1.
Tom Brady
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Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is one of two players to win five Super Bowls, the only quarterback to win five and the only player to win them all playing for one team. After playing college football for the University of Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the round of the 2000 NFL Draft. In Bradys 15 seasons as a starter, he has quarterbacked the Patriots to seven Super Bowl appearances, as of the end of the 2016 season, Brady is fourth all-time in career passing yards, fourth in career touchdown passes, and third in career passer rating. His career postseason record is 25–9, winning more games than any other quarterback. Brady has never had a season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. His 208 combined regular-season and postseason wins are also the most of any quarterback in NFL history, because of his accomplishments and accolades, many analysts and sportswriters consider Brady to be among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Due to his draft selection, Brady is considered to be the biggest steal in the history of the NFL Draft. Brady was born in San Mateo, California, the son and fourth child of Galynn Patricia and Thomas Brady. He has three sisters named Nancy, Julie, and Maureen. Bradys great uncle, Michael Buckley Jr. was, also, at the age of four, Brady attended the 1981 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark. As a child, Brady attended football camp at the College of San Mateo where he learned to throw the football from camp counselor and he grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fan. Brady attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, where he graduated in 1995 and he played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He played against Bellarmine College Preparatory rival Pat Burrell in both football and baseball, Bradys football career started as the backup quarterback on the Padres JV team. At first, Brady was not good enough to start on the 0–8 JV team that had not scored a touchdown all year, however, when the starting quarterback went down with an injury, he ascended to the starting position. He became the varsity starter his junior year and held the position until he graduated, by Bradys senior year, he struggled getting on the radar of college coaches. He created highlight tapes and sent them out to schools he would consider attending and this led to strong interest from many football programs around the nation. The process of recruiting was much different during Bradys time, in terms of recruiting in the 2000s, Brady would have been considered a Four-star quarterback
2.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
3.
Lineman (gridiron football)
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In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line. A number of NFL rules specifically address restrictions and requirements for the offensive line, linemen are usually the largest players on the field in both height and weight, since their positions usually require less running and more strength than skill positions. An offensive linemans motion during a play is limited to just a few quick steps to establish position. Offensive linemen thus tend to be the largest players on the field, with excellent agility and balance, most pro and college football offensive lineman tend to weigh over 300 pounds. On passing plays, the line is responsible for stopping defensive players from tackling the quarterback before he has thrown the ball. The interior offensive line consists of the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball into play, in addition to the interior line, a full offensive line may also include a Tight End outside one or both of the tackles. However, ends are eligible to catch passes, when an offensive lineman knocks a player down on a block, leaving the defensive player lying flat on his back, it is colloquially known as a pancake block. When an offensive line has an number of men on either side of the center. The defensive line consists of one or two defensive tackles and two ends who play outside the defensive tackles. The defensive line works with the linebackers to try to control the line of scrimmage, the 4-3 defensive formation, most commonly used in the NFL, employs two defensive tackles, while the 3-4 formation uses just a single defensive tackle, called the nose tackle. However, defensive ends in a typical 3-4 have responsibilities more similar to a 4-3 defensive tackle than 4-3 defensive ends, on running plays, the goal is to tackle the ball carrier. The defensive tackles are usually the most skilled run defenders on the team, on passing plays, the defensive line tries to reach the quarterback. Defensive ends are usually the most skilled pass rushers on the team, in order to increase the pressure on the quarterback, teams will often have players other than the defensive line attempt to tackle the quarterback, this is called a blitz. Defensive linemen—particularly defensive ends—are called upon to do more running than offensive linemen, thus they usually tend to be somewhat lighter and faster
4.
Quarterback
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A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
5.
Wide receiver
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A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. They get their name because they are split out wide, furthest away from the rest of the team, wide receivers are among the fastest players on the field. The wide receiver functions as the pass-catching specialist, the wide receivers principal role is to catch passes from the quarterback. On passing plays, the attempts to avoid, outmaneuver. If the receiver becomes open, or has a path to the destination of a catch. Once a pass is thrown in his direction, the goal is to first catch the ball. A receivers height and weight also contribute to his expected role, a wide receiver has two potential roles during running plays. Particularly in the case of draw plays and other trick plays, alternatively, he may block normally for the running back. Well-rounded receivers are noted for blocking defensive backs in support of teammates in addition to their pass-catching abilities, sometimes wide receivers are used to run the ball, usually in some form of end-around or reverse. This can be effective because the defense usually does not expect them to be the carrier on running plays. For example, wide receiver Jerry Rice rushed the ball 87 times for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 20 NFL seasons, in even rarer cases, receivers may pass the ball as part of a trick play. Despite the infrequency of these plays, some receivers have proven to be capable passers, wide receivers may also serve on special teams as kick returners or punt returners, as gunners on kick coverage teams, or as part of the hands team during onside kicks. Finally, on errant passes, receivers must frequently play a role by attempting to prevent an interception. If a pass is intercepted, receivers must use their speed to chase down, in the NFL, wide receivers can use the numbers 10–19 and 80–89. The wide receiver out of a position known as the end. Originally, the played on the offensive line, immediately next to the tackles. By the rules governing the forward pass, ends and backs are eligible receivers, most early football teams used the ends as receivers sparingly, their position often left them in heavy traffic with many defenders around. By the 1930s, some teams were experimenting with moving one end far out near the sideline and these split ends became the prototype for the modern wide receiver
6.
Fumble
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A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, a fumble may be forced by a defensive player who either grabs or punches the ball or butts the ball with his helmet. A fumbled ball may be recovered and advanced by either team and it is one of three events that can cause a turnover, where possession of the ball can change during play. Under American rules a fumble may be confused with a muff, a muff occurs where a player drops a ball that he does not have possession of, such as while attempting to catch a lateral pass or improperly fielding a kicking play such as a punt. Ball security is the ability of a player to control over the football during play. If the ball is fumbled the defensive team may recover the ball, the same is true for the offense, but usually when the offense recovers the ball it simply tries to down it. In American football the offense cannot advance the ball if it recovers its own fumble on fourth down, in American football, there is no separate signal to indicate a fumble recovery. If the offense recovers its own fumble, the official will indicate the recovery by a signal showing the next down. If the defense recovers the fumble, the official will indicate with a first down signal in the direction the team is driving the ball. Some officials have used a first down signal when the offense recovers its own fumble. This is not the thing as when a forward pass is attempted and is not caught. In this latter case, it is simply an incomplete pass, however, if the receiver catches the ball, but then drops it after gaining control of the ball, that is considered a fumble. Any number of fumbles can be committed during a play, including fumbles by the team originally on defense, Most famously, Dallas Cowboys defender Leon Lett fumbled during Super Bowl XXVII while celebrating during his own fumble return. A sometimes controversial rule is referred to as the ground cannot cause a fumble. If a player is tackled and loses control of the ball at or after the time he makes contact with the ground, the player is treated as down and the ball is not in play. However, in the NFL and CFL, if a ball carrier falls without an opponent contacting him and this is because in those leagues the ball carrier is not down unless an opponent first makes contact, or the runner is out of bounds. If a player fumbles in most other leagues, as soon as the knee or elbow touches the ground and it is also possible for the ground to cause a fumble in college football if the ball hits the ground before any part of the ball carriers body touches the ground. An example was the fumble by Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner vs. Tennessee in 1998, the effects of fumbles vary when the ball goes out of bounds without being recovered, A fumble going out-of-bounds between the end zones is retained by the last team with possession
7.
