop a taste for cheap beer and fried food. Consider purchasing a vinyl reclining chair. Abandon all attempts to do anything constructive with your Sunday afternoons. Grasp the primary objective   In a game of football, one team of players tries to score points by putting the ball in their opponents' "end zone" using any combination of "running plays" and "passing plays", or by kicking the ball through a set of upright "goal posts" at the back of that end zone. The opposing team tries to prevent them from doing any of those things, and then regain the ball for themselves so that they can try to score points. Get the basic concepts This is the stuff that you really need to understand. To that end, these situations have been simplified just a little bit. Every possible variable is not detailed, but what's described below is what happens in a game 90% of the time.   A coin is tossed before the game. The team that correctly calls the coin flip has 2 options to start the first half of the game: kick the ball to the other team or have the ball kicked to them. Whichever team loses the coin toss has that same option to start the second half of the game.   Each team has 11 players on the field at any given time. They can be frequently exchanged with other teammates who remain on the side of the field while not actually playing.   When a team has the ball in their possession, it is referred to as the "offensive" team, or "offense". When a team does not have the ball in its possession, it is referred to as the "defensive" team, or "defense". Learn what the offense tries to do The offensive team has 4 opportunities, or "downs", to advance the ball 10 yards or more from the spot where they took possession of it. If it succeeds, it receives 4 more chances (downs) to advance the ball another 10 or more yards. After a play, the officials measure how far the ball has been advanced and grant a "first down" for 10 yards or more. The quest for a first down always begins from where the ball was stopped during the previous play.   If an offensive team is less than 10 yards from the opposing team's end zone, it only needs to reach the end zone to score. They do not have to advance the ball a full 10 yards.   The offensive team will generally advance the ball by handing it off to a "runner" or by "passing" (throwing) it to a "receiver." Doing either is called "running a play". The play begins when the ball is "snapped" and given to the "quarterback." It ends when the player with possession of the ball is tackled ("down") or if an official blows the whistle to halt play. A series of forward plays may be called a "drive". Understand what the defense tries to prevent The defensive team tries to stop the offense from advancing the ball. Defensive players may tackle any player that has the ball, or try to prevent a thrown ball from reaching its intended target. They cannot physically interfere with an offensive receiver to prevent a player from catching it, but they can tackle or hit that player hard enough to make them drop it before they have the ball under control. They may also attempt to cause a "fumble" by knocking the ball out of any offensive player's grasp.   A team scores a "touchdown", worth 6 points, if one of its players enters the opposing team's end zone in possession of the ball while the play is still in progress. That team will then either attempt to kick the ball, from a short distance away, through the goalposts to score an "extra point" (for a total of 7) or attempt to advance the ball into the end zone a second time, from a short distance away, to score a "conversion" (for a total of 8).   A team will make a "field goal", worth 3 points, if its "kicker" can kick the ball through the upright goalposts through the opposing team's end zone. Attempting a field goal is often the final play in a drive. The maximum practical distance for a field goal attempt is about forty-five yards, although teams will often attempt one from greater distances. Learn about punts For the most part, a team will only use 3 of its 4 downs to attempt to gain at least 10 yards. If unsuccessful, it will then "punt" (kick) the ball on 4th down. Why? Because if a team runs or passes on the 4th down and doesn't gain the 10 yards it needs to maintain possession, the other team gets the ball from wherever the offense "loses" it.   So, if the offensive team does not believe that it will successfully gain those 10 yards, and punts the ball on 4th down, chances are that the punt will travel at least forty yards. This means that the opposing team is now about forty yards further away from where they would have been had the offensive team run and passed for less than 10 yards in 4 downs. Understand why the team is "special" When a punt is attempted, both teams send players onto the field whose skills are best suited to the situation. These are called "special teams." When one team punts the ball, the other team attempts to catch it, and runs as far as possible back towards the opposing end zone. From that point, the receiving team becomes the offensive team and starts their own series of downs.   Special teams also appear after a team has scored any points. The team that just scored those points kicks the ball from a specified point on the field to the other team. And, hey, remember the way the first and second halves start? with a kick? Well the special teams are on the field then as well. Know why sometimes play is stopped When a player in possession of the ball runs or falls out of the playing area, that player is "out of bounds". Play (and the clock) is stopped, and the officials place the ball back on the field at the point where it left. This is often used, especially near the end of a half, as a strategy where a player will purposely go out of bounds in order to stop play. This gains a few scant moments for his team to substitute players, or send in a new play for the quarterback to initiate.   Penalties are called, when observed by the officials, for infractions of the rules. Penalties are common, and generally take the form of loss of yardage, or loss of a down. This often results in a team will having to gain more than 10 yards to make a first down. Another way that teams find themselves in that situation is if a quarterback, runner or receiver loses yardage by being tackled behind the "line of scrimmage" (the point from which the play was started). Know these weights and measures An American football field is just over fifty yards wide, and one hundred yards long between end zones. Each end zone is 10 yards deep.   A field goal is scored by kicking the football within a certain area of the goal posts. This area begins just over the 10 foot high horizontal bar and extends between the two vertical ones, a span of 18 feet and 6 inches.   A regulation football is 11-11.25 inches long and weighs 14-15 ounces.   In the current NFL, there are thirty teams in two conferences. Each conference has 3 divisions. At the end of the regular season, the teams with the best record in each division, plus 3 "wild card" (teams with the next best records), advance to the playoffs. The Super Bowl is played by the champions of each conference. -end- Learn More!