Quarterback sack
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A quarterback that is pressured but avoids a sack can still be adversely affected by being forced to hurry. In the National Football League, it is possible to record a sack for zero yards, the QB must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack. A sack is also credited when a defender causes the quarterback to fumble the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage, to be considered a sack the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass. If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush the ball, if the quarterbacks intent is not obvious, statisticians use certain criteria, such as the offensive line blocking scheme, to decide. Unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterbacks rushing total are kneel downs, a player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback, even if more than two players contributed. In the NFL yards lost on the play are added as negative yardage to the teams passing totals, however, NCAA continues to subtract sack yardage from individual rushing totals. The term sack was first popularized by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones in the 1960s, according to former NFL coach Marv Levy, it was Washington Redskins coach George Allen who actually coined the term when referring to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton. Allen purportedly stated before a game, Before we play those Dallas Cowboys, we’re going to take that Morton salt, prior to sack, the term dump was often used, and the NFLs statistical office recorded all sacks under dumping the passer. The NFL only began to track of times passers lost yardage in 1961. Researcher John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association estimated that Jones recorded 173 1⁄2 sacks in his career, of all forms of defensive pressure against the oppositions passer, sacks provide the most immediate impact by ending the offensive play. However, quarterbacks sometimes avoid a sack by throwing a pass or risking an interception. According to Football Outsiders, a quarterback hurry is the most common form of pass pressure. In the 2009 NFL season, there were 1,106 sacks and 3,268 hurries,30,2007 NFL Game More Sacks Taken than Yards Passing, Five sacks and four yards passing by Colin Kaepernick on Dec.4,2016. NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, single game, 3*** Reggie White – Green Bay vs, new England, XXXI Darnell Dockett – Arizona vs. Pittsburgh, XLIII Kony Ealy – Carolina vs. Denver,50 Grady Jarrett – Atlanta vs. New England, LI NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, career,4, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Michael Strahan is attributed the single season record. **Al Bubba Baker had 23 sacks in his rookie 1978 season, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Jevon Kearse is attributed the single season rookie record. Since 1982, when the NFL first began keeping track of sacks, only 31 players have managed to reach the 100 sack milestone
8.
Rush (gridiron football)
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Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football. The first is a taken by the offense that means to advance the ball by running with it, as opposed to passing. The other is a taken by the defense that means to charge towards the quarterback. When players on the defense are collectively rushing the passer, it is called the pass rush, in both offense and defense, any rushing player is called a rusher. Rushing, on offense, is running with the ball starting from behind the line of scrimmage. While this usually means a play, any offensive play that does not involve a forward pass is a rush - also called a run. It is usually done by the back after a handoff from the quarterback, although quarterbacks. The quarterback will run when a passing play has broken down - such as when there is no receiver open to catch the ball -. A team with a quarterback who is fast and skilled at running may regularly call intentional running plays for that quarterback, but this is rare due to the increased risk of injury. A wide receiver can act as a rusher on several kinds of plays, such as on a reverse, on an end-around, or on a pass behind the line of scrimmage. However, a wide receiver screen play is intended to be a forward pass so that if the receiver drops the ball it is an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. A rushing attempt may also be referred to as a carry, with any yards gained referred to as rushing yards, as in the running back had 20 carries for 100 rushing yards
9.
Roger Staubach
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Roger Thomas Staubach, nicknamed Captain America and Captain Comeback, is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He attended the U. S. Naval Academy where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy, Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 and played with the club during all 11 seasons of his career. He led the team to the Super Bowl five times, four as the starting quarterback and he led the Cowboys to victories in Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII. He was named to the Pro Bowl six times during his 11-year NFL career and he is currently executive chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Staubach is of German descent and grew up in Silverton, roger was an only child and a Boy Scout as a youth. He attended St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, and graduated from a Catholic high school, after one year at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, Staubach entered the U. S. Naval Academy in 1961 and played quarterback for the Midshipmen. As a third-class midshipman in 1962, he got his first opportunity to play in the game of the season. He relieved starter Ron Klemick as the Minnesota defense, led by Bobby Bell, Staubach was 0–2 passing and was sacked twice for -24 yards. A week later, against Cornell, with the offense misfiring and he led Navy to six touchdowns, throwing for 99 yards and two touchdowns while running for 88 yards and another score as Navy won 41–0. He led the team to a 34–14 upset over Army, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, on New Years Day, the Midshipmen lost the national championship to No.1 University of Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Earlier that season, Staubach led Navy to a 35–14 road victory in its rivalry with Notre Dame. Navy did not beat Notre Dame again until 2007,44 years later, in his three seasons at Navy, he completed 292 of 463 passes with 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, while gaining a school record 4,253 yards of total offense. Staubach is the last player from an academy to win the Heisman Trophy. As a senior in 1964, he injured his heel in the opening game victory over Penn State and missed the next four games. The Naval Academy retired Staubachs jersey number during his graduation ceremony after his senior season, in 1981 Staubach was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2007 Staubach was ranked No.9 on ESPNs Top 25 Players In College Football History list and his collegiate football career completed, Staubach closed out his Academy sports career as captain of the Academys 1965 baseball team. During his junior year at the Naval Academy, Staubachs color-blindness was detected, after graduating from the Naval Academy in June 1965, Staubach could have requested an assignment in the States, but he chose to volunteer for a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. He served as a Supply Corps officer for the Navy at the Chu Lai base/port until 1967 and he returned from Vietnam in September 1967, and spent the rest of his naval career in the United States
10.
Gridiron football
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Gridiron football, or North American football, is a form of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of football are American football and Canadian football. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Gridiron football developed in the late 19th century out of the games now known as rugby football. Walter Camp is credited with creating many of the rules that differentiate gridiron football from its older counterparts, because the two sets of lines had the same spacing and were perpendicular, they divided the field into squares, resembling a checkerboard or gridiron pattern. The word gridiron, in use since the 14th century, refers to a grid for cooking food over a fire. As described in Outdoor Sports and Games, by Claude H. Miller, at each end are goal posts set 18 feet 6 inches apart, with a crossbar 10 feet above the ground. The field is marked off in chalk lines similar to a tennis court, the centre of the field where the play starts is 55 yards from either end. The lines on a football field make an effect and have given to the field the name of gridiron. As a result, the name of the field, gridiron, was applied to the game itself, the ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Especially outside of the U. S. and Canada, the gridiron and gridiron football are often used to distinguish the North American sport from other codes of football. Gridiron is the word for the sport in Australia and New Zealand. In the United States and Canada, the game is known unambiguously as football, association football is known in these countries as soccer and rugby football, seldom encountered in the U. S. is known as rugby or, especially in Canada, English rugby. American football is the most common and widely known of the football codes. It is played with players to a side, four downs. The premier professional league in the United States, the National Football League, has its own distinct code, colleges in the United States generally play under the code defined in NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations. Youth games generally follow NFHS code with modifications, adult semi-pro, alternative and minor professional, amateur, touch, flag, etc. may follow any one of these codes or use their own rules
11.
Glossary of American football
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The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football, for a list of unique to that code. 2-4-5 defense A type of formation with two linemen, four linebackers, and five defensive backs. More common among teams with 3-4 base defenses than the 3-3-5 and this maximizes versatility for the defense against three- and four-WR offensive sets. A safety will often cover the fourth receiver, and a linebacker will cover the end or halfback. The 2-4-5 is most often used against the offense, when substituting players may be difficult. 3–3–5 defense A variation of the formation with three linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs. 3–4 defense A defensive formation with three linemen and four linebackers, a professional derivative in the 1970s of the earlier Oklahoma or 50 defense, which had five linemen and two linebackers. The 3-4 outside linebackers resemble stand-up ends in the older defense and it is sometimes pronounced thirty-four defense. 4–3 defense A defensive formation with four linemen and three linebackers, first used by coaches Joe Kuharich and Tom Landry. It is sometimes pronounced forty-three defense,46 defense Usually pronounced forty-six defense, a formation of the 4-3 defense featuring several dramatic shifts of personnel. The remaining safety, which is the safety, stays in the backfield. It was invented by Buddy Ryan during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and was popularized by the Bears during their Super Bowl XX championship season,50 defense or 5-2 defense A once popular college defense with five defensive linemen and two linebackers. Also known as the Oklahoma defense, it is very similar to the 3-4. In the 50 defense, the uses a nose tackle. It maximizes size along the line of scrimmage and is used in high school against teams that run the ball a lot. 53-man roster The most players a National Football League team can carry on its roster at the start of the regular season. To reach the deadline, teams can cut players, add players to their practice squad, 7-box or 7-2-2 defense A defensive formation with seven linemen, two linebackers, and two defensive backs
12.
History of American football
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The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage, of down-and-distance rules, the popularity of college football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century. Bowl games, a football tradition, attracted a national audience for college teams. Boosted by fierce rivalries and colorful traditions, college football still holds widespread appeal in the United States, in 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League two years later, and eventually became the league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, American footballs explosion in popularity during the second half of the 20th century can be traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the Greatest Game Ever Played. Forms of traditional football have been played throughout Europe and beyond since antiquity, many of these involved handling of the ball, and scrummage-like formations. Several of the oldest examples of games include the Greek game of Episkyros. Over time many countries across the world have developed their own national football-like games. By some accounts, in such events any means could be used to move the ball towards the goal. Sometimes instead of markers, the teams would attempt to kick the bladder into the balcony of the opponents church, a legend that these games in England evolved from a more ancient and bloody ritual of kicking the Danes head is unlikely to be true. These antiquated games went into decline in the 19th century when the Highway Act 1835 was passed banning the playing of football on public highways. Early games appear to have had much in common with the mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard
13.
American football rules
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Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts – or free kicks such as kickoffs, substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, the objective of this game is to score more points than the other team during the allotted time. If the offense does not advance at least 10 yards during their 4 downs, after scoring a touchdown, the offense is given an additional opportunity from the 2-yard line to attempt to score. Conversion attempts are used to score 1 or 2 points as follows, the offense may attempt to re-advance the ball into the opponents end zone for a two-point conversion worth 2 points. While the opposing team has possession, the attempts to prevent the offense from advancing the ball. If an offensive player loses the ball during play or the ball is caught by a player while still in the air. The defense may also score points by tackling the ball carrier in the offenses own end zone, collegiate and professional football games are 60 minutes long, divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each. In high school football,12 minute quarters are usually played, the clock is stopped frequently, however, so that a typical college or professional game can exceed three hours in duration. The referee controls the clock and stops the clock after any incomplete pass or any play that ends out of bounds. In addition, each team is allowed 3 timeouts in each half that they may use at their own discretion, the clock may also be stopped for an officials time-out, after which, if the clock was running, it is restarted. For example, if there is a question whether or not a team has moved the ball far enough for a first down, while this measurement is taking place, the officials will signal for a stoppage of the clock. Once the measurement is finished and the ball is placed at the proper location, additional situations where officials may take a time-out are to administer a penalty or for an injured player to be removed from the field. In addition to the clock, a separate play clock is also used. This counts down the time the offense has to start the play before it is assessed a penalty for delay of game. This clock is typically 25 seconds from when the marks the ball ready for play. The purpose of the clock is to ensure that the game progresses at a consistent pace. Officials also call for media time-outs, which allow time for television and they also stop the clock after a change of possession of the ball from one team to the other
14.
Canadian football
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In Canada, the term football may refer to Canadian football and American football collectively, or to either sport specifically, depending on context. The two sports have shared origins and are related but have significant differences. Rugby football in Canada originated in the early 1860s, and over time, active teams such as the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have similar longevity. The CFL is the most popular and only major professional Canadian football league and its championship game, the Grey Cup, is one of Canadas largest sporting events, attracting a broad television audience, though it has been shrinking in recent years. In 2009, about 40% of Canadas population watched part of the game, in 2014, it was closer to 33%, great achievements in Canadian football are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame located in Hamilton, Ontario. Other organizations across Canada perform senior league Canadian football during the summer, the first documented football match was a practice game played on November 9,1861, at University College, University of Toronto. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was Sir William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. The first written account of a game played was on October 15,1862 and it was between the First Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Second Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards resulting in a win by the Grenadier Guards 3 goals,2 rouges to nothing. In 1864, at Trinity College, Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, Frederick A. Bethune, the game gradually gained a following, with the Hamilton Football Club formed on November 3,1869. Montreal formed a team April 8,1872, Toronto was formed on October 4,1873, and this rugby-football soon became popular at Montreals McGill University. McGill challenged Harvard University to a game, in 1874 using a game of English rugby devised by the University of McGill. Later both the Ontario and Quebec Rugby Football Union were formed, and then the Interprovincial and Western Interprovincial Football Union, the CRFU reorganized into an umbrella organization forming the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891. The original forerunners to the current Canadian Football League, was established in 1956 when the IRFU and WIFU formed an umbrella organization, and then in 1958 the CFC left The CRFU to become the CFL. The Burnside rules closely resembling American football that were incorporated in 1903 by The ORFU, was an effort to distinguish it from a more rugby-oriented game, the rules were an attempt to standardize the rules throughout the country. The CIRFU, QRFU and CRU refused to adopt the new rules at first, the primary differences between the Canadian and American games stem from rule changes that the American side of the border adopted but the Canadian side did not. The Canadian field width was one rule that was not based on American rules, as the Canadian game was played in wider fields, initially an amateur competition, it eventually became dominated by professional teams in the 1940s and early 1950s. The Ontario Rugby Football Union, the last amateur organization to compete for the trophy, the move ushered in the modern era of Canadian professional football. Canadian football has mostly been confined to Canada, with the United States being the other country to have hosted high-level Canadian football games
15.
Comparison of American and Canadian football
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American and Canadian football are gridiron codes of football that are very similar. Both have their origins in rugby football, there are, however, some key differences. Football was introduced to North America in Canada by the British Army garrison in Montreal, in 1874, USAs Harvard University hosted Canadas McGill University to play the new game derived from rugby football in a home-and-home series. When the Canadians arrived several days early, to advantage of the trip to see Boston. During this time, the Americans were surprised to see the Canadians kick, chase, when the American asked which game the Canadians played, David replied rugby. After some negotiation, it was decided to play a game with half and half Canadian/US rules, thus, many of the similarities and differences between the Canadian and American games indeed came out of this original series where each home team set the rules. For instance, Harvard, because of a lack of campus space and their pitch was only 100 yd long by 50 yd wide with undersized endzones. Because of the field, the Harvard team opted for 11 players per side. To generate more offense, Harvard also increased the number of downs from three, as set by McGill, to four, furthermore, the Harvard players so enjoyed running with the ball, this rule was wholly adopted into all Harvard play following the two games with McGill. While the American team bested the Canadian, both countries flavours of football were changed and linked to one another. Many, perhaps most, of the differences have arisen because of rules changes in American football in the early 20th century which have not been copied by Canadian football. The major Canadian codes never abolished the onside scrimmage kick or restricted backfield motion, Canadian football was later in adopting the hand snap and the forward pass, although one would not suspect the latter from play today. Additionally, Canadian football was slower in removing restrictions on blocking, similarly, differences in scoring opened up from the late 19th century, but were erased by the 1950s. An area in which American football has been more conservative is the retention of the fair catch, in some regions along the Canada-USA border, especially western areas, some high schools from opposite sides of the border regularly play games against one another. By agreement between the bodies involved, the field of the home team is considered a legal field. In all but a few cases, the rules of the team are followed throughout the game. For individuals who played both American and Canadian football professionally, their career totals are considered to be their combined totals from their careers in both the CFL and NFL. Warren Moon, for example, was the professional football leader in passing yards after an illustrious career in both leagues
16.
Arena football
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Arena football is a variety of indoor gridiron football played by the Arena Football League and China Arena Football League. It used to be a game but the patent expired in 2007. The game is played indoors on a field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster. The sport was invented in 1981, and patented in 1987, by James F. Foster, Jr. a former executive of the National Football League and the United States Football League. Though not the only variant of indoor American football, it is the most widely known, and the one on which most other forms of modern indoor football are at least partially based. As a key part of plan, while residing in the Chicago area, he tested the game concept through several closed door practice sessions in late 1985. After fine tuning the rules, he secured additional operating capital to play several test games in the MetroCentre in April 1986. On June 19,1987, the Pittsburgh Gladiators hosted the Washington Commandos in the first league game after a training camp for all four charter teams in Wheaton. AFL football operations and training was overseen by veteran college and pro head coach, Mouse Davis, the other two 1987 teams were the Chicago Bruisers and the Denver Dynamite. As the AFL grew into a league with close to 20 teams, it defined itself as a major market pro sports product. The growth and establishment of the AFL as a major market league spawned a developmental league that Foster also helped co-found, a minor league called Arena Football 2, in 2000. The league was set up to operate in medium size markets around the U. S. where it has enjoyed growth under the guidance of af2 President, other people have started their own indoor football minor leagues. Arena football is played indoors, in arenas usually designed for either basketball or ice hockey teams. The field is the width and length as a standard NHL hockey rink. The scrimmage area is 50 yards long, and each end zone is approximately eight yards deep, depending on the venue in which a game is being played, the end zones may be rectangular or, where necessary because of the building design, rounded. Each sideline has a heavily padded barrier, with the padding placed over the hockey dasher boards, the goalpost uprights are 9 feet wide, and the crossbar is 15 feet above the playing surface. Taut rebound nets on either side of the posts bounce any missed field goals back into the field of play, the ball is live when rebounding off these nets or their support apparatus. The entire goalframe and goalside rebound net system is suspended on cables from the rafters, the bottom of the two goalside rebound nets are 8 feet off the playing surface
17.
Indoor American football
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In the United States, indoor football is football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varied, the rules of football are designed to allow for play in a smaller arena. The indoor football season typically begins in mid- to late-winter and ends by mid-summer, the first documented indoor football games were those played at Madison Square Garden in 1902 and 1903, known as the World Series of Pro Football. The games were played on a 70-yard by 35-yard dirt field, poor attendance led to the tournament being discontinued after two years. The first major football game was the 1932 NFL Playoff Game. A dirt floor was brought in, and to compensate for the 80-yard length of the field, in the 1960s the Boardwalk Bowl, a post-season game involving small college teams, was contested at the convention center. The Bowl was an attempt to make Atlantic City more of a resort in the pre-gambling era as opposed to a single-season one. The Philadelphia-based Liberty Bowl game, which had played at Municipal Stadium from 1959–1963, was moved into the Convention Center in 1964 for the contest between Utah and West Virginia. The game drew just over 6,000 fans, though, and the Liberty Bowl moved to Memphis the next year, the end zones were slightly shorter—eight yards instead of the standard ten. He devised his game while watching indoor soccer, another game derived from a sport played outdoors, when the USFL ceased operations, Foster saw his opportunity. He staged a test game in Rockford, Illinois in 1986 and put together a league for a demonstration season in the spring of 1987. This resulted in the field being 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones, and the field being slightly over half as wide as a standard football field. Although it was not as much of an issue then as it is now, Foster adopted artificial turf for the field, Foster adopted a modified version of eight-man football. He also mandated a system that required at least six players go both ways, playing on both offensive and defensive downs. This had the desirable effect of limiting team payrolls. The placing of rebound nets around the ends of the surface, kicked and passed balls bounced off these nets. This means that on every kicking play except an extra point attempt, either team may have a shot to regain the ball and advance it, only kicked or passed balls touching the slack nets behind the goalposts are ruled dead at that point. To further an offensive passing advantage over the defense, Foster also imposed restrictions on the defensive formation
18.
Eight-man football
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Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Most states continue to play on a 100-yard length field, whereas a few states opt for 80-yard lengths, reduced-player football, which consists of eight-man, six-man, and nine-man football has gained popularity across the United States. Eight-man football shares the rules, procedures, and structure as the traditional 11-man game. Eight-man football is played with eight players on offense and defense, the size of the playing field is often smaller in eight-man football than in 11-man. To accommodate six fewer players on the field, the width of the field is 40-yard-wide,13 1/3-yards narrower than the 53 1/3-yard eleven-man field, most eight-man leagues mandate 100-yard length fields, where few choose the 80-yard-long field length option. There are several professional football leagues in the United States. These leagues typically use a 50-yard by roughly 25-yard field, as professional football is usually played indoors. In recent years, organizations that previously played six-man football have been converting to eight-man football, States elect to use an either playoff system, a bowl game format, or for states with few eight-man teams, no official postseason is organized, instead electing for Conference Champions. Playoff Format States that elect a playoff format will seed teams based on season records. Depending on the sizes of each class, division, or district, teams will advance through the bracket until a state champion is crowned. Bowl Game Format States that elect a bowl game format, also known as a Jamboree, will seed teams based on season records. In this format, teams play one game as there is no advancement through levels as in a playoff format. Wisconsin currently uses this format for postseason eight-man games, eight-man football consists of fast-paced games with higher scoring than the traditional game. Eight-man football is noted for producing multi-skilled players that are responsible for playing several positions, which speed, agility. Eight-man players each account for 12. 5% of the responsibility in eight-man football, compared to 9. 09% responsibility in the eleven-man format, a variety of offensive formations can be used in eight-man football, most of which are converted from traditional eleven-man formations. Eight-man football rules require five players to be on the line of scrimmage with players on each end remaining pass eligible, the interior of the line consists of two guards and a center. Most often, the players on the edges of the formation are tight ends. Attempting the extra point kick after a touchdown is less common in eight-man, due to the lack of specialized kickers and holders, for this reason, teams often attempt a two-point conversion instead
19.
Six-man football
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Six-man football is a variant of American football that is played with six players per team, instead of 11. Six-man football was developed in 1934 by Stephen Epler in Chester, Nebraska, the first six-man game played Thursday, September 27,1934 in the Hebron Athletic Gridiron under the lights with a crowd of almost 1000 watching. This game was played so that all over Kansas and Nebraska could see if they wanted to try this new game of six-man. The two teams playing in the game were the team from Hardy-Chester and a combined team from Belvalex-Alexandria. The two teams had two weeks to practice prior to this game, after that night, rules for the game were distributed to about 60,000 coaches in the United States. On October 5,1940, Windham High School from Windham, defeated Stamford Collegiate of Niagara Falls, Ontario, 39-1 in the first international six-man football game. Jack Pardee began his career as a teenager in Christoval Texas. He was an All-American linebacker at Texas A&M University and a two-time All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams and he was one of the few six-man players to ever make it to the NFL, and his knowledge of that wide-open game would serve him well as a coach. Pardee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986, ed Sprinkle played six-man football at Tuscola High School in 1939, and became known to many as The Meanest Man in Pro Football, nicknamed the Claw. Prior to his NFL career, Sprinkle won three letters in football and two in basketball and earned All-Border Conference while at Hardin-Simmons University in the early 1940s and he earned all-Eastern honors in 1943 while attending the United States Naval Academy. He played for 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and is credited with calling attention to the NFLs defensive players, at first, he played on both defense and offense. He caught 32 passes for 451 yards and seven touchdowns during his professional career and his ability to rush opposing quarterbacks, however, soon made him a defensive specialist, earning four Pro Bowls. Six-man is a game played on an 80-yard long by 40-yard wide field. Furthermore, the game specifies a 15-yard distance from the line of scrimmage to gain a first down, all six players are eligible to be receivers. On offense, three linemen are required on the line of scrimmage at the start of the play, all forward passes to the player who snapped the ball must travel at least 1 yard in flight. Scoring is the same as in 11-man football, with the exceptions being on the point after touchdown attempt, a point-after kick is worth two points, while a conversion made by running or passing the ball is worth one point, this is the opposite of 11-man football. In addition, a goal is worth 4 points instead of 3. These rule changes were made because of the difficulty of getting a kick off with so few blockers on the line compared to the number of defenders
20.
Flag football
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An important distinction is whether linemen are allowed to catch passes or, as in the NFL / CFL, are not allowed to do so. Flag football may also be divided into contact or non-contact, depending on whether or not blocking is allowed, if allowed, the ability or inability for the quarterback to advance the ball past the line of scrimmage by running is another rule subject to variation by league. The sport has an amateur following and several national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations. The majority of flag football leagues are organized by recreation departments of cities and municipalities. Pickup games are common, as football is first and foremost a recreational sport. Flag football tournaments are held to boost competitive play, every Memorial Day weekend in Roswell, NM. Hike it & Spike it 4-on-4 flag football has almost 600 teams playing in 42 divisions, young, old, male and female are all welcome in the alien city. The United States Flag and Touch Football League has a number of smaller organizations spread out over the US, located in Ohio, this league supports a number of teams from the Mid Atlantic, NorthEast, and Midwest states. On the west coast XFLAGFOOTBALL has over 15 leagues throughout Southern California, in the south, FlagFootballX hosts many of the largest 5on5 cash tournaments, located in Dallas, TX. Texan Flag Football hosts many tournaments and leagues in the Houston area as well. TAAF hosts a yearly 8on8 State Championship at a rotating location throughout Texas, Flag lists all of Texas and the bordering states tournaments in one location to browse but does not host their own events. I9Sports a youth sports league franchise business in the U. S. is one of the countrys largest providers of flag football leagues for boys and girls ages 3–14. Flag football participation has increased in the past decade while participation in football among kids under age 14 has declined amid growing safety concerns from parents. National Flag Football is the countrys largest youth football organization, with leagues in six states. The NFL conducts their own Youth World Championship for children 12–14 years of age, held in different nations around the world. It is five man no contact football played between ten countries, previous NFL Flag Football World Championships have been held in Beijing, Cologne, Mexico City, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver. The NFL has also at times sanctioned Air It Out competitions aimed primarily at its fans in which tournament-winning teams were allowed to compete against retired NFL All-Pros, Air It Out has now been rebranded as Let It Fly a nationwide tour operated by North American Sports Group. Many universities around the continent have flag football divisions and leagues, the organization is the largest organization for women and girls in the sport of flag football
21.
Touch football (American)
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The game is usually played by amateurs on a recreational basis. Major variants of football include one-hand or two-hand touch, each of which dictates the number of hands a defensive player must touch the ball carrier with in order to end a down. Touch football can be played by teams as few as two or as many as eleven on each side, usually, games consist of teams of four to seven, positions in touch football are far less formal than its more organized counterpart. While some games roughly follow conventions, more often, all players will be considered eligible receivers, and there are usually no running backs. There may or may not be a snapper, if there is not, generally, in touch football, nearly every play is a passing play, whereas run plays and pass plays tend to be well balanced in organized football. Some games will also implement a blitz count, or a period of time that must elapse after the snap before the defense may cross the line of scrimmage in order to attempt to tackle the quarterback. The count thus gives the time to complete a pass in the absence of effective blocking. Other games will not use a count and thus blocking becomes important, because of these rules, passing plays are far more common than running plays in touch football. Along with the size of the teams, the size of the field can vary considerably, in most of these situations, there are no yard lines, requiring some change in the definition of a first down. Instead of requiring that an advance the ball ten yards. Another option is to eliminate first downs entirely, so that a team gets four chances to score and this is often better known as a Steady Quarterback or Steady Q. When this occurs, there is usually no blitz count and the quarterback is usually never allowed to cross the line of scrimmage. Scoring and game timing are much different in touch football than its more organized counterpart, for simplicity, touchdowns are usually worth 1 point and no other scoring is counted. The former scoring method does not allow for other scoring types such as safeties, there is usually no game clock and the game ends when one opponent has reached 10 touchdowns or 100 points. This rule controls the action of the teams current quarterback. When teams are even, a shift between two offensive players begins the play and it takes a touch from a defender assigned to the quarterback to stop his initial forward progress and determine where the ball will be thrown from. The assigned defender is stuck to the quarterback, unable to act as a defender or hinder the quarterback in his search of a receiver. Depending on the group, first touch can refer to the ability to run or walk after the shift
22.
Street football (American)
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Street football, also known as backyard football or sandlot football, is a simplified variant of American football primarily played informally by youth. It features far less equipment and fewer rules than its counterparts, Games are played on fields generally ranging from as short as 10 to as large as 50 yards, with the occasional game being played on a full-size regulation 100 yard field such as in the A7FL. Generally, the larger the field, the players that can be incorporated into the game. Most forms of backyard or street football use ad hoc house rules that vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, the teams organize each other at the beginning of the game, if there are no pre-selected teams, team captains are usually appointed and take turns picking available players. Teams can be identified solely by memory or by the shirts versus skins system, uniforms are rare, the two teams organize on opposite sides of the field for the kickoff. Because of skill, field size and other issues, this is not a kickoff. Many versions skip this process and start the offense at a certain point, as in regular American football, each team usually has four downs per series. In order to achieve a series of downs, backyard football requires the team with the ball to complete two passes or reach a point on the field. Few games include enough people, or the equipment, to run a chain crew to maintain the 10 yard familiar in most organized leagues. These structures encourages passing plays over running, as does the lack of offensive and defensive lines. The use of a center is optional, depending on the rules set forth, play continues until there is a turnover on downs, an interception occurs, or the team on offense scores a touchdown. Touchdowns are worth 6,7, or 1 point depending on the set out before the game. Field goals and extra point kicks are nonexistent, although punts can frequently happen, thus, until an interception or turnover on downs, both teams defend and attempt to score on the same end zone. Rules greatly vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and are set before each game. There can be a rush on the QB depending on the set out before the game. Usually if rushes are allowed, there are 2 rules that are applied, call rush. Call rush is the first rule of rushing the QB in street and this is where the defense calls Blitz in a loud voice before the offense hikes the ball, signifying that they will rush, but there is also a counter effect with this. Sometimes the two rules are combined, allowing one separate call of Blitz. per set of 4 downs, the other option to handle a rush is to use an offensive lineman or center to block any pass rush
23.
Powderpuff (sports)
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In the United States and Canada, powderpuff football games are flag football or touch football games between girls from junior and senior classes or cross-town school rivals. Funds from the ticket and concession sales for the game go to charity. The games are a tradition at many high schools and universities. The term originates from the powder puff, the material used for the application of cosmetic face powder. The games usually occur before homecoming, many schools that participate in powderpuff games have created their own traditions. One of the first well-documented powderpuff football games was played on October 20,1945, at Eastern State Teachers College, in Madison, Eastern had cancelled many campus activities for the duration of World War II. The traditional football game seemed out of the question, however, just three men had enrolled for the fall term that year. A bunch of us were sitting around after gym class and we thought, if we’re going to have Homecoming, weve got to have a game, said Susie Lowry. We decided we should have a game of our own, Nelles, a freshman at Eastern that year, was on the Homecoming committee. There were two groups of Eastern coeds at the time, those who lived at their homes in Madison while attending classes on campus, the 23 girls who wanted to play football divided into two teams, informally known as the Townies and Dormies. On game day, the teams were designated Blue and Gold teams, respectively, leota Van Ornum, Easterns physical education teacher, served as coach for both teams. There was a school on Eastern’s campus where students training to be teachers did their practice teaching. Robert Ormseth, who coached that schools football team, served as her assistant, a fairly large group of spectators showed great interest and enthusiasm during the game, according to The Eastern, the campus newspaper. Friends and family and alumni were well represented, because the twenty-three players constituted almost half of Eastern’s enrollment of fifty-three that term. Robert Nelles and Paul Tommeraasen, two of the three students, were pressed into service as game officials. “We tried to be almost real, with huddles and all that, there was a lot of clowning around. A few of us fell down, just to make it look good, the neophyte gridders proved more adept at defense than offense, with each team holding the other scoreless until the games final minute. Doris Treloar of the Gold team finally broke through and scored a touchdown, professor A. E. Swan, the librarian serving as the referee, considered that an opportune moment to end the contest on an amiable note
24.
Wheelchair Football (American)
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Wheelchair football is different from that of power football because the sport has been patterned after the game of American football and the rules are similar as such. The game of football is played on a standard basketball court —28 meters long by 15 meters wide. The required court markings are a line and circle. It can be played indoors or outside, as long as it meets the standard requirements. All athletes must use either a manual or a wheelchair when competing in the sport. Specified rules for manual and power wheelchair users Team rules A team has six attempts to once they receive the ball. Teams may pass or “run” the ball into the end zone, field goals, kick–offs and punts are thrown. A running game clock is used, as well as a play clock, scoring is the same as in stand–up football, with one exception. A team that passes for the point–after–touchdown will receive two points, field goals are scored when the ball is thrown through the first two vertical uprights that support the hanging basket. Powerchair Football Wheelchair soccer American Association for Adaptive Sports Programs
25.
High school football
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High school football is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular sports in both countries. It is also popular amongst American High school teams in Europe, High school football began in the late 19th century, concurrent with the start of many college football programs. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many college, other traditions of high school football such as pep rallies, marching bands, mascots, and homecomings are mirrored from college football. No true minor league farm organizations exist in American football, therefore, high school football is generally considered to be the third tier of American football in the United States, behind professional and college competition. The National Federation of State High School Associations establishes the rules of high school football in the United States, two states, Texas and Massachusetts, use NCAA playing rules except as shown below. Kickoffs take place at the kicking teams 40-yard line, as opposed to the 35 in college, if an attempted field goal is missed it is treated as a punt, normally it would be a touchback and the opposing team will start at the 20-yard line. However, if it not enter the end zone, it can be downed or returned as a normal punt. Any kick crossing the line is automatically a touchback, kicks cannot be returned out of the end zone. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty, from the previous spot. The defense cannot return an extra-point attempt for a score, any defensive player that encroaches the neutral zone, regardless of whether the ball was snapped or not, commits a dead ball foul for encroachment. 5-yard penalty from the previous spot, prior to 2013, offensive pass interference resulted in a 15-yard penalty AND a loss of down. The loss of down provision has been deleted from the rules starting in 2013, in college and the NFL, offensive pass interference is only 10 yards. The use of overtime, and the type of overtime used, is up to the state association. The NFHS offers a suggested overtime procedure based on the Kansas Playoff, intentional grounding may be called even if the quarterback is outside the tackle box. The home team must wear dark-colored jerseys, and the team must wear white jerseys. In the NFL, the team has choice of jersey color, and in the NCAA
26.
Junior varsity team
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Junior varsity players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition, usually at the high school and college levels in the United States. The main players comprise the varsity team, for this reason, junior varsity teams are also often called junior/sophomore teams. Especially skilled or physically mature freshmen and sophomores may compete at the varsity level, some private school associations may permit very skilled seventh- or eighth-graders to compete on varsity teams. At larger schools, there may be two junior varsity teams for sports, with a lower-level team typically consisting only of freshmen. Members of a varsity team are underclassmen determined by the coaching staff to have less experience or ability than those on the varsity roster. As such, junior varsity teams are used to prepare athletes to compete at the varsity level. Some teams require participation on a varsity team before being eligible to try out for a varsity team. These players can provide the varsity team with extra depth, with their service as back-up players, the NCAA previously prohibited true freshmen from playing varsity college football, as a result, numerous junior-varsity freshmen teams appeared on many major college campuses. The NCAA repealed this limitation in the 1970s, many sports teams have assistant coaches responsible for developing the talent of junior varsity players. A coach may call on one or more junior varsity players during a varsity game, especially when a varsity player is injured, is not performing well, or is disqualified from further competition. If a junior varsity player does well, they see more playing time in the future or may even get moved up to the varsity level. A team will have many talented players, but the coach is unable to come up with a rotation that allows everyone to play, the decision of when to play junior varsity players in a one-sided game is often at the coachs discretion. This depends on the strategy, the time remaining in the game, the point margin. Some games have rules which allow unlimited use of junior varsity players, other sports have different ways of determining junior varsity participants. For instance, in high school wrestling, there can only be one wrestler competing for a team at a weight class in a given varsity match. The teams representative is often determined by a match, in which the top two wrestlers at that weight compete for the right to participate in the varsity match. The loser wrestles that nights junior varsity match, a similar format is used for golf, tennis, and badminton, with players who lose to varsity opponents participating in the junior varsity part of the meet. Junior varsity games are specially-scheduled events in which junior varsity players play to gain skills, records and statistics are kept for the junior varsity team, and some leagues offer a junior varsity championship
27.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities
28.
Women's American football
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Womens gridiron football, more commonly known as womens American football, womens Canadian football, or simply womens football, is a form of gridiron football played by women. Most leagues play by the rules as their male counterparts, with one exception. Women primarily play on a semi-professional or amateur level in the United States, very few high schools or colleges offer the sport solely for women and girls, however, on occasion, it is permissible for a female player to join the otherwise male team. The first evidence of women playing organized football was in 1926 and it was then that an NFL team called the Frankford Yellow Jackets employed a womens team for halftime entertainment. Leagues play American football unless otherwise noted, the first professional player was a placekick holder, while the best known female college football players were all placekickers, with all having primarily played womens soccer prior to converting. Patricia Palinkas is on record as being the first female football player. Palinkas was a holder for her placekicker husband. On October 18,1997, Liz Heaston became the first woman to play and score in a football game. Prior to this game, female athletes at Duke and Louisville had come close to playing in a game, in 2001, Ashley Martin became the second female athlete to score in a college football game, this time in the NCAA. In 2003, Katie Hnida became the first female athlete to score in a Division I-A bowl game, jennifer Welter became the first female skill position player at the male professional level by playing as a running back in the Texas Revolution in 2014. Brittanee Jacobs is the first female coach at the collegiate level. She helped coach safeties at Central Methodist University during the 2012 season, to date, only one woman has ever attempted to join the NFL, Lauren Silberman, who received a tryout to a scouting combine in 2013. Silberman had never played the game before and botched her tryout, the world governing body for American football associations, the International Federation of American Football, held the first ever Womens World Cup in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2010. Six nations participated in the event, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden. The United States won the gold by beating Canada, 66-0, the 2013 World Championship, in Finland, was held from 30 June 2013 to 7 July 2013. The USA won gold again, beating Sweden 84-0 and Germany 107-7 in order to make it to the medal match with Canada. List of female American football players Powderpuff Womens Professional Football history to 2000 Stuart Kantor, ProFootballResearchers
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American football field
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American football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards long and 53.33 yards wide. Lines marked along the ends and sides of the field are known respectively as the end lines and sidelines, weighted pylons are placed on the inside corner of the intersections of the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone, inbound lines, or hash marks, are short parallel lines that mark off 1 yard increments. Yard lines, which can run the width of the field, are marked every 5 yards. A one yard wide is placed at each end of the field, numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in multiples of ten are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of the plane of each of the two end lines, the uprights extend vertically 35 feet on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards on college fields, and a minimum of ten feet on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright
30.
Yard lines
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Yard lines are a place on the field in American football marking the distance from the line of scrimmage to the closest goal line. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone, inbound lines, or hash marks, are short parallel lines that mark off 1 yard increments. Usually, every 5 yards they run the width of the field, a one yard wide is placed at each end of the field, this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in multiples of ten are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards, lines marked along the ends and sides of the field are known respectively as the end lines and sidelines, and goal lines
31.
Hash marks
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Hash marks are short lines, running perpendicular to sidelines or sideboards, used to mark locations, primarily in sports. In ice hockey, the marks are two pairs of parallel lines on either side of the face-off circles in both ends of the rink. Players must remain on their teams side of the hash mark nearest their own goal during a face-off until the puck hits the ice. In US football and Canadian football, the marks are two rows of lines near the middle of the field that are perpendicular to the side lines. These small lines are used to each of the 5-yard lines. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks and that is, if the ball is downed in between a hash mark and the nearest sideline, it must be reset on the hash mark for the next play. The width of a football field in the United States is 160 feet. Prior to the adoption of hash marks, all plays began where the ball was declared dead, the hashmarks in that indoor 1932 playoff game were originally 10 yards from the sideline, and that width was adopted by the NFL for the 1933 season. It was increased to 15 yards in 1935,20 yards in 1945, high school football, college football and Canadian football have hash marks significantly wider than the goal posts. The college football standard, which was the standard in the NFL, is 40 feet apart. Previously, the width was the same as the high school standard. The Canadian standard is 51 feet in width, but its width is 65 yards,35 feet wider than those in the United States
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Sidelines
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The sidelines are the white or colored lines which mark the outer boundaries of a sports field, running parallel to each other and perpendicular to the goal lines. The sidelines are also where the staff and players out of play operate during a game. The area outside the sidelines is said to be out of bounds, the term is predominantly in use in American football, Canadian football, field lacrosse and basketball. In rugby union, rugby league and association football, they are known as touch-lines, the foul line is a similar concept in baseball. Establishing shots of players may be used by televised sports programs to indicate potential roster switches. Likewise, images of the sideline may suggest that the player had done something of interest outside of the confines of play. The term to be sidelined refers to a player in an event who is unable to play for injury, suspension. This term has spread into a context, a project that has been sidelined is no longer a major concern or objective of the proponent company
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Line of scrimmage
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In American and Canadian football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end of the most recent play, a line of scrimmage is parallel to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground prior to the snap. Under NFL, NCAA, and NFHS rules, there are two lines of scrimmage at the outset of each play, one restricts the offense. The area between the two lines is called the neutral zone, only the center, the offensive player who snaps the ball, is allowed to have any part of his body in the neutral zone. In Canadian football, the team on defense must line up no nearer than a yard to the line of scrimmage, in American football, they must only be beyond the line. Many fans and commentators refer colloquially to the neutral zone as the line of scrimmage. Others use the term to refer specifically to the defensive line of scrimmage. Referees, when explaining a penalty, will refer to the spot instead of the line of scrimmage in order to avoid confusion. Modern video techniques enable broadcasts of American football to display a visible line on the screen representing the line of scrimmage, the line is tapered according to camera angle and gets occluded by players and other objects as if the line were painted on the field. The line may represent the line of scrimmage or the distance that the ball must be moved for the offensive team to achieve a first down. Scrummage Glossary of American football Walter Camp, formal creator of the line of scrimmage in 1880 Comparison of Canadian and American football
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Field goal range
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Field goal range is the part of the field in American football where there is a good chance that a field goal attempt will be successful. A field goal is normally 17 yards longer than the distance of the line of scrimmage to the goal line, in Canadian football, the goal posts are on the goal lines, in front of the end zones. Therefore, if the line of scrimmage is at the 30, the exact field goal range varies for each team, depending on the ability of the teams placekicker. While some weaker placekickers may have trouble kicking field goals longer than 30 yards, others may consistently make 50-yarders, for most NFL kickers, the 35-yard line is typically the limit of their field goal range. In high school football, players are permitted to kick off special flat kicking tees up to two inches high, the NCAA banned the use of kicking tees in 1989. If a kicker is outside of field goal range, teams will generally punt, however, punting too close to the end zone increases the risk of a touchback, which nullifies most of the effect of the punt. Thus, teams who face a fourth down between the 35 and 40 yard lines often will go for the more risky fourth down rather than risk either the touchback or the missed field goal. The longest successful field goal in the NFL was 64 yards and was completed by Matt Prater in 2013, the NCAA record is 67 yards held by 3 kickers, Russell Erxleben of Texas, Steve Little of Arkansas and Joe Williams of Wichita State University. All three of those kickers achieved that feat in the 1977-1978 college seasons, notably, Johansson, Erxleben and Little all failed dramatically when they entered the NFL— Johanssons failure was due to an injury, but the other two were first-round draft busts. Scaccia, while playing football, attempted a 64-yard kick that was inches short of success. The shortest possible field goal under current strategies is slightly over 17 yards in American football and 8 yards in Canadian football. Theoretically, a goal could be attempted from a shorter distance as long as the holder stays behind the line of scrimmage. It has been surmised that a drop kick has a longer range than the standard place kick, but since these kicks are so rare. After the game, New England coach Bill Belichick said, I think Doug deserves it, the kick was executed from 27 yards out. Drew Brees, a teammate of Fluties, attempted a drop-kicked extra point from the same position during the poorly received 2012 Pro Bowl, his kick, however. Video of Johannsons 69 yard kick for Abilene Christian in 1976
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End zone
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The end zone refers to the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines, there are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. It is bordered on all sides by a line indicating its beginning and end points, with orange. Canadian rule books use the terms goal area and dead line instead of end zone and end line respectively, a similar concept exists in both rugby football codes, where it is known as the in-goal area. Ultimate frisbee also uses an end zone scoring area, scores in this sport are counted when a pass is received in the end zone. The end zones were invented as a result of the creation of the forward pass, prior to this, the goal line and end line were the same, and players scored a touchdown by leaving the field of play through that line. Goal posts were placed on the line, and any kicks that did not result in field goals. In the earliest days of the pass, the pass had to be caught in-bounds. This also made it difficult to pass the ball very close to ones own goal line. Thus, in 1912, the end zone was introduced in American football. Goal posts were originally kept on the lines, but after they began to interfere with play, they moved back to the end lines in 1927. The National Football League moved the goal posts up to the line again in 1933. As with many aspects of gridiron football, Canadian football adopted the forward pass. The forward pass and end zones were adopted in 1929, in Canada, college football never reached a level of prominence comparable to U. S. college football, and professional football was still in its infancy in the 1920s. As a result, Canadian football was still being played in rudimentary facilities in the late 1920s, a further consideration was that the Canadian Rugby Union wanted to reduce the prominence of single points in the game. Therefore, the CRU simply appended 25-yard end zones to the ends of the existing 110-yard field, a team scores a touchdown by entering its opponents end zone while carrying the ball or catching the ball while being within the end zone. If the ball is carried by a player, it is considered a score when any part of the ball is directly above or beyond any part of the line between the pylons. In addition, a two-point conversion may be scored after a touchdown by similar means, in Ultimate Frisbee, a goal is scored by completing a pass into the end zone
